JP2003190628A - Personal computer and controller for operating instruction - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a personal computer which can propagate personal computers further, and can effectively utilize software for game machines dedicated to television games. <P>SOLUTION: For this personal computer body 1, a personal computer processor system 21 which performs software for general personal computers, a processor system 22 for game machines dedicated to television games which performs software for game machines dedicated to television games, an inter-processor communication circuit 23 which performs the data transfer by a DMA method between these processor systems are provided. Since the processor system 22 for game machines dedicated to television games is provided, and also, this personal computer can be used by directly connecting this controller 8 for operating instructions for a game machine dedicated to television games with the personal computer body 1, the software for game machines dedicated to television games can be performed by the same operability as the game machines dedicated to television games. Also, the display device of the personal computer can be used in the place of a television, and therefore, a troublesomeness for connecting with a television such as game machines dedicated to television games can be eliminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a personal computer capable of executing software for a video game dedicated machine on the personal computer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In many cases, a video game dedicated device does not have a display device by itself, and it is common to use a television at home as a display device.

Due to recent advances in integrated circuit technology, the performance of LSIs mounted on video game dedicated machines has also greatly improved, and is not inferior to that mounted on personal computers (hereinafter also referred to as personal computers). On the contrary, a video game dedicated machine equipped with an LSI having a performance higher than that is commercially available.

Also, in response to the trend toward broadband,
A video game dedicated machine with an internet connection function that allows online battle games and web surfing has also been announced.

[0005]

However, since many conventional TV game dedicated machines use a television at home as a display device, the game cannot be enjoyed unless the display device is nearby. Therefore, in order to use the video game dedicated device in a mobile environment, it is necessary to carry it to the display device, and it is almost difficult to use it in the mobile environment in terms of weight, size and power consumption. Although some video game dedicated machines are equipped with a display device, most of them are equipped with a small display device having a low resolution because of cost and portability. I can't enjoy it.

As described above, the conventional dedicated video game machine is supposed to be enjoyed in front of the television at home, and is not suitable for use outside the work place or in the mobile environment. I couldn't use it to enjoy the game for a while while traveling by car or train.

On the other hand, recently, broadband technology has been rapidly advanced, and it has become possible to connect a personal computer to a high-speed communication line such as ADSL easily and inexpensively. Some video game dedicated machines have a communication function, but in reality, few users purposely provide a dedicated communication line to enjoy a video game. In the current situation where PCs are prevalent in most homes, users who think that they use PCs to send and receive the Internet and emails and use video game dedicated devices to enjoy commercially available game software Mostly.

Also, in recent video game machines, it is possible to solve a natural movement of one hair and how waves on the water surface propagate by solving a theoretical physical model to generate a realistic three-dimensional image in real time. Some have an LSI that has the same computing power as a supercomputer. However, enormous cost and time are required to develop software that can bring out the performance of this kind of high-performance LSI.

Under such circumstances, the number of software houses for developing software for a video game dedicated machine is limited, and only the largest software house can survive. If the number of software houses that develop software is limited, the types of software will naturally be limited, and the number of attractive software will be reduced. As a result, the number of dedicated video game consoles will be sluggish.

Further, the software for a video game dedicated machine has an enormous amount of data due to the complicated and sophisticated functions, and recently, it is often provided on a DVD-ROM. DVD-R
OM is rapidly becoming popular in personal computers, and most of the commercially available personal computers have a drive that can read a DVD-ROM or an interface that allows this type of drive to be attached externally.

However, since the personal computer and the video game dedicated machine have different hardware configuration architectures, the software recorded on the DVD-ROM for the video game dedicated machine cannot be executed by the personal computer.

As described above, the video game dedicated machine and the personal computer use the same type of recording medium such as a DVD-ROM, but the hardware configuration architectures are different from each other, so that it is not easy to share the software. .

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to further popularize a personal computer and to effectively use software for a video game dedicated machine. To provide an instruction controller.

[0014]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a first processor of the same type as the processor mounted on a general-purpose personal computer,
First software execution means for executing software created in a code format that can be interpreted by the first processor; and a processor of a type different from the first processor and mounted on a predetermined video game dedicated machine. A second processor of the same type, and second software executing means for executing the software for the video game dedicated machine,
An information reading device that reads information recorded on a removable recording medium, a keyboard that inputs and selects information, and a fixed recording device that can write and read various information are provided.

According to the present invention, the software for the dedicated TV video game machine can be executed on the personal computer, so that the personal computer can be used in place of the dedicated video game machine, and the utility value of the personal computer can be increased.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A personal computer and an operation instruction controller according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of a first embodiment of a personal computer according to the present invention. The personal computer shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a personal computer main body 1, a display device 2, a keyboard 3, and a mouse 4, as in a normal personal computer. A connection terminal 9 to which a hard disk drive (hereinafter, HDD) 5, an optical disk drive 7 for reading a DVD-ROM 6, and an operation instruction controller 8 of a video game dedicated machine are connected to the personal computer body 1.
And a connection terminal (not shown) to which the keyboard 3 is connected,
A connection terminal (not shown) for net connection is provided.

The connection terminals for net connection are, for example, modem terminals, network terminals, etc., and are connected to a net line 11 for providing the network service 10 (for example, to the Internet via a public line).

The personal computer body 1 has two types of processors having different architectures, and employs a multiprocessor system in which data is transferred between the processors by a DMA (Direct Memory Access) method via a data buffer.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the personal computer body 1. As shown in the figure, in the personal computer main body 1, a personal computer processor system 21 for executing normal personal computer software, a video game dedicated machine processor system 22 for executing video game dedicated machine software, and these processor systems Inter-processor communication circuit (IPC: Inter Processor Communication Ci
rcuit) 23 is provided.

The personal computer processor system 21 includes, for example, a personal computer processor 31 having a 64-bit internal architecture and a memory 3 used by this processor.
2, an I / O interface unit 33 for transmitting / receiving data to / from the outside, and a DMA controller 34 for controlling DMA transfer.

The video game dedicated machine processor system 22 includes, for example, a video game dedicated machine processor 35 having an internal architecture of 128 bits, a memory 36 used by this processor, and an I / O for exchanging data with the outside. And an interface section 37.

The inter-processor communication circuit 23 includes a first data buffer 38 for holding, for example, 4 bytes of data transferred from the personal computer processor system 21 to the video game dedicated machine processor system 22, and the video game dedicated machine processor. A second data buffer 39 for holding, for example, 4 bytes of transfer data from the system 22 to the personal computer processor system 21, and a first transfer timing controller 40 for controlling the data transfer timing in the first data buffer 38. , And a second transfer timing controller 41 for controlling the transfer timing of data in the second data buffer 39. A bus 42 is provided between the personal computer processor system 21 and the inter-processor communication circuit 23, and a bus 43 is provided between the video game dedicated machine processor system 22 and the inter-processor communication circuit 23.

When the power of the personal computer main body 1 is turned on, the personal computer processor system 21 is activated, and the operating system (hereinafter, OS) is read from the HDD 5 and executed. When a user gives an instruction to execute a game by clicking an icon on the screen of the OS, the video game dedicated machine processor system 22 is activated and the video game dedicated machine software is started. At this time, the execution screen of the video game dedicated machine software is displayed on the entire screen of the display device 2 or a part of the screen.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 2, data can be transmitted and received at high speed bidirectionally between the two processor systems 21 and 22. Therefore, the software can be transmitted at almost the same speed as when the software is executed by the dedicated video game machine. Can be executed.

It is also possible to display the execution screen of the video game dedicated machine software on a part of the screen of the display device 2 and execute the software while executing the software for the personal computer in another screen area. is there. Even in such a usage, since each processor system performs each software processing separately, the performance is hardly deteriorated, and even if a failure occurs on one side, it does not affect the other side.

As described above, the personal computer of the present embodiment is provided with the hardware for executing the software for the video game dedicated machine, and the operation instruction controller 8 of the video game dedicated machine is directly connected to the personal computer main body 1. Since it can be connected and used, the software for a video game dedicated machine can be executed with the same operability as that of a video game dedicated machine. Further, since the display device of the personal computer can be used instead of the TV, the trouble of connecting to the TV as in a video game dedicated machine is released.

Further, the personal computer of this embodiment is connected to the net line 11 in advance so that various kinds of net services can be provided. Therefore, the personal computer is like a conventional video game dedicated machine with a net connection function. In addition, it is not necessary to connect the dedicated video game machine to the internet line 11 with the connection cable L1 when playing the online battle game or the like.
Therefore, the user can easily enjoy the online battle game, the web surfing, etc. whenever the user desires.

Further, since the personal computer body 1 has the HDD 5 built-in, the software for the video game dedicated machine is stored in the HDD 5 and is read out from the HDD 5 and executed. You can use it as you want, and you don't have to load and unload the DVD-ROM 6 each time you want to run different kinds of software.

In many conventional video game dedicated machines, it is possible to record software execution results, data being executed, etc. in a recording medium such as a memory card. In the case of this embodiment, HDD of this kind of data
Since it can be stored in 5, the memory card is not required, and the procedure of recording data and the like is simplified. In addition, because it can record a huge amount of data compared to a memory card, you can freely call it by storing all the ways of enjoying different from dedicated game machines, such as past game results and game execution history information. It is also possible to do so.

(Second Embodiment) In the second embodiment, a notebook computer executes software for a video game dedicated machine.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a second embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention. The personal computer shown in FIG. 3 has a keyboard 3 and an optical disk drive 7.
The personal computer main body 51 is provided with a liquid crystal monitor 52 attached to the personal computer main body 51. PC body 1
The hardware configuration of is the same as that of FIG.

In the vicinity of the keyboard 3 of the personal computer main body 1, there is a right side input selection section 53 consisting of a button group which is substantially the same as the button group arranged on the right half of the operation instruction controller 8 of the video game dedicated machine, and the controller. There is provided a left side input selection section 54 including a button group arranged in the left half of the above and a button group substantially the same as the button group. It is desirable that the right-hand side input selection section 53 and the left-hand side input selection section 54 have substantially the same shape and size as the buttons of the operation instruction controller 8 of the video game dedicated machine so that the user does not feel uncomfortable. In the case of a notebook computer, there is a possibility that there is not enough size, so the button size and the button interval may be proportionally reduced from those of the original controller.

As described above, by providing the right side input selection section 53 and the left side input selection section 54 in the personal computer body 1 in advance, even if there is no controller for the dedicated video game machine,
You can run software for video game consoles, you don't have to carry around the controller, and you don't have to worry about connecting the controller with a connection cable.

In the case of a notebook type personal computer, it is often carried out by taking advantage of the mobility, but since the personal computer of the present embodiment is equipped with a controller as standard, it is easy to carry on a train or in a homecoming car. Therefore, it is possible to enjoy video games, and the number of game users can be significantly increased as compared with the conventional case.

In other words, while the conventional personal computer has been mainly aimed at improving the efficiency of office processing, the personal computer of this embodiment can be used as a completely new mobile gear with an entertainment function added. And the utility value of software for video game consoles can be further enhanced.

In order to further enhance the mobility,
Instead of the DVD drive, a drive capable of reading a large-capacity optical disc that is smaller than the DVD drive and has a capacity of about 500 Mbytes or more, for example, DataPlay (trademark) having a size of 2 cm × 3 cm × 2 mm may be mounted on a personal computer. As a result, the laptop computer can be made even smaller and the disc can be easily carried.

(Third Embodiment) In the third embodiment, data is transmitted and received between the operation instruction controller 8 and a personal computer by short-distance wireless communication.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention. The personal computer shown in FIG. 4 is characterized by transmitting and receiving information in a cordless manner with the operation instruction controller 8 of the dedicated video game machine. For this reason, the personal computer in FIG. 4 includes a wireless communication unit for performing near field communication with the operation instruction controller 8,
A connection terminal for connecting the operation instruction controller 8 of the dedicated video game machine is not provided.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the wireless communication units 61 and 62 provided in both the personal computer and the operation instruction controller 8. The wireless communication unit 61 inside the personal computer has a wireless transmission / reception unit 63, a communication interface unit 64, and a modulation / demodulation unit 65. Similarly, the wireless communication unit inside the operation instruction controller 8 also has a wireless transmission / reception unit 66, a communication interface unit 67, and a modulation / demodulation unit 68.

The wireless communication units 61 and 62 perform wireless communication according to the standard such as Bluetooth which enables high speed wireless communication.

The information operated by the user on the operation section 69 of the operation instruction controller 8 is analyzed by the input / output analysis section 70, and the analysis information is modulated by the modulation / demodulation section 68. A radio signal corresponding to the signal modulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 68 is transmitted from the antenna of the radio transmission / reception unit 66 via the communication interface unit.

The wireless signal from the operation instruction controller 8 is received by the wireless transmission / reception unit 63 of the personal computer and then input to the modulation / demodulation unit 65 via the communication interface unit 64 to be demodulated. The demodulated signal is input to the video game dedicated machine processor 35, and is processed according to the operation of the operation instruction controller 8.

Further, some buttons of the operation instruction controller 8 may quiver with a signal from the video game dedicated machine, but in the present embodiment, such a thing can be realized. In this case, after the signal from the video game dedicated processor 35 of the personal computer is modulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 65, a wireless signal corresponding to the modulated signal is transmitted from the wireless transmission / reception unit 63. This wireless signal is received by the wireless transmission / reception unit 66 of the operation instruction controller 8, demodulated by the modulation / demodulation unit 68, and transmitted to the corresponding button.

As described above, in the third embodiment, since the short-distance wireless communication is performed between the personal computer and the operation instruction controller 8, there is no need to connect the connection cable of the operation instruction controller 8 to the personal computer. In addition to being released, the operation instruction controller 8 can be operated without worrying about the length of the connection cable. Further, the problem of poor contact that may occur when the connection cable is attached to the connection terminal is solved.

In the above-described embodiment, the standard for performing wireless communication is not particularly limited, but since it is necessary to control a moving image such as a video game, Bluetooth or IE
It is necessary to adopt a standard such as EE802.11 that enables high-speed wireless communication.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, near field communication is performed between a personal computer and a display device 2.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the schematic arrangement of a fourth embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention. The display device of FIG. 6 is, for example, a digital television 8
This digital television 80 has a built-in wireless communication unit 82 for performing short-distance wireless communication with a personal computer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the internal structure of the wireless communication units 81 and 82 provided in both the personal computer and the digital television 80. The wireless communication unit 81 inside the personal computer includes a modulator 83 that modulates various signals that the processor (the personal computer processor 21 or the video game dedicated machine processor 22) should send to the digital television 80.
A communication interface unit 84 and a wireless transmission unit 85. In addition, the wireless communication unit 82 inside the digital television 80 has a wireless reception unit 86, a communication interface unit 87, and a demodulation unit 88.

The wireless communication units 81 and 82 perform wireless communication according to the standard such as Bluetooth which enables high speed wireless communication.

The personal computer wirelessly transmits not only a video signal but also a control signal such as a signal for instructing on / off of the digital television 80 and a channel switching signal from the wireless transmission section 85. The digital television 80 transmits the wireless signal received by the wireless receiver 86 to the demodulator 88 via the communication interface 87 to demodulate. The demodulated signal is separated into a video signal and a control signal by the control unit 89, and the video signal is sent to the display unit 90. The control unit 89 turns on / off the digital television 80 and switches channels based on the control signal.

Short-range wireless communication is also performed between the personal computer and the operation instruction controller 8 as in FIG. Therefore, when the user operates the operation instruction controller 8, the operation information is sent to the digital television 8 via the personal computer.
It is transmitted cordlessly to 0.

In the present embodiment, the user may operate the operation instruction controller 8 while watching the digital television 80, and becomes almost unaware of the existence of the personal computer.
As if the operation instruction controller 8 is a digital television 8
It creates the illusion that you are directly manipulating 0. Therefore,
Even a user unfamiliar with the personal computer can operate the operation instruction controller 8 without being confused by the operation.

If the personal computer is placed on the digital television 80 like a set-top box, the user only has to operate the operation instruction controller 8 and operates the buttons, and the dedicated video game machine built in the HDD 5 of the personal computer. Software can be switched and executed.

In the above-described embodiment, since the wireless signal is transmitted and received between the operation instruction controller 8, the personal computer and the digital television 80, it is not necessary to place the personal computer in the vicinity of the digital television 80. It can be used in the study room and the digital TV 80 in the living room. In this case, the user can operate the TV with the TV controller or execute the software for the TV / TV game dedicated machine without paying attention to the personal computer.

Also in the present embodiment, the standard for performing wireless communication is not particularly limited, but since it is necessary to control a moving image such as a video game, Bluetooth or
It is necessary to adopt a standard that enables high-speed wireless communication such as IEEE 802.11.

(Fifth Embodiment) FIG. 8 is an external view showing an example of the operation instruction controller 8 used in the above-described third and fourth embodiments. This controller 8
Has an external shape almost the same as the controller attached to the game-dedicated machine so that the user can easily fit it in the hand.

On the upper surface of the operation instruction controller 8 of FIG. 8, a cursor movement button group 91, a software control button group 92, and a cursor movement & software control common button similar to those of the operation instruction controller of the conventional video game dedicated machine. A group 93 is provided, but in addition to this, a start button 9 for starting a personal computer
4 and a stop button 95 to turn off the PC
And a wireless transmission / reception unit 96 for performing near field communication with a personal computer on the side surface.

By operating the start button 94, the personal computer can be started remotely. When the personal computer is started, the OS (for example, Windows of Microsoft Corporation or MAC-OS of Apple Corporation) starts up. The mouse cursor on the OS screen can be moved by the cursor movement button group 91, and the mouse cursor movement in a specific direction (for example, the vertical and horizontal directions) can also be performed by the common button group 93.
The clicking operation of the mouse 4 can be performed by the software control button group 92.

The software can be started by moving the mouse cursor to the icon of the video game dedicated device software displayed on the OS screen and operating the software control button group 92.

When it is desired to stop the personal computer, it is possible to stop the personal computer by operating the stop button 95.

As described above, by using the operation instruction controller 8 shown in FIG. 8, all operations of the personal computer can be performed without using the mouse cursor. In addition, since the personal computer can be operated cordlessly, the troublesomeness of connecting the controller to the personal computer is released and the usability is improved.

The start button 94 and the stop button 95 in FIG. 8 may be used not only for starting / stopping the personal computer but also for turning on / off the power of the digital television 80 in FIG.

[0064]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in addition to the original first processor, the second processor of the same type as that mounted on the video game dedicated machine is provided. Not only can it be used as a personal computer, but it can also run software for video game consoles. Therefore, the software of the video game dedicated machine can be easily enjoyed on the personal computer, the software of the video game dedicated machine can be effectively utilized, and the personal computer can be further popularized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a first embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a personal computer body.

FIG. 3 is an external view of a second embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a third embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a wireless communication unit provided in both a personal computer and an operation instruction controller.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a fourth embodiment of a personal computer capable of executing a video game according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a wireless communication unit provided in both a personal computer and a digital television.

FIG. 8 is an external view showing an example of an operation instruction controller 8 used in the above-described third and fourth embodiments.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 PC body 2 display 3 keyboard 4 mice 5 HDD DVD-ROM for 6 video game machines 7 Optical disk drive 8 Operation instruction controller 9 connection terminals 10 Network service 11 net lines

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A first processor of the same type as a processor mounted on a general-purpose personal computer, and first software execution means for executing software created in a code format interpretable by the first processor. A second type that is different from the first processor and that is the same type as the processor installed in the predetermined video game dedicated machine.
Processor, second software executing means for executing the software for the dedicated video game machine, an information reading device for reading information recorded on a removable recording medium, and a keyboard for inputting and selecting information. And a fixed recording device capable of writing and reading various information. 2. The first software executing means executes the corresponding software by using the first processor without depending on the processing of the second software executing means, and the second software executing means. 2. The personal computer according to claim 1, wherein the second processor is used to execute the software for the video game dedicated machine without depending on the processing of the first software execution means. 3. The personal computer according to claim 1, further comprising a connection terminal to which an operation instruction controller attached to the dedicated video game machine can be connected. 4. An information input / selection device provided near the keyboard and capable of performing substantially the same operation as an operation instruction controller attached to the video game dedicated machine. The personal computer described in. 5. A first short-range wireless communication with an information input / selection device that can perform substantially the same operation as the operation instruction controller attached to the video game dedicated machine and wirelessly transmits the operation information. Wireless communication means, the second software execution means executes the software for the dedicated video game machine based on the operation information of the information input / selection device received by the first wireless communication means. The personal computer according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: 6. A display device provided integrally with or separately from a main body of a personal computer, an operation instruction controller attached to the video game dedicated machine, or the controller instructed by substantially the same operation as the controller. 3. The personal computer according to claim 1, further comprising a control information transmitting unit that transmits display control information of a display device to the display device. 7. A second wireless communication means for performing short-range wireless communication with the display device, wherein the control information transmitting means stores the display control information of the display device in the second wireless communication means. 7. The personal computer according to claim 6, wherein the personal computer is transmitted to the display device via the. 8. An operation button group capable of substantially the same operation as an operation instruction controller attached to the dedicated video game machine, and information operated by the operation button group, by short-range wireless communication. And a third wireless communication means for transmitting to the personal computer according to any one of items 2 and 5 to 7. 9. An operation button group that can perform substantially the same operation as an operation instruction controller attached to the video game dedicated machine and can issue a display control instruction of the display device, and is operated by the operation button group. A third wireless communication unit for transmitting information to the personal computer according to claim 6 by short-range wireless communication, and a controller for operation instruction. 10. The operation button group activates and deactivates the personal computer and activates, deactivates, and switches the operation of software operating on the personal computer. Controller for operating instructions described in. 11. The personal computer according to claim 1, wherein the removable recording medium is a DVD-ROM or an optical disc smaller than a DVD-ROM.