KR20190027564A - Apparatus and method for controlling user interface in online game based on vacal information - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for controlling a user interface in an online game based on voice information by a server comprises the following steps of: receiving the voice information from a user terminal accessing in the online game controlled by the server; searching for a control command corresponding to the voice information in database that is connected with the server in advance; and controlling a user interface in the online game in accordance with the searched control command.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling an in-game user interface based on user's voice information,

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a user interface based on voice information in an online game. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing convenience and interest to a user by providing a service for controlling a user interface in an online game based on user's voice information.

2. Description of the Related Art [0002] With the recent development of various technologies, various types of multimedia devices have been increasing, and a growing number of people are enjoying games through various devices such as computers, mobile phones, and PDAs.

Also, as the number of people who play games increases, the kinds of games that are served are also increasing. On the other hand, these games can be played offline or online.

As this variety of games grows, the provider of the game tries to attract a lot of users into the games they provide.

The prior art controls an in-game character using an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a joystick in which a control command is inputted by a hand. Use of such an input device may make it difficult for a new user to smoothly perform a game, and may reduce interest.

Therefore, in recent years, a method for solving such a problem has been proposed.

An object of the present invention is to propose a method of controlling a user interface based on voice information in an online game.

The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems and other technical problems which are not mentioned can be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A method for controlling a user interface based on voice information in a server for solving the above-described problems, the method comprising: receiving, from a user terminal accessing the online game controlled by the server, Receiving voice information; Searching for a control command corresponding to the voice information in a database interlocked with the server in advance; And controlling the on-line game user interface according to the searched control command.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the first audio information and the second audio information are input from the user terminal, a first control command corresponding to the first audio information and a second control command corresponding to the second audio information Game user interface in accordance with the first control command and the second control command, wherein the input of the first audio information and the reproduction of the second audio information The input may be a predetermined time interval.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the control command may be stored in advance in the database in correspondence with each of a plurality of pieces of audio information made up of a synonym.

The method according to one embodiment of the present invention may further include searching a control command corresponding to the target syllable and the operation syllable in the voice information and grouping the searched one or more control commands into one grouped control Command can be controlled as one control execution unit to control the in-game user interface.

In the method according to an embodiment of the present invention, when there are a plurality of characters having the same syllable in the online game, a control command for a specific character determined based on a predetermined criterion can be searched.

According to the present invention as described above, the following effects can be obtained. However, effects obtained through the present invention are not limited thereto.

First, according to the present invention, a user who plays a game for the first time can play the game more smoothly.

Second, according to the present invention, an error of control can be reduced as compared with an input device for inputting a control command by hand.

Thirdly, according to the present invention, there is an effect that an apparatus for implementing the above method can be proposed.

The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems and other technical problems which are not mentioned can be understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a game system for an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention to which the present invention can be applied.
2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a server to control a user interface based on user voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 illustrates an embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.
4 shows another embodiment in which the user interface in the online game is changed and output through the voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.
5 shows another embodiment in which an in-game user interface is changed and output through a plurality of pieces of audio information, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. Only.

In some instances, well-known structures and devices may be omitted or may be shown in block diagram form, centering on the core functionality of each structure and device, to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present invention. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as "comprising" or " including ", it is meant that the element does not exclude other elements, do.

Also, the term "part" in the description means a unit for processing at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, the terms " a or an, "" one," and similar related terms, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise or clearly contradicted by context, As used herein.

In addition, specific terms used in embodiments of the present invention are provided to facilitate understanding of the present invention. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, And have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The use of such a specific term may be changed to other forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the invention may be practiced.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a game system for an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention to which the present invention can be applied.

1, a game system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a game server 100 and a terminal 200. The terminal 200 can access the game server 100 through the network 300 have.

The game server 100 provides the same game environment through the game contents to the terminal 200 executing the game in cooperation with each other. Accordingly, the terminal 200 can execute the game in the same game environment. Here, the game content may be a game application.

The terminal 200 of the user who wishes to enjoy the game can access the game server 100 through the network 300 and receive the game contents from the game server 100 and then play the game in cooperation with each other.

In addition, the terminal 200 receiving the game contents proceeds the game by transmitting and receiving the game progress data required for the game execution between the terminals 200. [ The game progress data is data generated according to the operation of the terminal 200 by the user, and is data generated in accordance with an input for the user to operate a character on the game. For example, assuming a fighting game, game progress data refers to data for a target character to respond to such a command when a user operates a character of the fighting game and issues an instruction such as an attack action to the opposite character. Here, a plurality of terminals 200 can exchange game progress data with each other through the network 300 or through a peer-to-peer (P2P) scheme.

The game server 100 basically includes a communication module, an authentication module, and a patch module. In addition, the game server 100 may further include a storage module and a control module.

The communication module transmits and receives data through the terminal 200 and the network 300. The communication module may include at least one of a wired communication function for transmitting and receiving a digital signal through a cable and a wireless communication function for transmitting and receiving a wireless signal depending on the type of the network 300, Therefore, it can further include the function of processing data.

The authentication module is means for determining whether or not a game user is a registered user, and registers the user by a registration procedure. Each time the terminal 200 accesses the game server 100, the authentication module can perform user authentication using the identification information of the user input by the user when registering the user. For example, the identification information includes an identifier (ID) of a user and a password corresponding thereto.

The patch module updates the game application program, which is game content installed in the terminal 200 of the user connected to the game. That is, the patch module checks the version of the game application program installed in the connected terminal 200, and if not, transfers the latest version of the game application program to the connected terminal 200 to install the game application program.

The authentication module and the patch module authenticate the user before executing the actual game and allow the user to download the game or update the game. The game service providing process according to the authentication module and the patch module is not described in detail in order to clarify the gist of the invention. do.

The storage module stores game data according to an embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the game data may be at least one of game history information and game related personal information. The storage format of such a storage module may be stored according to a file system or a database system. Here, the database system may be included as a separate module in the server. Alternatively, the database system may be configured as a separate device that is separate from the server, and may be configured to operate in conjunction with the server.

The control module requests the game data to at least one of the plurality of terminals 200 through the communication module according to the network status of the plurality of terminals 200 executing the game in cooperation with each other, To be stored in the module. The control module can receive the game data at a preset storage point and store it in the storage module. As described above, the storage time may be a time when a stage is finished when a game is composed by a plurality of stages, a time when a game data backup cycle comes, or a time when a game ends. When the above-described storage time comes, the control module interlocks the game and compares the network status of the terminal 200 in operation. The network status includes the line cost and the data rate, and the control module can compare the network status of the terminal 200 through either the line cost or the data rate.

Accordingly, the control module compares the line costs of the plurality of terminals 200 to request the terminal 200 having a lower circuit cost among the plurality of terminals 200 to request the game data, and receives the game data through the request Can be stored.

The control module compares the data rates of the plurality of terminals 200 to request the terminal 200 having a higher data rate among the plurality of terminals 200 to receive the game data, have.

The control module compares the data rates of the plurality of terminals 200 to request the plurality of terminals 200 for game data in an amount proportional to the data rates of the plurality of terminals 200 in the entire game data , So that the game data can be received and stored. At this time, the control module merges game data received from each of the plurality of terminals 200, and stores the merged game data in the storage module.

The control module receives the game data from a plurality of terminals 200 that are interlocked with each other to play the game, and stores the game data in the storage module 140, so that even if an error occurs during the game, the game data is not completely lost, By providing the game data, the user can continue the game from the time of storing the game data.

The terminal 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be exemplified as a mobile communication terminal 200, a PDA, a notebook PC, a TV, a note pad, a portable game machine, And can be all kinds of devices having a configuration capable of executing game contents.

The terminal 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit, an input unit, an output unit, a storage unit, and a control unit.

The communication unit communicates with the other terminal 200 or the game server 100 via the network 300 or directly communicates with the other terminal 200 to transmit and receive data and in particular to transmit and receive game data. Here, the communication unit may include at least one of a wireless communication unit and a wired communication unit. The wireless communication unit may include at least one of a wireless network communication unit, a wireless local area network (WLAN) communication unit, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) communication unit 223.

The wireless communication unit is configured to transmit and receive data according to a wireless communication method. When the terminal 200 uses wireless communication, the wireless communication unit transmits game data to another terminal (not shown) using any one of a wireless network communication unit, a wireless LAN communication unit, To the game server (200) or the game server (100).

The wireless network communication unit is for accessing the network 300 through the base station and transmitting and receiving data. Upon receiving the game data from the control unit, the wireless network communication unit can access the network 300 through the base station and transmit the game data to the game server 100 or the other terminals 200. [ Also, the wireless network communication unit may access the network through the base station and receive game data or game progress data from the other terminal 200 or the game server 100, and may provide the received game data or game progress data to the control unit .

The wireless LAN communication unit is for performing communication according to a wireless LAN (WLAN) scheme. Upon receiving the game data from the control unit, the wireless LAN communication unit can access the network through an access point (AP) and transmit the game data to the other terminal 200 or the game server 100. [ Also, the wireless LAN communication unit can access the network 300 through the access point, receive the game data from the other terminal 200 or the game server 100, and provide the received game data to the control unit.

The wireless fan communication unit is for transmitting / receiving data according to a wireless fan (WPAN) scheme, and transmits / receives data directly between the terminals 200 through a short distance wireless communication compared to a wireless network communication unit and a wireless LAN communication unit. The wireless fan communication unit can directly transmit and receive game progress data to and from the other terminals 200. [ In addition, when the wireless fan communication unit can be connected to the gateway directly or through multi-hop, the wireless fan communication unit can access the network 300 through the gateway and transmit / receive the game data. Such a wireless fan communication unit may exemplify communication based on Bluetooth, infrared communication (IrDA), ZigBee, or the like.

The wired communication unit is for transmitting and receiving data by wire. The wired communication unit can connect to the network 300 via a wired network and transmit or receive game data to or from the game server 100 or another terminal 200. [ For example, when the terminal 200 is a device that is difficult to carry, such as a PC or a TV, and whose installation is fixed, the terminal 200 connects to the network 300 using a wired communication unit, And can transmit / receive game data or game progress data to / from the terminal 200 or the game server 100.

The input unit includes a plurality of input keys and function keys for receiving numeric or character information and setting various functions, or for inputting voice information. It may include a microphone. The input unit senses the key input of the user and transmits an input signal corresponding to the sensed key input to the control unit. For example, in addition to conventional input devices such as a keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a joystick, a microphone, and the like, all types of input means that can be developed in the future can be used.

The output unit is a means for outputting the result or information according to the operation of the terminal 200 so that the user can recognize it through various senses such as visual, tactile, audible, olfactory, and tastes. However, it may include audio output means for outputting audio information as an audible sound, and haptic output means for outputting haptic information perceived by the tactile sense. In particular, the output unit can output the game contents provided during the game so that the user can recognize the game contents with visual, auditory, and tactile sensations. For example, the display means can visually display a screen on which the game is executed when the game is executed. Such a display means may be a touch screen, and when the display means is formed in the form of a touch screen, the display means may perform some or all of the functions of the input means. In addition, the game screen and the game execution sound (background music, effect sound, etc.) can be audibly output through the audio output means.

The storage unit is an apparatus for storing data, and includes a main storage unit and an auxiliary storage unit. Such a storage unit may store an operating system, game contents, and the like. In particular, the storage unit may store game data generated according to the execution of the game. In addition, the storage unit may store game data received from the game server 100. The storage unit may temporarily store the game progress data received from the other terminal (200). Game contents, game data, and the like stored in the storage unit can be deleted, changed, or added according to a user's operation.

The control unit may be a processing device that actually drives an operating system, game contents, and the like. For example, the control unit may be a central processing unit (CPU). When the terminal 200 is powered on, the control unit moves the operating system (OS) from the auxiliary storage unit of the storage unit to the main storage unit, and then performs booting to drive the operating system. In addition, when there is a request to execute a game according to a user's operation, the control unit may invoke game contents stored in advance in the storage unit, receive the game data stored in the game server 100 through the communication unit, have.

The control unit can perform processing related to a typical game. That is, while the game is being executed, the control unit transmits the game progress data of the user generated according to the input signal input through the input unit to the other terminal 200 through the communication unit, The game progress data can be applied to the game.

In addition, the control unit can apply the game data received from the game server 100 to execute the game. The control unit transmits the game progress data to the game server 100 or one or more other terminals 200 and receives game data transmission request from the game server 100 while the game progresses. To the game server 100 via the Internet.

2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for a server to control a user interface based on user voice information in an online game according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The voice command can be received from the user terminal connected to the online game controlled by the server (S210). Here, the voice command indicates a voice signal of the user for controlling the user interface in the online game. The voice commands may be configured as a language, a jar of various countries, or a combination thereof. The voice command can be input from the input unit of the user terminal 200. Specifically, the user terminal 200 receives a voice command input from a microphone or an external microphone included in the user terminal 200, and receives a voice command.

The control command corresponding to the voice command can be searched in the database interlocked with the server in operation S220. Here, the control command is a language or an instruction on an online game program for changing a user interface in an online game, and can be stored in advance in the database in association with each of a plurality of pieces of audio information made up of a synonym. The database is a module in the server, a module in the terminal, a separate device or a program, and is a device or system in which all control commands for controlling the user interface in the online game are stored. This database is linked with the server and the terminal before or during the online game. The terminal may transmit the voice command input from the input unit to the database and request to search for a control command in the database corresponding to the voice command.

The user interface of the online game may be controlled according to the detected control command (S230). When a control command corresponding to a voice command is searched in the database, the searched control command is transmitted to the server. The server and the terminal receive the detected control command. The terminal controls so that the change of the user interface is outputted to the output unit according to the received control command. If necessary, the server can control the change of the user interface corresponding to the searched control command to be output to another user.

Hereinafter, a specific embodiment in which a server controls a user interface based on user voice information in an online game performed according to the procedure of FIG. 2 will be described.

3 illustrates an embodiment in which a user interface in an online game is changed and output through voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

The user can change the in-game user interface (for example, whether or not the item storage screen is displayed) by using the voice information via the user's voice. Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may be composed of predetermined syllables.

The voice information input screen 310 shows an online game execution screen including a character 311 controlled by the current user. When the user inputs voice information for changing the user interface, And the terminal receiving the control command outputs the screen 320 after inputting the voice information indicating that another user character is selected in the output unit of the user.

If the user interface is changed according to the voice information for changing the user interface (for example, "inventory" or "open inventory"), after inputting the voice information, the user character 321 and the item storage box 322 ) Can be output to the output section.

When the user inputs the voice information for outputting the item storage box again on the screen 320 after inputting the voice information or inputs the voice information set for not outputting the item storage box, can be changed.

4 shows another embodiment in which the user interface in the online game is changed and output through the voice information as an embodiment of the present invention.

 The user can change the in-game user interface (for example, whether or not to output the game setting screen) using the voice information via the user's voice. Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may be composed of predetermined syllables.

The voice information input screen 410 shows an online game execution screen including a character 411 controlled by the current user. Here, when the user inputs voice information for user interface change, The terminal receiving the control command outputs the screen 420 after inputting the voice information indicating that another user character has been selected in the output section of the user.

If the user interface is changed according to the voice information for changing the user interface (for example, "game setting"), the game setting 322 together with the user character 421, As shown in FIG.

 When the user inputs the voice information for outputting the game setting again on the screen 420 after inputting the voice information or inputs the voice information set so that the game setting is not output, can be changed.

If audio information corresponding to a sub-concept of game setting (screen brightness adjustment, sound adjustment, game speed adjustment, and the like) is input, a user interface May be changed.

5 shows another embodiment in which an in-game user interface is changed and output through a plurality of pieces of audio information, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 The user can input a plurality of pieces of voice information through the user's voice and change the in-game user interface (for example, whether or not to output the item locker screen and output the game setting screen). Here, the voice information for changing the user interface may be composed of predetermined syllables.

The voice information input screen 510 shows an online game execution screen including a character 511 that is currently controlled by the user. Here, when the user inputs voice information for user interface change, The terminal receiving the control command outputs the screen 520 after inputting the voice information indicating that another user character has been selected in the output section of the user.

If the user interface is changed according to the voice information for changing the user interface (for example, "inventory and game setting"), after the voice information is input, the item storage box 522 together with the user character 521, Can be output to the output unit. After the voice information is input after a predetermined time interval, the game setting 533 may be output to the output unit along with the user character 521 and the item storage 522 as shown in the screen 530. [

The user character 521, the item storage box 522, and the game item (s) 522, without outputting the screen 520 after inputting the voice information, according to the voice information (for example, A screen 530 after inputting the voice information including the setting 533 may be output to the output unit.

 When the user inputs voice information corresponding to the game setting on the screens 520 and 530 after inputting the voice information, the user interface may be changed so that a screen displaying only the item storage box is output. Alternatively, when voice information corresponding to the item storage box is input, the user interface may be changed so that a screen showing only game settings is output.

In another embodiment, a user may group voice information and search a plurality of control commands through one voice information to perform a plurality of user interface changes at once. The grouping indicates that a control command corresponding to a plurality of user interface changes is set to correspond to one predetermined voice information by one control performing unit. For example, a plurality of user interface changes such as the screen 530 of FIG. 5 may be performed through one predetermined audio information through grouping.

On the other hand, the above-described method can be implemented in a general-purpose digital computer that can be created as a program that can be executed in a computer and operates the program using a computer-readable medium. Further, the structure of the data used in the above-described method can be recorded on a computer-readable medium through various means. Computer readable media for storing executable computer code for carrying out the various methods of the present invention include magnetic storage media (e.g., ROM, floppy disks, hard disks, etc.), optical readable media (e.g., Etc.).

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the disclosed methods should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

The method and apparatus for controlling the user interface based on the voice information in the online game of the present invention can be applied to various methods for controlling the operation of the character in the game and the apparatus therefor.

Claims (4)

A method for a server to control a user interface based on user voice information in an online game,
Receiving voice information from a user terminal connected to the online game controlled by the server;
Searching for a control command corresponding to the voice information in a database interlocked with the server in advance; And
And controlling the user interface in the on-line game in accordance with the searched control command.
The method according to claim 1,
When receiving the first audio information and the second audio information from the user terminal,
Searches for a first control command corresponding to the first audio information and a second control command corresponding to the second audio information and transmits the first control command and the second control command to the on- Wherein the input of the first audio information and the input of the second audio information have a predetermined time interval.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the control command is associated with each of a plurality of pieces of audio information made up of synonyms and stored in advance in the database.
The method of claim 3,
Searching for a control command corresponding to the target syllable and the operation syllable in the voice information,
Wherein the control unit controls the user interface of the on-line game by grouping the one or more detected control commands into one group and the one grouped control command as one control execution unit. Way.

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