Measuring and testing – Speed – velocity – or acceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-02
2004-01-13
Williams, Hezron (Department: 2856)
Measuring and testing
Speed, velocity, or acceleration
C073S001370
Reexamination Certificate
active
06675649
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to acceleration detection devices, methods of detecting acceleration, input devices, and recording media, and more particularly to an acceleration detection device which detects acceleration based on input signals from a sensor, a method of detecting acceleration which method employs such an acceleration detection device, an input device including such an acceleration detection device, and a recording medium storing a program for detecting acceleration.
Recently, a variety of ideas have been proposed in the field of game apparatuses, and a variety of input methods have been required, accordingly. Required as one of such input methods is an input device for detecting movements of arms and legs. Detection of acceleration may be employed as a method of detecting the movements of arms and legs. An acceleration detection sensor employing a spindle or weight and a spring generates vibrations due to the elasticity of the spring, and therefore, is prone to generate a signal having unnecessary components.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
is a diagram for illustrating an input method for a game apparatus.
The game apparatus shown in
FIG. 1
includes input devices
1
, a game machine
2
, and a display
3
. The input devices
1
are attached to arms and legs
5
of a player
4
to detect accelerations. The accelerations detected by the input devices
1
are transmitted to the game machine
2
by means of infrared.
When the player
4
moves the arms and legs
5
, accelerations are generated in accordance with the movements of the arms and legs
5
. The input devices
1
detect these accelerations, and transmit the accelerations to the game machine
2
. The game machine
2
detects forces exerted on the arms and legs
5
by the accelerations transmitted from the input devices
1
, and causes a game character
6
shown in the display
3
to make actions.
FIG. 2
is an exploded perspective view of the conventional input device
1
. The input device
1
includes a main body
11
and an attachment band
12
.
The main body
11
is attached to one of the arms and legs
5
by means of the attachment band
12
so as to detect accelerations in accordance with the movements of the one of the arms and legs
5
and transmit the detected accelerations to the game machine
2
. The main body
11
includes a case
21
, a cover
22
, a printed circuit board
23
, and switch buttons
24
.
The printed circuit board
23
, on which an acceleration sensor
25
, electronic components
26
, and a cell
27
are mounted, is housed in a space formed by the case
21
and the cover
22
.
FIG. 3
is an exploded perspective view of the conventional acceleration sensor
25
.
The acceleration sensor
25
includes Hall elements
33
and an acceleration detection mechanism
32
, which are arranged on the printed circuit board
23
.
The acceleration mechanism
32
includes a base
41
, a housing
42
, a lever
43
, a helical compression spring
44
, a slider
45
, and a cover
46
. The lever
43
is supported by a support portion
47
of the base
41
. The slider
45
is slidably held by the lever
43
. The helical compression spring
44
is held in a compressed state between the slider
45
and the housing
42
. The housing
42
, through which the top end portion of the lever
43
penetrates in a direction indicated by arrow A in
FIG. 3
, is fixed to the base
41
so that the slider
45
and the helical compression spring
44
are housed between the base
41
and the housing
42
.
The lever
43
includes a main body
51
, a spindle or weight
52
, a permanent magnet
53
, and a cap
54
. The spindle or weight
52
is fixed to the top end portion of the main body
51
, which portion extends outward from the housing
42
. The permanent magnet
53
is fixed to the bottom portion of the main body
51
. The cap
54
is attached to the bottom portion of the main body
51
to cover the permanent magnet
53
.
The cover
46
is fixed to the top end portion of the main body
51
to restrict movements of the main body
51
. The acceleration detection mechanism
32
is fixed on the Hall elements
33
arranged on the printed circuit board
23
.
FIGS. 4A and 4B
are diagrams for illustrating an operation of the conventional acceleration sensor
25
.
FIG. 4A
shows a state in which no acceleration is exerted, and
FIG. 4B
shows a state in which an acceleration is exerted.
In the state shown in
FIG. 4A
, the slider
45
is pressed toward the base
41
by the elasticity of the helical compression spring
44
so that the lever
43
is in an upright position.
On the other hand, when the acceleration is exerted on the spindle or weight
52
, the lever
43
rotates on the support portion
47
of the base
41
, while resisting the elasticity of the helical compression spring
43
, as shown in FIG.
4
B. As a result, the permanent magnet
53
shifts its position with respect to the Hall elements
33
to change the strength of a magnetic field applied to the Hall elements
33
. Since the Hall elements
33
change their outputs depending on the strength of the magnetic field applied thereto, the tilt of the lever
43
is detectable based on the outputs of the Hall elements
33
, thus allowing the detection of the acceleration exerted on the spindle or weight
52
. Two pairs of the Hall elements
33
are arranged along an X-axis and a Y-axis as shown in
FIG. 3
to detect the X-axis and Y-axis components of the acceleration, respectively.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-353109 discloses the above-described mechanism in detail.
The input device
1
detects the magnitude and direction of the acceleration from the X-axis and Y-axis components detected in the above-described manner, and transmits the detected magnitude and direction of the acceleration to the game machine
2
.
However, a conventional acceleration detection device simply detects a signal transmitted from an acceleration sensor as the acceleration, so that even unnecessary components of the signal are detected as noises.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the present invention to provide an acceleration detection device, a method of detecting acceleration, an input device, and a recording medium in which the above-described disadvantage is eliminated.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an acceleration detection device, a method of detecting acceleration, an input device, and a recording medium that allows necessary acceleration components to be extracted with accuracy.
The above objects of the present invention are achieved by an acceleration detection device for detecting an acceleration applied in a certain direction based on detection signals corresponding to the acceleration and including a waveform detection part detecting waveforms of the detection signals and an acceleration determination part determining whether to make valid or invalid the acceleration based on the waveforms detected in the waveform detection part.
The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by a method of detecting an acceleration applied in a certain direction based on detection signals corresponding to the acceleration, which method includes the steps of (a) detecting waveforms of the detection signals, and (b) determining whether to make valid or invalid the acceleration based on the detected waveforms.
The above objects of the present invention are also achieved by an input device including an acceleration detection mechanism outputting detection signals corresponding to an acceleration, a waveform detection part detecting waveforms of the detection signals output from the acceleration detection mechanism, and an acceleration determination part determining whether to make valid or invalid the acceleration based on the waveforms detected in the waveform detection part.
The above objects of the present invention are further achieved by a computer-readable recording medium recorded with a program which causes a computer to detect wa
Endo Norio
Kato Masayuki
Uchiyama Takuya
Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
Saint-Surin Jacques
Williams Hezron
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