WO2019045490A1

WO2019045490A1 - Simulation device

Info

Publication number: WO2019045490A1
Application number: PCT/KR2018/010069
Authority: WO
Inventors: 신재중; 윤은석
Original assignee: (주)피엔아이컴퍼니
Priority date: 2017-09-01
Filing date: 2018-08-30
Publication date: 2019-03-07
Also published as: KR20190025412A; KR102024865B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a simulation device, comprising: first and second forward-and-backward moving units, each of which is provided with a guide rail and a slider moving forwards and backwards along the guide rail, and which are disposed in parallel; first and second swing footrests which are installed on the respective sliders of the first and second forward-and-backward moving units so as to be horizontally rotatable, and on which both feet of a user are respectively placed; first and second swing detection means for detecting the leftward and rightward rotations of the respective first and second swing footrests and transmitting the signals thereof; and first and second forward-and-backward movement detection means for detecting the forward and backward movements of the respective first and second forward-and-backward moving units and transmitting the signals thereof, thereby allowing the user to manipulate and control the various motions of a player in a program conveniently using both feet, and further allowing the user to feel a sense of reality as if the user were actually the player in a game, walking and running or looking around.

Description

Simulation device

The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus, and more particularly, to a simulation apparatus capable of easily manipulating various behavioral motions of a player in a game or other programs by using a user's feet, The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus capable of enjoying an interest while feeling the reality that the player in the program is acting as a player.

As we all know, electronic entertainment games using programs have been widely used for children and adolescents for a long time. In recent years, with the development of PCs, the spread of high-speed Internet has been expanded so that online games are rapidly activated, It is no exaggeration to say that it has established itself as a culture that can be enjoyed easily.

Based on this, the game industry has been progressing rapidly, and the types of games include a wide range of games ranging from simple brain games to various combat games, sports games, motorcycles, and car racing games. You can choose the right game according to your taste.

However, such a game is basically operated by using a joystick and a button or by using a keyboard and a mouse of a computer in a state of having a PC or a game machine, Is performed by the manipulation of the user who plays the game, the reality is greatly reduced. Because of this, games that are developed with a lot of effort and cost are frequently overlooked by the users with a fear of interest.

In addition, for example, in the case of a car racing game installed in a large entertainment area on an off-line, such as an amusement park, it is equipped with a control device of the car so as to actually operate the vehicle. I can not feel the reality.

That is, although all of the play such as starting and accelerating the vehicle, changing the direction and stopping the vehicle can be operated in a similar manner to the actual vehicle, the user only uses the hands and feet in a stationary state while sitting on the chair, When the user's body turns slightly backward or moves forward, there is no sense of experience that the user's body actually turns around like a player in the game and enjoys himself as a player in the game.

It is a simulation device that was developed to make such a game more realistic and to feel the actual situation. The simulator device indirectly gives experience to the user by virtually uniting the situation that can happen by a computer program And can be applied to driving exercises and games for automobiles, airplanes, motorcycles, and the like.

In other words, the virtual three-dimensional situation is programmed, and the three-dimensional motion is given by the simulation apparatus, so that the user can feel the same motion as the actual situation and apply the same to various situations.

Such a simulation apparatus can be applied to various games, various experiences through simulation, educational and stereoscopic movie viewing, and the like.

Further, the above-described simulation apparatus is combined with a virtual reality apparatus according to characteristics of a device that can sense a stereoscopic sensation, thereby achieving a greater synergy effect.

In general, a virtual reality apparatus generates images and sounds by a head mount display (HMD) equipped with a monitor and a speaker, and operates a chair to provide a virtual reality to the user.

That is, by reproducing a dynamic change according to a virtual environment by a bodily sensation device such as an etch dispaly and a chair controlled by a computer, a user can feel virtual reality as if it is real, and it is widely distributed in a game room, a stereoscopic movie theater, have.

In order to more realistically exchange the virtual environment reproduced by the computer in the virtual reality apparatus with the user, it is necessary to vigorously reproduce the dynamic change by driving the user's chair variously.

In other words, the chair is rocked and rotated in a three-dimensional direction, thereby providing a sense of reality to the user, and the above-described simulation apparatus is applied for this purpose.

As described above, the simulation apparatus has been utilized as a device for enabling a user to experience a real situation in a virtual reality as well as a game or education apparatus by a general monitor. Conventionally, a simulation apparatus is provided for driving a chair There is a burden of expensive cost, an increase in the volume of the apparatus, and inefficiency. In spite of this, there are limitations to reproduce the reality due to the operation that is less than the actual situation.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a bicycling / gaming device capable of increasing the exercise effect while satisfying realism and interest according to game play.

This technique allows the occupant of the fixed bicycle to adjust the steering wheel according to the programmed rostrum (course), to load the pedal of the bicycle according to the characteristics of the terrain such as sphere or obstacle, or to vibrate the saddle, It is possible to obtain aerobic exercise effect while realizing a feeling of reality similar to riding a bicycle in a real situation.

However, according to this technique, only the handle is moved in accordance with the running course displayed on the screen of the display provided in the front with the bicycle being fixed, so that the pedal is simply loaded in response to the topographic feature of the programmed course, There is a problem that it is not possible to induce a realistic experience such as an inertia phenomenon and a direction change that the user's body can actually feel when riding a bicycle.

As a technique for solving such conventional problems as described above, Patent Document 2 discloses a bicycle game simulation apparatus which is proposed by the present applicant.

This technique has a swing foot plate on each of two pedals of a crank pedal unit, and includes forward and backward rotation sensing means for sensing the forward and backward rotation of the crankshaft, and swing sensing means for sensing the left and right rotation of each swing footrest, By controlling the action motion of the inner player, it is possible to enjoy the game more realistically while being manipulated more easily.

However, in the case of the prior art of the applicant of the present application, there is a somewhat complicated structure, and since the behavioral motion of the player is controlled by only the signals according to the forward and backward motion of the crank pedal unit and the left and right rotation of the two swing footsteps, There is a limit.

Particularly in recent years, a virtual reality (VR) game has attracted a lot of attention. Accordingly, a motion motion of a player in a game is also required to have a very wide variety of motions similar to reality, and it is difficult to efficiently cope with a small number of control signal combinations Do.

In addition, it is not easy to operate the swing unit installed on the pedal while rotating the crank pedal unit with both feet.

Therefore, the player's motion control is limited, which is a great obstacle to realizing various realistic motions of the player.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to enable a user to easily play various motion motions of a player in a program by using both hands, A technical object of the present invention is to provide a simulation apparatus capable of realizing a feeling of being a player in a game.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a simulation apparatus capable of greatly increasing a motion motion of a player in a program that can be controlled by a user using both hands and freely implementing various motion motions with greater realism The technical challenge is to provide.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a simulation apparatus which can be applied to a virtual reality apparatus such as various games or education, and which can easily be combined with an additional apparatus and has excellent scalability.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a simulation apparatus including a guide rail, a slider moving back and forth along the guide rail, unit; First and second swing footrests provided on the slider of the first and second front and rear moving units, respectively, so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction, and on which both feet of the user are placed; First and second swing sensing means for sensing the left and right rotation of the first and second swing foot plates respectively and transmitting the signal; And first and second back and forth movement sensing means for sensing the forward and backward movement of the first and second front and rear moving units and sending out the signal, respectively.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, the first and second back and forth movement sensing means comprise first and second driving and driven pulleys spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the first and second guide rails, First and second belts coupled to the respective motors and driven pulleys and fixed to corresponding sliders, and second and second rotation sensing means for sensing the forward and reverse rotation of either one of the prime and driven pulleys, The linear motion of the slider is converted into rotational motion and sensed.

Preferably, the rotation sensing means of the first and second swing sensing means and the first and second back-and-forth movement sensing means comprise an encoder.

According to another preferred feature of the present invention, the apparatus further includes first and second slider setting means for holding each slider of the first and second front and rear moving units so as to be positioned at a predetermined reference position without external force.

The slider setting means may comprise a pair of first and second coil springs, for example, provided between the first and second sliders and between the first and second idling pulleys and the driven pulley, respectively.

According to another preferred feature of the present invention, the speed of the corresponding behavioral motion of the player in the program can be changed in proportion to the moving distance of each slider of the first and second front and rear moving units.

According to the simulation apparatus of the present invention, when a player in the game walks or runs in conjunction with moving the moving unit forward and backward with both feet, the player rotates the swing footrest provided on the slider to the left and right, Unlike the conventional one, which relies on a keyboard and a mouse for various motion motions of a player in a program, since the user actually becomes a player in the program, the player looks at the surroundings while walking, .

In particular, since the first and second front and rear moving units are separated from each other and independently driven, the control signals can be combined with the first and second swing foot plates provided on the respective sliders in various ways, Allowing the player to implement various action motions that are more realistic.

In addition, unlike the conventional crank pedal, the two front and rear moving units independently driven move linearly. Therefore, the swing footplate can be operated easily during the operation, and the user can easily move the moving motion of the player in the program It is possible to provide expanded operational convenience.

1 is a front view showing an example of use of a simulation apparatus according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the simulation apparatus of the present invention taken along II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the simulation apparatus according to the present invention taken along III of FIG.

4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in Fig. 3,

5A to 5H are plan views schematically showing various operating methods of the simulation apparatus according to the present invention,

6 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a simulation apparatus according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The following terms are defined in consideration of the functions of the present invention, and this may vary depending on the intention or custom of the user, the operator. Therefore, definitions of these terms should be made based on the contents throughout this specification.

The simulation apparatus of the present invention will be described on the assumption that it is applied to a game program for convenience.

1 to 4, the simulation apparatus according to the present invention includes first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 that perform linear motion in the forward and backward directions, respectively, and first and second front and rear moving units First and second swing footrests 30 and 32 installed on the first and second swinging

legs

10 and 20 and first and

second swing footsteps

32 and 32 for detecting the left and

right swing footsteps

31 and 32, respectively, Second swing detection means 33 and 34 for detecting the forward and backward movements of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 and for transmitting the signals to the front and rear swing detection means 33 and 34, 40) < / RTI >

The first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 are preferably arranged in parallel to each other with a certain distance left and right centering on the user U in a box-like base 1 having a space therein . The first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 according to the present invention have the same configuration and operation effects as those of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 except for the first front and rear moving unit 10, And the second front-rear moving unit 20 writes the code corresponding to the portion corresponding to the first front-rear moving unit 10, and omits the redundant description.

The first front and rear moving unit 10 basically comprises a first guide rail 11 arranged to be long in the longitudinal direction of the user U and a second guide rail 11 slidably coupled to the

first guide rail

11, 1 slider 12. As shown in Fig.

And a first housing 14 for stably mounting the first swing foot 31 on the first slider 12. The first housing 14 can be exposed on the upper side of the base 1 The first slider 12 is fixed to the first web 13 via the first web 13. The first web 13 penetrates the upper surface 2 of the base 1 through the guide slot 2a formed opposite to the first guide rail 11 and exposes the first housing 14 to the outside.

Here, although not shown separately, it is a matter of course that the coupling structure of the first guide rail 11 and the first slider 12 may have a coupling structure for interposing, for example, a bearing or a roller for smooth movement.

The first and

second swing footsteps

31 and 32 also have the same configuration and operation effects. For example, the first and

second swing footsteps

31 and 32 only describe the first swing footstep 31, The code corresponding to the part corresponding to the foot plate 31 is written and the overlapping description is omitted.

The first swing foot 31 may be configured in various shapes, for example, a rectangular block as shown in the figure, and may be of any shape as long as the user U can comfortably land and stably operate . It is of course also possible to provide a slip-resistant pad or the like on the upper surface of the first swing foot 31, that is, the surface of the user U on which the foot F1 comes into contact.

The first swing foot 31 is rotatably assembled to the first housing 14 of the first front and rear moving unit 10 with the hinge shaft 31a at the center of the lower surface thereof, The first housing 14 can be rotated in the left-right direction at the same time. Needless to say, the hinge shaft 31a of the first swing foot 31 may also be coupled via a bearing (not shown) to ensure smooth rotation.

The first and second

swing detecting means

33 and 34 may be configured in various forms. For example, the first and

second swing footrests

31 and 32 may include first and second front and rear moving And encoders respectively installed in the first and

second housings

14, 24 of the

units

10, 20, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first and second

swing detecting means

33 and 34 detect the direction and angle in which the first and

second swing footsteps

31 and 32 are rotated in the left or right direction, And transmits the detection signal to the communication and control unit 70.

Then, the communication and control unit 70 transmits the corresponding signal to the game program (PC or game machine 80), thereby detecting the first and second

swing detection units

33 and 34 to which the game program 80 is transmitted The game player moves the player in the game left or right while moving the display 90 in the left or right direction corresponding to the signal.

The first and second swing detection means 33 and 34 of the game simulation apparatus according to the present invention are installed in the

housings

14 and 24 of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20, So that various motion motions can be implemented in the players in the game by using their left and right rotations.

That is, for example, only when the first and

second swing footsteps

31 and 32 are rotated in the same direction, the game player sets the display to move while changing directions, and the first and second swing footsteps 31 ) 32 are rotated in different directions or only one of the

swing footsteps

31 or 32 is rotated to the left or right, the player in the game according to the respective rotation directions may perform a motion motion different from the direction change, for example, You can set it up to sit, lie down, or take a variety of special social actions.

The first and second back and forth movement sensing means 40 and 50 may also be configured in various ways. Preferably, the linear motion of each of the

sliders

12 and 22 is converted into a rotational motion, You can take a way to detect movement.

To this end, the first and second back and forth

movement detecting means

40 and 50 of the present invention include first and

second guide rails

11 and 21 in the base 1, The driven pulleys 41 and 51 and the driven pulleys 42 and 52 are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction of the guide rails 11 and 21, The

webs

13 and 23 of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 are fixed to the fixing plate 15 25).

Rotation sensing means for sensing the forward and reverse rotation of either one of the first and second driven pulleys 41 and 51 and the driven pulleys 42 and 52, The rotation detecting means 44 and 54 are also provided with the first and second idling pulleys 41 and 42 so that the first and second idling pulleys 41 and 42 are rotated by the rotation of the

sliders

12 and 22, And an encoder interlocked with either one of the driven pulleys 51 and 52 and the driven pulleys 42 and 52.

Here, the first and second longitudinal

movement detecting means

40 and 50 change the linear motion of the

sliders

12 and 22 into rotational motion. In order to accurately convert the linear motions of the

sliders

12 and 22, The pulleys 41 and 51 (42 and 52) and the belts (43 and 53) are composed of a timing pulley and a belt.

Accordingly, each of the rotation detecting means (44) and (54) senses the forward and backward rotation of the first and second driven pulleys (42, 52) to accurately detect the linear movement of the corresponding slider And sends it to the communication and control unit 70.

The communication and control unit 70 then transmits the detection signals transmitted from the first and second back and forth movement sensing means 40 and 50 to the game program 80 so that the game program 80 can, Let the player in the game implement a walking motion that jumps forward or backward.

At this time, the first and second back and forth movement sensing means 40 and 50 of the present invention respectively detect the back and forth movement of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 driven independently of each other, The game player is set to move forward or backward only when the

first guide rails

11 and 21 and the

second guide rails

11 and 21 are rotated in the same direction and the first and second guide rails 11) 21 are rotated in opposite directions to each other or only one of the

tiltable levers

11 or 21 is tilted forward or backward, there are various motion motions Or to take special social actions and so on.

Preferably, the present invention is set such that the speed of the action motion of the player in the game is changed in proportion to the moving distance of the first and

second guide rails

11 and 21. Accordingly, when the moving distance of each of the guide rails 11 and 21 is short, it moves slowly, and as the angle of rotation increases, it moves more and more quickly so that more realistic play can be performed.

The simulation apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that the

sliders

12 and 22 of the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 linearly move. It is necessary to set the initial position, i.e., to set the zero point in a state in which no external force is applied.

To this end, the present invention provides a pair of coil springs 61a (61a, 61b) between the first and

second sliders

12, 22, the first and second idling pulleys 41, 51 and the first and second driven pulleys 42, And 61b (62a, 62b), respectively.

The pair of

coil springs

61a and

61b

62a and 62b have the same length and elasticity to position the

sliders

12 and 22 in the middle of the guide rails 11 and 21, The compression and the tension and the restoration are alternately performed at the same time when the

slider

12 or 22 is moved forward or backward to maintain the initial position of the

slider

12 or 22.

Even if the user U does not return to the initial position after the

sliders

12 and 22 are advanced or retracted, the

sliders

12 and 22 automatically return to their initial positions by removing the applied external force .

The simulation apparatus according to the present invention is configured such that the first and second front and rear moving

units

10 and 20 are driven independently from each other and the first and second swing foot plates 31 and 32 ), It becomes possible to realize a combination of a very wide variety of control signals, thereby realizing a more realistic motion motion of a player in the program.

This advantage allows the user U to easily manipulate various motion motions of the virtual reality device, which is currently in the limelight, using both hands F1 and F2.

Meanwhile, the simulation apparatus according to the present invention can enjoy a more realistic operation when combined with, for example, a multi-axis control chair unit 100 that can be driven in two to three-axis directions.

That is, in response to the control signal transmitted from the first and second swing sensing means 31 and 32 and the first and second front and rear rotation sensing means 40 and 50, U can be rotated to the left and right, and rocked back and forth, or driven in any direction up and down, so that more realistic play can be made as if the user U acts as a player in the game .

In the simulation apparatus of the present invention, a display unit (not shown) for visually displaying a virtual space may be further installed. The display unit may include an LCD or an LED monitor installed on the operation unit. Or an HMD for virtual reality experience.

The simulation apparatus according to the present invention switches the direction of the player from side to side as the player in the game walks or jumps and rotates the swing footrest installed on the slider in conjunction with the forward and backward movement of the player moving forward and backward , And the screen is also moved at the same time. Thus, various virtual motion of the player in the program can be provided as a player in the program, so that the user can walk, Experience training and so on.

Claims

First and second front and rear moving units arranged side by side with a guide rail and a slider moving back and forth along the guide rail;

First and second swing footrests provided on the slider of the first and second front and rear moving units, respectively, so as to be rotatable in a horizontal direction, wherein both feet of the user are placed respectively;

First and second swing sensing means for sensing the left and right rotation of the first and second swing footrests respectively and transmitting the signal;

And first and second back and forth movement sensing means for sensing the forward and backward movement of the first and second front and rear moving units and sending out the signal, respectively.
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second back-

First and second driven and driven pulleys arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the first and second guide rails; first and second driven and driven pulleys coupled to the respective driven and driven pulleys and fixed to the corresponding slider; And a second and a third rotation sensing means for sensing the forward and backward rotation of either one of the prime motions and the driven pulleys.
The method according to claim 1 or 2,

Further comprising first and second slider setting means for holding each slider of said first and second front and rear moving units so as to be positioned at a predetermined reference position in a state in which there is no external force.
The method of claim 3,

The first and second slider setting means are constituted by a pair of first and second coil springs respectively provided between the first and second sliders and between the first and second movable pulleys and the driven pulley, Simulation device.
The method according to claim 1,

Wherein the velocity of the corresponding behavioral motion of the player in the program is varied in proportion to the moving distance of each slider of the first and second front and rear moving units.
The method of claim 2,

Wherein the first and second swing sensing means and the rotation sensing means of the first and second back and forth movement sensing means comprise an encoder.
The method according to claim 1,

Further comprising a display unit that visually displays a virtual space by an input program.