JPH07110301B2 - Circuit game equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a circuit game device for playing a wirelessly controlled self-propelled vehicle in a circuit course for playing.

[Prior Art] There is a circuit game device in which a radio controlled car is radio-controlled to run on a circuit course to compete for a ranking. Players compete for the technique to reach the goal faster than other radio controlled cars while confirming the position of their radio controlled car from where the entire circuit course can be seen. It was quite difficult to operate my radio-controlled car as I expected, and it was difficult for beginners with little skill to enjoy it.

On the other hand, there is a video display game machine in which a television display screen is provided on the front of the cockpit, which is modeled after a real car. The player operates the steering wheel and accelerator while sitting in the cockpit and looking at the front screen. The TV image on the front shows a screen that changes according to the operation of the player, and the player enjoys a simulated competition with other cars displayed in the screen. With such a video display game machine, even a beginner can easily enjoy driving a car. However, both the course and the competitors were simulated by the device, and it is not as exciting as the actual battle.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] As described above, in the conventional car race gaming device, there is no highly entertaining game device that can be easily operated by an inexperienced person and can be enjoyed by an experienced person without getting tired.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a circuit race device which allows a user to enjoy a self-propelled vehicle as if it were an actual race and can always know the running condition of the self-propelled vehicle. With the goal.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above-mentioned object is to provide a radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle equipped with at least an imaging device for imaging the front, a circuit course for the radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle to run, and a radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle. A receiving device that receives an image signal from the control device, a display unit that displays the image signal received by the receiving device, and a control unit that outputs a control signal for controlling the wirelessly controlled vehicle. A control device that operates the control part while looking at the display part, a transmission device that transmits a control signal output from the control part of the control device to the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle, and a plurality of predetermined positions in the circuit course. A plurality of passage detection sensors provided to detect passage of the wirelessly-controlled self-propelled vehicle; and based on detection of passage of the wirelessly-controlled self-propelled vehicle by the plurality of passage detection sensors, Passage detection And a determination device that determines which area in the circuit course is divided by a sensor.

In the circuit game device described above, the determination device is
It is desirable to have a reverse running determination unit that determines whether or not the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle is running backwards on the circuit course, based on the detection of the passage of the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle by a plurality of passing detection sensors.

[Operation] According to the present invention, a plurality of passage detection sensors for detecting passage of a wirelessly steered vehicle are provided at a plurality of predetermined positions in a circuit course, and the wirelessly steered vehicle is detected by the plurality of passage detection sensors. Based on the passage detection of the vehicle, it is determined which area on the circuit course the wirelessly controlled vehicle is located by the multiple passage detection sensors. By grasping it, you can avoid dangerous situations in circuit races in advance, or you can enjoy circuit races while being aware of the positions of other self-propelled vehicles.

Further, if it is determined whether or not the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle is traveling in the reverse direction on the circuit course based on the detection of the passage of the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle by a plurality of passage detection sensors, the reverse-run state can be maintained without delay. It is possible to make an accurate determination, and to avoid in advance a dangerous state of a circuit race such as a collision with another radio-controlled self-propelled person.

Embodiment A circuit game device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Outline of Circuit Game Device FIG. 1 shows an outline of the circuit game device according to the present embodiment.

In the circuit game device of this embodiment, a plurality of radio-controlled cars 20 are equipped with TV cameras 21 on a large circuit course 10 to perform a car race. RC Car 20
The television camera 21 mounted on the camera photographs the front of the radio controlled car 20 and transmits the photographed image by radio waves. The transmitted video signal is received by the dedicated tuner 40, and the control device 30
Is projected on CRT39. The player sits in the seat 33 of the control device 30 and operates while looking at the image of the CRT 39 on the front side. The control signal by the player is transmitted from the radio control transmitter 45, and the radio controlled car 20 is driven according to the transmitted control signal.

A lap sensor 50 is provided at a predetermined position on the circuit course 10 to detect passage of the radio controlled car 20.
By the detection signal of the lap sensor 50, it is possible to know the running state of each radio controlled car 20, such as the ranking and the lap time. This running state is displayed on the electronic display board 61 and also displayed on the CRT 39 of the control device 30 via the system controller 70 that controls the entire circuit game device. Also,
For the spectator, the same image as the CRT 39 of each control device 30 is displayed on the large monitor 80.

Circuit Course 10 As shown in FIG. 2, the circuit course 10 of this embodiment is as follows.
A straight course, an S curve, a tunnel, etc. are assembled to form a circuit course. 6 radio controlled cars 20
Has a sufficient width and length so that it can run and enjoy the race.

The radio-controlled car 20 starts from the start gate 11 and takes a clockwise course as indicated by the arrow.

The circuit course 10 is provided with four lap sensors 50 at the positions shown in FIG. The lap sensor 50A is provided immediately after the start gate 11, and the lap sensors 50B, 50
C and 50D are installed at important points in the course as shown in FIG.

Radio-controlled Car 20 As shown in the upper left of FIG. 1, a television camera 21 is mounted on the radio-controlled car 20 of this embodiment. The television camera 21 is provided at a position where the same screen as the field of view when actually driving a car is obtained. Further, a transmission antenna 22 for transmitting an image by the TV camera 21 and a reception antenna 23 for receiving a control signal are provided.

Next, details of the radio controlled car 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

The radio-controlled car 20 is equipped with two nickel-cadmium batteries 24 and 25 as power sources. NiCd battery 24 is 12V (600mAh),
Power is supplied to the TV camera 21, the video transmitter 26, and the lap ID light emission driver 27. NiCd battery 25 has 7.2V (1200
The electric power is supplied to the radio control receiver 28 and the motor controller 29 by mAh).

The video transmitter 26 transmits the image captured by the television camera 21 from the transmission antenna 22 as a weak electric wave in the 1.2 GHz band.

The lap ID light emission driver 27 has a predetermined own ID.
A signal corresponding to is output from the light emitting element 27a. The lap sensor 50 detects which radio controlled car 20 has passed by a signal from the light emitting element 7a of each radio controlled car 20.

The radio control receiver 28 receives the 40 MHz band steering signal transmitted by the radio control transmitter 45 via the reception antenna 23. The radio control receiver 28 outputs an instruction signal based on the received steering signal to the motor controller 29 and the steering control servomotor 210. The motor controller 29 moves the power motor 211 according to an instruction from the radio control receiver 28, and moves the radio controlled car 20 forward or backward at the instructed speed. The steering control servomotor 210 moves the steering according to an instruction from the radio control receiver 28 to change the traveling direction to the right or left.

Control device 30, dedicated tuner 40, radio control transmitter 45 The control device 30 uses a video display game machine that can be played alone (for example, the video display game machine of the Japanese Patent Application No. 61-108675 by the same applicant). is there.

The appearance of the control device 30 is shown in FIG. A main body 32 imitating the cockpit of an automobile is installed on a base 31. In addition to the seat 33, the main body 32 includes a steering wheel 34, a brake 35, and an accelerator 3
6, operation members such as the shift lever 37 are provided. Inside the cover 38 at the front of the main body 32, a CRT 39 is provided so as to face the player sitting in the seat 33. An image captured by the television camera 21 of the radio controlled car 20 is displayed on the CRT 39.

The main body 32 has its front end center supported by the base 31 via a ball joint 310. Therefore, the main body 32 can perform a yawing motion that swings horizontally about a vertical axis v passing through the ball joint 310.

Furthermore, a rolling imparting device that rolls, that is, rolls on the main body 32 in synchronization with the yawing motion of the main body 32.
312 is provided. This rolling imparting device 312 is
A pair of left and right slope members 31 fixed to the upper surface of the base 31 and inclined downward from the inside close to the center line of the main body 32 toward the outside.
3 and a pair of left and right rolling wheels 315 that are pivotally supported by a placket 314 provided on the lower surface of the main body 32 and roll along the slope of the slope member 13.

When the body 32 makes a yawing motion about the vertical axis v as described above, the one rolling wheel 315 is moved to the slope member 313.
And the other rolling wheel 315 rises along the slope member 3
As it descends along 13, the body 32 is given a rolling motion.

A block diagram of the control device 30 is shown in FIG.

When the steering wheel 34 is operated, the movable contact of the variable resistor 34a is displaced and the resistance value changes, and an electric signal corresponding to this resistance value is output to the control unit 316. The brake 35 and the accelerator 36 are also provided with variable resistors 35a and 36a, and similarly, an electric signal according to the control of the player is output to the control unit 316. A signal corresponding to the operation of the shift lever 37 is also output to the control unit 316.

In response to operation signals from the steering wheel 34, the brake 35, the accelerator 36, and the shift lever 37, the control unit 316 turns the radio controlled car 2
It produces a steering signal to 0 and a drive signal to a known moving motor 317. The control unit 316 generates a control signal that instructs at what speed the radio controlled car 20 is moved forward or backward, and in which direction the traveling direction is, and the optical cable interface 318 causes the radio controlled transmitter 45 to transmit to the radio controlled transmitter 45. Output. The radio control transmitter 45 transmits this instruction signal by radio waves from the transmission antenna 45a.

The moving motor 317 is a motor for giving the above-mentioned yawing motion and rolling motion. The moving motor 317 is driven based on the drive signal from the control unit 316 to cause the seat 33 to perform yawing motion and rolling motion. As a result, you can enjoy a realistic sense of operation.

Note that the control unit 316 is provided with a speaker 323 to emit a sound according to the player's control.

The video signal from the radio controlled car 20 is received by the dedicated tuner 40. A video signal of the received video signal is converted into an RGB signal by the RGB converter 319 and output to the superimposing unit 320. The superimposing unit superimposes the data image from the control unit 316 on the RGB image signal and outputs the superimposed image to the CRT 39. The data image to be superimposed is a data image showing the running state of each radio controlled car 20, such as the ranking and the lap time.

The audio signal of the received video signal is converted by the audio signal conversion unit 321 and output to the control unit 316.

Each control device 30 is connected via an optical cable to a system controller 70 that controls the entire circuit game device as shown in FIG. That is, each control device 30
The control unit 316 is connected to the optical cable via the optical cable interface 322, and can send and receive data to and from the host computer 71 of the system controller 70.

The video signal from each dedicated tuner 40 is transmitted to the system controller 70 via the optical cable and is displayed on the monitor 72 in the system controller 70. The same video signal is also sent to and projected on a large monitor 80 for the audience.

The lap sensor 50 and the electronic display board control unit 60 The lap sensor 50 is provided in a key place in the circuit course 10 and detects passage of each radio controlled car 20. The lap sensor 50 is attached to a lower portion of the lap gate 51 that crosses the course and detects an ID signal output from the light emitting element 27a of the radio controlled car 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the detection signal from the lap sensor 50 is output to the lap sensor controller 52, and the processing described later is performed.
The lap sensor controller 52 is connected to the electronic display board controller 60 by an optical cable.

The electronic display board controller 60 is connected to an electronic display board 61 for displaying the running state of each radio controlled car 20. The electronic display board controller 60 is also connected to a host computer 71 in the system controller 70.

The details and operation of the lap sensor controller 52 and the electronic display board controller 60 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

The lap sensor controller 52 has a function of inputting the data of the radio controlled car 20 detected by the lap sensor 50 and outputting necessary information to the electronic display board controller 60.

The sensor data input unit 53 inputs the sensor data from the lap sensor 50 and stores it in the source data memory 54. The primitive data memory 54 is divided into six areas for each radio controlled car 20. The elapsed time timer 55 is a timer for the elapsed time from the start of the race. The transmission data creation unit 56 creates data to be sent to the electronic display board controller 60 from the original data stored in the original data memory 54. The created data is stored in the transmission data memory 57. Data transmitter
58 transmits data to the electronic display board controller 60 at a predetermined transmission timing.

Although not shown, the other lap sensor 50 is also provided with a lap sensor controller 52 having the same configuration.

The detailed configuration of the electronic display board controller 60 will be described with reference to FIG.

The data receiving unit 62 receives the data transmitted from the lap sensor controller 52 and stores the data in the data memory 63. The data memory 63 stores all the running states of each racing car 20 immediately after the start of the race.

The reverse running determination unit 64 determines whether or not the racing car 20 is running backward and is in a dangerous state based on the passing state of each lap sensor 50 stored in the data memory 63. The determination result by the reverse running determination unit 64 is stored in the data memory 63 again.

The ranking determination unit 65 determines the current ranking of the racing car 20 from the data in the data memory 63. The determined rank is also stored in the data memory 63.

The display control unit 66 extracts the data to be displayed from the data in the data memory 63 and displays it on the electronic display panel 61.

The data transmission unit 67 extracts data to be transmitted to the host computer 71 from the data in the data memory 63 and transmits the data.

Next, the operations of the lap sensor controller 52 and the electronic display board controller 60 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

First, the electronic display board controller 60 to the lap sensor controller 52
To the start of the race (step S20
0). The lap sensor controller 52 is waiting for the start instruction from the electronic display board controller 60 (step S100).
However, upon receiving this start instruction, the elapsed time timer 55 is started (step S101). This allows radio controlled cars
Ready to detect 20 is complete. In step S102, it is determined whether or not the radio controlled car 20 has passed the lap gate 51, and if none of the radio controlled cars 20 has passed, the process proceeds to step S105.

When one of the radio controlled cars 20 passes through the lap gate 51, the sensor data input unit 53 inputs the data from the radio controlled car 20 and stores the input data in the source data memory 54. Further, the elapsed time when the radio-controlled model car 20 passes through the lap gate 51 is read from the elapsed time timer 55 and is also stored in the source data memory 54 (step S103).

When the source data is complete, the transmission data creation unit 56 creates transmission data (step S104). The transmission data includes the ID of the radio controlled car 20 that has passed, the passing time, the presence / absence of battery energy, and the like. These transmission data are stored in the transmission data memory
Stored in 57.

The processing from step S102 to step S104 is repeated until the communication timing with the electronic display board controller 60 matches (step S105). As a result, the latest transmission data is always stored in the transmission data memory 57.

When the communication with the electronic display board controller 60 becomes possible, first, the contents of the source data memory 54 are cleared (step S1
06), the data stored in the transmission data memory 57 is transmitted by the data transmission unit 58 (step S107).

When data is transmitted from the lap sensor controller 52, the data receiving unit 62 of the electronic display board controller 60 receives the data and stores it in the data memory 63 (step S201). Data is also transmitted from the other lap sensor controller 52 and stored in the data memory 63.

In step S202, it is determined whether the radio controlled car 20 has passed the lap gate 51, and if none of the radio controlled cars 20 have passed the lap gate 51, the process proceeds to step S212.
The current traveling state is displayed on the electronic display board 61.

When any of the radio controlled cars 20 passes through the lap gate 51, it is determined from the transmitted data whether or not the nickel cadmium batteries 24, 25 of the radio controlled car 20 are OK (step S20).
3). When the data indicating that the nickel-cadmium batteries 24 and 25 are exhausted is transmitted, the data transmission unit 67 transmits a battery error signal to the host computer 71 (step S2
04).

When the amount of electricity stored in the nickel-cadmium batteries 24 and 25 is low and the voltage is low, the tail lights of the radio-controlled car 20 blink to prompt the player to charge the battery.

Next, the electronic display board controller 60 determines, by the reverse running determination unit 64, whether or not the radio controlled car 20 is in the reverse running state in which it runs in the direction opposite to the running direction. Reverse running means passing from the first lap gate 51A to the fourth lap gate 51D, passing from the second lap gate 51B to the first lap gate 51A, and second from the third lap gate 51C. In the case of passing through the lap gate 51B, the case of passing through the fourth lap gate 51D to the third lap gate 51C.

When it is determined that the player is running backwards, the host computer 71 is notified of that fact (step S206), and the player is instructed to run backwards by CRT39
Notify on the screen as well as the sound. If you run backwards, there is a risk of collision with another RC car 20, so
If the player does not carry out the control to correct even after a certain period of time, the radio control may be disabled.

If the radio controlled car 20 is not running in the reverse direction, it is determined whether or not the first lap gate 51A has been passed (step S).
207). If not, the process moves to step S211. If you're passing through already another lap gate 51
It is determined whether or not the vehicle has passed B, 51C and 51D (step S20).
8).

When passing through the other lap gates 51B, 51C and 51D, it means that the radio controlled car has made one lap, so the number of laps memory in the data memory 60 is increased by 1 (step S209), Calculate as lap time (step S21)
0).

Next, the rank determining unit 65 calculates the rank and stores the calculation result in the data memory 63 (step S211).

When the ranking calculation is completed, the display control unit 66 displays the traveling states such as the ranking, the lap time, and the traveling time on the electronic display board 61 (step S212).

Then, by communicating with the host computer 71,
Data indicating the running condition such as lap time and running time is transmitted.

Next, it is determined whether or not the circuit game is over (step S214), and if it is not over, the process returns to step S201 to repeat the above process.

System Controller 70 The system controller 70 is provided with a host computer 71 as shown in FIG. 1 and controls the entire circuit game device. In addition, the system controller 70 has
A monitor 72 for displaying an image of the CRT 37 of each control device 30, and an audio device 73 for transmitting information from a system operator to a player or a spectator are provided. If there is information to be transmitted, speak into the microphone 73a and speaker 73b
The loud voice is heard from the inside of the circuit hall.

In addition, this system controller 70 has a NiCd battery
A charger 74 for charging 24 and 25 is provided so as to immediately charge when a battery error occurs.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the player
When you operate the steering, brake, accelerator, shift lever, and other operating members while looking at the image shown in Fig. 1, the radio controlled car will be operated according to the operation, so it is as if you were actually racing in a car. You can experience the feeling as if you were there. Even if the driver makes a mistake in driving, there is no danger to the player himself, and thus bold driving is possible, and for example, high-speed driving that is not normally experienced can be realized. In this way, even beginners can easily control the vehicle and experience it as if they were actually racing a car, so even experienced users can fully enjoy it.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made.

For example, the output signal from the operating member may not be directly the steering signal to the radio controlled car, but may be the steering signal simulating the actual traveling of the automobile. For example, when the accelerator is stepped on, if the accelerator angle is used as the steering signal as it is, the radio controlled car accelerates in steps. However, in an actual vehicle, due to inertia, the accelerator is gradually accelerated even if the accelerator is depressed. Therefore, also in the present invention, the steering signal is gradually increased even when the accelerator is depressed. In the present invention, the control unit of the control device can perform desired processing on the signal from the operating member, and thus control similar to the actual movement of the automobile is possible.

Further, although the circuit game device for driving the radio controlled car is used in the above-described embodiment, any device may be used as long as it is a self-propelled vehicle that is radio-controlled.

[Advantages of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the player can operate while looking at the image of the image pickup device mounted on the self-propelled vehicle, so that the player can enjoy the circuit game like an actual race, and It is possible to always know the running condition.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire circuit game device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of a circuit course of the circuit game device, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a radio controlled car of the circuit game device. FIG. 4 is an external view of a control device of the circuit game device, FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control device, and FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a lap sensor controller and an electronic display board controller of the circuit game device. The figure is a flow chart showing the operation of the lap sensor controller and the electronic display board controller. 10 …… Circuit course, 11 …… Start gate, 20 …… Radio control car, 21 …… TV camera, 22 …… Transmission antenna, 23 …… Reception antenna, 24,25 …… Nicad battery, 26 …… Video transmitter , 27 …… Lap ID light emitting driver, 28 …… Radio control receiver, 29 …… Motor controller, 210 …… Steering control servomotor, 30 …… Control device, 31 …… Base, 32 …… Main body, 33… … Seat, 34 …… Steering, 35 …… Brake, 36 …… Axel, 37 …… Shift lever, 39 …… CRT, 310 …… Ball joint, 312 …… Rolling device, 313 …… Slope member, 314… … Placket, 315 …… Rolling wheels, 31
6 …… Control unit, 317 …… Moving motor, 318 …… Optical cable interface, 319 …… RGB converter, 320 ……
Superimpose section, 321 …… Audio signal conversion section, 322 …… Optical cable interface, 323 …… Speaker, 40 …… Special tuner, 45 …… Radio control transmitter, 50 …… Lap sensor, 51 …… Lap gate, 52 …… Lap sensor controller, 53 …… Sensor data input unit, 54 …… Primary data memory, 55 …… Elapsed time timer, 56 …… Sending data creation unit, 57 …… Sending data memory, 58 …… Data sending unit , 60 ... Lighting display board controller, 61 ... Lighting display board, 62 ... Data receiving section, 63 ... Data memory, 64 ... Reverse running judgment section,
65 …… Rank decision unit, 66 …… Display control unit, 67 …… Data transmission unit, 70 …… System controller, 71 …… Host computer, 72 …… Monitor, 73 …… Audio device, 74 …… Charger, 80 ... Large monitor.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle equipped with at least an image pickup device for imaging the front, a circuit course for the radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle to run, and an image signal from the image pickup device of the radio-controlled self-propelled vehicle. And a display unit for displaying an image signal received by the reception device, and a control unit for outputting a control signal for controlling the wirelessly controlled vehicle, and the display unit A control device that operates the control part while watching, a transmission device that transmits a control signal output from the control part of the control device to the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle, and a plurality of predetermined positions in the circuit course A plurality of passage detection sensors for detecting the passage of the wirelessly controlled self-propelled vehicle, based on the passage detection of the wirelessly controlled self-propelled vehicle by the plurality of passage detection sensors, the wirelessly controlled self-propelled vehicle, The above Circuit game apparatus characterized by comprising a determination device whether located in any area in said circuit course, separated by the passage detection sensor number. 2. The circuit game device according to claim 1, wherein the determination device determines that the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle is the circuit course based on the detection of passage of the wireless-controlled self-propelled vehicle by the plurality of passage detection sensors. A circuit game device having a reverse running determination unit for determining whether or not the vehicle is running backwards.