JPH0239510Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Industrial Field of Application The present invention allows the player to ride on a main body that imitates the cockpit of various vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, ships, and airplanes, and perform control operations. The present invention relates to a video display game machine in which continuously changing external world conditions and images of a vehicle to be operated by a player are displayed on an image display unit facing the player.

Prior Art Conventionally, a player rides on a main body that imitates the cockpit of various vehicles such as automobiles, motorcycles, ships, aircraft, animals, etc., and by appropriately shifting the player's weight, the player rocks the vehicle. There are game machines (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-31784). Furthermore, some of the above-mentioned game machines have a driving device attached to them and are played by forcing the game to swing.

On the other hand, as a type of TV game machine that uses a CRT display, it displays videos on the CRT screen.
Enter operating information for the vehicle displayed on the screen by operating attached input means, such as a simulated steering wheel, shift lever, brake pedal and accelerator pedal, keyboard, joystick, etc. There are game consoles that you can control and play as you wish. This type of TV game machine is
There are enough game-like elements such as competitiveness, display of a variety of situations such as the appearance of unexpected situations, and a large degree of freedom in operating the target vehicle displayed on the screen, and the player can judge the situation, You can demonstrate relatively advanced abilities such as operating it, and the so-called game nature is very large.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, although the former type of swinging game machine is played by directly moving the player's body, it is simply for enjoying the fun of swinging.
This is a game machine that is monotonous and suitable for relatively young children. As a result, the game had the disadvantage that it was not possible to play using advanced operations, and the gameplay was poor.

On the other hand, although the latter type of TV game consoles are rich in game features, they are simply enjoyed with the eyes and fingertips, and cannot be played using the whole body, so they lack a sense of realism. .

Means and Effects for Solving the Problems Therefore, in the present invention, a main body having a seat imitating a cockpit of a vehicle, and image information that changes sequentially as the game progresses are formed and The game apparatus includes an image display means for displaying the image toward the player, and a game progress control means for controlling the formation of the image information and managing the progress of the game by processing operation information based on the player's operation as data. In the video display game machine, the front end portion of the main body is pivotally connected to a base so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and a yaw imparting device is provided for moving the seat portion at the rear of the main body left and right by a motor,
Further, in the vicinity of the seat, a pair of slope members are provided on the base symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the main body and have slopes inclined in opposite directions in the left-right direction; a rolling imparting device comprising a pair of driven members that move along the slope in response to the movement and roll the main body around the longitudinal axis; and a motor control means for controlling the operation of the motor.

According to the present invention, when the player performs, for example, a steering wheel operation on the main body, an image corresponding to the turning of the vehicle is displayed on the image display means, and the main body itself performs a yawing motion and a rolling motion.
In addition to visual sense, the player can feel the sensation of turning directly through his or her body, and can enjoy a game full of realism.

The above-mentioned yawing motion is performed by moving the seat part of the main unit left and right, and the player not only simply changes direction with the seat, but also is swung wide left and right, allowing the player to experience a sensation that is extremely close to that of actually turning. .

Furthermore, the rolling motion is generated in response to the yawing motion, further enhancing the sense of realism, due to the simple structure of the rolling imparting device consisting of a slope member provided on the base and a driven member provided on the main body. Moreover, such yawing and rolling movements can be provided by only one motor driving the yawing device.

The above-mentioned motor is controlled by input from the game progress control means that processes the operation information from the player from the cockpit as data, so the motor can also be operated in response to operation other than the steering wheel operation. For example, by operating the motor in response to gear changes, brake operations, etc., it is also possible to simulate the vibrations that occur in the actual machine during these operations using the above-mentioned movement of the main body.

Embodiments Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained with reference to illustrated embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a rear view. A main body 2 resembling a driver's seat of an automobile is installed on a base 1. Main body 2
In addition to seat 3, there is a steering wheel 4, brake 5, and accelerator 6 (shown in the depressed state for clarity).
Also provided are operating members such as a shift lever 7 and the like. An image display section 9 is provided inside a cover 8 provided at the front of the main body 2 so as to face a player sitting on the seat 3. In the image display section 9,
As shown in FIG. 3, a moving image of the game screen is displayed on the CRT display. In this screen, a background A, a driving path B, an obstacle C, a competitor's car D, a street light E, and a car O, which is the vehicle of the player, are drawn. As it progresses, it moves sequentially and its position, form, size, etc. change. In other words, as the player's car advances, the positions, shapes, sizes, etc. of background A and running route B change according to a preset program, and obstacles C and competitors' Regarding car D and street light E, depending on the program,
Their positions, shapes, sizes, etc. change, and the situation changes from moment to moment, enhancing the gameplay.

The above-mentioned image is controlled by a game progress control means, which will be described later, based on operation information generated when the player operates the steering wheel 4, brake 5, accelerator 6, and shift lever 7. For this purpose, the steering wheel 4, the brake 5, the accelerator 6, and the shift lever 7 are each provided with a control information forming section consisting of, for example, a variable resistor, and the movable piece of the variable resistor is displaced by the operating member to obtain a resistance value. This is converted into an electrical signal and sent as control information to the game progress control means.

The main body 2 has a ball joint 1 at the center of its front end.
It is supported by the base 1 via 0. The body 2 can therefore be pivoted horizontally about a vertical axis V passing through the ball joint 10. In other words, a yawing motion can be performed.

Furthermore, a rolling imparting device 12 is provided which imparts rolling, or rolling, to the main body 2 in conjunction with the yawing motion of the main body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, this rolling imparting device 12 has an inclined surface 13a fixed to the upper surface of the base 1 and inclined downward from the inside toward the outside near the center line of the main body 2.
It is constituted by a pair of left and right slope members 13 having a horizontal axis, and a pair of left and right rolling wheels 15 that are pivotally supported by a bracket 14 protruding from the lower surface of the main body 2 and roll along each slope 13a. There is. Therefore, when the main body 2 performs a yawing movement about the vertical axis V as described above, one rolling wheel 15 rises along the corresponding slope 13a, and the other rolling wheel 15 rises along the corresponding slope 13a. As the main body 2 moves down, a rolling motion is applied to the main body 2. The rolling wheel 15 also functions as a support member that supports the main body 2 on the base 1. The direction of yawing and the direction of rolling are set to be equal to the relationship between yawing and rolling that occurs when an actual automobile turns.

Next, the yawing imparting device 16 that imparts the yawing to the main body 2 will be explained with reference to FIG. 1
7 and 17 are fixed frames fixed to the base 1, and a threaded rod 18 having a threaded portion 18a at its tip is rotatably supported on the fixed frame 17. This threaded rod 1
8 is rotated by a motor 19 in both forward and reverse directions. The threaded portion 18a at the tip of the threaded rod 18 is connected to the moving frame 20.
It is screwed into a screw hole provided in the center of the end plate 21 of. The moving frame 20 includes the end plate 21 and the end plate 21.
It is constructed in the shape of a quadrilateral frame by a pair of horizontal bar members 22, 22 extending laterally from both ends thereof, and a vertical bar member 23 connecting the tips of these horizontal bar members 22. Both ends of the vertical bar member 23 are connected to guide members 24 fixed to the base 1, respectively.
It is guided and supported in a guide groove 25 so as to be slidable laterally along the guide groove 25 . Furthermore, the vertical bar member 23
A connecting rod 26 extends upward from the center of the
Its upper end is pivotally connected to the lower surface of the seat 3 portion of the main body 2 via a bracket 27 (first
(see figure).

Since the yawing imparting device 16 is configured in this way, when the threaded rod 18 is driven by the motor 19 and rotates in either direction, the moving frame 20 is guided by the guide groove 25 and rotates to the left or to the left. It moves laterally to the right, and the bracket 27 portion of the main body 2 is moved laterally in the same direction via the connecting rod 26. As mentioned above, the front end of the main body 2 is supported by the base 1 via the ball joint 10, so when the bracket 27 moves laterally, the main body 2 moves horizontally around the ball joint 10, that is, yawing. However, in this case, the seat 3 not only simply changes direction but also moves laterally to the left or right. Along with this, as mentioned above, the rolling imparting device 1
2, rolling is applied to the main body 2. The above amount of yawing is determined by
It is detected by a swing detecting means 29 consisting of a variable resistor or the like connected via a oscillation detecting means 29.

The structure of this game machine has been described above, and next, the structure of the game progress control means and image display means that control this game machine to execute the game will be explained. S is a stand that houses the control device.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a hardware configuration for realizing these means. This hardware is
a steering information forming section 30 that forms steering wheel information, brake information, accelerator information, and shift lever information by the operations of the steering wheel 4, brake 5, accelerator 6, and shift lever 7, respectively; and the rocking information forming section that forms rocking angle information. motion detection means 29;
An A/D converter 31 for selectively A/D converting each of the above information is provided as a maneuver information input means.

Also, a microprocessor (hereinafter abbreviated as MPU) 32, a read-only memory (hereinafter abbreviated as ROM) 33 that stores an operation control program for the MPU 32 and a game program for progressing the game, and a read-only memory (hereinafter abbreviated as ROM) 33 that stores the operation control program of the MPU 32 and a game program for progressing the game. A microcomputer consisting of a random access memory (hereinafter abbreviated as RAM) 34 used for game progress control means is provided.

Furthermore, a control information memory 35 which is a RAM and stores the above-mentioned control information, and a character image forming each character image of the obstacle C, the competitor's car D, the street light E, and the player's vehicle O, A setting means 36, a background image generating means 37 for generating an image of background A, a traveling path image generating means 38 for generating an image of traveling path B, and XY as well as vertical and horizontal synchronizing signals.
A timing circuit 39 for forming an address, the character image setting means 36, and a background image generating means 3.
7 and a priority circuit 40 that selectively outputs images from the traveling path image generating means 38 according to their priority levels;
The image display device includes an image display section 9 and a color expansion circuit 41 for making the image information outputted from the priority circuit 40 more diverse in color.

The character image setting means includes an image information parameter memory 42 that stores and holds image information parameters set based on the game program from the operation information, and a ROM, and stores character images corresponding to various image information parameters in advance. A comparison circuit 44 that compares a certain character image memory 43 and the image information parameters with XY addresses corresponding to vertical and horizontal synchronization signals to set the display position on the screen and outputs the corresponding image information from the character image memory 43. It consists of In this embodiment, four systems of character image setting means 36 are provided corresponding to the character images of the obstacle C, the competitor's car D, the street light E, and the car O which is the vehicle of the player. Character image memory 43
Although it differs depending on the system, image data of about 100 to several hundred images is stored for each.

Background image generating means 37 for generating an image of background A
As shown in FIG. 5, the character generator 45 outputs a planar image element of 8×8 dots.
and a scroll 46 for expanding this image element. In addition, the traveling road image generating means 3
8, as shown in FIG. 5, includes a character generator 47 that outputs a linear image element, and a scroll 48 that expands this image element. These means form images of the background A and the running path B that change as the game program progresses. The progress of the game is set according to the running state of the car O, and a new image is formed in accordance with the speed of the car O so as to draw a screen preset by the game program.

Furthermore, a motor control means 49 for controlling the motor 19 is provided.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overview of the operation of this embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of game processing in this embodiment.

The MPU 32 executes various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 33. Processing can be broadly divided into game machine management and game progress processing. FIG. 6 shows the former processing procedure, and FIG. 7 shows the latter processing procedure. In addition, MPU3
2 has an address bus AB and a data bus DB.
is connected, other hardware devices are connected by addressing, and data bus
Transfer data via DB. However,
For the sake of simplicity, descriptions of addressing and data transfer routes will be omitted.

In Figure 6, when the device is started up, the MPU
32 displays the game title of the game machine on the image display section 9 and monitors whether or not coins have been inserted to start the game (steps 1 and 2). Until the coil is turned on, the initial demonstration screen will be displayed until the display timer set in the program reaches 0, at which point the ranking list will be displayed and the process will return to step 1. 3, 4, 5), repeat this operation until a coin is inserted.

Here, when a coin is inserted, a detection signal from a limit switch (not shown) or the like is input, and in response to this, the MPU 32 checks whether or not the start button to start the game has been pressed (step 6). When pressed, a game start message is displayed on the screen (step 7).

When the game starts, the MPU 32 takes in control information from various operations performed by the player, and
Game progress processing is performed (step 8). Then, when the timer set by the program reaches 0, the ranking list is displayed and then
Display “GAMEOVER” and return to step 1 (steps 9 to 11).

The flow of the above processing is basically the same as the flow of conventional gaming machines of this type. Note that data for standard screens, except for screens during game processing, are stored in ROM.
The image data stored in 33 is used.

Next, details of the above game processing will be explained with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a game is taken as an example in which the player controls the car O on a driving path displayed on the screen, and the winner or loser is determined by the distance traveled within a certain period of time. In addition, in this game, during the driving route,
Obstacles C and other cars D appear, so it is necessary to avoid them. That is, it is necessary to overtake the obstacle C and the other vehicle D while avoiding a rear-end collision by operating the steering wheel, brake, accelerator, etc. Furthermore, since street lights E are arranged at regular intervals on both sides of the traveling route B, if the steering wheel is operated incorrectly, the vehicle will collide with the street lights E. Therefore, if proper operation is not performed, the car
collides with an obstacle C and another car D and spins or crashes, and also collides with a street light E, causing the screen to temporarily stop.

Here, the formation of the screen of the image display section 9 will be explained.

The background A and the running route B are generated by the background image generating means 37 and the running route image generating means 3, as described above.
8, image information is formed and sent to the image display section 9 via the priority circuit 40 for display. Further, these images are sequentially rewritten in accordance with the traveling speed of the car O. Therefore, the faster car O becomes,
These screens are frequently rewritten.

In addition, in this embodiment, the background A and the running route B are divided and arranged at the top and bottom of the screen, so that they can be combined at the same time. Therefore, the priorities of both images A and B in the priority circuit 40 are equal.

On the other hand, the car O, the obstacle C, the other car D, and the street light E are stored in the character image memory 43 as described above.
Various types of image data are stored in . The positions of these images on the screen are set according to the progress of the game and the player's control status, and the most suitable image data is selectively read out and sent to the priority circuit 4.
0 to the image display unit 9, and is arranged and displayed on the background A and the running route B. In addition, car O,
Character images such as an obstacle C, another car D, and a street light E are given higher priority than images of the background A and the driving route B, so these character images are given priority at the positions in the image where they should be displayed. displayed.

Next, the relationship between the player's operation and the display on the screen will be explained with reference to FIG.

The MPU 32 performs initial settings for starting the game, such as clearing each memory and setting initial values, and also sets initial values of each parameter in the image information parameter memory 42 (steps 12 to 13).

When the player sits on the seat 3 and starts the game, an image as shown in FIG. 3, for example, is displayed on the screen of the image display section 9. Therefore, the player
In order to drive the car O that is the target of one's control, perform various operations such as selecting the shift lever position, stepping on the accelerator, operating the steering wheel, and operating the brakes to avoid a collision with another car D. . on the other hand,
The MPU 32 causes a background A, a driving route B, an obstacle C, another car D, a street light E, etc. to appear on the screen according to a preset game program. On this occasion,
The above-mentioned various maneuvering information is referred to, and processing such as relatively changing the driving route B in accordance with the speed of the vehicle O is performed to improve the realism of the screen.

Various operations by the player are performed by the operation information forming section 30.
The information is output as shift lever information, accelerator information, brake information, and steering wheel information. This information is selectively converted into A/D by the A/D converter 31.
The data are converted and stored in the maneuver information memory 35, respectively. Storing these data in the memory 35 is as follows:
This is performed by the MPU 32 at regular intervals. In addition,
This maneuver information memory 35 stores current values and previous values, and these values are updated every time new data is input.

The MPU 32 reads both old and new data stored in the maneuvering information memory 35, performs comparison calculations, and calculates various parameters related to the running state of the vehicle O, that is, the current position, direction, speed, acceleration, deceleration, etc. At the same time, parameters are calculated for each character image of the obstacle C, the car D, and the street light E. These parameters are stored in the image information parameter memory 42 for each character C,
Stored corresponding to D, E and O (step 14~
17).

Here, the MPU 32 reads the handle data and
It is determined whether the handle 4 is being turned (steps 18 and 19). If the handle 4 is not turned, then check whether the main body 2 is in the center position, that is, whether it is yawing,
If the main body 2 is not at the center position, operate the motor 19 to return the main body 2 to the center position (step
20, 21). Next, it is determined whether a gear change has been performed using the shift lever 7 and whether full braking is being applied (steps 22 and 23), and if such a state has not occurred, the process directly proceeds to step 24.
Step 22 or 23 to step 25 if a gear change is occurring or full braking is in progress.
After proceeding to Step 24, the motor 19 is rotated in the forward and reverse directions, and the yawing applying device 16 is moved alternately in the forward and reverse directions for a short period of time to give vibration to the main body 2, simulating the vibration that occurs in the actual machine due to gear change or brake application. Proceed to.

If the handle is being turned in step 19, the MPU 32 determines whether the rotation angle of the motor 19 exceeds the limit in the direction in which the handle is turning (step 26), and if it exceeds the limit, the Step 25
Proceed to 24. If the limit has not been exceeded, the motor 19 is rotated according to the data of the handle, and after giving yawing and rolling to the main body 2 according to the turning (step 27), the process proceeds to step 24.

In step 24, the MPU 32 reads the positions (XY addresses) of obstacles C and E displayed on the screen and another car D on the screen, and compares them with the position of car O (step 28). Here, if the XY addresses do not match, the vehicle O has not collided with any of the obstacles C, E or another vehicle D, and the process returns to step 14. On the other hand, either
When the XY addresses match, the MPU32
The spin or crash image of car O is transferred to the corresponding XY address. (Step 29). And other character images (excluding car D), background A
For traveling route B, the image data currently being transferred is sent to the same position on the screen to bring the screen to a halt state (step 30), and vehicle D is allowed to pass (step 31).

In this way, the MPU 32 advances the game according to the game program, displays a moving image on the image display section 9 according to the player's driving state, and also controls the vehicle body shaking and vibrations according to the driving state. give to

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, the main body has a seat imitating the cockpit of a vehicle, and image information that changes sequentially as the game progresses is formed and displayed to the player on the seat. A video display game machine comprising: an image display means for controlling the player's operation; and a game progress control means for controlling the formation of the image information and managing the progress of the game by processing operation information based on the player's operation as data, The front end portion of the main body is pivotally connected to a base so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and a yaw imparting device is provided for moving the seat portion at the rear of the main body from side to side by a motor. a pair of slope members provided on a base symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the main body and having slopes inclined in opposite directions in the left-right direction; A rolling imparting device comprising a pair of driven members that move to roll the main body around the longitudinal axis, and a motor control means for controlling the operation of the motor in accordance with an input from the game progress control means. Therefore, images corresponding to the player's driving operations are sequentially displayed by the image display means, and
Oscillations and vibrations similar to the oscillations and vibrations that occur in an actual vehicle in response to maneuvering are applied to the main body that the player is riding, and the player can feel the sensations when operating the vehicle not only visually but also through his or her body. Therefore, you can enjoy a game full of realism. In particular, when yawing, the seat does not simply change direction, but is swung left and right, so you can experience a sensation that is very similar to what it would be like to actually turn. Furthermore, since the structure is extremely simple and both yawing motion and rolling motion can be provided by only one motor, the cost of the game machine is reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side view showing the appearance of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a rear view, Fig. 3 is a front view showing an image displayed on the image display section, and Fig. 4 is a yaw imparting device. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration for realizing the game progress control means and image display means of this embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an overview of the operation of this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of game processing in this embodiment. 1...Base, 2...Main body, 3...Seat, 4...
Handle, 5...brake, 6...accelerator, 7
...Shift lever, 8...Cover, 9...Image display unit, 10...Ball joint, 12...Rolling imparting device, 13...Slope member, 14...Bracket, 15...Rolling wheel, 16... ... Yawing imparting device, 17... Fixed frame, 18... Threaded rod, 19... Motor, 20... Moving frame, 21...
End plate, 22... Horizontal bar member, 23... Vertical bar member, 2
4... Guide member, 25... Inner groove, 26... Connecting rod, 27... Bracket, 28... Arm piece, 29
... Swing detection means, 30 ... Maneuvering information forming section, 3
1...A/D converter, 32...MPU, 33...
ROM, 34... RAM, 35... Maneuvering information memory, 36... Character image setting means, 37... Background image generation means, 38... Running path image generation means,
39...timing circuit, 40...priority circuit, 4
1... Color expansion circuit, 42... Image information parameter memory, 43... Character image memory, 4
4... Comparison circuit, 45... Character generator, 46... Scroll, 47... Character generator, 48... Scroll, 49... Motor control means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A main body having a seat imitating a cockpit of a vehicle; an image display means for forming image information that changes sequentially as the game progresses and displaying it toward a player on the seat; and a control operation by the player. A video display game machine comprising a game progress control means for controlling the formation of the image information and managing the progress of the game by processing the operation information as data,
The front end portion of the main body is pivotally connected to a base so as to be rotatable around a vertical axis, and a yaw imparting device is provided for moving the seat portion at the rear of the main body from side to side by a motor. a pair of slope members provided on a base symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the main body and having slopes inclined in opposite directions in the left-right direction; A rolling imparting device comprising a pair of driven members that move to roll the main body around the longitudinal axis, and a motor control means for controlling the operation of the motor in accordance with an input from the game progress control means. A video display game machine characterized by being provided with.