KR101247737B1 - Interface apparatus for sporting goods and method for controlling moving speed of avatar in game using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an exercise device, comprising a sensor for detecting a movement of a user in the exercise device, and converts a signal input from the sensor into a speed so that the converted speed information can control the motion of the game avatar. By transmitting speed information to a game device, it is compatible with various game devices to provide an interest in exercise and to exercise with a remote user, and a method for controlling the speed of a game avatar using the same. to provide.

Description

Interface device for sports equipment and method for controlling the movement speed of game avatar using the same {{INTERFACE APPARATUS FOR SPORTING GOODS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING MOVING SPEED OF AVATAR IN GAME USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an exercise device, and more particularly, by using a sensor provided in an exercise device to determine the speed of an athlete using a signal input from the sensor, and controlling the operation of the avatar by applying the determined speed information to the game avatar. The present invention relates to an interface device for an exercise machine that can exercise together with other users at a distance without boring exercise, and a method of controlling the movement speed of a game avatar using the same.

Recently, the importance of exercise has been emphasized in diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome. In line with this trend, a lot of exercise devices have been developed incorporating games as a way to make exercise more fun and easy. For example, there are indoor bicycles and treadmills using virtual reality games.

By the way, the conventional sports equipment has a problem that the sports equipment manufacturer has developed a game that is compatible with the sensor module of the sports equipment itself, so that a large amount of costs are required for development.

In addition, the existing exercise equipment is limited to a few games, so if the user is demonstrated in the game, the exercise equipment is also proved to lose the fun of the exercise, there is a problem that the utilization of the exercise equipment is lowered.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has a sensor for detecting the movement of the user in the exercise equipment and the speed information converted by converting the signal input from the sensor into the speed controls the operation of the game avatar An object of the present invention is to provide an interface device of a sports equipment compatible with various game devices and a method of controlling the movement speed of a game avatar using the same by transmitting speed information to an external game device.

To this end, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the interface device for exercise equipment of the present invention, by receiving a sensing signal for detecting the operating state of the exercise equipment by inputting the sensing signal divided into the speed of the exercise equipment by the section of the switch A switching controller for generating a switching signal for controlling an on or off operation; A plurality of switches configured to perform a switching operation according to the switching signal generated by the switching controller; And a keyboard interface for controlling the operation of the avatar in the game by transmitting the on or off operation of the switch to an external game device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a movement speed of a game avatar using an interface device of an exercise device of the present invention includes: (a) receiving a sensing signal sensing an operating state of the exercise device; (b) measuring the speed of the exercise device with the input sensing signal and distinguishing whether the measured speed of the exercise device exists in a predefined section; (c) generating an on or off control signal of a corresponding switch to perform animation of a section in which the speed of the exercise device exists; And (d) controlling the operation of the game avatar according to the on or off control signal of the switch.

According to the present invention, since a variety of game devices that control the operation of the game avatar with a keyboard can be operated in connection with the exercise equipment, it is compatible with a variety of game devices so that the user does not have to be bored with the exercise, such as a remote user through the Internet. It is effective to be able to exercise.

In particular, the motion control of the avatar using the exercise device interface device of the present invention does not simply move the game avatar at the same speed, but controls the motion of the avatar in proportion to the speed of the actual athlete, thereby inducing competition with others to motivate the movement. Or there is an effect that can provide interest.

1 is a block diagram of an interface device for a sports equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a control algorithm using a speed sensor in an exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a method of controlling an operation speed of an avatar through a control algorithm of FIG.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a control algorithm using a proximity sensor in an exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a method of controlling an operation speed of an avatar through time through a control algorithm of FIG. 4.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling various animations of a game avatar according to an exercise speed of an exercise device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a combination of various animations and switching operations of a game avatar according to an exercise speed of an exercise device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention provides a control algorithm that calculates an exercise speed of an exercise device based on a signal input from a sensor of an exercise device, and controls a on or off operation of the switch in proportion to the calculated exercise speed to operate the game avatar according to the exercise speed. It starts. In this case, the operation of controlling the game avatar is different depending on the type of sensor or the speed of movement of the exercise device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The configuration of the present invention and the operation and effect thereof will be clearly understood through the following detailed description. Prior to the detailed description of the present invention, the same components will be denoted by the same reference numerals even if they are displayed on different drawings, and the detailed description will be omitted when it is determined that the well-known configuration may obscure the gist of the present invention. do.

1 is a block diagram of an interface device for a sports equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The exercise device system according to the embodiment of the present invention converts the signal detected by the exercise device 100, the motion of the exercise device 100, the sensor 110, the sensor 110 into a speed and converted to the speed An interface device 200 for controlling a corresponding switch operation, and a game device 300 connected to the exercise device interface device 200 to operate a game avatar by a switch operation.

In addition, the interface device 200 for exercise equipment is a switching control unit 210. The switch 220 and the keyboard interface 230 may be implemented. The exercise device interface device 200 may be mechanically implemented as a separate device from the exercise device 100. Alternatively, the sensor 110 may be embedded in the exercise device interface device 200 and provided as one independent device.

The exercise device 100 is a device that operates through a body part such as a human leg or arm, and includes an indoor bicycle or a treadmill.

The sensor 110 is for detecting an operation state of an exercise device, and includes various sensors such as a speed sensor for detecting a speed, a proximity sensor for detecting a position, and a sensing method for finding a speed by using a detection degree of the proximity sensor for a predetermined time. It may include. Each sensor 110 converts the detected motion signal of the exercise device into an electrical signal.

The game device 300 is loaded with various game applications and is interfaced with the exercise device 100 through the exercise device interface device 200. That is, the game device 300 controls the operation of the game avatar by a switching operation input through the exercise device interface device 200.

The game device 300 may include a PC, a TV, a mobile phone, a smartphone, a PDA, a PMP, and the like.

The switching controller 210 controls the operation of the switch 220 to play a pivotal role of operating the key value of the keyboard interface 230. That is, the switching controller 210 converts the sensing signal received from the sensor 110 into a speed and generates a signal for controlling the on or off operation of the switch 220 according to the converted speed level.

The switch 220 performs an on or off operation under the control of the switching controller 210. The switch 220 may be provided in various ways in implementing various animations. For example, the switch may be classified into a switch for controlling the movement of the avatar in the forward direction, a switch for controlling the movement in the reverse direction, a switch for each section according to the speed of the moving speed, and the like.

The switch 220 is connected to the keyboard interface 230 and a specific key value.

That is, the keyboard interface 230 connects to the game device 300 and transmits an on or off operation signal of the switch 220 to the game device 300. The keyboard interface 230 has a built-in keyboard chip to enable connection with the game device 300.

For example, in the case of a car race game, it is assumed that the forward movement of the car is operated by the keyboard specific key W in operating the car, which is the avatar. When the game player presses the w key, the car moves forward. Release the w key to stop the car. If the w key is repeatedly pressed and released, the forward speed of the car is proportional to the time the finger presses the key for a predetermined time as shown in Equation 1 below.

[Equation 1]

Speed of car = k × (time pressed / unit time)

In this case, the component that functions as a brain for giving a command of pressing and releasing the keyboard with a finger is the switching controller 210, the component serving as a finger is a switch 220, and the component serving as a keyboard is a keyboard. It becomes the interface unit 230.

As described above, the system according to the embodiment of the present invention enables the exercise device 100 to be connected to various game devices 300 through the exercise device interface device 200, so that various games can be enjoyed while exercising.

In this case, an operation of controlling the game avatar according to the sensor of the exercise device 100 will be described in detail.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a control algorithm using a speed sensor in an exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control method using the speed sensor is provided on the mechanical element of the exercise device that maintains a relatively constant speed regardless of the reciprocating motion of the exerciser, such as the flywheel of the exercise device to measure the exercise degree of the exerciser.

In connection with the components of FIG. 1, when the exerciser operates the exercise device 100, the speed sensor of the exercise device 100 measures the movement of the exerciser.

Then, the switching controller 210 measures the movement speed V with respect to the sensing signal input from the speed sensor (S100).

Thereafter, the switching controller 210 determines whether the measured movement speed V becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined threshold speed value C (S110).

When the magnitude of the movement speed V does not exceed the predetermined threshold speed value C, all the operation switches off to prevent the operation on the keyboard interface unit (S120), and when the predetermined threshold speed value C or more, the direction of movement of the exercise device 100 Check whether the forward or reverse direction (S130).

That is, the switching controller 210 checks the state of the switch A for control in the forward direction when the movement direction of the exercise device 100 is the forward direction (S140).

If the switch A is in the off state, the switching controller 210 sets the switch A to the on state and starts switching (S142). If the switch is not in the off state, that is, the avatar was moving in the forward direction regardless of the magnitude of the speed, the switching controller 210 is currently on. Start switching immediately for switch A in the state.

The switching operation calculates a duty rate R proportional to the movement speed V (S144), and performs switching control using the calculated duty ratio R (S146).

If the switching control unit 210 determines the direction of movement of the exercise device 100 in the reverse direction in step S130, the switching control unit 210 checks the state of the switch B for control in the reverse direction as opposed to step S140. (S150).

In the above description, it is assumed that the switching A is connected to a key value for advancing the avatar to the keyboard interface 230, and the switch B is connected to a key value for reversing the avatar to the keyboard interface 230.

In this case, the switching controller 210 accurately determines the on and off states of the switch B as in steps S142 to S146 to calculate a duty rate R 'proportional to the movement speed V and defines a value of R'. In operation S152 to S156, the switch B is turned on at the R 'ratio to control the traveling speed of the avatar.

In the reverse direction, the difference from the forward step is that the activating switch is B, and that switch B is associated with the key value that drives the avatar back among the key values of the keyboard interface. In addition, in the step (S154) of determining whether or not the maximum speed limit of the exercise equipment, the maximum speed limit in the reverse direction is defined as V'max to apply the maximum speed limit differently according to the movement direction of the exerciser.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating a method of controlling an operation speed of an avatar through a control algorithm of FIG.

Duty ratio R represents the ratio of time to switch on under pulse width modulation (PWM) control.

As shown in (a), when all the motion switches are off and the avatar in the game is stopped, when the duty ratio R is small, it is switched as shown in (b) to move the avatar in the game at low speed.

In addition, when the duty ratio R is a medium value such as (c), the avatar in the game moves at medium speed, and when the duty ratio R is relatively large as (d), the avatar in the game moves at high speed.

Alternatively, when the movement speed V of the exercise device becomes larger than the maximum limit speed Vmax, the duty ratio R becomes 100% as shown in FIG. 3 (e), and the switch is continuously turned on. Thus, the state is as if the finger is kept pressing the keyboard.

Alternatively, if the movement speed V of the sports equipment increases gradually, the avatar in the game moves from the stop to the highest speed as shown in FIG.

4 is a flowchart illustrating a control algorithm using a proximity sensor in an exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control method using the proximity sensor is a method of measuring the degree of movement of the exerciser by providing a proximity sensor on the mechanical element of the exercise device, for example, provided in a mechanical element that reciprocates, such as a crank mechanism or a cylinder.

When the exerciser operates the exercise device, the proximity sensor of the exercise device 100 operates (S300), and the switching controller stores the current operation time as T from the sensing signal input from the proximity sensor, and if there is a previous operation time, The time point is determined as T 'and stored (S302).

Thereafter, the switching controller determines whether the movement direction of the exercise device is forward or reverse (S304).

If it is the forward direction, the process proceeds to step S306, and if it is the reverse direction, the process proceeds to step S314.

First, when the forward step is described, it is determined whether the absolute value of the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'is equal to or less than the reference value c (S306). This step is to determine the exercise speed of the exerciser using the difference in the time of operation of the sensor.

As a result of the determination, when the absolute value of the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'exceeds the reference value c, the switch A is turned on only once for a predetermined time U and then turned off (S312).

Conversely, if the absolute value of the difference between the current sensor operating time T and the previous sensor operating time T 'is less than or equal to the reference value c, the speed of the exercise equipment is determined as the highest speed, and the switch A connected to the forward key value of the keyboard interface is turned on. The operation of the avatar is controlled by continuously turning on (S308).

After that, if there is no movement of the sensor after a certain time, it is determined that there is no exercise of the exerciser, so that the switch A is turned off (S310).

In the above, as shown in FIG. 5, the constant time U causes the proximity sensor of the exercise equipment to operate once at all times at low speed, medium speed, and high speed.

If the direction of movement of the exercise device is determined to be reverse in step S304, the absolute value of the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'is the reference value, as in the forward process in steps S306 to S310 described above. The operation of the avatar is controlled according to the determination result (S314 to S320).

In this process, the difference from the forward direction is that, in step S314, the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'is determined based on the reference value k, so that the maximum speed is different according to the direction of movement of the exerciser. It is one point. In operation S320, the switch is operated at B, and the switch B is connected to a backward key value for driving the avatar backward at the keyboard interface.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a method of controlling an operation speed of an avatar through time through a control algorithm of FIG. 4.

As shown in (a), if the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'due to the movement speed of the exerciser is large, the avatar has a long time that the switch is turned off even if the switch is operated for a predetermined time U. Slows down. Thus the avatar in the game moves at low speed.

In addition, if the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'is about the size as shown in (b), the moving speed of the avatar becomes medium speed, and the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T' as shown in (C). If the difference is small, the avatar travels at a high speed.

In addition, if the switching controller determines that the difference between the current sensor operation time T and the previous sensor operation time T 'is smaller than c or k, the switch is continuously turned on as shown in FIG. It also lets you run continuously.

As such, the control method using the proximity sensor is different from the control method of the speed sensor that is continuously repeated at a predetermined time unit, and the flowchart is not repeated, and the flowchart is performed only when the proximity sensor is operated.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling various animations of a game avatar according to an exercise speed of an exercise device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In general, the game device may implement different animations according to the running speed of the game avatar. For example, the avatar of a game is defined as a person, and the speed of driving is determined by the speed of walking or running. If the athlete presses the keyboard Q to make the avatar walk slowly, the coordinates of the avatar position are moved at a walking speed, and an animation depicting the scene of a human walking at the same coordinates as the avatar's reference coordinate is played. This can be expressed as if a person is walking. Alternatively, when the athlete presses the keyboard W to make the avatar move, the avatar appears to be running by playing an animation depicting the motion of the person following the avatar's position coordinates as described above.

Specifically, when there is each animation according to the running speed of the game avatar, the control as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 is performed.

First, the interface device for a sports equipment senses the speed of the sports equipment (S400), and classifies the speed of the sports equipment according to the level to control the operation of the switch through different processors (S402, S406, S410, S414).

For example, if the speed V of the exercise equipment is less than -c (S402), only the switch C for controlling the driving in the reverse direction is turned on and the other switch is turned off to execute the animation in which the avatar moves backward. (S404).

As another example, if the speed V of the exercise equipment is greater than -c and less than a (S406), it is determined that the exercise equipment is in a stopped state and all the switches are turned off (S408). Here, the range greater than -c and less than a may include zero.

As another example, if the speed V of the exercise equipment is greater than a and less than b (S410), only switch A is turned on and other switches other than switch A are turned off (S412). Switch A controls the slow-moving motion of the avatar's walking animation.

As another example, when the speed V of the exercise device is greater than b (S144), only the switch B is on (on) and other switches other than the switch B (S416). The switch B above allows the avatar to execute a fast moving animation, such as a running animation.

At this time, each step (S402, S406, S410, S414) of determining the speed level of the exercise equipment may first perform the steps S406, S410, S414 if the condition is not satisfied after the step S402, or each S402 By performing steps S406, S410, and S414 simultaneously, a processor according to a corresponding level may be performed.

In addition, switches A, B, and C are specified for convenience of understanding, but are not limited thereto.

Accordingly, the present invention sets the speed section corresponding to each animation when there is a plurality of animations in the motion control of the game avatar, and controls the switch to set different key values according to the section. At this time, the number of animations may be greater than in the above embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a combination of various animations and switching operations of a game avatar according to an exercise speed of an exercise device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this figure, only the forward motion of the exercise device will be described in order to clarify and simplify the description. Since a control method combining the above animation and switching may be necessary for the following reasons, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described. Various games are currently available in the market. However, there are only a few games that provide various driving speeds of game avatars. However, walking and running, low speed, or high speed are divided into very simple sections. It's a bit too hard to compete with athletes, and it can be fun. Therefore, a large speed difference between the low speed section and the high speed section needs to be compensated to some extent through the pulse width modulation (PWM) switching control.

Initially, the interface device for a sports equipment senses the speed of the sports equipment (S500), divides the speed of the sports equipment for each section and controls the operation of the switch through different processors according to the sections (S502, S506, S510, S520). .

For example, the interval may be divided into -p ≤ V <p (first interval), p ≤ V <q (second interval), q ≤ V <r (third interval), r≤ V (fourth interval) have.

First, it is determined whether the speed V of the exercise device exists in the first section (-p ≦ V <p) (S502).

If it is determined that the speed V of the exercise device exists in the first section, all the switches are turned off to not operate the avatar of the game (S504).

If the speed V of the exercise device does not exist in the first section, it is determined whether it exists in the next second section (p ≦ V <q) (S506).

If the speed V of the exercise equipment is greater than p and less than q, the switch A is turned on to perform the low speed animation at the reference coordinates of the avatar (S508).

If the speed V of the exercise equipment does not exist in the second section, it is determined whether it exists in the next third section (third section) (S510).

If the speed V of the exercise device is present in the third section, that is, if the speed V of the exercise device is greater than q and less than r, it is checked whether the switch B is in an off state (S512).

If the switch B is set to the off state, the switch B is set to the on state by switching (S514). If the switch B is on, the next operation is performed to immediately perform the switching operation.

That is, the interface device for exercise equipment calculates the duty ratio R proportional to the speed V of the exercise equipment, and switches the switch B to the calculated duty ratio R (S516 and S518). This switching operation causes the game avatar to execute animation in a mode that is faster than the switching operation by switch A but slower than high speed.

Meanwhile, if the speed V of the exercise device does not exist in the third section in step S510, it is determined whether the speed V exists in the fourth section r ≦ V (S520).

If the speed V of the sports equipment is present in the fourth section, that is, if the speed V of the sports equipment is larger than r, the switch B is continuously turned on to perform the animation in the high speed mode on the reference coordinate of the game avatar (S522).

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the present invention, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the specification of the present invention are not intended to limit the present invention. The scope of the present invention should be construed according to the following claims, and all the techniques within the scope of equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Existing sports equipment combined with the conventional game is a sports equipment manufacturer develops a game that is compatible with the sensor module of the sports equipment itself, so it is necessary to bear a lot of costs required for development and the game is limited, but the present invention is published in the sports equipment By converting the speed from the signal input through the sensor and transmitting the converted speed information to the external game device through the general-purpose interface device, it is compatible with various game devices by controlling the operation of the game avatar. Can be. In this respect, the invention is useful because it is not only for the use of related technologies but also for the commercial or sales of the applied device as well as practically and clearly implementable. to be.

100: fitness equipment 110: sensor
200: interface device for exercise equipment
210: switching control unit 220: switch
230: keyboard interface 300: game device

Claims (12)

In exercise equipment,
A switching control unit configured to generate a switching signal for controlling an on or off operation of a switch by dividing an operating speed of the exercise device by a section by receiving a sensing signal that detects an operation state of the exercise device;
A plurality of switches configured to perform a switching operation according to the switching signal generated by the switching controller; And
It includes a keyboard interface for controlling the operation of the avatar in the game by transmitting the on or off operation of the switch to an external game device ,
The switching controller controls the on or off operation of the switch to operate from the stop, low speed, medium speed, high speed, the highest speed, the highest speed to the highest speed in accordance with the operating speed of the exercise equipment. The method of claim 1,
And a sensing signal detecting the operating state of the exercise device is a signal detected from a speed sensor detecting an operating speed of the exercise device or a proximity sensor detecting an operating position of the exercise device. The method of claim 2,
The switching control unit
When the sensing signal detecting the operating state of the exercise equipment is a signal detected by the speed sensor for detecting the operating speed of the exercise equipment,
And calculating a duty rate proportional to the speed of the exercise device and controlling the switch to be turned on by the size of the duty ratio. The method of claim 2,
The switching control unit
When the sensing signal detecting the operating state of the exercise equipment is a signal detected by the proximity sensor for detecting the operation position of the exercise equipment
And determining the movement speed by using a difference between the current operation time and the previous operation time when the sensor is operated, and controlling the switch to be turned on by the determined movement speed. delete The method of claim 1,
The switching control unit
And determining the movement direction of the exercise device to control the speed of the exercise device according to the movement direction. The method of claim 1,
The plurality of switches are interface devices of the exercise equipment, characterized in that distinguished according to the movement direction, the speed of the exercise equipment. (a) receiving a sensing signal detecting an operating state of the exercise device;
(b) measuring the speed of the exercise device with the input sensing signal and distinguishing whether the measured speed of the exercise device exists in a predefined section;
(c) generating an on or off control signal of a corresponding switch to perform animation of a section in which the speed of the exercise device exists; And
(d) controlling an operation of a game avatar according to an on or off control signal of the switch ,
Step (c) is characterized in that the movement of controlling the on or off operation of the switch to operate at the highest speed in the stop, low speed, medium speed, high speed, the highest speed, the stop according to the section of the speed of the exercise equipment Method of controlling the movement speed of the game avatar using the interface device of the mechanism. The method of claim 8,
The step (c)
When the sensing signal detecting the operating state of the exercise equipment is a signal detected by the speed sensor for detecting the speed of the exercise equipment
Using the interface device of the exercise equipment, calculating a duty rate proportional to the speed of the exercise equipment and generating a control to turn on the switch by the amount of the calculated duty ratio. How to control the movement speed of the game avatar. The method of claim 8,
The step (c)
When the sensing signal detecting the operating state of the exercise equipment is a signal detected by the proximity sensor for detecting the operation position of the exercise equipment
The interface device of the exercise equipment, characterized in that for generating a signal to determine the movement speed by using the difference between the current operation time and the previous operation time that the sensor is operated and to control the switch to be turned on by the determined movement speed Method of controlling the movement speed of the game avatar using the controller. delete The method of claim 8,
The step (b)
The method of controlling the movement speed of the game avatar using the interface device of the exercise device, characterized in that the section in which the speed of the exercise device exists in consideration of the direction of movement of the exercise device.

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