JP2001137543A - Input device of game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To achieve a novel form of control and make an input device and a game device hardly damageable by achieving an input action in a so-called contact-less condition without an operator touching the input device by hand. SOLUTION: This input device is used for a game device with a computer for operating game contents according to the action of a player P. The input device has light emitting elements 17 for emitting light and light receiving elements 18 disposed with a distance D from the light emitting element 17 sufficient at least for an arm 19 of the player P to go through. Output signals from the light receiving elements 18 are used as input data for the operation of a game by the computer. Input data for the game are produced when infrared rays R are cut off by the upward/downward movement of the arm 19 of the player P imitating the flapping of wings of a bird.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a projector, C
The present invention relates to an input device used to input an operation amount to a game device having an image display unit such as an RT (Cathode Ray Tube) display.

[0002] The game device referred to here is a broad concept including all types of devices including a video display device that displays a virtual space as a video, and for example, simulates the real world or the virtual world as a video. It also includes a device called a simulator, which is a device that performs the operation.

[0003]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a game device, a player, that is, an operator operates an input device to input an operation amount. Conventionally, as such an input device, a device using a lever, a button, or the like, which is fixed to a housing, is known. In the case of using this input device, an operation amount is input to the game device by the player tilting a lever or pressing a button.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional input device, there is a problem that the operation of tilting the lever or pressing the button is simple, so that the input operation cannot be provided with variety. Further, since the player must directly touch the lever, the housing, and the like, there is a problem that the input device and the game device are easily damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and realizes an input operation in a so-called non-contact state without an operator touching an input device. It is an object of the present invention to realize a new operation mode that is not found in any of the above and to make it difficult to damage an input device or a game device.

[0006]

Means for Solving the Problems (1) In order to achieve the above object, an input device of a game device according to the present invention is provided in a game device having a calculation means for calculating a game content in response to a motion of a player. The input device used includes light-emitting means for emitting light, and light-receiving means for receiving the light and outputting a signal, the light-emitting means being arranged at least spaced from the light-emitting means so that the player's operating part can pass through. The output of the light receiving means is used as input data for calculation by the calculating means.

The calculating means is, for example, a CPU (Central
It can be configured by a computer including a processing unit (central processing unit). Further, as the “moving part of the player”, for example, a hand, an arm, a foot, the whole body, and the like can be considered.
As the “light”, various lights can be used. For example, infrared light and the like can be used.

[0010] According to the input device having the above-described structure, an input operation in a so-called non-contact state where the operator does not touch the input device is realized. It is possible to realize, as an input operation, a form in which the arm flaps like a bird's wing, and it is possible to make the input device and the game device hard to be damaged.

(2) In the input device having the above configuration, a plurality of the lights can be formed at intervals. This makes it possible to more accurately detect the movement of the motion part of the player in a wider range.

(3) In the input device having the above-mentioned configuration, the motion part of the player can be an arm. In this case, the input operation can be performed when the bird flaps. Such an input mode cannot be realized conventionally.

(4) In the input device having the above configuration, the arithmetic means can calculate the game content using the number of times of crossing the light as input data. In this way, the player can enjoy the game depending on the number of times of moving an operation part such as an arm.

(5) In the input device according to the above (2), the calculating means can calculate a game content using as input data how many of the plurality of lights are traversed. In this way, the player can enjoy the game depending on the movement width of the movement part such as the arm.

[0013]

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a game device using an input device according to the present invention.
In particular, FIG. 1 shows a side sectional view, and FIG. 2 shows a front view. The game device shown here comprises a video display unit 1 and an input unit 2. The image display unit 1 includes a housing 4 provided with a stone wall model 3 extending in the height direction on a front surface, a screen 6 provided on the front surface of the housing 4, and a fixed member provided behind the screen 6. It has a projector 7 and a mobile projector 8 also arranged behind the screen 6.

The screen 6 is made of, for example, a translucent milky white resin. The fixed projector 7 and the movable projector 8 are configured by projectors having the same structure. As is well known, the projector has, for example, a built-in liquid crystal display device and a light emitting source, and transmits an image displayed on the liquid crystal display device to the light from the light emitting source. On the screen 6.

The fixed projector 7 is arranged in a fixed state corresponding to the upper part of the screen 6. On the other hand, the movable projector 8 is fixed to a movable table 9, and the movable table 9 is screw-fitted to a screw shaft 11 extending vertically. The lower end of the screw shaft 11 is connected to an output shaft of a stepping motor 12 as a rotation drive source. When the stepping motor 12 operates, the screw shaft 11 rotates around its own central axis, that is, so-called shaft rotation.

An upper limit switch 13a is provided near the upper portion of the screw shaft 11, and a lower limit switch 13b is provided near the lower portion of the screw shaft 11. These limit switches output signals when the movable table 9, ie, the moving projector 8, enters their detection area. Also, in the right place in the housing 4, in the case of this embodiment, the housing 4
A speaker 14 is provided at the bottom of the speaker. This speaker 14
Is used to notify the player of various types of audio information related to the game played by the game device.

In FIG. 1, the input unit 2 has a pair of pillars 16a and 16b arranged at a place where the player P should stand, that is, before and after the play position. As shown in FIG. 2, these pillars 16a and 16b are arranged in pairs on each of the left and right sides of the play position. In FIG. 1, the pillar 16a and the pillar 1
6b is at least when the arm 19, which is the motion part of the player P, is swung up and down.
Are set so that they can pass through.

In FIG. 1, a plurality of, in this embodiment, five infrared light emitting elements 17 as light emitting means are stored inside a column 16a on the side of the housing 4 in the vertical direction. Further, a plurality of light receiving elements 18 arranged in the vertical direction, in this embodiment, five light receiving elements 18 as light receiving means are stored in the inside of the column 16b far from the housing 4. Each light receiving element 1
Numeral 8 receives the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element 17 at the corresponding position and outputs a signal.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a control device used in the game device of the present embodiment. The control device 21 shown here can be provided inside the housing 4 of FIG. 1 or can be provided at a suitable place outside the housing 4. The control device 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing U).
nit: central processing unit) 22 and a memory 23. The fixed projector 7, the moving projector 8, the stepping motor 12, the upper limit switch 13a, the lower limit switch 13b, the light emitting element 17,
Each device of the light receiving element 18 and the speaker 14 is connected to the CPU 22 via the input / output interface 24.

The memory 23 has a ROM (Read Only Memory).
y), various storage media such as an internal memory such as a random access memory (RAM) and an external memory such as a hard disk. The memory 23 has various storage areas such as an area for storing game contents as a program, a work area for the CPU 22, an area used as a temporary file, and a character data area for storing characters displayed on the screen as image data. Is secured.

Hereinafter, a game realized by the game device according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the player P playing the game stands at the play position defined by the pillars 16a and 16b,
9 is inserted between the columns 16a and 16b. At this time, the mobile projector 8 is located at a home position H which is a lower position of the housing 4 as shown in FIG.

The home position H can be defined, for example, as a predetermined distance from the lower limit switch 13b.
The upper limit position of the movable projector 8 is
Can be defined as a position detected by the upper limit switch 13a.

When the game is started by an operation such as inserting a coin, the fixed projector 7 shown in FIG.
The moving projector 8 is operated by the CPU 22 (see FIG. 3), and the image 26 of the castle and the image 27 of the instructor bird are displayed as images by the fixed projector 7 as shown in FIG. Further, the player bird 28 is displayed as an image by the moving projector 8.

In FIG. 1, infrared rays R as light are emitted from the individual light emitting elements 17 of the input section 2 and are received by the light receiving elements 18 to output signals to the output terminals of the respective light receiving elements 18. And the output signal is
Is transmitted to the CPU 22 (see FIG. 3).

At the play position, the player P reciprocates the arms 19 up and down so that the bird flaps. At this time, a plurality of (five in the present embodiment) infrared rays R are interrupted in accordance with the movement of the arm of the player P, and the interruption is detected by the CPU 22 as a change in the output of the light receiving element 18. You.

For example, if the swing speed of the arm 19 of the player P is high, the number of times the arm 19 crosses the infrared ray R increases,
As a result, the number of times that the output change occurs in the light receiving element 18 also increases, and the CPU 22 informs the player P based on this.
The arm's swing speed can be detected. In addition, the arm 1 of the player P
If the swing width of 9 is large, the number of infrared rays R to be cut increases, so that the CPU 22 can detect the swing width of the arm of the player P based on this fact, that is, how many infrared rays R are crossed.

The CPU 22 rotates the stepping motor 12 at a larger rotation angle as the swing speed of the arm of the player P increases or as the swing width of the arm of the player P increases. Then, in FIG. 1, the movable table 9, that is, the movable projector 8 rises according to the rotation angle of the motor 12. Thereby, the player P can visually recognize an image in which the player bird 28 rises on the screen 6 by the flapping strength of the arm 19 as shown in FIG.

The faster the player P swings the arm 19 or the greater the width of the arm 19, the higher the rotation speed of the motor 12, and thus the faster the bird bird 28 rises to a higher place. If the rising speed of the player bird 28 is slow, that is, if the swing of the arm of the player P is slow, a sound such as “the hand movement is weak” is generated from the speaker 14 as if from the instructor bird 27. To alert the player P. In addition, sounds such as "being immature", "sufficient", and "excellent" can be generated stepwise according to the rising height of the player bird 28.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the input to the game apparatus can be performed by a new operation mode, such as the player P flapping his hand like a wing. It provides unprecedented fun to the player P himself and the audience around him.

Further, since the player P can perform an input operation without touching each device and the housing 4 in the input unit 2, that is, a so-called non-contact input operation, the player P can perform the input operation in the input unit 2 and the game device. The whole is hard to be damaged.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims. Can be modified.

For example, although an element that emits infrared light is used as the light emitting means in FIG. 1, other types of light can be used. In addition, the number of lights such as infrared rays is not limited to five, and may be one or other plurality. Also, video display by the fixed projector 7 is not always necessary.

In FIG. 1, the player bird 28 is moved in the vertical direction on the screen 6 by moving the movable projector 8 in the vertical direction. However, the screen angle is changed by changing the projection angle of the projector arranged at a fixed position. The player bird 28 can also be moved on 6.

The image display means is not limited to the combination of the projector and the screen, but may be constituted by, for example, a CRT display and a moving system for moving the CRT display.

[0035]

According to the input device of the game device according to the present invention, an input operation in a so-called non-contact state can be realized without an operator such as a game player touching the input device. A new operation mode, such as a mode in which the operator flaps his arm like a bird wing, can be realized as an input operation. Further, by realizing the non-contact input mode, the input device and the game device can be hardly damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an input device according to the present invention and a game device using the input device according to an embodiment of the present invention, partially cut away;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control device used in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view illustrating an example of a use state of the game apparatus in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image display part 2 Input part 3 Ishigaki model 4 Case 6 Screen 7 Fixed projector 8 Moving projector 9 Movable table 17 Infrared light emitting element (light emitting means) 18 Light receiving element (light receiving means) 19 Arm (operating part of player) D Interval H Home position P Player R Infrared (light)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takiji Kudo 2-8-5 Tamagawa, Ota-ku, Tokyo Namco Corporation (72) Inventor Kazuo Horikoshi 2-8-5 Tamagawa, Ota-ku, Tokyo Stock Company Namco F term (reference) 2C001 AA09 BA00 BA02 BA07 BB00 BB05 CA00 CA08 CA09 CB01 CC08

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An input device used in a game device having a calculating means for calculating a game content in accordance with an operation of a player, wherein a light emitting means for emitting light, and at least an operation part of the player with respect to the light emitting means are provided. Light-receiving means for receiving light and outputting a signal, the light-receiving means being arranged at an interval capable of passing the light, and the output of the light-receiving means being used as input data for calculation by the calculation means. Arithmetic unit of game device. 2. The arithmetic device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of lights are formed at intervals. 3. The computing device according to claim 1, wherein the motion part of the player is an arm. 4. The arithmetic device according to claim 1, wherein said arithmetic means calculates a game content by using the number of times of traversing said light as input data. 5. The arithmetic device according to claim 2, wherein said arithmetic means calculates a game content by using as input data how many of said plurality of lights are traversed.