KR100440741B1 - Game extension device for mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable terminal extension device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a game expander of a portable terminal capable of connecting to a mobile communication terminal, inputting an operation command of a game executed on the terminal, and processing part or all of a process required for game execution. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a game expander coupled to a portable terminal, comprising: an I / O port for electrically connecting to the portable terminal; a key pad having a plurality of input keys; An I / O port controller for transmitting / receiving data to / from the portable terminal through the I / O port; a keypad controller for converting an electric signal generated from the keypad into a corresponding key signal; / O port controller, the key pad controller, and a central processing unit for controlling the respective components coupled with the memory and performing operations necessary for a game to be executed by one of the portable terminal and the game expander Included is a game expander.

Description

GAME EXTENSION DEVICE FOR MOBILE DEVICE

The present invention relates to a portable terminal extension device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a game expander of a portable terminal capable of connecting to a mobile communication terminal, inputting an operation command of a game executed on the terminal, and processing part or all of a process required for game execution.

As the mobile communication system evolves from 2G to 1x (2.5G), a user interface has also developed, and various user applications are now being provided through portable terminals such as mobile phones or PDAs. A typical application provided in a typical portable terminal is a game or personal information management (PIM). In particular, games provided in portable terminals are advancing from a stand-alone type game to a network game at the time of production or upgrade.

However, unlike a personal computer or a console type game machine, an input device such as an interface of a portable terminal, i.e., a key pad, is very inconvenient in key operation. This is because a plurality of input keys are arranged in a narrow area in order to make a portable terminal light and small. As a result, most of the existing portable terminal games are simple arcade games such as a maze game or a Tetris which can be operated by a basic key, but recently advanced games such as an RPG or a network game have been introduced, Is still not resolved.

In order to solve the key manipulation problem of the portable terminal described above, a device in which a joystick and a control pad, which are user interfaces of a console type game machine, are applied to a portable terminal is disclosed in Patent Document No. 2002-0038615 entitled "Control Pads for Mobile Terminals" 2002-0027748 " Game regulator for mobile terminals ". However, the control pad and the game controller for a mobile terminal disclosed in the above-mentioned patent publications are merely a simple application of a joystick and a control pad, which are user interfaces of a console type game machine, to a portable terminal.

In addition, advanced game for portable terminal has been developed in terms of type and content of game, but the level of graphics and sound is very low compared to console type game or PC type game yet. Since most of the resources of the portable terminal are allocated to basic processes of the portable terminal such as call processing, the portable terminal game can not secure sufficient resources for graphics and sound processing of the same level as the console type game or the PC type game. Accordingly, there is no difference in game, graphics and sound executed in a portable terminal supporting mono display even in a game executed in a portable terminal supporting 64 chords and 65000 colors.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a game expander of a portable terminal capable of improving graphics and sound of a game executed in a portable terminal without causing deterioration of the portable terminal in order to solve the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game expander of a portable terminal dedicated to a process such as an operation required for a game by operating as an auxiliary processing device of a portable terminal.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a game expander of a portable terminal capable of executing a high quality game without affecting call processing, which is a basic function of the portable terminal, by using the portable terminal as a graphic and sound output means.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a game expander of a portable terminal that operates as an auxiliary storage device of a portable terminal and can store a large amount of data and can operate as a communication means with an external device such as a PC .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a view showing an example of using a game expander according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a game expander,

3 is a functional block diagram of a game expander according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 6 are views for explaining an operation mode of a game expander according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a game expander coupled to a portable terminal, comprising: an I / O port for electrically connecting to the portable terminal; An I / O port controller for transmitting / receiving data to / from the portable terminal through the I / O port; a memory for storing electric signals generated by the keypad in corresponding keys A controller for controlling each component coupled to the I / O port controller, the key pad controller, and the memory, the controller being operable to control a game played by one of the portable terminal and the game expander, And a central processing unit for performing operations necessary for the game expander.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It is not limited to the embodiment.

1 is a view showing an example of using a game expander of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

1, the game expander 100 is coupled to an I / O port of the portable terminal 200 and operates as an input device and an auxiliary computation device of the portable terminal 200. Also, since the game expander 100 includes a memory of a predetermined size for storing a game, the game expander 100 also operates as an external storage device for storing a large-capacity file such as MP3 or moving image.

The game expander 100 basically performs a 2D / 3D graphic operation exceeding the computational capability of the portable terminal 200. [ Accordingly, the central processing unit of the portable terminal 200 uses a part of the resources allocated for game execution for overall game progress, and operations such as complicated mathematical operations, artificial intelligence operations, and algorithm operations are performed by the game expander 100 . Hereinafter, a mode in which the game expander 100 operates as an auxiliary computation device of the portable terminal 200 is referred to as a 'manual mode'.

Also, the game expander 100 may manage the entire game progress, and may output graphics and sound output through the portable terminal 200. [ That is, since the game expander 100 becomes the master and the portable terminal 200 becomes the slave, all the processing for game execution is completed in the game expander 100, and the portable terminal 200 has the built- And outputs the result of the processing. Hereinafter, a mode in which the game expander 100 processes all processes necessary for game execution and uses the portable terminal 200 as an output means is referred to as an " active mode ".

Hereinafter, the hardware level configuration and the software level configuration of the game expander 100 will be described in order.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a system configuration of a game expander of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Here, the game expander 100 has a hardware level configuration, and the portable terminal 200 has a hardware and software level configuration at the same time.

2, the game expander 100 includes a first I / O port 110, a second I / O port 112, an I / O port controller 114, a keypad 116, A central processing unit (MPU) 120, a memory 122, and a power source 124. The portable terminal 200 also includes a hardware level call processing device 210, a display device 212, an I / O port 214, a sound device 216, a keypad 218 and a software level operating system 220, a call processing module 222, a game plug-in module 224, and a presentation module 230.

The first I / O port 110 electrically connects the game expander 100 and the portable terminal 200 and is coupled to the I / O port controller 114. The I / O port of the portable terminal 200 is an RS-232C port, and may be a USB port if the terminal supports USB 1.1 or 2.0. In particular, USB 1.1 supports data rates of 1.5Mbps and 12Mbps, while USB 2.0 supports data rates of up to 480Mbps. Accordingly, the first I / O port 110 is preferably a USB port. However, most conventional portable terminals support serial communication using an RS-232C port, and a portable terminal supporting serial communication using a USB port is being put on the market or is still in the preliminary stage. Thus, in a specific embodiment, the first I / O port 110 may be either an RS-232C port or a USB port.

The second I / O port 112 electrically connects the game expander 100 and an external device, and is coupled to the I / O port controller 114. Here, the external device includes a personal computer (PC), a notebook computer, and the like. The game expander 100 can download data from an external device connected via the second I / O port 112 or upload data to an external device. The second I / O port 112 in the specific embodiment may be either an RS-232C port or a USB port.

In another embodiment, gaming extender 100 may only have one RS-232C port or USB port. That is, the game expander 100 is connected to the portable terminal 200 or an external device through the first I / O port 110 according to the user's selection.

The I / O port controller 114 is connected to the first I / O port 110 and the second I / O port 112 and is connected to the first I / O port 110 and the second I / And controls transmission / reception of data through the second I / O port 112. [ The I / O port controller 114 supports only one or both of RS-232C and USB 1.1 / 2.0 depending on the type of the first I / O port 110 and the second I / O port 112 .

The keypad 116 is composed of a plurality of input keys capable of receiving a selective key input from a user. Preferably, the keypad 116 includes four direction keys and at least one selection key. The input key constituting the keypad 116 is an ON-OFF switch that generates an electrical signal when the user presses and releases the input key.

The keypad controller 118 is coupled to the keypad 116 and generates a key signal corresponding to a user's input key manipulation. That is, a signal generated when the user presses the input key is received from the keypad 116, and a corresponding key signal is generated and transmitted to the central processing unit 120.

The central processing unit 120 is coupled to the I / O controller 116, the keypad controller 118 and the memory 122 and controls the operation of each component in the game expander 100 to control the operation of the game expander 100 Operate in manual mode or active mode. That is, in the manual mode, the central processing unit 120 performs complicated calculations, for example, mathematical operations, artificial intelligence calculations, and algorithm calculations necessary for the game progress according to the control of the portable terminal 200, And then transmits the resultant to the mobile station 200. Also, in the active mode, the central processing unit 120 performs all processes for executing the game except the output process. The functional configuration of the game expander 100 including the central processing unit 120 and the functions of the respective components will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG.

The memory 122 is a semiconductor memory (for example, a flash memory), which is coupled to the central processing unit 120, stores a program necessary for executing a game, and is used as a buffer for executing a game. Also, the memory 122 may store a large amount of data received from the portable terminal 200 or an external device. In another embodiment, the memory 122 may be comprised of a basic memory installed when the gaming extender 100 is manufactured and an expanded memory in the form of a pack or cartridge depending on the user's needs. That is, the basic memory stores software such as an OS (hereinafter referred to as 'main game module') or a device driver required for basic operation of the game expander 100, and the extended memory stores a game program. Data that can be individually upgraded, such as a graphics API or an arithmetic library, and which can be selectively used by a developer, can be stored in either the basic memory or the extended memory. To this end, the game expander may further include a memory slot into which the extended memory can be inserted. The memory slots are directly coupled to the central processing unit or indirectly coupled through the I / O controller, and the expansion memory inserted in the memory slot can be used as the built-in basic memory. Here, the extended memory may be a memory of any one of a semiconductor memory such as a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, or a magnetic memory such as an HDD.

The power source 124 is connected to each component of the game expander 100 (not shown in the drawing) and supplies power necessary for driving. The power source 100 is preferably a rechargeable / non-rechargeable battery.

Hereinafter, each component of the portable terminal 200 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. However, the description of matters obvious to those skilled in the art will be omitted within the scope of the present invention.

At the hardware level, the call processing device 210 performs voice and data call transmission and reception functions, and includes an antenna, a duplexer, an RF transceiver, an IF converter, and a baseband processor. The display device 212 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) provided in the portable terminal 200. The first I / O port 214 is an RS-232C port or a USB port for communication with an external device. The acoustic device 216 is a receiver for outputting a voice and / or a speaker for outputting a bell sound. The keypad 218 consists of a plurality of numeric keys and control keys.

At the software level, the operating system 220 and the call processing module 222 are software modules for providing the basic functions of the portable terminal 200. The game plug-in module 224 is a software module for driving a game program on the portable terminal 200, and functions to support a game program to be driven without an interface to the system. The game plug-in module 224 may be a VM (Virtual Machine) or a BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless).

The presentation module 230 is located at the highest software level and executes the game and communicates with the game expander 100. The detailed configuration and function of the presentation module 230 will be described with reference to FIG.

3 is a functional block diagram of a game expander according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

3, the game expander 100 includes a connection module 140, a main game module 142, a game program 144, an input management module 146, a memory management module 148, a display back buffer 150 A display front buffer 152, a 2D API 154, a 3D API 156, a Math library 158, an AI / algorithm library 160, and a sound clip 162. The presentation module 230 of the portable terminal 200 includes a data communication module 232, a game program launcher 234, a sound buffer 236, and a display buffer 238. The functional module shown in FIG. 3 includes a first I / O port 110, a second I / O port 112, an I / O port controller 114, The keypad 116, the keypad controller 118, the central processing unit 120, and the memory 122, and is organically coupled to each component.

The connection module 140 performs data transmission / reception between the game expander 100 and the portable terminal 200.

The main game module 142 is an OS for implementing the basic functions of the game expander 100 and controls the software module and the hardware configuration unit of the game expander 100 so that the game expander 100 operates in the passive mode or the active mode .

The game program 144 is an application program running on the game expander 100 in the active mode.

The input management module 146 is a module for processing a key signal generated by a user's key operation. The input management module 146 analyzes a key signal input by the keypad controller 118 to determine whether a user has selected an input key, To the main game module 142.

The memory management module 148 performs basic memory management for storing / reading / deleting information in the memory 122 according to a control command of the main game module 142. [ In another embodiment, if the memory is divided into a basic memory and an extended memory, the memory management module 148 may perform physical memory management, such as checking whether a memory pack is coupled to the gaming extender 100, Additional memory management such as copying data between basic memory and extended memory is performed.

The display back buffer 150 is a buffer for temporarily storing the image under operation, and the display front buffer 152 is a buffer used for data transmission to the portable terminal.

The 2D API 154 is an API that supports two-dimensional graphics such as points, lines, faces, and characters, and the 3D API 156 is an API that supports three-dimensional graphics such as polygon operations and rendering.

The Math library 158 is a library of mathematical expressions necessary for game operations. In particular, since the mobile terminal 200 does not support real numbers, there is a limit to the computation capability. Accordingly, the game expander 100 can use the Math library 158 to provide a real number calculation function necessary for the game. The AI / algorithm library 160 is a library of artificial intelligence and algorithms necessary for game progress necessary for controlling NPC (Non-Player Character) appearing in the game.

Since the 2D API 154, the 3D API 156, the Math library 158, and the AI / algorithm library 160 exist as modules, they can be upgraded independently of each other according to the needs of game developers, May be selectively used depending on the operation mode of the apparatus.

The sound clip 162 is a set of various sound effects used in the game.

The presentation module 230 controls the operation of the portable terminal 200 for performing basic operations of the game expander 100. [ Accordingly, the presentation module 230 performs data transmission / reception with the game expander 100, controls the portable terminal 200 by the game expander 100, and outputs the received data on the portable terminal 200. To this end, the presentation module 230 includes a data communication module 232 for communicating with the game expander 100, a game allowing the game expander 100 to control the portable terminal 200 in order to execute a specific game, A program launcher 234 and a sound buffer 236 and a display buffer 238 for temporarily storing acoustic data and graphic data received from the game expander 100 to the acoustic devices 216 and the display device 212 .

4 to 6 are views for explaining an operation mode of a game expander of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an operation mode of a game expander 100 as an external storage device of the portable terminal 200 FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the game expander 100 operates as an auxiliary computation device of the portable terminal 200 in the manual mode, and FIG. 6 illustrates an example in which the game expander 100 operates in the active mode An embodiment in which the portable terminal 200 is used as an output device is shown.

4, the data communication module 232 may communicate with the connection module 140 to transmit a large amount of data to the game expander 100 or to receive the large capacity data from the game expander 100. The data transmission request or the data reception request from the data communication module 232 is transmitted to the main game module 142 via the connection module 140 and the main game module 142 transmits data through the memory management module 146 Or whether data reception is possible. If data transmission or reception is possible, data is transmitted and received through a communication path electrically connected between the game expander 100 and the portable terminal 200. The same process as the above-described process can be applied between the game expander 100 and an external device.

By using the game expander 100 as an external storage device of the portable terminal 200, the portable terminal 200 can play an e-book, an MP-3, a moving picture, or the like. Also, the user can use the game expander 100 as a data delivery means.

5, in the manual mode, the game main logic is executed in the portable terminal 200, and the game expander 100 operates as an input device, a storage device, and an auxiliary calculation device. That is, the main logic of the game executed in the layer equivalent to the presentation module 230 executes the basic process necessary for the game progress, and the process requiring the complicated operations required for the game progress and the storage space is processed by the game expander 100 . According to the request of the game main logic, the main game module 142 performs operations by referring to the Math library 158 and the AI / algorithm library 160 by the central processing unit 122 (see FIG. 2) And transmits it to the data communication module 232 through the connection module 140. The game main logic proceeds the game using the operation result received through the data communication module 232. Also, the main game module 142 allows the key signal transmitted from the input management module 146 to be transmitted to the portable terminal 200. The game main logic determines what the user's operation command is based on the key signal received via the data communication module 232, and proceeds with the game accordingly. In another embodiment, the game expander 100 can perform not only complex operations required for game progress but also graphic operations.

6, in the active mode, the game main logic (hereinafter referred to as game program 144) is executed in the game expander 100, and the portable terminal 200 operates as an output device. The game program 144 can control the portable terminal 100 such as executing a specific program (game program, hardware driver, etc.) stored in the portable terminal 200 through the game program launcher 234. [ The game program 144 performs graphics processing using the 2D API 154 and the 3D API 160 and performs operations necessary for game progress using the Math library 158 and the AI / . Further, it is determined what the user's operation command is based on the key signal received from the input management module 146, and proceeds with the game accordingly. The graphic data and the sound data to be output according to the progress of the game are transmitted to the portable terminal 200 through the connection module 140. The presentation module 230 receiving the graphic data and the sound data outputs graphics and sound through the acoustic device 216 and the display device 212.

As described above, in the present specification, a game expander of a portable terminal capable of connecting to a mobile communication terminal and inputting an operation command of a game executed on the terminal, and processing a part or all of a process required for executing the game, Respectively. However, it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and many modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention by those skilled in the art. Further, the scope of the present invention can be construed only by the claims set forth below.

As described above, according to the game expander of the present invention, the portable terminal and the game expander distribute and process the processes required for the game, such as the game, so that the game played on the portable terminal without causing deterioration of the portable terminal And to provide a game expander of a portable terminal capable of improving graphics and sound.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a game expander of a portable terminal capable of executing a high quality game without affecting call processing, which is a basic function of the portable terminal, by using the portable terminal as a graphic and sound output means.

Further, the game expander according to the present invention operates as an auxiliary storage device of a portable terminal, thereby storing a large amount of data, and can operate as a communication means with an external device such as a PC, if necessary.

Claims (9)

A game expander coupled to a portable terminal, An I / O port for electrically connecting to the portable terminal; A keypad having a plurality of input keys; A memory for storing the OS and a game program, and a buffer for temporarily storing graphic data and sound data to be output to the portable terminal, An I / O port controller for transmitting at least one of the graphic data temporarily stored in the memory and the sound data to the portable terminal through the I / O port and receiving a control command from the portable terminal; A keypad controller for converting an electric signal generated from the keypad into a corresponding key signal; And controlling each component coupled to the I / O port controller, the key pad controller, and the memory, performing an operation required to execute the game program, and outputting the graphic data and the sound data corresponding to the operation result And a central processing unit Wherein the portable terminal operates as an output device for receiving the generated graphic data and outputting the received graphic data through a built-in display device. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the I / O port is any one of an RS-232C port and a USB port. The method according to claim 1, And an I / O port for electrically connecting to an external device. The method according to claim 1, The game expander includes: The portable terminal according to claim 1, wherein the portable terminal is a portable terminal, the portable terminal comprising: a portable terminal; The portable terminal includes: A game expander that executes game main logic and controls the game expander to execute any one of a mathematical operation, an artificial intelligence operation, and an algorithm operation required for game progress. The method according to claim 1, The game expander includes: A game main logic and a graphics operation, a mathematical operation, an artificial intelligence operation, and an algorithm operation necessary for the progress of the game, and controls the portable terminal to output graphic data and sound data used as an output device, The portable terminal includes: And an output device for executing an arbitrary program stored therein under the control of the game expander and outputting graphic data and sound data transmitted from the game expander. delete The method according to claim 1, In the central processing unit, A connection module for controlling the I / O port and the I / O port controller to perform communication with the portable terminal; An input management module for processing a key signal generated by the keypad controller by a user's key operation; A memory management module for performing basic memory management for storing / reading / deleting information in the memory; And A main game module, which is an operating system (OS) for performing communication between the modules, is executed to control operations of the modules to perform an operation required for a game that is primarily executed by the portable terminal and the game expander Game Extender. The method according to claim 1, The game expander Can be upgraded independently, and can be selectively used by the game 2D APIs that support 2D graphics such as points, lines, faces, and letters, 3D API supporting 3D graphics such as polygon arithmetic and rendering, A Math library including mathematical expressions necessary for game operations, An AI / algorithm library including artificial intelligence necessary for controlling NPC (Non-Player Character) appearing in the game and algorithms necessary for game progression and A game expander comprising a sound clip containing various sound effects used in a game. The method according to claim 1, And a memory slot for electrically connecting the central processing unit to the expansion memory inserted in the game expander.