Game operating device

Game drive device.

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a game drive device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a game drive device in which a housing is held with one hand and, in that state, the drive keys and the operating switches arranged on a top surface and on a surface are operated lower case.

Description of the prior techniques

Conventionally, a typical controller used to play a game is a controller in which the main body of the controller is held with both hands and the keys are operated with the fingers of both hands.

However, there is a problem with such a controller to be held with both hands if both hands of the user are limited during the drive and therefore he / she cannot do anything other than the drive, resulting in discomfort. for him / her.

As a controller to address such a problem, there is a controller described in the prior art, the Japanese patent open for public inspection No. 2004-313492 [A63F 13/06].

The controller described in the prior art is a controller that is held with both hands and can be divided into left and right parts as necessary. In the divided state, the user holds only one part and performs a drive by means of only the keys arranged in one part.

The controller described in the Japanese patent open for public inspection No. 2004-313492 is a controller that is held with both hands that is simply divided into two and its keys are arranged under the assumption that the housing is held with both hands from the sides right and left. In this way, the controller is not suitable for being held with one hand.

More specifically, the actuation keys are arranged on the upper surface and on the lateral surfaces. The user operates the keys on the upper surface with the thumbs and operates the keys on the lateral surfaces with the index fingers and the middle fingers and needs to hold the housing with the ring fingers and little fingers against the pressure of the drive fingers. This creates the problem that it is difficult to maintain the holding state with stability and the problem that it is difficult to hold the housing when no key operation is necessary and a finger is removed from the key.

In addition, as another problem, configuring the controller to be operated with one hand brings a decrease in the number of keys, which imposes a limitation on the degree of flexibility at the time of carrying out an input drive. In particular, these problems become more pronounced if you are playing a game because the user is required to press many buttons on the controller to manipulate a character in the game and select an order.

US 6,850,221 describes an electronic device that operates with hand-held pulses comprising a housing, a clamping part and first and second controls positioned on opposite sides of the housing. A hand-held remote control device with similar characteristics is described in US

5.724.106.

US 5,459,489 describes a hand-held remote control device that includes orientation sensors.

In WO 9402931, a three-dimensional mouse with tactile feedback is disclosed comprising a location mechanism and a vibrator disposed within the holding part.

Summary of the Invention

Therefore, it is a main object of the present invention to provide a novel game drive device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a game drive device that can be operated even with one hand stably.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a game drive device that can be operated with one hand and that offers a high degree of drive flexibility.

To solve the aforementioned issues, the present invention employs the structure described below. In addition, reference numbers, complementary explanations, etc. in brackets they only show the correspondences with the embodiments described below, to help understand the present invention and do not impose limitations on the present invention.

The present invention of claim 1. The invention generally comprises a game drive device, comprising a longitudinal housing, a first drive part provided in a first plane of the housing along a longitudinal direction at one end in the longitudinal direction, a second drive part provided in a second plane opposite the first plane of the housing in a position corresponding to the first drive part and a holding part formed in a direction of the other end along the longitudinal direction of the housing from The second drive part.

In the present invention, the first drive part (26, 42: indicative reference numbers of the parts corresponding to those of the embodiment. The same applies to the following reference numbers.) Is provided at one end of the foreground ( 20) of the longitudinal housing (12) in the longitudinal direction (C1) and the second drive part (142, 28) is provided in the second plane (22) on the opposite side of the first plane. The housing (12) is of a shape and dimensions that allow it to be held by a player's hand, the holding part

(18) to hold the housing, that is to say the controller is formed at one end of the housing along the longitudinal direction from the second drive part. With the holding part held by the palm of one hand, the first drive part and the second drive part can be operated by the fingers of that hand.

According to the present invention, while holding the holding part with the palm of one hand, the player can actuate the first drive part and the second drive part with the fingers of one hand, which means that the player can operate the game drive device with only one hand. Similarly, the other hand is free even during the game and the player can use the free hand to play the game or for another purpose.

Optionally the first actuating part is a direction switch that includes a plurality of switching switches arranged in the form of a polygon and a single key upper part or a plurality of upper key parts for switching the switching switches and the second part on or off. The actuator is at least one actuator switch that includes a switching switch and a key top for switching the switching switch on or off.

Optionally, in the first actuation part, the upper key part is provided such that a pressing direction is perpendicular to the foreground and in the second actuating part the upper key part is provided such that a direction of Pressed is oriented towards the clamping part and is not perpendicular to the foreground. Consequently, the first drive part and the second drive part are arranged so that it is facial to operate them without operability difficulties.

Preferably the game drive device further comprises a concave part formed in the housing, in which the second drive part is provided in the concave part.

Therefore, the concave part (34) is formed in the second plane of the housing (12), for example, and the second drive part is arranged in the concave part. In this way, it is possible to place the index finger on the concave part, which makes it possible to operate the second drive part quickly and reliably.

Optionally the means for determining the position and / or attitude include at least one of an acceleration sensor and a rotation sensor.

According to the present invention, it is easy to operate the first drive switch and the second drive switch while holding the controller with one hand, which makes it possible to obtain a novel game drive device with a high degree of flexibility that can be operated only with a hand. In addition, the game drive device of the present invention can be handled with stability with one hand, which allows the user to use the other hand to play a game or for other purposes.

The objects described above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when considered together with the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a controller (first controller) constituting an embodiment of the present invention and Figure 1 (A) presents a front part, a top side and a left side and Figure 1 ( B) shows a top side, a back side and a right side.

Figure 2 is a drawing of a hexahedron indicating the first controller of this embodiment, which excludes a view of a left side and Figure 2 (A) shows a front part, Figure 2 (B) a flat side, Figure 2 (C) a right side, Figure 2 (D) a lower side and Figure 2 (E) a rear, respectively.

Figure 3 is a side view of the first controller of the embodiment held with one hand.

Figure 4 is a front view of the first controller of the embodiment held with one hand.

Figure 5 is an illustrative view showing the state of Figure 3 in which an index finger is removed from a button A.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the first controller shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2 from which an upper housing has been removed.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the first controller shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2 from which a lower housing has been removed.

Figure 8 is a block diagram showing the structure of the electrical circuit of this embodiment.

Figure 9 is a schematic view of a situation in which a game is played by means of an arithmetic unit of image capture information with the use of the first controller of this embodiment.

Figure 10 is an illustrative view of a situation in which an image capture range of the arithmetic image capture information unit covers the longitudinal direction of the clamping part in alignment with it.

Figure 11 is an illustrative view showing a situation in which, due to a relationship between an image capture range (viewing angle) of the image capture device of the first controller and a value angle half of light intensity of LED module, there are simultaneously two LED modules within the viewing angle of the image capture device.

Figure 12 is an illustrative view showing a situation in which, due to a relationship between an image capture range (viewing angle) of the image capture device of the first controller and a value angle half the amount of light LED module, there is only one LED module within the viewing angle of the image capture device.

Figure 13 is a perspective view showing a controller (second controller) that constitutes another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 14 is a perspective view showing a combination of the second controller of this embodiment and the first controller of the previous embodiment.

Figure 15 is a right side view showing the combination of the second controller of this embodiment and the first controller of the previous embodiment.

Figure 16 is an illustrative view showing the case of carrying out a drive with the combination of the first controller and the second controller.

Figure 17 is a block diagram showing the structure of the electrical circuit with the combination of the first controller and the second controller.

Figure 18 is a perspective view showing a combination of another second controller that constitutes another embodiment of the present invention and of the first controller.

Figure 19 is a perspective view showing a combination of another second controller that constitutes yet another embodiment of the present invention and of the first controller.

Figure 20 is a perspective view showing a combination of another second additional controller that constitutes another additional embodiment of the present invention and of the first controller.

Figure 21 is an illustrative view showing a gun type adapter that constitutes yet another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 22 is an illustrative view of the adapter of the embodiment of Figure 20 to which the first controller is attached.

Figure 23 is an illustrative view showing another embodiment of the first controller and Figure 23 (A) shows a distribution of actuating switches, in particular, on an upper surface thereof and Figure 23 (B) indicates a side right of it.

Figure 24 is an illustrative view showing the image capture device of the first controller of Figure 23 correctly oriented towards a screen of a display device.

Figure 25 is an illustrative view showing another embodiment of the first controller.

Figure 26 further presents another embodiment of the first controller and Figure 26 (A) is a perspective view showing a rear, a top side and a left side and Figure 26 (B) is a perspective view that it shows a bottom side, a front part, a flat side and a right side.

Figure 27 is a drawing of a hexahedron that excludes a view of a left side and Figure 2 (A) shows a front part, Figure 2 (B) a flat side, Figure 2 (C) a right side, the Figure 2 (D) a lower side and Figure 2 (E) a rear, respectively.

Figure 28 is a perspective view showing the first controller shown in Figure 26 and in Figure 27 from which the upper housing has been removed.

Figure 29 is a side view of the first controller of this embodiment held by one hand.

Figure 30 is a front view of the first controller of this embodiment held by one hand.

Figure 31 is an illustrative view showing the state of Figure 29 in which the index finger has been removed from the B button.

Figure 32 is a top view of the first controller of this embodiment that is held and operated with both hands.

Detailed description of the preferred embodiments

A controller 10 of an embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2 includes a longitudinal housing 12 molded from plastic or metal, for example. The housing 12 has a necessary depth and includes a lower housing 14 that is in the form of a flat rectangle with an opening in the upper surface and a bottom, an upper housing 16 integrally mounted with the lower housing 14 such that it closes the opening of the upper surface of the lower housing 14 and in particular, has a cross-sectional rectangle as a whole as shown in Figure 2 (A) and in Figure 2 (E).

The housing 12 has a holding part 18 and has a size that can be held with an adult or child's hand as a whole. Its length L (Figure 2 (D)) in a longitudinal direction (one direction along a central line C1 shown in Figure 2 (B)) is set between 8 and 15 cm, for example and its width (orthogonal to the longitudinal direction C1) W (Figure 2 (D)) is set between 2 and 4 cm, for example, respectively.

Alternatively, the shape of the housing 12 is not limited to a longitudinal shape with a flat rectangle and may have a longitudinal shape with a flat oval or the like. Also, its cross-sectional shape is not limited to a rectangle and can be a circle or other polygon.

A flat main surface of the upper housing 16 constitutes an upper surface 20 of the housing 12. As can be seen well in Figure 1 (A) and Figure 2 (B) in particular, the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 is a rectangle that extends along the longitudinal direction of the housing 12. In addition, the upper surface 20 is equivalent to a first plane and a surface or a main surface 22 of the lower housing 18 is equivalent to a second plane opposite the first plane 20. The second plane 22 is approximately parallel to the first plane 20. In addition , it is assumed that an upward direction is forward (side of one end) and it is assumed that a downward direction is backward (side of the other end) in the longitudinal direction C1 of the housing 12.

A power switch 24 is provided on the upper surface 20 of the housing 12, on the slightly right side of the center in a widthwise direction of the upper surface 20 (indicated by the center line C1 in Figure 2 (B )) in the immediate vicinity of the front end of the housing (one end). The power switch 24 is intended to connect or disconnect an electric power source to a game machine 112 (Figure 9) by a remote drive.

In addition, in this embodiment, a power switch is not provided to connect or disconnect the controller 10 itself. The controller 10 is connected by operating any of the actuator switches of the controller 10 and is automatically disconnected if no control is carried out. drive for a predetermined period of time or more.

A direction switch 26 is provided on the center line in a width-wide direction C1 of the upper surface 20, ahead of the center in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12 (indicated by a center line C2 in Figure 2 (B)) . The address switch 26 is a combined four-way pushbutton switch switch and a center switch, and includes drive parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L for four directions indicated by arrows, forward (or up), backward (or below), right and left and also includes a central switch 128. The drive parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L are arranged in a single key upper part, in the form of a ring with a 90 degree rotation between them. By actuating any of them, one of the contacts (not shown) that are arranged in the form of a polygon corresponding individually to these drive parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L is selectively connected, thus selecting any of the directions up, down, right and left. For example, by actuating any of the actuating parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L, one of these contacts is connected to make it possible to indicate a direction of movement of a character or object (player character or player object) that can be activated. by a player or to indicate a direction of movement of a cursor.

The central switch 128 is a single button switch and can be used as a so-called B button. As is known, the B 128 button can be used to change the selected game mode by means of a selection switch 32 described below, canceling the action decided by means of a button A described below and so on.

In addition, as is known, such a combined switch as described in relation to the embodiment is widely used for mobile phones and the like (see http://www.jpo.go.jp/shiryou/s_sonota/hyoujun_gijutsu/ small_switch / b-6-2.htm, for example) and therefore a more detailed description of it is omitted.

As indicated above, the address switch 26 of the embodiment includes the contacts (not shown) arranged in the form of a polygon (rectangle or rhombus) to indicate individual addresses (the four directions in the embodiment) so that These contacts are actuated by means of the drive parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L formed in a single upper part of the key. Alternatively, the drive parts 26F, 26B, 26R and 26L can be provided as individual upper key parts so that a contact is actuated by means of each corresponding upper key part.

In addition, the address switch 26 can be a cross-shaped key or a joystick. In the case of the address switch 26 as "joystick", an arbitrary position and direction can be designated by rotating its end end 360 degrees in an arbitrary direction or by deflecting it.

As can be seen in Figure 2 (B), a start switch 30 and a selection switch 32 with upper key parts arranged in the form of the Japanese character KATAKANA "/ \" with the center line in a wide direction C1 of the housing 12 between them are provided on the upper surface 20, behind the direction switch 26. The start switch 30 is used to start (restart) and pause a game and the like. Selection switch 32 is used to select a game mode, etc.

In addition, the start switch 30 and the selection switch 32 can be provided in an arbitrary distribution as a transverse line and a vertical line, not limited to the shape of the Japanese character KATAKANA "/ \" presented in relation to the embodiment.

A concave part 34 is formed in the second plane 22 of the lower housing 14, in a position approximately corresponding to the position of the steering switch 26. The concave part 34 is a concavity formed to reach from one end to the other of the second plane 22 in a widthwise direction, as can be understood from Figure 1 and Figure 2 (C '). Furthermore, strictly speaking, the concave portion 34 of this embodiment is formed slightly in front of the direction switch 26, as can be seen in a contrast between Figure 2 (B) and Figure 2 (C). The concave part 34 is formed in a position where, when the player holds the controller 10, that is, the holding part 18 of the housing 12 with one hand as described below, the index finger of the same hand is placed from natural way Therefore, a width of a depression 36 of the concave portion 34 (in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12) of a size that allows the index finger to enter it is formed. The concave portion 34 has two inclined surfaces 38 and 40 that rise from the depression 36. The first inclined surface 38 is formed with an elevation from the depression 36 towards the rear of the housing 12 and conversely, the last inclined surface 40 rises from the depression 36 towards the front of the housing 12.

A button A 142 is provided on the inclined surface 38 at the rear of the concave portion 34 of the lower housing 14. Button A 142 is provided in a position corresponding to the direction switch 26. In this case, the corresponding position means a position where the steering switch 26 and the button A 142 are arranged close to each other as seen from the upper surface of the housing 12 and more preferably, the steering switch 26 and the button A 142 are arranged so that they are at least partially overlapping. As can be seen well in the illustration, the bottom of the depression 36 is in a plane approximately parallel to the upper surface 20, that is to say the first plane of the housing 12 and the inclined rear surface 38 in which the button A is arranged 142 is formed between the lower parallel surface of the depression 36 and the holding part 18 formed in the (other) back of the housing 12 described above. In addition, button A 142 is a push button switch with a switch contact (not shown) and a top key for connecting or disconnecting the switch contact and the top key is provided to move in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface 38. Therefore, as described below, the player can connect button A 142 by placing his index finger or middle finger on the concave part 34 and leading it towards him / her. That is, the index finger or the middle finger can be placed in the concave part 34, which makes it possible to operate the button A 142 quickly and reliably when necessary.

In addition, button A 142 allows a player character or player object to perform an arbitrary action such as hitting, throwing, capturing (obtaining), riding and jumping. For example, in an action game, button A 142 makes it possible to designate a jump, a hit and the manipulation of a weapon, etc. In addition, in a role play (RPG) or RPG simulation, button A 142 makes it possible to designate obtaining an item, selecting and deciding a weapon and an order and so on.

In addition, the clamping portion 18 indicated above is formed in the housing, behind the concave portion 34, that is, of the button A 142. As described below, when using the controller 10, the controller 10, that is, the housing 12 is held so that the palm of a player's hand wraps the holding part 18. Then, the player can stably hold the holding part 18 with only one hand because the controller 10, that is, the housing 12 is of a size or thickness that can be held with one hand.

In addition, the upper key portion of button A 142 is activated by pressing it in the direction perpendicular to the inclined surface 38, that is, the direction towards the clamping part 18. The inclined part 38 is not perpendicular to the upper surface of the housing 12, that is, to the foreground 20 and, at the end, the upper key portion of button A 142 is pressed in a direction not perpendicular to the upper surface 20. On the contrary, the button B 128 and the address switch 26 are connected by pressing them perpendicular to the upper surface 20 of the upper housing

16. These pressure directions mean directions in which the index finger and thumb can naturally apply pressure when holding the holding part 18. This makes it possible to hold a periphery of the actuating part continuously by means of the thumb and index finger. during the drive while holding the clamping part 18 and carrying out the drive in the stable clamping state at any time.

In addition, an X button 44 and a Y button 46 are arranged in the center line in a width-wide direction C1 and behind the center in the longitudinal direction C2 of the housing 12, in a straight line with a separation between the two. These X 44 buttons and Y 46 button are used to make adjustments to the position of the viewing point and the direction of the viewing point when displaying a three-dimensional game image, that is, making adjustments to a position and a field angle of a virtual camera.

A battery cover 48 is detachably coupled to the lower housing 14 that forms the holding part 18 and a battery 78 shown in Figure 7 is stored inside the battery cover 48. In this way, the controller 10 operates with Battery 78 as a power source. In addition, the battery cover 48 can be separated by removing a catch retainer 50 from the lower housing 14.

As indicated above, the battery 78 as a relatively heavy object is stored within a scope of the holding part 18 of the housing 12 and thus a center of gravity G (Figure 2 (B)) is reliably included. within a scope of the holding part 18. This makes it possible to stably carry out the movement or movement of the controller 10 while holding the holding part 18.

An infrared image capture device 56 that forms a part of an arithmetic image capture information unit 54 described below in detail is arranged on a surface of the front end 52 (Figure 1 and Figure 2 (A)) of the housing 12 and a 32-pin edge connector 60 is provided on a rear end surface 58 (Figure 1 and Figure 2 (E)) of the housing 12, for example. The connector 58 is used to couple and connect the controller of this embodiment (the first controller) 10 to another second controller (described below) and so on.

The controller 10 structured in this way can be held with a player's hand (not shown). Figure 3 and Figure 4 show a state in which the player holds the controller 10 with his hand. In relation to these drawings, the palm of a player 62P and the fingertips of the heart finger 62c, ring finger 62d and little finger 62e of one hand 62 (right hand in the drawings) hold the holding part 18 of the housing 12 of such so that they wrap the clamping part 18 slightly. In the state, a thumb 62a of the hand 62 is placed on the steering switch 26 and an index finger 62b is placed on the depression 36 of the concave portion 34 of the lower housing 14. More specifically, the steering switch 26 is it has a position that is reached with the thumb 62a of the hand 62 that holds the housing 12, that is, in a position that can be operated with the thumb 62a. Button A 142 is arranged in a position that is reached with the index finger 62b of the hand 62 that holds the housing 12, that is, in a position that can be operated with the index finger 62b. Accordingly, the player can operate the direction switch 26 with the thumb 62a and actuate the button A 142 with the index finger 62b while holding the housing 12 with the hand 62. More specifically, the index finger 62b of the hand 62 is positioned such that it makes contact with a surface of the depression 36 of the previously indicated concave portion 34 formed in the lower housing 14. By folding the index finger 62b towards him / her (to the right in Figure 3) in that state, the user can press the upper part of the button key A 142 with the tip of the index finger 62b in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface on the near side 38 of the concave part 34. Accordingly, the player can operate the button A 142 with the index finger 62b while holding the housing 12 with the hand 62.

In addition, the same applies if the holding hand 62 is a left hand.

In addition, button A 142 has been described above as operated with index finger 62b. Alternatively, by additionally providing a button A2 (not shown) in the same way as button A behind button A 142, the housing 12 can be held with the palm 62P and the fingertips of the ring finger 62d and the little finger 62e of so that button A 142 can be operated with index finger 62b and button A2 32 with middle finger 62c, respectively.

As indicated above, the controller 10 of this embodiment, in the state of being held with one hand, allows the first drive part (the steering switch 26 in the embodiment) and the second drive part (button A 142 in the embodiment) is easily operated. That is, the controller 10 of this embodiment makes it possible to operate each of the drive parts with stability while holding the controller 10 with one hand. Therefore, the player can use the other hand to play a game or for another purpose. In addition, since it can be held only with one hand, the controller 10 can be handled more freely compared to the case of holding it with both hands. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly carry out the transport, movement or movement of the controller 10.

Furthermore, in the controller 10 of this embodiment, the position of the first drive part, for example, the address switch 26 provided on the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 and the position of the second drive part, p . For example, the button A 142 provided on the lower surface of the housing 12 corresponds to each other on the upper and lower surfaces 20 and 22 of the housing 12 so that the housing 12 can be grasped with the thumb and index finger (or middle finger) that activate these parts, resulting in more stable drives. For example, when the direction switch 26 is operated with the thumb 62a, the housing 12 is held from below with index finger 62b or with the middle finger 62c placed in the concave part 34 for actuation of the button A 142, which makes It is possible to press the direction switch 26 with the thumb 62a stably. Also, when the button A 142 is operated with the index finger 62b or with the middle finger 62c, the housing 12 is held from above with the thumb 62a to operate the direction switch 26, which makes it possible to press the button A 142 with the index finger 62b or with the middle finger 62c with stability.

In addition, in this embodiment, the center of gravity G of the controller 10 is located at the crossing point of the center line in a width-wide direction C1 and the center line in a longitudinal direction C2 shown in Figure 2 (B ) or in the immediate vicinity. The position of the center of gravity G is included in an area of ​​the holding part 18, as can be seen in Figure 2. Therefore, when the controller 10 is held in the holding part 18, the holding hand 62 (Figure 6) supports the position of the center of gravity G, which allows to maintain the holding state with great stability. Therefore, it is possible to carry out more smoothly the movement, transport or movement of the controller 10 for the arithmetic unit of image capture information.

Figure 3 shows a state in which index finger 62b presses button A 142. When it is not necessary to press button A 142, index finger 62b can be removed from button A 142 (the same applies to heart finger 62c). That is, as shown in Figure 5, by pressing the index finger 62b (or the middle finger 62c) against the inclined surface of the front end 40 of the concave part 34, it is possible to stabilize the housing in the state in which the button A 142 is released from index finger 62b (the middle finger 62c). Therefore, it is not necessary to change the fastening state of the housing 12 (change a fastening form), depending on whether or not button A is pressed

142.

Figure 6 and Figure 7 illustrate the state in which the upper housing 16 is removed from the controller 10 and the state in which the lower housing 14 is removed from the controller 10, respectively. As shown in Figure 6 which indicates the removal of the upper part of the housing 16, a substrate 64 is coupled to an upper end of the lower housing 14 such that the upper opening of the lower housing 14 is sealed. The power switch 24, the address switch 26, the start switch 30, the selection switch 32, the X button 44 and the Y button 46 described above are mounted on a top main surface of the substrate 64 and connected to a processor 66 (Figure 8) which constitutes a controller circuit by means of suitable wiring (not shown).

In addition, an acceleration sensor 68 and a wireless module 70 are assembled on the upper main surface of the substrate 64, between the address switch 26 and the X button 44, for example, between the start switch 30 and the selection switch 32 .

The acceleration sensor 68 is preferably a three-axis linear accelerometer that detects linear acceleration along each of an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis. Alternatively, a two-axis linear accelerometer can be used which it only detects the linear acceleration along each of an X axis and a Y axis (or other pair of axes) in another embodiment depending on the type of the desired control signals. As a non-limiting example, the three-axis or two-axis linear accelerometer 68 may be of the type available from Analog Devices, Inc. or STMicroclectronics NV Preferably, the acceleration sensor 68 is a type of coupling capacitance or electrostatic capacitance that is based in the MEMS technology (microelectromechanical systems) of micromachining of silicon. However, any other suitable accelerometer technology (eg, piezoelectric or piezoresistance type) currently existing or developed below can be used to provide the three-axis or two-axis acceleration sensor 68.

As one skilled in the art understands, a linear accelerometer, such as an acceleration sensor 68, is only capable of detecting acceleration along a straight line corresponding to each axis of the acceleration sensor. In other words, the direct output of the acceleration sensor 68 is limited to signals indicating linear acceleration (static or dynamic) along each of the two or three axes thereof. As a result, the acceleration sensor 68 cannot directly detect movement along a path, rotation, rotary movement, angular displacement, inclination, position, orientation or any other non-linear physical characteristic (e.g., arched).

However, through additional processing of the linear acceleration signals returned from the acceleration sensor 68, additional information related to the housing 12 can be deduced or calculated, as will be readily understood by one skilled in the art from the description of this document. . For example, by detecting static linear acceleration (i.e. gravity), the linear acceleration returned from the acceleration sensor 68 can be used to deduce the inclination of the object with respect to the gravity vector by correlating the inclination angles with the detected linear acceleration. In this way, the acceleration sensor 68 can be used in combination with the processor 66 (or other processor) to determine the inclination, orientation or position of the housing 12. Similarly, various movements and / or positions of the housing 12 can be calculated or deduced through the processing of the linear acceleration signals generated by the acceleration sensor 68 when the housing 12 which includes the acceleration sensor 68 is subjected to accelerations dynamics of, for example, the hand of a user. In another embodiment, the acceleration sensor 68 may include an embedded signal processor or other type of dedicated processor to perform any desired processing of the accelerometer acceleration signal output therein before returning the signals. to the processor

66. For example, the embedded or dedicated processor could be used to convert the detected acceleration signal to a corresponding tilt angle when the acceleration sensor is intended to detect static acceleration (i.e. gravity).

In this embodiment, the acceleration sensor 68 and the processor 66 function as a means of determining the position and / or orientation to determine the position and / or orientation of the controller 10 held by the player with his hand. Returning information about the position and / or orientation through the conversion of the acceleration signal returned from the acceleration sensor 68, in addition to the driving signals of the address switch 26, the button A 142, etc. and by obtaining the drive signals for the position or orientation on the side of the game machine, it is possible to carry out game drives with a high degree of flexibility.

As indicated above, the acceleration sensor 68 being arranged inside the housing 12 so that the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 68 can be used to determine the orientation and position of the housing 12, that is, the controller 10, The player can easily change the position and orientation of the controller 10 by moving (turning) the wrist of his hand while holding the holding part 18 of the housing 12 with that hand described above with respect to Figure 3 through Figure 5. Therefore, according to the controller 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to use not only drive signals of the drive switches 24 to 32, 44, 46 and 128 of the controller 10 but also the position and orientation of the controller 10 as controller data, allowing higher degrees of additional drives.

In addition, the acceleration sensor 68 is provided inside the housing 12 of the holding part 18 and naturally, the thumb is placed on the direction switch 26 and the index finger is placed on the button A 142 and the other fingers They hold the clamping part. In this way, there are no variations between individuals in the way of holding the controller 10, which makes it possible to carry out a high precision detection without variations according to predetermined criteria. That is, the aforementioned turning operation of the wrist can result in a displacement of a rotation axis due to its rotation. In addition, since the rotation of the right hand and the rotation of the left hand are asymmetrical, there is the possibility of generating an error. However, by providing the acceleration sensor 68 inside the housing 12 of the holding part 18 as in this embodiment, the displacement of the rotation axis due to its rotation is reduced with a lower possibility of detection errors.

Furthermore, in the embodiment, the acceleration sensor 68 is mounted within a scope of the holding part 18 of the housing 12 (Figure 1). This brings with it the advantage that the means of determining the position and / or orientation can determine the position and / or orientation with great precision. In addition, the means for determining the position and / or orientation can be arranged in another position within the housing 12 according to the purpose. For example, as the means for determining the position and / or orientation moves backward from the housing 12, the amount of change in position and / or orientation due to the movement of the housing 12 becomes smaller. On the contrary, as the medium moves forward of the housing 12, the amount of change in position and / or orientation due to the movement of the housing 12 becomes larger. Accordingly, the means of determining the position and / or orientation can be arranged in the most suitable position according to the necessary operation.

In another exemplary embodiment, the acceleration sensor 68 may be replaced with a gyro sensor of any suitable technology that incorporates, for example, a rotating or vibrating element. Sample MEMS gyro sensors that can be used in this embodiment are available from Analog Devices, Inc. Unlike the linear acceleration sensor 68, a gyro sensor is able to directly detect the rotation (or angular velocity) around an axis defined by the gyroscopic element (or elements) therein. Therefore, due to the fundamental differences between a gyro sensor and a linear acceleration sensor, it is necessary to make changes corresponding to the processing operations that are carried out in the output signals of these devices depending on which device is selected for A specific application. Due to the fact that a person skilled in the art knows the nature of gyroscopes, as well as the fundamental differences between linear accelerometers and gyroscopes, no further details are provided in this document so as not to complicate the rest of the description. Although gyroscopic sensors provide certain advantages due to their ability to directly detect rotary motion, linear acceleration sensors are generally more cost effective when used in relation to the controller applications described in this document.

An antenna pattern 72 is formed on the upper main surface of the substrate 64 and the controller 10 is provided as a wireless controller by means of the antenna pattern 72 and the wireless module 70 mentioned above. More specifically, the actuation signals of the aforementioned individual buttons and switches 24 to 32, 44, 46 and 128 and the detection data (detection signal) of the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 and the acceleration data (acceleration signal) of the acceleration sensor 68 are modulated in the wireless module 70 to weak radio wave signals and the modulated weak radio wave signals are emitted from the antenna pattern 72. Accordingly, the game machine (not shown), which receives the weak radio waves and performs the demodulation and decoding thereof, can obtain the actuation signals of the above-mentioned buttons and switches 24 to 32, 44 , 46 and 128 and the detection data of the arithmetic unit of image capture information 54 and the acceleration data detected from the acceleration sensor 68. The game machine then advances the game, based on the signals, data and game programs obtained in this way.

In addition, a crystal oscillator 74 provided on the upper main surface of the substrate 64 is intended to generate a basic clock of a computer or processor 66 (Figure 8) included in the controller 10.

As shown in Figure 7 in which the lower housing 14 has been removed, the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 is coupled to an edge of the front end on the lower main surface of the substrate 64 and the connector 60 is coupled to one edge of the rear end thereof. The arithmetic image capture information unit 54 has the aforementioned infrared image capture device 56 and an image processing circuit 76 for processing image data captured by the image capture device (image capture medium) 56 .

In addition, the above-described button A 142 is coupled to the lower main surface of the substrate 64 behind the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 and the aforementioned battery 78 is stored further back therefrom. A vibrator 80 is coupled to the lower main surface of the substrate 64, between the battery 78 and the connector 60. The vibrator 80 can be a vibrating motor or a solenoid, for example. The vibrator 80 creates vibrations in the controller 10 and the vibrations are transmitted to the hand of the player 62 (Figure 3) that holds it, which allows a vibration-proof game. Therefore, it is possible to provide the player with a vibratory stimulus. In addition, as indicated above, arranging the vibrator 80 on the opposite side of the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 in the longitudinal direction of the housing 12 would decrease the possibility that vibrations of vibrator 80 would impair image capture. by the arithmetic unit of image capture information 54. That is, a greater distance between the vibrator 80 and the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 can be ensured, which makes it possible to avoid as much as possible that the image capture element of the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 blur.

Furthermore, by changing the direction of the image capture with the image capture means or the image capture device 56, the player can hold the holding part 18 of the housing 12 with one hand and move the wrist of the hand in that state, as already described with respect to Figure 3 through Figure 5. Then, the image capture means 56 is provided at the front end of the housing 12, the thumb is placed on the direction switch 26 and the index finger is placed on the button A 142 naturally and the other fingers hold the clamping part This makes it possible to carry out an image capture operation according to predetermined uniform criteria, regardless of the variations between the individuals in the way of holding the controller 10.

In this case, in relation to Figure 8, a description of the structure of the electrical circuit of the controller 10 of the embodiment is given.

The arithmetic image capture information unit 54 has the infrared image capture device 56 and the aforementioned image processing circuit 76 for processing image data captured by the image capture device 56. As illustrated, the device Image capture 56 includes a solid image capture element 561 such as a CMOS sensor and a CCD. An infrared filter (a filter permeable only to infrared rays) 562 and a lens 563 are arranged in front of the image capture element 561. Accordingly, the image capture device 56 generates image data through detection only. of infrared rays. In addition, the image processing circuit 76 processes the infrared image data obtained from the image capture device 56, detects a high intensity part, detects the area and position of the center of gravity of the part and returns the data about the same. Data concerning the position and area of ​​the high intensity part are provided from the image processing circuit 76 to the processor 66. In addition, the actuation signals of the aforementioned buttons and switches 24 to 32, 44, 46 and 128 are provided to the processor 66. In addition, the three-axis or two-axis acceleration data (acceleration signal) of the acceleration sensor 68 are also provided to processor 66.

Based on the drive signals of the drive switches 24 to 32, 44, 46 and 128, the processor 66 detects which of the drive switches and drive buttons is being operated from time to time. The drive data is returned as a sequence of controller data together with the acceleration data and the high intensity part data and is provided to the wireless module 70. The wireless module 70 modulates a carrier wave of predetermined frequency with the controller data and emits the weak radio wave signal from the antenna 72.

In addition, the signals and data input through the connector 60 provided at the rear end of the controller 10 are also provided to the processor 66 and are processed by the processor 66 as with the aforementioned signals and data, provided as controller data to the Wireless module 70 and then returned as a weak radio wave signal from controller 10 in the same manner.

In addition, the processor 66 can be independent of the wireless module 70 and, when using a wireless module based on the Bluetooth standard (registered trademark), etc., can be included as a microcomputer in the module.

To play a game using the controller 10 in a game system 100, a player 102 holds the controller 10 (the casing thereof) with one hand 62, as shown in Figure 9. Next, the player 102 orients the Image capture device 56 (Figure 8) of the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 mentioned above at the front end of the controller 10 towards a screen 106 of a display device 104. Then, two LED modules 108A and 108B are mounted in the immediate vicinity of the display 106 of the display device 104. Each of the LED modules 108A and 108B returns the infrared rays. Meanwhile, infrared filter 562 (Figure 8) is incorporated into the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 of the controller 10 held by the player, as described above.

The image processing circuit 76 (Figure 8) of the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 obtains information about the positions and areas of the LED modules 108A and 108B as high intensity point information, processing the image taken It contains infrared rays. The data about the positions and magnitudes of the intensity points are transmitted from the controller 10 to a game machine 112 by radio (weak radio waves) and are received by the game machine 112. When the player moves the controller 10 , that is, the arithmetic unit of image capture information 54, the data about the magnitudes and the positions of the intensity points change. Taking advantage of this situation, the game machine 112 can obtain a drive signal corresponding to the movement of the controller and advance the game accordingly.

In this way, the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 can capture a marker (an infrared LED light in the embodiment) and obtain a drive signal according to a change in the position of the marker in the image taken. This allows direct input and rotation input to the screen to be coordinated, unlike the drives with the operating switches, the operating keys or the operating buttons that are manipulated with the fingers. However, the principle of the arithmetic unit of image capture information is known as described in Japanese Patent No. 3422383 and therefore a more detailed explanation thereof is omitted in this document. In addition, motion tracking means an analysis of the movement of an object or a camera (the controller 10 in this document) with a pattern

or a specific mark as a blank on the screen (image).

Figure 10 is a schematic view of the controller 10 illustrated in detail in Figure 1 and in Figure 2, for example. As shown in Figure 10, the clamping portion 18 is mounted near one end of the longitudinal direction of the housing 12 of the controller 10, that is, at one end of the direction along the center line in one direction. across the width C1 and the image capture device 56 is installed at the other end of the housing 12, in the center line C1 and on the opposite side of the holding part 18. Accordingly, as shown in Figure 3, a straight line (the center line in a width-wide direction C1) that passes through the palm 62P of the hand 62 holding the clamping part 18 is aligned with the designation direction by means of the image capture device 56, which brings with it the advantage that it is easy to recognize the direction in which the image capture device 56 is oriented. More specifically, since the image capture direction by the image capture device 56 (corresponding to a direction in which a viewing angle C described below is oriented) is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, it is It is possible to capture the designation address by means of the image capture device 56 intuitively while holding the housing 12. In this case, the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, in the case of a rectangular housing as with the embodiment, is represented by the center line in a width-wide direction C1, for example. In addition, when the thumb is placed in the center of the direction switch 26, for example and the holding part 18 is held with the palm and the other fingers as shown in Figure 29 described below, the image capture direction by the image capture device 56 indicates a direction in which the thumb is oriented.

In addition, the LED modules 108A and 108B shown in Figure 9 and the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 of the controller 10 have viewing angles A, B and C, respectively. In the embodiment, the viewing angles A and B are equal to each other and are 34 ° (half value angle), for example and the viewing angle C is 41 °, for example. Furthermore, in the tracking operation, when the two LED modules 108A and 108B exist within the viewing angle C of the image capture device 56 as shown in Figure 10, the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 detects the movements of the arithmetic unit of image capture information 54, that is, controller 10, using information about the positions and magnitudes of the high intensity points of the two LED modules 108A and 108B.

However, when there is only one LED module 108A or 108B within the viewing angle C of the image capture device 56 as shown in Figure 11, the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 detects the movement of the controller 10 using information about the position and magnitude of the high intensity point of only one of the two LED modules 108A and 108B.

The controller 10 described above performs the functions fully as a game drive device by itself. Furthermore, as in an embodiment described below, it is possible to make the controller 10 cooperate with another controller (or an adapter).

In the embodiment represented in Figure 13 through Figure 17, a second controller 200 shown in Figure 13 and the first controller 10 of the previously described embodiment are employed. More specifically, the second controller 200 includes a transverse housing 202, unlike the longitudinal housing 12 of the first controller 10. The left and right sides of the transverse housing 202 function as holding parts 204 and 206, respectively. The holding part 204 is wrapped and held with the palm of the left hand 63 and the holding part 206 is wrapped and held with the palm of the right hand 62, as illustrated in Figure 16. That is, the part of Holding 204 is a holding part with the left hand and the holding part 206 is a holding part with the right hand. The same applies to a different embodiment from Figure 18 to Figure 20. In addition, a surface of the holding part 204 and a surface of the holding part 206 are in the same plane and together form an upper surface 203 of the housing 202 shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15.

A receiving part 208 is formed between the holding part with the left hand 204 and holding part with the right hand 205 of the housing 202. The receiving part 208 is a concave part for receiving the housing 12 of the first controller 10. The receiving part 208 has a shape with an upper surface and an open front surface and its inner shape is similar to the outer shape of the housing 12 (Figure 2 (E)) in an orthogonal direction to the longitudinal direction of the first controller 10 and It is slightly larger in dimensions than it. More specifically, a width Wa of the receiving part 208 is equal to or slightly greater than the width W of the housing 12 of the first controller 10 shown in Figure 2 (D) and a depth D1 thereof is almost equal to the thickness T of housing 12 (Figure 2 (A) and (E)). However, a length D2 of the depth thereof is set in correspondence with the length of the clamping portion 18 of the housing 12 of the first controller 10 clearly illustrated in Figure 1, for example. That is, the depth D2 of the receiving part 208 is equal to or slightly longer than or slightly shorter than the length of the holding part 18 of the first controller 10 (in the longitudinal direction of the first controller).

In addition, although not accurately illustrated, a connector 210 for connecting with the connector 56 provided to the first controller 10 is disposed at a rear of the receiving part 208. Since the connector 56 of the first controller 10 is a male connector, the Connector 210 of the second controller 200 is a female connector.

A known analog joystick 212 and a directional switch (digital joystick) 214 are arranged on the upper surface of the left hand holding part 204 of the housing 202 of the second controller 200. In addition, a button is provided A 216 and a button B 218 on the upper surface of the holding part with the right hand 206 and an X 220 button and a Y 222 button are provided to surround the slightly larger button A 216. In addition, a "joystick" 224 is provided to change a position, that is, the viewing point of a virtual camera while displaying a three-dimensional game image on the display screen 106 (Figure 9). The functions and actions of button A 216 and button B 218 are the same as those of button A 142 and button B 128 of the first controller 10. The X 220 button is used to change the angle of the look around an X axis of the virtual camera, for example, and the Y 222 button is used to change an angle of the look around the Y axis, for example.

The housing 12 of the first controller 10 is inserted from its other end (rear end) thereof into the opening of the front surface of the receiving part 208 of the second controller 200. Next, the housing 12 is pushed until the connector 56 of the first controller 10 is connected to the connector 210 of the receiving part 208. In doing so, the first controller 10 is combined with the second controller 200, as shown in Figure

14.

In the state of a combination of the first controller 10 and the second controller 200, the clamping portion 18 of the first controller 10 is almost buried in the receiving portion 208, as can be seen well in Figure 14 and in Figure 15 in particular. This is because the depth of the receiving part 208 is set to be equal to or slightly longer than or slightly shorter than the length of the holding part 18. Accordingly, the center of gravity of the first controller 10 is supported by the second controller 200 and thus the first controller 10 can be stably supported by the second controller 200.

In addition, the width of the receiving part 208 is set to be equal to or slightly longer than the width of the housing 12 of the first controller 10 and the depth thereof is formed to be equal to or slightly longer than the thickness of the housing 12. Thus, when the first controller 10 is inserted into or coupled to the receiving part 208 of the second controller 200, no noise is produced between the first controller 10 and the second controller 200. Furthermore, as can be understood in Figure 15, the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 of the first controller 10 is at the same level as the upper surface 203 of the housing 202 of the second controller 200 and therefore the first controller 10 never protrudes from the surface of the second controller 200 or interferes with the actuation of the second controller 200.

When the first controller 10 and the second controller 200 are combined with each other, the player holds the holding parts 204 and 206 of the housing 202 of the second controller 200 with the left hand 63 and with the right hand 62, respectively, as shown in Figure 16. In that state, there is no need to use all the buttons and operating switches of the first controller 10 but some of them. However, the wireless transmission function of the first controller 10 and the function of the arithmetic unit of image capture information can be used as they are.

When the first and second controllers 10 and 200 are combined with each other as shown in Figure 14 and Figure 15, the structure of the electrical circuit is as shown in Figure 17. More specifically, in Figure 17, the actuation switches 212 to 224 are the buttons and actuation switches of the second controller 200 and the actuation signals of these actuator switches 212 to 224 are provided from connector 210 through connector 56 to processor 66 of the first controller 10. Accordingly, the processor 66 processes the drive signal of the second controller 200 in the same manner as the drive signals of the first controller 10 and provides them as controller data to the wireless module 70. Therefore, the drive signals of the individual switches and the buttons 212 to 24 of the second controller 200 can be transmitted wirelessly as controller data through the weak radio waves of the wireless module 70 through the antenna 72. Accordingly, the combination of the first controller 10 and the second controller 200 functions as a wireless controller.

Furthermore, the arithmetic image capture information unit 54 of the first controller 10 is never affected by the combination of the first controller 10 and the second controller 200. Therefore, by moving the housing 202 of the second controller 200 held with both hands as shown in Figure 16 from side to side or up and down, it is possible to play a game using the function of the arithmetic unit of image capture information of the first controller 10.

Furthermore, in the state where the first controller 10 and the second controller 200 are combined with each other, the first actuation part is generally the above-mentioned address switch 26 of the first controller 10 and the second actuation part is button A 142 in the same direction. The third operating part is the "joystick" 212 and the direction switch 214 provided in the holding part with the left hand 204 of the second controller 200. The fourth drive part is button A 216, etc. provided in the right hand holding portion 206 of the second controller 200. However, the correspondences of the third drive part and the fourth drive part can be exchanged. In any case, the third drive part and the fourth drive part can be operated with the thumb 63a of the left hand 63 and the thumb 62a of the right hand 62, as shown in Figure 16.

As described above, in the first controller 10, the first drive part (the address switch 26) is arranged in a position that can be operated with the thumb 62 and the second drive part (the button A 142) is it is arranged in a position that can be operated with the index finger 62b or the middle finger 62c when the first controller 10 is held by the holding part 18. Thus, in the first controller 10, it is a bit difficult to operate the X button 44 and the Y button 46 provided within a scope of the holding part 18. On the contrary, in the second controller 200, the X 220 button and button Y 222 are provided on the right hand holding part 206 of the housing 202 and are easy to operate with the thumb 62a in the state in which the holding part 206 is held with the right hand 62 (Figure 16).

As indicated above, it is possible to make the first controller for a single hand 10 easier to operate with one hand by providing a minimum necessary number of keys or actuation switches therein. However, it may be necessary to operate the above-mentioned X 44 and Y 46 button, for example, with considerable frequency depending on the type of game. In the first controller 10, the X button 44 and the Y button 46 are not necessarily easy to operate because they are provided within the scope of the holding part 18. That is, the player may be unhappy with the first controller 10 only due to the difficulty to operate the X 44 button and the Y 46 button. In this case, by combining the second controller 200 and the first controller 10, it is possible to prevent the player from having that dissatisfaction because the X 220 button and the Y 222 button of the second controller 200 are easy to operate.

In addition, the "joystick" 212 and the address switch 214 are also arranged as a means of address designation in the second controller 200. Meanwhile, the "joystick" 212 and the address switch 214 are provided in the clamping portion with the left hand 204 of the housing 202 and are easy to operate with the thumb 63a in the state in which the holding part 204 is held with the left hand 63 (Figure 16). Therefore, when the first and second controllers 10 and 200 are combined with each other, the address designation means also becomes easy to operate. In addition, the address switch 26 is initially provided in the first controller 10 in an easy to operate position, the address designation means to be used with a relatively high frequency is easy to operate in both cases of using the first controller 10 separately and in combination with the second controller 200.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 17, button A 216, button B 218, button X 220 and button Y 222 are arranged in the right hand holding portion 206 of the second controller 200. Alternatively, in the case of this embodiment, it is possible to eliminate button A 216 and button B 218 of the second controller 200 so that only button X 220 and button Y 222 are arranged in the second controller 200.

That is, even when the first controller 10 and the second controller 200 are combined with each other, button A 142 and button B 128 (Figure 1) can be operated without obstacles and therefore it is possible to eliminate some switch (s) ) of drive and button (s) of operation with duplicate functions of the second controller 200, resulting in a cost reduction. On the other hand, the X button 44 and the Y button 46 of the first controller 10 are, to some extent, difficult to operate at the time of the combination of the controllers and the functions of these buttons are covered by the switches (buttons) of drive provided separately in the second controller 200. This would eliminate the drive discomfort resulting from the combination of controllers.

An embodiment shown in Figure 18 is the same as the embodiment shown in Figure 13 to Figure 17, except that the operating switches provided on the upper surface of the right hand holding portion 206 of the Housing 202 of the second controller 200 are slightly different from those of the embodiment shown in Figure 13 to Figure 16. A duplicate description is omitted below, with the assignment of the same reference numbers to similar operating switches or actuating buttons. In the embodiment of Figure 18, provided on the upper surface of the holding part with the right hand 206 of the housing 202 are the button A 216, the button B 218, the button X 220, the button Y 222 , a C 226 button and a D 228 button. Button A 216 and button B 218 have the same functions as those of button A 216 and button B of the embodiment described above. The X 220 button, the Y 222 button, the C 226 button and the D 228 button perform the equivalent functions of the joystick 224 of the previous embodiments.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 18, button A 216 and button B 218 can be removed from the right hand holding portion 206 of second controller 200 such that only button X 220 and button Y 222 they are arranged in the second controller 200, as in the case of the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 17. This makes it possible to achieve cost reduction and avoid a decrease in operability at the time of the combination of controllers.

The embodiment of Figure 19 is identical to the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 17 and the embodiment of Figure 18 except for a point described below. Specifically, both in the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 16 and in the embodiment of Figure 18, the housing 202 has a sufficient width (in the longitudinal direction of the first controller 10) and therefore the part holding 18 of the first controller 10 is almost buried in the housing 202 of the second controller 200. In contrast, in the embodiment of Figure 19, the width of the housing 202 is slightly smaller compared to the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 16 and the embodiment of Figure 18 and larger part of the holding part 18 of the first controller 10 is exposed outside the housing 202. Accordingly, this embodiment is slightly unstable compared to the previous embodiments. However, the upper surfaces 20 and 203 of the respective housings 12 and 202 of the first controller 10 and the second controller 200 are at the same level with each other as in the cases of the previous embodiments.

Since the width of the housing 202 is slightly smaller, the "joystick" 212 provided in the left hand holding portion 204 of the housing 202 of the embodiment of Figure 18 is omitted and some changes are made in the switches of the holding part with the right hand 206 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, only button A 216, button B 218, button X 220 and button Y 222 are arranged in the holding part with the right hand 206.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 19, button A 216 and button B 218 of the right hand holding portion 206 of second controller 200 can be removed so that only button X 220 and button Y 222 they are arranged in the second controller 200, as in the case of the embodiment of Figure 13 to Figure 17. This makes it possible to achieve cost reduction and avoid a decrease in operability with the combination of controllers.

An embodiment of Figure 20 is the same as the embodiment of Figure 19 except for a point described below. Specifically, as with the embodiment of Figure 19, the clamping portion 18 of the first controller 10 protrudes or is exposed outside the housing 202 of the second controller 200 compared to the embodiment of Figure 13 to the Figure 16 and the embodiment of Figure

18. Therefore, also in this embodiment, only button A 216 and button B 218 are provided in the right hand holding portion 206 of the housing 202. Alternatively, these buttons 216 and 218 can function as X button and Y button, not as button A and button B.

A gun-type adapter 300 is shown in Figure 21. The adapter 300 has a cylinder head 302 for holding by hand, as with general gun-type controllers. The cylinder head 302 is provided with a trigger 306 surrounded by a trigger guard 304. A barrel 308 extends from the cylinder head 302 through a chamber. In addition, the barrel 308 can be decoupled by a connector 310 with respect to the cylinder head 302.

Furthermore, by pulling the barrel 308 of the connector 310 and inserting the connector 60 of the controller 10 into a connector 310, the first controller 10 can be coupled instead of the barrel 308. In this case, it is possible to make the shooting game more interesting allowing the use of the trigger 306 instead of button A 142 of controller 10.

In the first controller 10 of an embodiment shown in Figure 23, the drive buttons and switches 24 to 32, 44, 46 and 128 are changed in shape and arrangement compared to the embodiment of Figure 1. The address switch 26, in particular, uses not the combined switch of the embodiment of Figure 1, but a direction switch formed by a cross-shaped key used in game machines. The cross-shaped key, that is, the address switch 26, may be identical to the address switch 214 of the second controller 200. Furthermore, in the first controller 10 of this embodiment, the start switch 30 and the switch of selection 32 are arranged in a lateral line, not arranged in the form of the "/ \" character as with the previous embodiments.

In addition, a plurality of (four in this embodiment) light emitting diodes (LEDs) 821, 822, 823 and 824 are provided at one end (front end) of the upper surface 20 of the controller 10 of this embodiment. The light of the LEDs 821 to 824 can be recognized visually from the outside, but they are buried in the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 and therefore do not appear to protrude in Figure 23 (B). Alternatively, it is absolutely acceptable that they be arranged so that they appear to stand out. When the first controller 10 transmits a radio wave signal as a controller signal (controller data), these LEDs 821 to 824 indicate the controller number because the LED corresponding to the controller number is lit.

For example, when the game machine 112 shown in Figure 9 is designed to accept four controllers at the same time, each of the four players uses the first controller 10. The selective illumination of the LEDs 821 to 824 allows each of Users determine which is their own controller, from the first to the fourth. When the LED 821 of its controller 10 is turned on, for example, the player may understand that the controller is assigned as the first controller.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 23, the surface of the front end 52 of the housing 10 is formed as an inclined surface, not an orthogonal surface to an axis along the longitudinal direction of the housing 12, unlike of the above embodiments. In addition, the image capture device 56 of the arithmetic image capture information unit is coupled to the inclined surface of the front end and therefore a central axis in the image capture range of the arithmetic capture information unit. of images, that is, the image capture device 56 obliquely crosses the axis along the longitudinal direction of the housing 12. Accordingly, the housing 12 can be inclined as a whole by holding the housing 12 on the holding part 18 and orienting the inclined surface of the front end 52, that is, the image capture device 56 directly towards the screen 106 of the display device 104. Accordingly, according to this embodiment, the player may feel less tired in his hand by operating the controller 10 in his chair, for example.

That is, in the previous embodiments, the surface of the front end of the housing 12 is orthogonal to the axis along the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when pointing the image capture device 56 coupled thereto directly to the screen 106, it is necessary to hold the controller 10 in such a way that the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 is oriented upwards and that the axis is in a horizontal state In addition, in that state, the image capture device 56 must be brought to a place within the screen 106. In that case, the wrist of the hand holding the holding part 18 may be subjected to too much tension. In contrast, in the embodiment of Figure 23, the image capture device 56 can be oriented directly towards the screen 106 even while holding the housing 12 with the wrist at a natural angle or in its natural state. This allows to reduce fatigue in the player's wrist without causing excessive stress on it.

Based on the same idea, as with an embodiment shown in Figure 25, a front end 12H of the housing 12 of the controller 10 is separated from the other part and coupled to a front end of the other part by middle of an axis 84. In doing so, since the front end 12H may be folded as indicated by dotted lines if necessary, an image capture surface of the image capture device 56 of the arithmetic image capture information unit is accordingly, as shown in Figure 25. In this way, as with the embodiments shown in Figure 23 and Figure 24, the effect of reducing wrist fatigue can be expected. Furthermore, if this is not necessary for the embodiment of Figure 25, the front end 12H may be in an upright state (a state indicated by solid lines in Figure 25) along the axis along the longitudinal direction.

Figure 26 to Figure 28 represent yet another embodiment of the first controller 10. The controller 10 of this embodiment is identical to the controller of the embodiment shown in Figure 1 and in Figure 2 except for the points described later. Later, duplicate descriptions with the assignment of the same reference number to the same or similar components are omitted.

The controller 10 of this embodiment also includes the housing 12 with a rectangular and longitudinal cross shape or with a shape close to it that is structured by the lower housing 14 and the upper housing

16. In addition, the holding part 18 of a size or thickness that can be held with one hand is formed at the rear end of the housing 12. In addition, the steering switch 26 is disposed on the upper surface 20 of the housing 12, in the opposite side (front end) to the clamping part 18 in the longitudinal direction C1 (Figure 27). In addition, in this embodiment, the address switch 26 is a so-called cross-shaped key, not a combo switch like that of the embodiment of Figure 1. In addition, button A 42 is provided below (near from the rear end) of the cross-shaped key, that is, the address switch 26, in the center of the housing 12 in a wide direction. In the above embodiments, the button A 42 is provided in the concave portion 34 on the lower surface 22 of the housing 12 and in this embodiment, the button A 42 is changed to be arranged on the upper surface 20 of the housing 12. This is intended to allow button A 42 to be operated with the thumb quickly and reliably because button A 42 is operated more frequently than button B 28, as can be understood in Figure 29 described below, for example. Direction switch 26 and button A 42 correspond to the first drive part in this embodiment. Accordingly, the address switch 26 and the button A 42 are a key upper part that is pressed in an orthogonal direction to the foreground 20 and a push button switch with contacts (not shown) actuated by the top key.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as understood in Figure 27 (C) especially, a height H1 from the foreground 20 of the upper key portion of the cross-shaped switch, that is, the address switch 26 is makes it larger compared to a height H2 from the foreground 20 of the top of button A key

42 That is, the address switch 26 is set to be higher than button A 42. This is intended to prevent button A 42 from being accidentally pressed while the cross-shaped key is operated, that is, the switch Address 26.

The start switch 30 and the selection switch 32 are arranged in a straight line orthogonal to the longitudinal direction (in a wide direction) and a menu switch 86 is also provided between them. Menu switch 86 is used to select a menu item from a game to be executed by means of controller 10 (for example, a single player game mode, a competition mode, etc.) and to change the mode game instantly with the menu provided immediately after the game machine or similar starts. The center of the menu switch 86 is aligned with that of the button A 42 in the width direction of the housing 12 and the start switch 30 and the selection switch 32 are arranged in positions with a uniform separation to the left and right of menu switch 86 (that is, button A 42).

With such an arrangement of buttons as indicated above, by manipulating the controller 10 with the right hand, for example, the player can quickly activate the selection switch 32 simply by sliding the thumb placed on the button A 42 without having to bend the thumb. In addition, in the case of a drive with the left hand, the start switch 30 is a switch suitable for a quick drive in the same way. Accordingly, it is possible to carry out a rapid drive regardless of whether the user is right or left handed, making a change in the assignments of the selection switch 32 and the start switch 30 by using a software program or the like.

In addition, the menu switch 86 and the power switch 24 are provided such that they are sunk or buried in holes formed in the upper surface 20 of the housing 12 so that they are invisible from a side view as shown in the Figure 27 (C). These switches 24 and 86 sink because, although they can be operated only on specific occasions such as when starting the game, the operation of these switches by accident during the game would cause some inconveniences such as data loss and therefore these switches They are designed so that they can be intentionally activated at the beginning of the game but cannot be unconsciously activated during the game.

In addition, in the controller 10 of this embodiment, LEDs 821 to 824 to indicate to the controller the numbers are provided as with the controller of Figure 23. However, LEDs 821 to 824, of the embodiment of the Figure 23 are provided at one end (front end) of the housing 12, while those of this embodiment are arranged at the other end (rear end) of the housing 12.

The concave portion 34 is formed on the lower surface 22 of the housing, in a position approximately corresponding to the position of the aforementioned address switch 26, on the side opposite the clamping portion 18 in the longitudinal direction. In the above embodiments, the concave part 34 has the depression 36 with a plane parallel to the first plane 20 and in this embodiment, the concave part 34 has no depression and includes the first inclined surface 38 and the second inclined part 40 that have a gentle inclination. In addition, the button B 28 is provided on the first inclined surface 38 which extends in the direction of the holding part 18. In addition, button B 28 is provided in a position corresponding to the address switch 26 and button A 42 that form the first drive part. In addition, the corresponding position indicates a position where button B 28 is disposed near address switch 26 and button A 42 when viewed through the upper surface of the housing 12.

In addition, button A is disposed on the lower surface of the housing in the previous embodiments, while button A 42 of this embodiment is disposed in an easier position to press compared to the central switch of the shapes. of previous performance. Therefore, it is assumed that this button is the frequently used button A and it is assumed that the switch on the lower surface 22 of the housing is button B, which makes the button drives easier.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, button B 28 corresponds to the second drive part. Therefore, button B 28 has an upper key portion that will be pressed in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface 38 but not perpendicular to the foreground 20 and a contact (not shown) activated or deactivated by the upper key portion.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, an inclination angle of the second inclined surface 40 extending towards the front end 52 of the housing 12, with respect to the first plane 20 is set to be smaller than an inclination angle of the first inclined surface 38 with respect to the first plane 20, as can be understood in Figure 26 and Figure 27 (C). That is, the second inclined surface 40 has a gentle inclination compared to the first inclined surface 38. Thus, by making the second inclined surface 40 softer in inclination than the first inclined surface 38, there are such advantages that it is easier to hold the controller with both hands as shown in Figure 32 described below and that it is possible to remove the index finger correctly of button B 28 because the finger can move enough in the direction in which it is removed. Furthermore, as can be understood in Figure 28, due to an arrangement of the start switch 30, the menu switch 86 and the selection switch 32 arranged in a straight horizontal line, in this embodiment, the wireless module 70 is arranged on the right side of the housing 12 in the wide direction. In addition, the power switch 24 is provided on the left side of the housing 12 of the substrate 64 in the wide direction, unlike the previous embodiments and the antenna pattern 72 is disposed at the front end on the side right of the substrate 64 in the wide direction. As indicated above, by arranging the pattern of antennas 72 at the front end on the right side of the housing 12 in the wide direction, there is such an advantage that, even in the case of holding it with both hands as shown in the Figure 32, the emission of weak radio waves from the antenna 72 is not affected by the hands holding the housing 12, that is, the controller 10. That is, the pattern of antennas 72 is disposed on the side opposite to the hands holding the controller 10, in the width-wide direction of the housing 12.

In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 26 to Figure 28, the switch provided in the concave portion 34 on the bottom surface of the housing 12 is button B 28. Alternatively, button B 28 can be replaced with a drive means that has the functions of the Z button. In addition, the Z button is used as a trigger switch in a shooting game, for example and is also sometimes activated when a player object is going to point to a non-player object (a so-called Z point feature), etc.

Figure 29 and Figure 30 show the state in which the structured controller 10 as indicated above is held by the player's hand. In relation to these drawings, the palm 62P and the fingertips of the heart finger 62c, the ring finger 62d and the little finger 62e of the right hand of the player 62 hold the holding part 18 of the housing 12 in such a way that they wrap the part holding 18 slightly. In the state, the thumb 62a of the hand 62 is placed on the steering switch 26 and the index finger 62b is placed on the concave portion 34 of the lower housing 14. Specifically, the steering switch 26 is arranged in a position that it is reached with the thumb 62a of the hand 62 that holds the housing 12, that is, in a position that can be operated with the thumb 62a. Button B 28 is arranged in a position that is reached with the index finger 62b of the hand 62 that holds the housing 12, that is, in a position that can be operated with the index finger 62b. Accordingly, the player can operate the direction switch 26 with the thumb 62a and actuate the button B 28 with the index finger 62b while holding the housing 12 with the hand 62. More specifically, the index finger 62b of the hand 62 is positioned such that it makes contact with the surface of the second inclined surface 40 which has a gentle inclination in the direction of the front end of the previously indicated concave part 34 formed in the housing lower 14. By folding the index finger 62b towards him / her (to the right in Figure 29) in that state, the user can press the upper part of the button button B 28 with the tip of the index finger 62b in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface on the near side 38 of the concave part 34. Furthermore, in the case of this embodiment, the button A 42 will be operated with the thumb 62a of the one hand 62 as with the direction switch 26, as can be seen in Figure 29 in particular. That is, in this embodiment, the direction switch 26 is operated by extending the thumb 62a and the button A 42 is actuated by folding the thumb 62a. Accordingly, the direction switch 26 and the button A 42 are operated with the thumb 62a. In this way, the thumb 62a can also be placed in a standby state of the drive (resting state) on the button A 42, not on the direction switch 26.

Figure 29 shows a state in which button B (or button Z) 28 is pressed with index finger 62b. When it is not necessary to press button B 28, the index finger 62b (or the middle finger 62c) can be removed from the button B 28. More specifically, by placing the index finger 62b (or the middle finger 62c) on the second inclined surface 40 of the concave part 34, it is possible to stabilize the index finger 62b (the middle finger 62c) in the state of being separated from the button B 28. Therefore, it is not necessary to change the state of holding the housing 12 (passing the housing 12 from one hand to the other) depending on whether or not the B button (or Z button) 28 is pressed.

As described above, the controller 10 of this embodiment makes it easy to operate the first drive part (the address switch 26 and the button A 42 in the embodiment) and the second drive part (the button A 42 in the embodiment) while holding the controller 10 with one hand. That is, in the controller 10 of this embodiment, it is possible to operate the individual drive parts stably while holding the controller 10 with one hand, which brings with it a very favorable effect of allowing the other to be used for play a game or for other purposes and that also makes it possible to carry out drives in a holding state with both hands. Figure 32 shows the holding status with both hands. In addition, in this embodiment, the button A 42 is disposed in a place in the holding part in the vicinity of the address switch 26. In addition, the button B 28 is disposed in the rear part of the area where it is they have the direction switch 26 and the button A 42 (in other words, slightly behind the immediately rear part of the address switch 26), which makes it easy to operate button A 42 and button B with one hand stably . In addition, as indicated above, since the address switch 26 is in a higher position than button A 42, it is possible to make it difficult to press button A by mistake.

In the case of holding with both hands, as shown in Figure 32, the front end of the housing 12 is held with the left hand 63 and the rear end of the housing 12 is held with the right hand 62. Then, with uniformity between the right hand and the left hand, the controller 10, that is, the housing 12 is held so that the upper surface 20 (Figure 27) is retained with the fingertips 62a and 63a and the Lower surface 22 (Figure 27) is held with the sides of index fingers 62b and 63b. Accordingly, the direction switch 26 and the button A 42 are operated with the fingertip 63a of the left hand 63 and the button B 28 (Figure 26 and Figure 27) is operated with the tip of the index finger 63b of the hand left. In addition, the X button 44 and the Y button 46 are operated with the thumb 62a of the right hand 62.

5 However, in the case of holding with both hands, the way in which the controller and the hands and fingers are held to operate the individual operating buttons and switches are not limited to the example of Figure 32. In this Thus, for example, it is possible to actuate button A 42 by extending the thumb 62a of the right hand 62 or the like. In addition, a clamp in the manner shown in Figure 32 would prevent the radio emissions through the antenna 72 (Figure 28) from being affected by the clamping hand.

10 Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail, it is clearly understood that it is only by way of illustration and example and should not be taken by way of limitation, the scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the claims attached.