JPH0323270Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] "Industrial Application Field" This invention relates to the economicalization of a rapid-fire addition device for home game computers.

``Prior Art'' First, a home game computer to which a continuous shooting adder is connected will be briefly explained with reference to FIG. Two operating units (hereinafter referred to as Joy Cards) 2 are connected to a home game computer main body (hereinafter referred to as the main body) 1 via cables. An RF switch connection jack (not shown) is provided on the back of the main unit 1, and is included with the main unit.
The plug of the extended cable is inserted from one input side of the RF switch 3. A connection cable from a television antenna 4 is connected to the other input side of the RF switch 3 (via a video device (VTR) 5, if any). RF switch 3
The output side of is connected to the antenna input terminal of a home television 6 via a cable. RF by switching the TV/game switch (not shown) on the back of the main unit to either TV or game mode.
The switch 3 is switched, and the television signal from the antenna 4 or the RF signal from the main body 1 is supplied to the television 6, respectively.

A cassette insertion port 1a is provided on the top surface of the main body 1, into which a ROM cassette 7 containing game software is inserted and connected to a connector built into the main body.

The first trigger button 2 is on the top of the Joy card 2.
a, second trigger button 2b, shift key 2c,
A select button 2d and a start button 2e are provided. The select button 2d is operated according to selection instructions on the television screen. For example, "Will there be one or two people playing the game? If there is only one person, please press the select button." 2 times if you are an expert, 3 times if you are an advanced player
Depending on the game software, various selection instructions are given through the screen, such as "Please press the select button twice," and the select button is used to respond to these instructions.

When the start button 2e is pressed, the game selected by the select button is started.

The shift key 2c is a switch for shifting the flying object up, down, left, or right while looking at the screen during the game, and the cross-shaped control panel allows you to shift the flying object up, down, left, or right.
It can be tilted and pressed in either the left or right direction, and a direction switch (for example, an up shift key) corresponding to the depression is turned on.

When the first and second trigger buttons 2a and 2b are continuously turned on and off at high speed, a bullet (referred to as a trigger) is fired from, for example, a flying object on the screen at a speed corresponding to the on and off speeds. Depending on the game software, you may be able to use only one trigger button, or you may be able to use both trigger buttons, which will be displayed on the screen. In the latter case, the direction or trajectory of the bullet is often changed by each trigger button.

The operating speed of the shift key 2c and the trigger buttons 2a, 2b is directly connected to the victory or defeat of the game or to the score. As you become more proficient with the games, your speed of operation will increase, you will be able to select more advanced games, and your interest will increase.

An expansion connector 1b is provided on the front of the home game computer main body 1, and by connecting a predetermined keyboard 9, the computer can be used as a personal computer.

Recently, an adapter called a rapid-fire add-on device has been developed to allow even beginners to easily enjoy advanced games, or to eliminate the need for rapid continuous on/off operation of the trigger button and reduce hand fatigue through easy operation. It is becoming more and more common to use it by connecting it to a computer. A conventional adapter 8 of this type is shown in FIG. 9, for example. That is, the top surface of the device is provided with first and second trigger buttons 8a and 8b similar to those of the Joy Card 2, a shift lever 8c (corresponding to the shift key 2c), a select button 8d, and a start button 8e. In addition, a trigger button selection switch 8f is provided, and according to the available trigger buttons specified on the screen, (a)
1st trigger button 8a, (b) 2nd trigger button 8
(c) Either the first or second trigger button 8a or 8b is selected. Further, a rapid fire rate changeover and non-repeat mode selection switch 8g is provided, and one of (a) non-repeat fire (single shot fire), (b) low-speed continuous fire, and (c) high-speed continuous fire is selected. Further, a connector 8h is provided from the continuous shooting adding device 8 via a cable, and is connected to the expansion connector 1b of the gaming computer main body 1. A connector 8i is provided on the back of the device for connecting a second continuous-fire additional device similar to the first continuous-fire additional device as required.

Continuous firing speed switching and non-continuous firing mode selection switch 8g
The operation of the first and second trigger buttons 8a and 8b when switching to non-repeat firing is the same as the above-mentioned Joy Card 2.
The operation is exactly the same as the operation of the first and second trigger buttons 2a and 2b. However, when the switch 8g is switched to low-speed continuous firing or high-speed continuous firing, the number of shots per unit time will be normal (or slightly high) or A large number of bullets are fired in succession. There is less fatigue in the fingers or arms than when firing repeatedly by turning on and off the trigger button of the Joy Card 2, and even beginners can perform high-speed firing, so they can enjoy games that are beyond their ability.

The rapid fire addition device 8 includes buttons 8a', which are exactly the same as the first and second trigger buttons 8a, 8b, select button 8d, and start button 8e, respectively.
8b', 8d', 8e' are on the left with respect to the shift lever 8c,
They are arranged symmetrically on the right, and are configured so that either the left or right button can be operated.

``Problems with the conventional technology'' Conventional rapid-fire add-on devices reduce the fatigue of game players, allowing even beginners to enjoy advanced games, and are very convenient, but the problem is that they are expensive. . The purpose of this invention is to reduce the cost of the continuous firing device.

"Means for Solving the Problem" According to this invention, a rapid-fire trigger signal is supplied to the main body in place of the first trigger button, the second trigger button, or both the first and second trigger buttons of the operation section. a trigger button selection switch for selecting the trigger button selection switch, and a firing rate switching switch for changing the frequency of the firing trigger signal, one half of which constitutes a first connector section to be attached to the expansion connector of the main body, and the other half of which is attached to the expansion connector of the main body. A double connector constituting a second connector portion corresponding to an expansion connector is provided on the continuous firing addition device, and a shift key and a trigger button corresponding to the shift key and the first and second trigger buttons of the operation portion are particularly provided. do not have.

``Embodiment'' An embodiment of the continuous firing adding device of this invention will be described with reference to the perspective view of FIG. 1 and the front, side, and back views shown in FIGS. 2A, B, and C. The first connector portion 10a of the double connector 10 is provided on the back side of the device. The first connector section 10a is a connector for connecting this device to the expansion connector 1b of the computer main body. Main unit expansion connector 1b
Since it is common to provide one, it is inconvenient that other devices (such as a keyboard) cannot be used unless the additional device is removed, so a second connector corresponding to the expansion connector 1b of the main body A section 10b is provided at the front of the device. As will be described in detail later, the contacts of the first and second connector parts 10a and 10b are integrally constructed from a continuous member. An operating knob for a trigger button selection/non-repeat mode selection switch 11 protrudes from one side of the device. This switch 11 allows (a) rapid firing of the first trigger button, (b) rapid firing of the first and second trigger buttons,
Either (c) second trigger button alternate firing mode or (d) non-repeat firing mode can be selected. Here, for example, "first trigger button alternate firing" means that by selecting this switch, the same operation as firing the trigger repeatedly by repeatedly turning on and off the first trigger button is performed. do. The same applies to others. 9th
In the conventional example shown in the figure, after selecting the trigger button with the trigger button selection switch 8f, the first or second trigger button is selected.
The trigger button 8a or 8b was pressed down, and the gun was fired continuously only while the trigger button 8a or 8b was held down.
In this invention, the first and second trigger buttons 8a and 8b of the conventional additional device are abolished, and the trigger button selection/non-repeat mode selection switch 11 is replaced by the above (a).
The trigger fires continuously just by switching to any one of ~(c).

An operating knob for a rapid fire rate changeover/frame advance switch 12 protrudes from the other side of the additional device.
With this switch 12, the continuous shooting speed (frequency of the continuous shooting trigger signal) is switched to (a) high speed, (b) medium speed, or (c) low speed, or (d) the screen is set in a continuous frame-by-frame advance state. However, (d) may be omitted.

In this invention, the shift lever 8c of the conventional device is abolished. In this embodiment, there is also a select button 8.
d shows the case where the start button 8e is also deleted. The shift key 2c, select button 2d, and start button 2e of the joy card 2 are used in place of the levers and buttons deleted above.

As shown in FIG. 3, one end of the contacts 20 of the double connector 10 used in this invention constitutes a socket contact 20a, the other end constitutes a pin contact 20b, and the space between these constitutes an intermediate member 20c.
These are connected by processing the same metal material. The socket contact 20a and the intermediate member 20c are accommodated and held in a cylindrical socket contact storage section 21a and an intermediate member storage section 21c, respectively, which are integrally formed with the first case 21 of the device. At this time, the first case 21 made of synthetic resin may be molded with the contacts 20 embedded therein, or the contacts 20 may be molded after the first case is molded.
may be press-fitted or inserted into the storage part and fixed with an adhesive or the like. Although only one contact 20 is shown in FIG. 2B, in reality, a large number of contacts 20 are arranged, for example, in two rows, upper and lower, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2C. Therefore, a large number of socket contact storage sections 21a and intermediate member storage sections 21c are similarly formed in parallel.

A cylindrical screw receiver 2 from the inner surface of the first case 21
1d is integrally formed to protrude. Rectangular notches 21e are provided on the edges of both side surfaces of the first case 21, and the operation knob 11a of either the trigger button selection/non-fire mode selection switch 11 or the continuous fire rate switching/frame feed switch 12, Or 12a protrudes.

A pin contact 20b is inserted into a pin insertion hole provided in a printed wiring board 22 on one side on which the electronic circuit section (including switches 11 and 12) of the device is mounted, and soldered on the back side.

A second case 22 made of a synthetic resin material and facing the first case 21 is integrally formed with a pin contact accommodating portion 22a for accommodating a pin contact 22b. The second pin contact storage part 22a
The front end of the case is open, and the back side is closed with a bottom plate 22c, and the bottom plate 22c is provided with an insertion hole for inserting the pin contact 20b.

A cylindrical screw receiver 22d is integrally formed to protrude from the inner surface of the second case 22 so as to face the screw receiver 21d of the first case.
The hollow portion 22e of d extends to the front of the case.

When the pin contact 20b soldered to the printed wiring board 23 on one side is inserted into the pin contact insertion hole of the bottom plate 22c, the screw receivers 21d and 22d
and are opposite to each other with a printed wiring board in between. The screw receiver 21d or 22d is attached to the printed wiring board 23 with the axis of the hollow part of the screw receiver 21d or 22d as the axis.
A screw insertion hole slightly larger than the diameter of the hollow portion 22d is provided. Self-tapping screws (not shown) are inserted from the front side of the case along the axes of the hollow parts of the screw receiving parts 21d and 22d, so that the first and second cases 21 and 22 have their peripheral edges facing each other. They are joined and fixed together, and the printed wiring board 23 is held at the same time. Alternatively, a screw groove may be provided in the hollow portion, and a screw may be screwed into the groove.

Electronic Circuit Section FIG. 4 shows an example of the electronic circuit section of the continuous firing adding device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A common potential and a power supply voltage (+B) are supplied to the terminals 31 and 32 from the device main body 1 via the expansion connector 1b. Further, a frame synchronization signal and a bit synchronization signal as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B are supplied to terminals 33 and 34, respectively, and are applied to a load terminal (LD) and a clock terminal (CLK) of a shift register 35, respectively. The shift register 35 has parallel input terminals.
The signals given to D ₁ to _{D 8} are fetched in synchronization with the load signal, and the previously fetched data is fetched bit by bit in synchronization with the next bit synchronization signal, d ₈ , d ₇ ... d ₁
are output to output terminal Q in this order. However, _d1 is the data taken in from the input terminal _D1 , and the same applies to the others. The above-mentioned Q output is applied from terminals 36 and 37 to first and second input terminals (not shown) of the main body that supply the outputs of the conventional first and second continuous fire adding devices.

Input terminals D ₁ to _{D 8} are each pulled up to the power supply voltage via a resistor. Input terminals D ₁ to _{D 4} are input terminals that can input on/off information of the right, left, lower, and upper shift switches, respectively, which are operated by operating the shift lever 8c in the conventional continuous firing adder. In this invention, the shift lever 8c of the additional device
Delete the Shift key 2c of the Joy card on the main unit.
Since these input terminals are only pulled up, no input is applied to them.

Input terminals D ₅ and D ₆ are equipped with conventional additional device start button 8e and select button 8d, respectively.
This is an input terminal that can input the corresponding start signal (ST) and select signal (SE). In this embodiment, both buttons are deleted and the buttons on the joy card are used, so that no start signal or select signal is input. However, in this embodiment, a continuous frame feed signal, which will be described later, is applied to the terminal _D5 .

Output terminal Q ₁ of continuous fire trigger signal generation circuit 38 ~
Square waves as shown in FIGS. _5E to 5H are outputted from Q4 and applied to the fixed contacts _H1 , _M1 , _L1 and _AP1 contacts of the continuous fire rate switching/frame advance switch 12, respectively. In the figure, H ₂ , M ₂ , L ₂ , and AP ₂ are H _{1 and} AP 2, respectively.
This is a fixed contact that pairs with M ₁ , L ₁ , and AP ₁ , and by shifting the movable contacts C ₁ and C ₂ (which are connected to each other as a pair) vertically in the figure, you can change the position of any of the fixed contacts. The fixed contacts of the set (for example, H ₁ , H ₂ ) are connected to each other. Fixed contacts H ₂ , M ₂ ,
The output sides of L ₂ are connected to each other and are connected to the movable contact C ₁ of the trigger button selection/non-repeat mode selection switch 11.
connected to. Fixed contact AB ₁ of the switch 11,
A ₁ are connected together and connected to the D ₈ input terminal of the shift register 35, and fixed contacts AB ₂ and B ₂ of the switch 11 are connected together and connected to the D 8 input terminal of the shift register 35.
Connected to the _D7 input terminal of 5. A fixed contact AP ₂ of the continuous shooting speed changeover/frame feed switch 12 is connected to the D ₅ input terminal of the shift register 35.

If the movable contact C of the trigger button selection/non-fire mode selection switch 11 is shifted to the A or B terminal position, a continuous fire trigger signal is given to the _D8 or _D7 input terminal, respectively, and if it is shifted to the AB terminal position, A continuous fire trigger signal is given to both _D7 and _D8 input terminals. The frequency of the continuous firing trigger signal is changed by shifting the movable contact C of the continuous firing speed changeover/frame feed switch 12 to the H, M, and L terminal positions, and high-speed, medium-speed, and low-speed continuous firing trigger signals are selected, respectively. . The continuous firing trigger signal generation circuit 38 is composed of a binary counter, and its clock input terminal
Give the frequency frame synchronization signal to CK,
Square waves with frequencies of /2, /4, /8, and /16 and a duty ratio of 1:1 are obtained from the Q ₁ , Q ₂ , Q ₃ , and Q ₄ outputs, respectively (Fig. 5 E to H).

When the position of the fixed contact AP (alternate, pause) of the continuous shooting speed changeover/frame feed switch 12 is selected, the _Q4 output (a square wave of several Hz) is applied to the _D5 input terminal of the shift register 35. If you do not operate the start button 8e of the Joy Card, the main unit 1 will detect the falling edge of the _Q4 output and start the game, and the screen display will proceed according to the game software, but the next falling edge of the _Q4 output will start. When it detects downhill movement, it stops its progress. When the next falling edge of the _Q4 output is detected, the screen display advances again and is stopped at the next falling edge of the _Q4 output, and the start and stop are repeated in the same manner. Therefore, the screen is displayed in a continuous frame-by-frame state, meaning that the game unfolds at a slow speed. It is convenient to use the feed mode.

Modified Example of Rapid Fire Pulse Generating Circuit In addition to the case where the rapid fire pulse generating circuit 38 is composed of the binary counter described above, (a) it is composed of one flip-flop circuit, and its time constant is switched by the rapid fire rate switching/frame feed switch 12. Alternatively, (b) a plurality of flip-flop circuits with different frequencies may be switched, or (c) the above (a) and (b) may be combined. Further, the frequencies of the Q ₁ to _{Q 4} outputs do not necessarily have to have a relationship of 1:1/2:1/4:1/8, and may be changed as appropriate.

The main unit 1 has a duty ratio of continuous pulses of 1:1.
Instead, for example, a ratio of 1:2 usually has a biased response characteristic, meaning that it can respond to higher frequencies. Therefore, if you can set the duty ratio to match the characteristics of the main body, you can enjoy higher-speed continuous firing. From this point of view, it is also possible to use the circuit shown in FIG. 6, which is a flip-flop circuit using a C-MOS inverter IC and whose duty ratio can be easily varied.

In the figure, inverters 40 and 41 are connected in series, and the output of inverter 41 is connected to capacitor 42,
The resistor 44 is connected to the input of the inverter 40 via the resistor 43 in sequence, and the resistor 44 is connected between the connection point a between the capacitor 42 and the resistor 43 and the connection point c between the inverters 40 and 41. A series circuit of a diode 45 and a resistor 46 is connected in parallel with the resistor 44 . The operation of this flip-flop circuit will be explained with reference to FIG. First, consider the case where the series circuit of diode 45 and resistor 46 is not connected.

(a) Assuming that inverter 40 (hereinafter also referred to as G ₁ ) is inverted and turned on at time t ₁ , its output voltage becomes zero (low level) and inverter 41 (hereinafter also referred to as G ₂ ) is inverted and turned off. , and outputs a high level voltage (+5V in this example). This high level voltage causes current i ₁ to flow through the capacitor 42 and resistor 44, and from the output side of G ₁ to the inside of G ₁ toward a common potential point (not shown). The capacitor 42 is charged by this current _i1 , and the terminal voltage Vc increases as shown in the figure, and conversely, the voltage at point a decreases as shown in the figure. Since the input impedances of the inverters G ₁ and G ₂ are sufficiently large, the current flowing therein can be ignored, so no current flows through the resistor 43, and the voltage at point a becomes the voltage at point b as it is. However, in order to protect the internal transistors of the inverter _G1 , in this example, input voltages below -1V and above +5.5V are thrust (absorbed) and do not appear at the input. (Accordingly, when the voltage at point a is -1V or lower or +5.5V or higher, current flows through the resistor 43.) (b) The voltage at point a (point b) decreases, and at time _t2 , the voltage at inverter _{G1 increases} . When the threshold voltage (+3.5V in this example) is reached, inverter G ₁ inverts and turns off, and its output voltage goes to a high level (+3.5V).
5V). This causes inverter _G2 to invert and turn on, and its output voltage becomes zero.
As a result, from the output of inverter _G1 , resistor 44,
A current i ₂ flows in the direction of the capacitor 42, and this current i ₂ flows inside the inverter G ₂ from the output side toward a common potential point (not shown). The capacitor 42 discharges the charge accumulated up to that point by the current i ₂ and is further charged in the opposite direction, so that the terminal voltage decreases. The voltage at point a is the inverter
Since the output voltage of _G2 suddenly changes from +5V to zero at time _t2 , and the change in the voltage Vc of the capacitor 42 is continuous with respect to time, the resistance is approximately 5V below the threshold voltage (+3.5V) of the inverter. down.
Since the capacitor 42 is then charged by the current i ₂ , the voltage at point a gradually increases.

(c) When the voltage at point a reaches the threshold voltage of inverter G ₁ at time t ₃ , inverter G ₁ is inverted and turned on, and the following operations (a) and (b) are repeated.

When the series circuit of the diode 45 and the resistor 46 is connected as shown by the dotted line, the current i ₁ is shunted. (The current i ₂ is blocked by the diode 45.) Therefore, the charging time constant due to i ₁ becomes small, and from time t ₁ to
t ₂ becomes smaller, and the output voltage of this flip-flop circuit (for example, the output voltage of inverter G ₂ )
The duty ratio can be changed. If the direction of the diode 45 is reversed to that shown in the figure, the current i ₂ will be shunted instead of the current i ₁ , and the period from time t ₂ to _{t 3} will be shortened, and the duty ratio will be different from the previous one. It can be changed in the opposite direction.

If the constant of the capacitor 42 or resistor 44 is changed using the rate of fire switching/frame feed switch 12,
The oscillation frequency can be set appropriately.

``Effects of the invention'' According to this invention, the shift lever and the first and second trigger buttons provided in the conventional rapid-fire addition device are removed, and the shift key of the Joy card is used to move the object, and the rapid-fire addition device A continuous fire trigger signal is supplied to the main body only by selection using the trigger button selection/non-fire mode selection switch. (There is no need to press down the first or second trigger button as in the conventional case.) Therefore, the cost of the continuous fire additional device can be significantly reduced.

Generally, a home game computer is equipped with only one expansion connector, so when using a home game computer as a personal computer, conventionally, the continuous firing add-on device has to be disconnected. Instead, you had to connect the included keyboard, which was troublesome, but according to this invention, the rapid-fire addition device is equipped with a unique dual connector, so you can connect the continuous-fire addition device to the main body and connect it to the main unit. It is convenient to be able to connect a keyboard to the second connector part of the serial connector.

The first and second connector parts of the above-mentioned double connector have a common contact, and the member that holds the contact is integrated with the case of the continuous fire addition device, compared to the case where two independent connectors are used. It can be realized in a small size and at low cost.

If a flip-flop circuit with a variable duty ratio is used in the continuous firing trigger signal generation circuit, the duty ratio can be set to match the response characteristics of the main body, allowing the user to enjoy faster continuous firing.

In the embodiments described above, a single switch serves as both the rate of fire changeover switch and the frame advance switch, but they may be used as separate switches. The same applies to the trigger button selection switch and the non-repeat mode selection switch.

Also, until now, contact 2 of double connector 10
0 socket contact 20a and pin contact 20b have the same center axis, but the respective axes are different from each other, and even if only the direction of the axis is the same, or the direction of the axis is different. The shape of the case of the device can be changed as appropriate.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the embodiment of this invention, Figures 2 A, B, and C are front views of the embodiment of Figure 1, respectively.
3A and B are the front and side views of the contact 20 in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is the contact 20 in FIG. 1.
The circuit diagram of the electronic circuit section of the embodiment shown in the figure, FIG.
6 is a signal waveform diagram of the main part of the electronic circuit shown in the figure, and FIG. 6 is a circuit showing an example of a flip-flop circuit using a variable duty ratio C-MOS inverter IC that can be used in the continuous firing trigger signal generation circuit of FIG. 4. 7 is a signal waveform diagram of the main part of the flip-flop circuit shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram for explaining the home game computer, and FIG.
The figure is a perspective view of a conventional continuous-fire adding device for a home game computer.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A shift key for moving an object on the screen, a first trigger button that generates a trigger for each operation, and a second trigger button that generates a trigger different from the first trigger button for each operation. In a rapid-fire additional device that is connected to an expansion connector of a home game computer main body to which an operating section is connected, either the first trigger button, the second trigger button, or both the first and second trigger buttons of the operating section are connected. a trigger button selection switch for selecting whether to supply a rapid-fire trigger signal to the main body in place of the rapid-fire trigger signal; a rapid-fire speed changeover switch for switching the frequency of the rapid-fire trigger signal; a double connector that constitutes one connector section and the other half constitutes a second connector section that corresponds to an expansion connector of the main body; a shift key that corresponds to the shift key and the first and second triggers; A rapid-fire addition device for a home game computer that does not have a button and a corresponding trigger button.