KR20020027748A - Game Controller for Cellular Phone - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A game regulator for mobile terminals is provided to control services provided to a mobile terminal. The game regulator is connected to the mobile terminal so that the user can conveniently use a game without the necessity of any power supply. CONSTITUTION: A game regulator is composed of a main body, a signal generation part(1), a latch buffer(2), a control unit(4), and a serial connection unit(5). The signal generation part(1), comprised of a handle(11), a terminal array(12) and a trigger button(13), generates an electrical signal. The latch buffer(2) converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and stores it. The control unit(4), having a serial converter and a memory, stores the digital signal transferred from the latch buffer(2) and transfers it to a mobile terminal(8) in a serial method. The serial connection unit(5), connected to the control unit(4), is connected with the communication port of the mobile terminal(8).

Description

Game Controller for Mobile Terminals {Game Controller for Cellular Phone}

Field of invention

The present invention relates to a game controller for a mobile terminal. More specifically, the present invention relates to a game controller for a mobile terminal that has a connection that can be connected to the mobile terminal, so that the user can conveniently use the information and games provided to the mobile terminal.

Background of the Invention

With the development of the technology of mobile communication, the mobile terminal can transmit image information beyond the step of delivering only simple voice information. As a result of the above technical development, the types of services provided to mobile terminals are increasing exponentially. For example, stock information, weather information, real-time news and games. In addition, as the number of users of personal mobile terminals increases, it is emerging as an important business field to provide on-line services through mobile terminals.

In general, a key pad installed in the mobile terminal is used to control the screens displayed on the mobile terminal when the user uses the above information. In this case, simply viewing or entering text information can be used without any difficulty using the keypad, but it is quite inconvenient when playing a game using a mobile terminal as in a computer. This is because games do not only receive information, but also respond quickly to information displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal. In other words, it is very inconvenient to move up, down, left and right or quickly respond to the keypad used in the current mobile terminal.

Conventional technology

1 is a block diagram schematically showing the configuration of a joystick which is a conventional game controller. The conventional joystick is composed of a signal generator (1) consisting of a handle (11) and a terminal arrangement (12), a latch buffer (2) and a parallel connection (3).

The handle 11 is for controlling the information on the screen by the user moving in the desired direction by hand.

The terminal array 12 is disposed around the lower portion of the handle 11 by a distance equal to the center of the handle 11. The terminal array 12 is formed of a conductive metal and formed of four terminals to distinguish the top, bottom, left and right.

The latch buffer 2 transfers power to the terminal array 12 and the handle 11, and converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and temporarily stores the electrical signal in a buffer in the latch buffer 2. . The digital signal stored in this way, that is, the position data, is transmitted to the parallel connection unit 3 according to a control signal transmitted from an external control device.

The parallel connection unit 3 is connected to the game port of the game machine or computer to transfer the position data to the game machine or computer.

As described above, as a conventional game controller, the joystick is large in size and inconvenient to carry because it is mainly connected to a game machine or a computer. Also, since the computer or game machine generally provides a separate port for the joystick, the connection portion of the joystick also has a specific shape.

In order for a mobile terminal user to conveniently use a game in a mobile terminal, the size of the controller must be small and convenient to carry. It shall also be a regulator having a serial connection for connection to a serial communication port formed in a mobile terminal.

Accordingly, the present inventors have developed a game controller for a mobile terminal that solves the problems in the case of using only the keypad of the mobile terminal as described above by providing a serial connection that is compact and can be connected to the communication port of the mobile terminal.

An object of the present invention is to provide a game controller for a mobile terminal for controlling a service provided to the mobile terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a game controller for a mobile terminal which is compact and can be carried separately from the mobile terminal.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a game controller for a mobile terminal that can be conveniently used by connecting to a mobile terminal anywhere without a separate power source.

The above and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by the present invention described below. Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the contents of the present invention.

1 is a schematic structural block diagram of a joystick according to the prior art.

2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a joystick is connected to a mobile terminal using a connection cable as a specific example of a game controller for a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

3 is a schematic block diagram of a game controller for a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

* Description of the major symbols in the drawings *

1: signal generator 11: handle

12: Terminal arrangement 13: Trigger button

2: latch buffer 3: parallel connection

4: control means 5: serial connection

6: external body 7: connecting cable

8: mobile terminal

The game controller for a mobile terminal according to the present invention is a latch buffer for converting and storing an external body 6, a signal generator 1 for generating an electrical signal, and converting an electrical signal transmitted from the signal generator 1 into a digital signal. (2) to a control means (4) and said control means (4) having a serial converter and a memory storage means for transmitting the digital signal transmitted from said latch buffer (2) to a mobile terminal in a storage and serial manner. A game controller for a mobile terminal, characterized in that it is connected and is composed of a serial connection (5) connected to the communication port of the mobile terminal.

Referring to FIG. 2 showing that the game controller for the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal 8 according to the present invention are connected, and FIG. 3, which is a schematic block diagram of the game controller for the mobile terminal of the present invention, will be described in detail as follows.

The outer body 6 of the game controller for a mobile terminal according to the present invention is formed so that a circular hole is formed in the upper portion so that the handle 11 protrudes out of the outer body 6. The bottom of the lower part of the outer body 6 is generally formed flat. More preferably, when the handle 11 is used by attaching a sucker to the bottom, the outer body 6 may be fixed.

The signal generator 1 is composed of a handle 11 which can be adjusted by a user by hand, and a terminal arrangement 12 installed around the lower portion of the handle. More preferably, it may further include a trigger button 13.

The handle 11 is generally shaped like a straight rod. The lower part of the handle 11 is formed of a metal so as to electrically conduct when contacted with the terminal array 12. The handle is made much smaller and convenient to carry than a general computer. For example, it is desirable to be manufactured to a size that can be adjusted even with one thumb.

The trigger button 13 is formed on a part of the outer body 6 and is generally in the form of an on-off switch. The electrical signal generated from the trigger button 13 is transmitted to the latch buffer 2 with a transmission line separate from the electrical signal generated from the contact between the handle 11 and the terminal array 12. The signal by the trigger button 13 is also generally used in a game, for example, when requesting a specific action irrespective of a bullet firing or the position of a certain object. Any number of these trigger buttons 13 may be formed.

The terminal array 12 is arranged to form a circle with the same distance to the center of the handle (11). The terminal array 12 is formed of a conductive metal and formed of four terminals to distinguish the top, bottom, left and right. The number of terminals can be changed and can be adjusted according to the number of degrees of freedom for the direction. For example, when it is desired to adjust not only four directions up, down, left and right, but also eight directions having one direction between each of the two directions, the number of the terminals becomes eight. Each terminal of the terminal array 12 is connected to the latch buffer 2 by an electric wire.

When the handle 11 is in contact with one terminal of the terminal array 12, the handle 11 and the terminal have a specific potential different from that of the non-contacted terminal between the contacted terminal and the handle 11. Depending on the contact position of the array 12, one electrical signal is generated, which is position data. For example, when the lower portion of the handle 11 contacts the right direction terminal in the up, down, left, and right directions, a potential in the form of (5V, 5V, 5V, 0V) is formed, and the lower portion of the handle 11 is leftward. When in contact with the terminal, a potential of the form (5V, 5V, 0V, 5V) is formed.

The signal generator 1 as described above can be used without any such signal generator known to a person skilled in the art without departing from the intention of the present invention. For example, a joy pad having a direction button for each direction mainly used in home video game machines can be used as the signal generator.

The latch buffer 2 transfers power to the terminal array 12 and the handle 11, and converts the electrical signal into a digital signal and temporarily stores the electrical signal in a buffer in the latch buffer 2. . The digital signal consists of position data and trigger button 13 data. The position data and the trigger button 13 data stored in the latch buffer are inquired at regular intervals by the control signal transmitted by the control means of the mobile terminal 8 and transmitted to the control means 4. At this time, the stored data is inquired in a parallel manner.

The control means 4 has one serial converter and memory storage means for temporarily storing the data. The control means receives the output of the latch buffer 2 as an input and stores it in the storage and storage means, and compares the dual position data with the previous position data at a predetermined time interval and discards the data if it is the same and uses the serial converter if it is different from the previous. This is transferred to the serial connection (5). At this time, the transfer method transfers the data transferred from the latch buffer 2 in a parallel manner in a serial manner conforming to the communication protocol of the mobile terminal using the serial converter. In general, the communication protocol used in mobile terminals is the RS-232 protocol.

The serial connection part 5 has a connector formed in a shape corresponding to the communication port of the mobile terminal. The serial connection part 5 may be directly connected to the communication port of the mobile terminal 8, or may be connected between the serial connection part 5 and the mobile terminal using a connection cable 7 as necessary.

Power of the handle 11, the terminal arrangement 12, the trigger button 13, the latch buffer 2 and the control means 4 is transmitted from the mobile terminal.

In order to use the game controller for the mobile terminal as described above, the mobile terminal must recognize the game controller. The recognition method is generally recognized as a program as a computer recognizes a newly attached device, and the program can reside in the memory of the mobile terminal.

The program periodically searching for whether the game controller is connected to the communication port of the mobile terminal by the control means of the mobile terminal and transferring from the game controller when the game controller is recognized. Matching the position data and the trigger button data with the signal of the corresponding key of the mobile terminal.

The program may be produced as a separate program according to the type of each mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The present invention controls a service provided to a mobile terminal, a game controller for a mobile terminal that is compact and can be carried separately from the mobile terminal and can conveniently use a game provided as a service by connecting to the mobile terminal anywhere without a separate power source. Has the effect of providing.

Simple modifications or changes of the present invention can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art, and all such modifications or changes can be seen to be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (5)

Outer body (6); A signal generator 1 for generating an electrical signal; A latch buffer (2) for converting and storing an electrical signal transmitted from the signal generator (1) into a digital signal; Control means (4) having a serial converter and a memory storing means for transferring the digital signal transmitted from said latch buffer (2) to a mobile terminal in a storage and serial manner; And A serial connection part 5 connected to the control means 4 and connected to the communication port of the mobile terminal; Game controller for a mobile terminal, characterized in that consisting of. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the signal generator further comprises a trigger button. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the signal generator comprises a joystick. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the signal generator has a direction button instead of a joystick to form position data. The game controller of claim 1, wherein the control means uses an RS-232 protocol in a manner of mutually communicating a signal with the mobile terminal.