JPH07178250A - Game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a game device capable of increasing a customer attraction effect more than ever and indicating positively the progress content of a game to a player and adjacent persons. CONSTITUTION:This game device 10 is equipped with a CRT screen 21 in which the progress content of the game is displayed on a game device main body 20, and operators 24 such as a joy stick 22 and a button 23 operated by the player. Furthermore, the game device 10 is equipped with a character doll 30 installed at the game device main body and whose hands and feet can be moved corresponding to the progress content of he game. In this way, the remarkable attention of the game device 10 itself can be attracted, and the customer attraction effect can be increased.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game device installed in, for example, a game center, and more particularly to a game device for outputting a game progress image on a CRT or the like in response to a player's operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a game device installed in a game facility such as a game center, a computer game device which outputs a game content (progress process or result) to a CRT screen by a player's operation is becoming mainstream. . Such a computer game apparatus naturally has a built-in audio unit such as a speaker in addition to the CRT unit, and outputs a crash sound, an explosive sound, or a human voice according to the content of the game together with the video output. Consideration is given to enhance the realism of the game.

[0003]

By the way, in the computer game machine as described above, the above-mentioned video output and audio output which are externally output are usually limited to the player operating the game machine or in the vicinity thereof. It was designed for the areas that were open and did not combine the positive effect of attracting customers to the outside. Most of these game devices are CRs.
The game progress content is displayed only on the T screen, and depending on the game content, the impact on the player and its surroundings (spectators, etc.) may be weak.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a game device which is more capable of attracting customers than the conventional game device and which can positively express the progress of the game to the player and the surroundings thereof.

[0005]

The above object is to provide a game apparatus main body which outputs an image in response to an operation by a player and an external signal corresponding to a game progress status, and which is arranged in the vicinity of the game apparatus main body. And a moving body driven according to an external signal from the game apparatus main body.

[0006]

According to the present invention, by moving the moving body placed near the main body of the game device in accordance with the progress of the game, the attention of the game device itself can be increased and the effect of attracting customers can be enhanced.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A game machine according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a game device according to this embodiment. In FIG. 1, the game device 10 installed in a game center or the like includes a game device main body 20 and a character doll 30 installed on the game device main body 20.

On the game device main body 20 of the game device 10 of this embodiment, as in the conventional game device, a CRT screen 21 for displaying the progress of the game itself, the game result (score, input player name) and the like. And a manipulator 24 such as a joystick 22 and a button 23 operated by a player (not shown) is provided on the front portion of the game apparatus body 20. In addition, the game device main body 20 is equipped with a speaker 25 and the like that generates a sound (for example, a crash sound, an explosion sound, a voice of a character, etc.) according to the content of the game in order to enhance the realism of the game.

In such a game device 10, the character doll 30 placed on the game device main body 20 swings its limbs according to the contents of the progress of the game, as if to support the player. Exercise. Furthermore,
At the end of the game, the character doll 30 performs an action expressing emotions (for example, an action of dropping a sharp shoulder) according to the game result.

In order to enable such a doll action, the character doll 30 is constructed as an electric doll controlled by a signal output from the game apparatus body 20.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an example of the operation mechanism of the character doll 30. The character doll 30 is the game device body 2
The stuffed toy is covered on the doll casing 31 fixed to the housing 26 of No. 0. Casing 3
Links 32 and 33 for moving the arm portion 30a and the foot portion 30b of the doll 30 are rotatably attached to the casing 1 on the casing 1. Further, in order to move the doll head 30c up and down, a rod with a ball 34 is provided above the casing 31.
Is mounted so as to be vertically movable while being biased upward by the spring 35. Links 32, 33 and rod 3
Wires 36 are connected to the tip ends of the wires 4, and the other ends of the wires 36 are connected to magnets 37 protruding from the housing 26. A rod 37a is fixed to each magnet 37 toward the inside of the housing 26, and a coil 38 is provided around the rod 37a. Each coil 38 is connected to the power source B via a switching circuit 39 such as a transistor array, and the on / off operation of energization in the switching circuit 39 is controlled by a signal output from a control circuit 40 described later. Has become.

Next, the operation of the character doll 30 will be described. A signal from the control circuit 40 causes the switching circuit 39 to select a specific coil 3 among the three coils 38.
When 8 (for example, the central coil in FIG. 2) is energized, the rod 37a is pulled downward by the electromagnetic force generated in the coil 38. As a result, the downward force is transmitted to the ball-equipped rod 34 via the magnet 37 and the wire 36, and the ball-equipped rod 34 is moved downward against the urging force of the spring 35. As a result, the head portion 30c of the doll 30 is pulled toward the body portion, and a certain expression is formed.

When the power is turned off, the head portion 30c returns to its original position due to the repulsive force of the spring 35. By repeating such off-off operation or by combining the coil 38 with the power supply. You can increase the pattern of expression. In this embodiment, by connecting the magnet 37 to each wire 36, depending on the direction of the magnetic field generated in the coil 38, an operation of repulsing or being attracted to the coil 38 is possible, and it is possible to increase the operation pattern. Has been done.

An iron piece may be used instead of the magnet 30. When the iron side is used, only the suction operation is possible. FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of the entire game device 10 including the character doll 30 described above. Game device body 2
A control circuit 40 for controlling the video output to the CRT screen 21 according to the progress of the game and controlling the operation of the doll 30 described above is built in 0. The control circuit 40 includes a CPU 40c for controlling the whole.
Is provided to the CPU 40c via the bus 40e,
An input interface 40a for inputting control signals from the joystick 22 and the buttons 23, a memory 40b in which various programs such as a game itself and a doll operation pattern are stored, drive circuits 41 and 42 for the CRT screen 21 and the speaker 25, An output interface 40d for outputting a drive signal is connected to the switching circuit 39.

In the control circuit 40, a signal from each operator 24 operated by the player is input to the input interface 4
0a, CPU40c according to the input information
Performs various arithmetic processes based on various programs stored in the memory 40b. As a result, a signal for outputting video and audio according to the progress of the game is output from the output interface 40d to the drive circuits 41 and 42, and the drive circuits 41 and 42 drive the CRT screen 21 and the speaker 25, respectively, to a predetermined level. The video and audio of is output.

Further, in the present embodiment, a drive signal is output from the control circuit 40 to the switching circuit 39 in response to the video and audio output, and the character doll 30 is caused to perform an operation according to the contents of the game progress at that time. As a result,
Character doll 30 installed on the game device body 20
Moves with a conspicuous action in association with the progress of the game, and it is possible to draw attention not only to the player but also to the surroundings thereof, thereby improving the effect of attracting customers.

In the specific example of the game device described above,
The operator 24 is set by the player to determine the movement of the character doll 30. In addition to this, the microphone 43 is used to pick up the sound from the speaker 25 of the player or the game apparatus main body 20, and the amplifier circuit 44. Alternatively, the motion of the character doll 30 may be changed by inputting it to the control circuit 40 via the voice information.

Further, an optical sensor 45 is attached to the game apparatus main body 20.
For example, the doll operation may be controlled in a more complicated manner according to the situation of attracting customers around the game apparatus 10. 4 and 5 show an example of an operation mechanism of the character doll 30 different from that shown in FIG. In this character doll 30,
A step motor 46, whose rotation is controlled by a drive signal from a control circuit (not shown), is provided inside the casing 31, and a cylinder 48 is rotated via a worm gear mechanism 47. Cam grooves 52, 53, 54 for engaging one ends of links 49, 50, 51 for actuating the doll's head and limbs are formed on the outer circumference of the cylinder 48 in the circumferential direction. Link 49,
50 and 51 trace the cam grooves 52, 53 and 54, respectively, and swing vertically.

Further, in this doll 30, in order to return the rotational position of the cylinder 48 to the initial position at the end of the game, etc., the light emitting diode 55 for irradiating the cylinder 48 with light and the reflected light from the cylinder 48 are received. A sensor 56 for controlling the motor is provided, and a signal from the sensor 56 is input to a control circuit for motor drive control. Cam grooves 52, 5 of the cylinder 48
As shown in the development view of FIG. 5, 3, 54 are divided into, for example, three areas A, B, C, and different operations are performed in the respective areas A, B, C. For example, in the area A, the cam groove 5 that shakes the hand vertically while shaking the head is used.
2, 53, 54 are formed, and in the region B, cam grooves 52, 53, 54 are formed so that the hand and the neck can be moved by waving the foot in small increments, and in the region C, the hands, feet and neck are simultaneously formed. The cam grooves 52, 53, 54 are formed so as to operate. Character doll 30
In the operation of, the step motor 46 rotates the cylinder 48 forward and backward to rotate the cam grooves 52, 53 in a specific area.
54 is repeatedly used to cause the character doll 30 to perform a specific action.

According to such an operation mechanism example of the character doll 30, a more complicated operation can be performed by devising the shape of the cam grooves 52, 53, 54 of the cylinder 48. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the character doll is provided in the game apparatus main body, but the moving body that changes according to the progress of the game is not limited to the character doll, and other moving bodies such as airplanes and automobiles can be used. You may make it wear a moving body. Further, the operating mechanism of the moving body is not limited to the driving mechanism described above, and various driving mechanisms suitable for the moving body can be used.

[0020]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to increase the degree of attention from the surroundings by installing a moving body that operates according to the progress of the game and the surrounding conditions in the game apparatus body. , It is possible to enhance the effect of attracting customers as compared with the conventional game devices. Further, as compared with the conventional game device in which the game progresses only by outputting video and audio, the action of the moving body is added, so that the impact on the player is increased and the excitement degree can be increased. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a game device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a specific example of an operation mechanism of a doll of the game device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the game device shown in FIG.

4 is a diagram showing another specific example of the operation mechanism of the doll of the game device shown in FIG.

5 is a development view of a cylinder used in the motion mechanism of the doll shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Game device 20 ... Game device main body 21 ... CRT screen 22 ... Joystick 23 ... Button 24 ... Manipulator 25 ... Speaker 30 ... Character doll (moving body) 30a ... Arm part 30b ... Foot part 30c ... Head part 31 ... Casing 32 , 33 ... Link 34 ... Ball rod 35 ... Spring 36 ... Wire 37 ... Magnet 37a ... Rod 38 ... Coil 39 ... Switching circuit 40 ... Control circuit 40a ... Input interface 40b ... Memory 40c ... CPU 40d ... Output interface 40e ... Bus 41 ... Drive circuit 42 ... Drive circuit 43 ... Microphone 44 ... Amplification circuit 45 ... Optical sensor 46 ... Step motor 47 ... Worm gear mechanism 48 ... Cylinder 49, 50, 51 ... Link 52, 53, 54 ... Cam groove 55 ... Light emitting diode 56 ... Sensor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A game apparatus main body which outputs an image in response to an operation by a player and outputs an external signal in accordance with a game progress status, and a game apparatus main body which is arranged in the vicinity of the game apparatus main body and receives an external signal from the game apparatus main body. A game device comprising: a moving body that is driven according to the game device.