GB2409174A

GB2409174A - Football mat game

Info

Publication number: GB2409174A
Application number: GB0416020A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Chen Guo Fu
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2003-12-19
Filing date: 2004-07-16
Publication date: 2005-06-22
Anticipated expiration: 2024-07-16
Also published as: GB0416020D0; GB2409174B

Abstract

A football game mat which comprises a mat body 10, on which exerciser practices, a football-shaped casing 20, which is connected to one end of the mat body. A control circuit 30, wherein an infrared transceiver circuit 31 which is installed on the same circuit board, and control circuit 30 is directly connected with A/V (audio and video) equipment via A/V output line. A power circuit 40, which is connected with control circuit 30; and control circuit 30 and power circuit 40 are installed in the main circuit board 23 in football-shaped casing 20. The present invention provides a new-type recreational and fitness product that simulates football games. The present invention integrates transmitting circuit and receiving circuit into an entirety and eliminates the need for a separate game player to generate A/V signals. The player kicks over the transceiver 31, which uses LEDs, to play the game.

Description

2409 1 74

FOOTBALL GAME MAT

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a recreational and fitness apparatus, more particularly, it is directed to an infrared-controlled football game mat that can simulate football games.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are a variety of infrared-controlled products for 8-digit game players at present, including infrared-controlled learning machines and infrared RC (remote- control) manipulator. Football is the most popular ball game in the world enjoyed by hundreds of millions of football fans and enthusiasts. Restricted by sports ground, however, they seldom have the chance to participate in football sports. As a result, they urgently need some indoor substitution. But up to now, there is still no game player than can really simulate football games. In addition, current game products consist of two absolute sections, the transmitter section and receiver section. The transmitter section is manually operated by the player, and the receiver section is controlled by an independent game player linked to A/V equipment. That kind of game apparatus is complicated, high in manufacturing cost and difficult to install, and requires some professional knowledge to operate. This has greatly restrained their popularity and application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an easy-to-operate, lowcost, interesting football game mat that integrates signal transceiver and receiver into transceiver, and simulates football sports.

This object may be achieved in the present invention by providing a football game mat that comprises: A mat body, on which an exerciser practices; A casing connected to one end of the mat body; A control circuit, wherein an infrared transceiver circuit which is installed on the same circuit board, and control circuit is directly connected with A/V (audio and video) equipment via A/V output line; and A power circuit, connected with control circuit; wherein the control circuit and the power circuit are installed in football-shaped casing.

Another aspect of the invention provides a football game mat comprising: a mat body for supporting a user of the football game mat in use; a transceiver casing housing a transceiver operable to detect user input action, said user input action typically comprising a kicking motion by said user, and a control circuit connected with said transceiver and capable of generating an audio and video output signal for provision to suitable output devices.

The casing preferably is of an external appearance that resembles a football. In one embodiment, the casing resembles a section of a football. In this way, a user may be directed to perform a kicking action in the vicinity of the football-resembling casing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Fig. 1 shows the entire structure of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows the configuration of the football-shaped casing for the present invention, wherein Fig. 2A is the top view of the football-shaped casing and Fig. 2B is the cutaway view of the football-shaped casing.

Fig. 3 shows a breakdown view of parts for the present invention.

Fig. 4 shows the circuit block diagram for the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows the circuit view for the present invention, of which, Fig. SA is the circuit view of the infrared transmitter circuit, Fig. 5B is the circuit view of the central processing unit (CPU), Fig. 5C is the circuit view of the random access memory (RAM), Fig. 5D is the circuit view of the read-only memory (ROM), Fig. 5E is the circuit view of the video amplifier, Fig. 5F is the circuit view of the voice processing unit (VPU) and Fig. 5G is the circuit view of the power circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The mat body 10 is a laminar object fabricated with plastics of fabrics wherein START and SELECT buttons are located, and connected with control circuit 30 via conductive film 11.

Football-shaped casing 20 comprises football-shaped face casing 21 and bottom casing 22; MCB 23 is installed on the inner side of face casing 21 and battery compartment 24 is installed in bottom casing 22; at the top of face casing 21 are a transparent window 211 through which infrared signal and indicator light can pass, and a hole 214 through which infrared can pass; Switch button 212 and Reset button 213 are also located on the face casing.

The control circuit 30 and power circuit 40 are set on MCB 23, control circuit 30 and conductive film 11 are connected with A/V output line 50; power switch SW2 and reset switch SW1 in control circuit 30 are respectively located below and contact switch button 212 and reset button 213; a battery cover 241 that is "down-to-open" is connected with battery compartment 24 with screws.

Control circuit 30 comprises infrared transceiver circuit 31 and A/V processing circuit 32, where transceiver circuit 31 comprises infrared transmitting circuit 311, infrared receiving circuit 312, receive indicating circuit 313 and single-chip processing unit (SPU) circuit 314.

Infrared transmitting circuit 311 in infrared transceiver circuit 31 comprises light-emitting diodes LED1, LED2, resistors R5, R6 and triode T2, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit 40; light-emitting diodes LED1 and LED2 directly face the euphotic hole 214 on face casing; infrared receiver circuit 312 comprises receiving component Q1, capacitor C9 and EC2; receiving component Q1 is installed below euphotic window 211 on face casing and its port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on power circuit 40; receiver indicator circuit 313 comprises LED3 and resistor R7, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit 40; SPU circuit 314 comprises IC4, crystal XT2, capacitors C7 and C8; XT2, C7, C8 and two legs 7 and 8 on SPU constitute timer pulse circuit, and its port VCC is connected with port VCC on power circuit 40.

A/V processing circuit 32 comprises 8-digit central processing unit (CPU) 321, RAM 332, ROM 323, video amplifier circuit 324 and voice processing unit (VPU) 325; CPU 321 comprises ICI, capacitors Cl, C2, C3, C5, C12, C12, inductance L1, L2, L8 and crystal XT1; C1, C2, XTI; and two legs 66 and 67 on ICI constitute internal timer pulse circuit; capacitor C3, reset switch SW1, inductor L8 and leg 72 on ICI constitute reset circuit; capacitors C12, Cl4; two legs 74 and 79 on ICI and START and SELECT buttons on mat body 10 constitute control circuit; RAM 322 comprises IC2 and capacitor C11, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321; ROM 323 comprises IC3 and IC4, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321; video amplifier circuit 324 comprises triode T1, resistors R1, R2, R3, inductance L7 and L10, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit 40; VPU 325 comprises IC5, capacitor C10, resistors R8, R9 and inductance L9, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321.

Power circuit 40 comprises battery pack 41, filter voltage-dropping circuit 42 which comprises switch SW2, inductance L3, L4, diode D1, resister R12, capacitor EC1 and C15, and voltage-stabilizing circuit 43 which comprises triode T3, voltage- stabilizing diode ZD1 and resistor R11; its output port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321; its output port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on infrared transmitting circuit 311; and its output port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on infrared receiving circuit 312; battery pack 41 is installed in battery compartment 24 on football-shaped casing 20; components of filter voltage-dropping circuit 42 and voltage- stabilizing circuit 43 are installed on MCB 23.

Below is the software control process for the present invention: A. After power is switched on, video equipment displays first menu, and control circuit gives instructions to VPU of A/V processing circuit and outputs

background music;

B. When stepping on START button in standby mode, control circuit receives START instructions and video equipment displays second menu; C. Step on SELECT button in MENU screen to select at the least four modes from ROM in A/V processing circuit. After control circuit receives SELECT instructions, shifts options in screen and selects proper option, step on START button to enter "spot kick" mode; D. In "spot kick" mode, control circuit gives instructions to VPU and gives out starting whistle. When the player simulates kicking above the transparent window on the footballshaped easing, the control circuit receives and processes kicking signals, and the video equipment displays the kicking out of the ball.

Meanwhile, the screen displays the changes in energy, X and Y coordinates.

The control circuit identifies and processes the current number of balls being kicked and judges whether the ball is kicked into the goal; E. When the control circuit judges the ball is kicked in to the goal, the video equipment screen displays "GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "GOAL" sound. If it judges the ball is not kicked into the goal, the video equipment screen displays "NO GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "NO GOAL" sound; F. After kicking, it displays scoreboard menu and then displays GAME OVER menu. Meanwhile, the control circuit gives instructions to VPU that gives out

GAME OVER background music.

When stepping on START and SELECT buttons on the mat body, users can access football game menu and select different types of football games. The entire mat body is like a football field on which players can stand and kick on football-shaped object; infrared emitted by LED via euphoric window is reflected back to transparent window by feet. Receiver component receives this signal and sends it to control circuit for processing. Thereafter, A/V equipment can demonstrate the true situation of kicking football and offers the player a true experience in shooting at the goal.

The significant effect of the present invention is that it integrates dance mat with football game player to enable exercisers to experience the excitement of football and achieve bodybuilding purposes. The present invention integrates infrared transmitter and infrared receiver into the football casing and eliminates the need for a separate game player to receive instructions and generate A/V signals. As a result, it substantially simplifies game structure, reduces manufacturing cost, and makes it easier and more convenient to install and operate.

As shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the football game mat in the present invention comprises a mat body 10, a football-shaped casing 20, a control circuit 30 and a power circuit 40, wherein mat body 10 is a laminar object fabricated with plastic sheets or such fabrics as felt and chemical fiber on whose front sides are membrane-type switches START and SELECT used to switch power on/off and select football games respectively. START and SELECT buttons are connected with control circuit 30 via conductive film 11 in the mat body. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, football- shaped casing is a football-shaped hemisphere that comprises a football- shaped face casing 21 and a football-shaped bottom casing 22, and they are connected with screws into a hollow casings. MCB 23 is installed on inner side of face casing 21 and battery compartment 24 is installed in bottom casing 22. At the central top of face casing 21 is a transparent window 211 through which infrared signal and indicator light can pass. Beside the transparent window is a euphoric hole 214 through which infrared from control circuit can pass. Switch button 212 and reset button 213 are also located on the face casing.

Control circuit 30 and power circuit 40 are both installed on MCB 23 in football-shaped casing 20. As shown in Fig. 4, control circuit 30 comprises infrared transceiver circuit 31 and A/V processing circuit 32; this circuit board also comprises infrared emitting tube and receiving tube for infrared transceiver circuit. Control circuit 30 is directly connected with A/V equipment via A/V output line, thus eliminating the need for a separate game player to provide A/V signals.

MCB 23 is a printed circuit board that comprises control circuit 30 and power circuit 40. Control circuit 30 is directly connected with A/V output line 50 and conductive film 11 that inputs START and SELECT instructions. Power switch SW2 and reset switch SWI on control circuit 30 are inching switches which directly face and contact switch button 212 and reset button 213. Pressing switch button 212 or reset button 213 may turn on power switch SW2 or reset switch SW1. Battery compartment 24 is a cubic chamber on bottom casing 22. In battery compartment are spring-loaded electrodes that connect the two electrodes of the battery. The down-to-open battery compartment cover is fixed on bottom casing with screws.

Fig. 4 is a circuit block diagram and Fig. 5 is circuit view for the present invention. As shown in them, control circuit 30 comprises infrared transceiver circuit 31 and A/V processing circuit (APU) 32; wherein infrared transceiver 31 comprises infrared transmitting circuit 311, infrared receiving circuit 312, receive indicating circuit 313 and SPU circuit 314. As shown in Fig. 5A, infrared receiving circuit 311 comprises light-emitting diodes LED1, LED2, resistors R5, R6 and triode T2, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 or power circuit 40. As shown in Fig. 3, LED1 and LED2 directly face euphotic hole 214 on face casing 21 and the circuit amplifies, modulates coded signals from SPU and transmits them via euphotic hole. Infrared receiving circuit 312 comprises receiving component Q 1, capacitor C9 and EC2, and receiving component Q1 is installed below transparent window 211 on face casing 21. As shown in Fig. 3, its port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on power circuit 40. The circuit receives infrared signals reflected from transparent window, rectifies coded signals and sends them to SPU. Receive indicating circuit 311 comprises LED3 and resistor R7, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit 40; its purpose is to indicate whether receiving component has received infrared signals. SPU circuit 314 comprises IC4 (DS9931 A integrated circuit board in the present embodiment), crystal XT2, capacitors C7 and C8, XT2, C7, C8 and two legs 7 and 8 on SPU constitute a timer pulse circuit, and its port VCC is connected with port VCC on power circuit 40.

This circuit continuously sends out coded signals and processes coded signals rectified by receiving component.

A/V processing circuit 32 comprises 8-digit CPU 321, RAM 322, ROM 323, A/V amplifier circuit 324 and VPU 325; when CPU 321 (as shown in Fig. 5B) comprises IS1 (NT6576 integrated circuit board in the present embodiment), capacitors C1, C2, C3, C5, C12, C14, inductance L1, L2, L8 and crystal XT1; C1, C2, XT1 and two legs 66 and 67 on IC 1 constitute internal timer pulse circuit, and crystal can stabilize pulse frequency. Capacitor C3, reset switch SWI, inductance L8 and leg 72 on IC 1 constitute reset circuit which can reset the entire device as required. Capacitors C12, C14, two legs 74 and 79 on ICI, START and SELECT buttons on mat body 10 constitute control circuit and thus, pressing START and SELECT buttons may access football game menu and select different football games. CPU 321 mainly processes primary A/V signals in ROM IC3 and restores video digital signals into video analogue signals. As shown in Fig. 5C, RAM322 comprises IC2 (62256 chip in present embodiment) and capacitor C 11, and its port VCC 1 is connected with port VCC 1 on CPU 321, and its purpose is to temporarily store data that will be or have been processed by CPU. As shown in Fig. 5D, ROM 323 comprises IC3 (29LV800B chip in present embodiment) and capacitor C4, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321 where primary A/V data is stored. As shown in Fig. 5E, video amplifier circuit 324 comprises triode T1, resistors R1, R2, R3, inductance L7 and Lie, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit 40 and it is used to amplify video signals. As shown in Fig, 5F, VPU 325 comprises IC5 (EM57300 printed circuit board in present embodiment), capacitor C10, resistors R8, R9 and inductance L9, its port VCC1 is connected with port VCCI on CPU and it is used to process primary voice data and restores it into audio analogue signals.

As shown in Fig. 5G, power circuit 40 comprises battery pack 41, filter voltage- dropping circuit 42 which comprises switch SW2, inductance L3, L4, diode D1, resistor R12, capacitor EC1 and C15, and voltage-stabilizing circuit 43 which comprises triode T3, voltage-stabilizing diode ZD1 and resistor R11; its output port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on CPU 321; its output port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on infrared transmitting circuit 311; and its output port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on infrared receiving circuit 312; battery pack 41 comprises 4 "AA" batteries and is installed in battery compartment 24 on football-shaped casing 20; components of filter voltage-dropping circuit 42 and voltage- stabilizing circuit 43 are installed on MCB 23.

Battery pack 41 supplies DC6V voltage for circuit, and voltagestabilizing circuit 43 supplies 3.3V voltage for infrared receiver circuit 213.

Fig. 6 shows the software control process in the present invention: A. When switched on, it displays the first menu of the football field and spot kick out, and the control circuit gives instructions to VPU that gives out background music. Step on START button as indicated. Now, the control circuit receives START instructions and it enters the second menu of

football field and football players.

B. Step on SELECT button in MENU screen to select four modes of play.

Now, control circuit receives SELECT instructions, shifts options in screen and displays such options in MENU as Practice, Player VS Computer, Player 1 VS Player 2 and Team A VS Team B. Step on START button to enter "spot kick" mode.

C. In "spot kick" mode, SPU in control circuit reads ROM program, identifies "spot kick" startup, gives instructions to VPU and gives out starting whistle.

When the player simulates kicking above the transparent window on the football-shaped casing, infrared is reflected back by the foot to the receiver circuit. Now, SPU gives low-level signals to conkolled instructions P1N76 (P2D1) in the control circuit and the ball is kicked out. Meanwhile, the screen displays the change in energy, X and Y coordinates. The control circuit identifies and processes the current number of ball being kicked and judges whether the ball is kicked into the goal.

D. When the player kicks the ball into the goal, the screen displays "GOAL" and the control circuit gives instructions to VPU that gives out "GOAL" sound. In addition, the conkro1 circuit displays the expression of the losing for the goalkeepers and the expression of winning for the player as well as the cheering of the audience. When the player misses a goal, the screen displays "NO GOAL" and the control circuit gives instructions to VPU that gives out "NO GOAL" sound. Meanwhile, the control circuit displays the expression of the losing for the goalkeepers as well as the "Come on" situation of the cheering team.

E. After kicking, it displays scoreboard menu and then displays GAME OVER menu. Meanwhile, the control circuit gives instructions to VPU that gives

out GAME OVER background music.

F. To resume a game upon GAME OVER, the player may step on RESET button and the control circuit receives RESET instructions to repeat the above procedures. To resume a game, the player may also step on START button and the control circuit receives START instructions and returns to MENU screen to repeat the above procedures. Or the player may switch off power to end the game.

Claims

CLAIMS: 1. A football game mat, which comprises: a mat body for supporting

a user; and a transceiver casing housing: a transceiver operable to detect user input action, said user input action typically comprising a kicking motion by said user; and a control circuit connected with said transceiver and capable of generating an audio and video output signal for provision to suitable output means.
2. A football game mat according to claim I wherein the mat body is generally laminar and flexible.
3. A football game mat according to claim 2 wherein the mat body is of plastics or fabrics material.
4. A football game mat according to claim 3 wherein the mat comprises at least one user actuable button, said button being connected to said control circuit by means of a film bearing conductive elements, said film being incorporated into a layer of said laminar and flexible mat body.
5. A football game mat according to any preceding claim wherein the casing is shaped and configured to generally resemble the appearance of a football, thereby inviting direction of user input kicking action in a region directly above said casing for detection by said transceiver.
6. A football game mat according to claim 5 and further comprising a circuit board including the control circuit and a power circuit operable to provide a power supply to said control circuit and said transceiver, said circuit board being mounted in said casing.
7. A football game mat according to claim 6 and further comprising a battery compartment for housing at least one electrical cell, for use by said power circuit.
8. A football game mat according to any of claims 5 to 7 wherein the casing comprises a transparent window through which infrared and visible light can pass, and an aperture through which infrared can pass.
9. A football game mat according to any of claims 5 to 8 wherein the casing comprises one or more user actuable buttons, for operation of the football game mat in use.
10. A football game mat comprising a mat body for supporting a user and a transceiver unit for detecting and processing user input actions, including user input kicking motion, the transceiver unit comprising infrared transceiving means for defining a region which user kicking actions are to be detected and for detecting motion of a foot or similar in said region, and the game mat further comprising signal processing means capable of processing a signal for said transceiver unit in response to user input action to generate an output signal corresponding with the nature of the user input action.
11. A football game mat, which comprises: a mat body (10) on which exerciser practices; a football-shaped casing (20), which is connected with one end of the said mat body; a control circuit (30), which is connected with A/V equipment via AIV output line (50); a power circuit (40), which is connected with control circuit (30); and the said control circuit (30) and power circuit (40) are installed on MCB (23) which is located in football-shaped casing (20).
12. A football game mat according to Claim 11 wherein the mat body (10) is a laminar body fabricated with plastics or fabrics wherein START and SELECT buttons are located, and connected with control circuit (30) via conductive film (11).
13. A football game mat according to Claim 11 wherein the football-shaped casing (20) comprises football-shaped face casing (21) and football-shaped bottom casing (22); MCB (23) is set on the inner side of the face casing (21) and battery pack (24) is installed in bottom casing (22); at the top of face casing (21) are a transparent window (211) through which infrared signal and indicating light can pass, and a euphotic hole (214) through which infrared can pass; switch button (212) and reset button (213) are also located on the face casing.
14. A football game mat according to Claim 11 wherein the said control circuit (30) and power circuit (40) are set on MCB (23); control circuit (30) are connected with input conductive film (11) and A/V output line (50); power switch SW2 and reset switch SW1 in control circuit (30) are respectively located below and contact switch button (212) and reset button (213).
15. A football game mat according to Claim 14 wherein the said control circuit (30) comprises infrared transceiver circuit (31) and A/V processing circuit (32), where infrared transceiver circuit (31) is connected with power circuit (40); A/V processing circuit (32) is connected with infrared transceiver circuit (31) and A/V equipment.
16. A football game mat according to Claim 15 wherein the said infrared transceiver circuit (31) comprises infrared transmitting circuit (311), infrared receiving circuit (312), receive indicating circuit (313) and single-chip processing unit circuit (314); infrared transmitting circuit (311) comprises light- emitting diodes LED1, LED2, resistors R5, R6, triode T2 and IC4, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); light- emitting diodes LED1 and LED2 directly face the euphoric hole (214) on face casing; infrared receiving circuit (312) comprises receiving component Q1, capacitor C9, EC2 and IC4; receiving component Q1 is installed below transparent window (211) on face casing and its port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on power circuit (40); receive indicating circuit (313) comprises LED3 and resistor R7, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); single-chip processing unit circuit, circuit (314) comprises IC4 (DS9931A), crystal XT2, capacitor C7 and C8, XT2, C7, C8 and the two legs on circuit (314) constitute timer pulse circuit; and its port VCC is connected with port VCC on power circuit (40).
17. A football game mat according to Claim 15 wherein the said A/V processing circuit (32) comprises 8-digit central processing unit (321), RAM (322), ROM (323), video amplifier circuit (324) and voice processing unit (325); central processing unit (321) comprises ICI, capacitors C1, C2, C3, inductance L2, L2, L8 and crystal XT1; C1, C2, XT1 and two legs 66 and 67 on ICI constitute internal pulse circuit; capacitor C3, reset switch SW1, inductance L8 and leg 72 on ICI constitute reset circuit; two legs 74 and 79 on ICI and START and SELECT buttons on mat body (10) constitute control circuit; RAM (322) comprises IC2 and capacitor C11, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); ROM (323) comprises IC3 and capacitor C4, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); video amplifier circuit (324) comprises triode T1, resistors R1, R2, R3, inductance L7 and Lie, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); voice processing unit (325) comprises IC5, capacitor C10, resistors R8, R9, inductance L6 and L9, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321).
18. A football game mat according to Claim 11 wherein the said power circuit (40) comprises battery pack (41), filter voltage-dropping circuit (42) which comprises switch SW2, inductance L3, L4, diode D1, resistor R12, capacitor ECI and C15, and voltage- stabilizing circuit (43) which comprises triode T3, voltage-stabilizing diode ZD1 and resistor R11; its output port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); its output port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on infrared transmitting circuit (311); and its output port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on infrared receiving circuit (312); battery pack (41) is installed in battery compartment (24) on football- shaped casing (20); components of filter voltage-dropping circuit (42) and voltage-stabilizing circuit (43) are installed on MCB (23).
19. A game mat substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

19. A football game mat according to Claim 11 wherein the software control process for this football game mat is as follows: A. After power is switched on, video equipment displays first menu, and control circuit gives instructions to VPU of A/V processing circuit and

outputs background music.

B. When stepping on START button in standby mode, control circuit receives START instructions and video equipment displays second menu; C. Step on SELECT button in MENU screen to select at the least four modes from ROM in A/V processing circuit. After control circuit receives SELECT instructions, shifts options in screen and selects proper option, step on START button to enter "spot kick" mode; D. In "spot kick" mode, control circuit gives instructions to voice processing unit and gives out starting whistle. When the player simulates kicking above the transparent window on the football-shaped casing, the control circuit receives and processes kicking signals, and the video equipment displays the kicking out of the ball. Meanwhile, the screen displays the changes in energy, X and Y coordinates. The control circuit identifies and processes the current number of ball being kicked and judges whether the ball is kicked into the goal; E. When the control circuit judges the ball is kicked into the goal, the video equipment screen displays "GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "GOAL" sound. If it judges the ball is not kicked into the goal, the video equipment screen displays "NO GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "NO GOAL" sound.

F. After kicking, it displays scoreboard menu and then displays GAME OVER menu. Meanwhile, the control circuit gives instructions to voice processing unit that gives out GAME OVER background music.

20. A game mat substantially as described herein, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

CLAIMS: 1. A football game mat, which comprises: a mat body for supporting a user; and a transceiver casing housing shaped and configured to generally resemble the appearance of a football, thereby inviting direction if user input kicking action in a region directly above said casing for detection by said transceiver: a transceiver operable to detect user input action, said user input action comprising a kicking motion by said user; and a control circuit connected with said transceiver and capable of generating an audio and video output signal for provision to suitable output means.

2. A football game mat according to claim 1 wherein the mat body is generally laminar and flexible.

3. A football game mat according to claim 2 wherein the mat body is of plastics or fabrics material.

4. A football game mat according to claim 3 wherein the mat comprises at least one user actuable button, said button being connected to said control circuit by means of a film bearing conductive elements, said film being incorporated into a layer of said laminar and flexible mat body.

5. A football game mat according to any preceding claim and further comprising a circuit board including the control circuit and a power circuit operable to provide a power supply to said control circuit and said transceiver, said circuit board being mounted in said casing.

6. A football game mat according to claim 5 and further comprising a battery compartment for housing at least one electrical cell, for use by said power circuit.

7. A football game mat according to any preceding claim wherein the casing comprises a transparent window through which infrared and visible light can pass, and an aperture through which infrared can pass.

8. A football game mat according to any preceding claim wherein the casing comprises one or more user actuable buttons, for operation of the football game mat in use.

9. A football game mat comprising a mat body for supporting a user and a transceiver unit for detecting and processing user input actions, including user input kicking motion, the transceiver unit comprising infrared kansceiving means for defining a region in which user kicking actions are to be detected and for detecting motion of a foot or similar in said region, and the game mat further comprising signal processing means capable of processing a signal for said transceiver unit in response to user input action to generate an output signal corresponding with the nature of the user input action.

l O. A football game mat, which comprises: a mat body (10) on which exerciser practices; a football-shaped casing (20), which is connected with one end of the said mat body; a conko1 circuit (30), which is connected with A/V equipment via A/V output line (50); a power circuit (40), which is connected with conko1 circuit (30); and the said control circuit (30) and power circuit (40) are installed on MCB (23) which is located in football-shaped casing (20).

11. A football game mat according to Claim 10 wherein the mat body (10) is a laminar body fabricated with plastics or fabrics wherein START and SELECT buttons are located, and connected with control circuit (30) via conductive film (11).

12. A football game mat according to Claim 10 wherein the football-shaped casing (20) comprises football-shaped face casing (21) and football-shaped bottom casing (22); in MCB (23) is set on the inner side of the face casing (21) and battery pack (24) is installed in bottom casing (22); at the top of face casing (21) are a transparent window (211) through which infrared signal and indicating light can pass, and a euphoric hole (214) through which infrared can pass; switch button (212) and reset button (213) are also located on the face casing.

13. A football game mat according to Claim 10 wherein the said control circuit (30) and power circuit (40) are set on MCB (23); control circuit (30) are connected with input conductive film (11) and A/V output line (50); power switch SW2 and reset switch SW1 in control circuit (30) are respectively located below and contact switch button (212) and reset button (213).

14. A football game mat according to Claim 13 wherein the said control circuit (30) comprises infrared transceiver circuit (31) and A/V processing circuit (32), where infrared transceiver circuit (31) is connected with power circuit (40); A/V processing circuit (32) is connected with infrared transceiver circuit (31) and A/V equipment.

15. A football game mat according to Claim 14 wherein the said infrared transceiver circuit (31) comprises infrared transmitting circuit (311), infrared receiving circuit (312), receive indicating circuit (313) and single-chip processing unit circuit (314); infrared transmitting circuit (311) comprises light- emitting diodes LEDl, LED2, resistors R5, R6, triode T2 and IC4, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); light- emitting diodes LED1 and LED2 directly face the euphotic hole (214) on face casing; infrared receiving circuit (312) comprises receiving component Q1, capacitor C9, EC2 and IC4; receiving component Q1 is installed below transparent window (211) on face casing and its port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on power circuit (40); receive indicating circuit (313) comprises LED3 and resistor R7, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); single-chip processing unit circuit, circuit (314) comprises IC4 (DS9931A), crystal XT2, capacitor C7 and C8, XT2, C7, C8 and the two legs on circuit (314) constitute timer pulse circuit; and its port VCC is connected with port VCC on power circuit (40).

A

16. A football game mat according to Claim 14 wherein the said A/V processing circuit (32) comprises 8-digit cenka1 processing unit (321), RAM (322), ROM (323), video amplifier circuit (324) and voice processing unit (325); central processing unit (321) comprises ICI, capacitors Cl, C2, C3, inductance L2, L2, L8 and crystal XT1; C1, C2, XT1 and two legs 66 and 67 on ICI constitute internal pulse circuit; capacitor C3, reset switch SW1, inductance L8 and leg 72 on ICI constitute reset circuit; two legs 74 and 79 on ICI and START and SELECT buttons on mat body (10) constitute control circuit; RAM (322) comprises IC2 and capacitor C11, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); ROM (323) comprises IC3 and capacitor C4, and its port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); video amplifier circuit (324) comprises triode T1, resistors R1, R2, R3, inductance L7 and L 10, and its port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on power circuit (40); voice processing unit (325) comprises IC5, capacitor C10, resistors R8, R9, inductance L6 and L9, and its port VCC 1 is connected with port VCC 1 on central processing unit (321).

17. A football game mat according to Claim 10 wherein the said power circuit (40) comprises battery pack (41), filter voltage-dropping circuit (42) which comprises switch SW2, inductance L3, L4, diode D1, resistor R12, capacitor EC1 and C15, and voltage- stabilizing circuit (43) which comprises triode T3, voltage-stabilizing diode ZD1 and resistor R11; its output port VCC1 is connected with port VCC1 on central processing unit (321); its output port VCC2 is connected with port VCC2 on infrared transmitting circuit (311); and its output port VCC3 is connected with port VCC3 on infrared receiving circuit (312); battery pack (41) is installed in battery compartment (24) on football- shaped casing (20); components of filter voltage-dropping circuit (42) and voltage-stabilizing circuit (43) are installed on MCB (23).

18. A football game mat according to Claim 10 wherein the software control process for this football game mat is as follows: A. After power is switched on, video equipment displays first menu, and control circuit gives instructions to VPU of A/V processing circuit and

outputs background music.

B. When stepping on START button in standby mode, control circuit receives START instructions and video equipment displays second menu; C. Step on SELECT button in MENU screen to select at the least four modes from ROM in A/V processing circuit. After control circuit receives SELECT instructions, shifts options in screen and selects proper option, step on START button to enter "spot kick" mode; D. In "spot kick" mode, control circuit gives instructions to voice processing unit and gives out starting whistle. When the player simulates kicking above the transparent window on the football-shaped casing, the control circuit receives and processes kicking signals, and the video equipment displays the kicking out of the ball. Meanwhile, the screen displays the changes in energy, X and Y coordinates. The control circuit identifies and processes the current number of ball being kicked and judges whether the ball is kicked into the goal; E. When the control circuit judges the ball is kicked into the goal, the video equipment screen displays "GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "GOAL" sound. If it judges the ball is not kicked into the goal, the video equipment screen displays "NO GOAL" and audio equipment gives out "NO GOAL" sound.

F. After kicking, it displays scoreboard menu and then displays GAME OVER menu. Meanwhile, the control circuit gives instructions to voice processing unit that gives out GAME OVER background music.