Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – In a race game
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-20
2003-09-02
Mancene, Gene (Department: 3754)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
In a race game
C434S062000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06612925
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a Computer Game and in particular to a competitive activity game, such as a race type game, involving dynamics and position.
Computer Race Games are known in which the computer software generates moving graphics representing for example in the case of a motor racing game, a race circuit, and one or more race vehicles. A participant in such a race game operates controls to keep his vehicle on the race track and to negotiate any obstacles. In most cases a competitor is competing against the clock, i.e. not against other human competitors taking part in the same race with whom he has to dice for position. The circuit and any obstacles on the circuit, e.g. other vehicles, which the competitor may have to negotiate are computer generated.
Furthermore the characteristics of the simulated race vehicles are only approximate to the actual dynamics of the vehicles which the game seeks to imitate. For example in a motor racing game permissible acceleration and deceleration rates, maximum straight line speed and maximum cornering speed may be programmed into the software. Actual vehicle dynamics are considerably more complex. Factors such as pitch, roll, speed, three-dimensional G-force, and yaw angle (skid angle) come into play in an actual vehicle. These characteristics determine the maximum potential speed around a circuit and in particular determine whether a chosen cornering movement or a desired overtaking movement can be implemented.
In an actual motor race, the track conditions and the topography of the race circuit will play a part in determining maximum cornering speeds and the best braking positions for coners.
It is one aim of the present invention to provide a more realistic computer game, be it a race or other competitive activity, by mapping more closely actual dynamics of the moving thing, be it a person, animal or other object. A further aim of the invention is to simulate more accurately an actual race, or any other competitive activity as the case may be. For example in the case of a motor race, say an actual Grand Prix, in such a way that a competitor playing on the computer is actually competing against vehicles and drivers that took part or are taking part in the Grand Prix on a particular circuit and in a particular car.
Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a computer game comprising game software at least one television screen or other display device, and at least one user input means, an input data set comprising dynamics and position data for actual vehicles and actual race environment/circuit data, the input data being converted into a pictorial or graphical form for display and the game software incorporating means for generating a user controlled vehicle from the input data, and wherein the user input means provides control signals for the user controlled vehicle to facilitate racing alongside graphics of actual race vehicles.
More generally, the techniques which can be used to map vehicle dynamics, position and environment can also be used or adapted to map the dynamics, position and environment of any movable thing be it a person, animal or object, and hereinafter is referred to as a dynamic vehicle.
Accordingly, the present invention also provides a computer game comprising game software, at least one television screen or other display device, at least one user input means, an input data set comprising dynamics data taken from at least one actual dynamic vehicle, and position data of the at least one actual dynamic vehicle, and data relating to the environment of the at least one actual dynamic vehicle, at least the environment data being converted into a form suitable for display on the television screen in a pictorial manner, and wherein the game software operates to generate a user controlled dynamic vehicle utilising at least the dynamics data of the input data set, and wherein the user input means provides control signals for the user controlled dynamic vehicle to facilitate competing in the same environment as the actual dynamic vehicle as portrayed on the display device.
The actual dynamic vehicle will depend on the type of competitive activity which is being represented. In the case of motor racing it will be the motor car. In the case of horse racing it will be the horse, but the actual dynamic vehicle may also be a person for competitive activities such as rock/mountain climbing, skiing, athletics or swimming. The technique can be applied to sailing, aerobatics and other types of flying. The data relating to the environment of the actual dynamic vehicle will usually be a pictorial image of the environment in which the activity of the actual dynamic vehicle takes place, taken from one or more view points. For example, in the case of a motor race it will be a view of the race circuit usually as it would be seen by the driver of the vehicle having regard to its position on the race track. Similarly, in the case of the view from an aircraft or a horse racing track or athletics track. In the case of rock climbing for example, it will be a view of the rocks which are to be climbed say as viewed from an actual rock climber.
Certain competitive activities may require or be suitable for individual performances against the clock or some other performance target. Other activities dictate, or are more readily suited to, the user controlled dynamic vehicle competing along with the representations of the actual dynamic vehicles. In the case of the former, the input data relating to actual vehicle dynamics is used to set the performance limitations of the user controlled dynamic vehicle. Where the performance is related to position data, this will be incorporated. For example, in the case of motor racing, the maximum cornering forces can be different for different coners.
In the case of activities calling for a user controlled dynamic vehicle to compete against the actual dynamic vehicle or vehicles, the input data set is converted into a graphical or pictorial form to display the actual dynamic vehicle or vehicles in their actual activity environment, usually with their position being shown relative to the viewpoint of the user controlled dynamic vehicle.
The actual dynamic vehicle performance and/or position data is used to control the graphic output and also allows a vehicle's varying performance to be incorporated in the game to give a compensatory style in which the user's (game player's) input may be combined with either the actual data or a modified version of the actual data.
The vehicle may be any vehicle for movement on land, sea, air or space. In one embodiment the actual vehicle dynamics data and position data is preferably acquired by apparatus installed on actual vehicles. The sensors can measure data such as position, pitch, roll, heading, speed, 3-D G-forces, yaw angle which data is representative of the vehicle dynamics and therefore representative of the actual motion of each vehicle. The data can be gathered at any appropriate rate but typically at 0.1-1000 Hz. By using this information it is possible to describe the vehicle dynamic behaviour. Position data can be partly gathered using various means such as GPS (Global Positioning System), Glonass (Russian equivalent of GPS) and any past or future navigation system. This will enable navigation of a point on the vehicle and further sensors, for example six axis motion reference units (MRU's), gather the remaining dynamics data. This data can be very accurate. Other systems could be used to gather this data such as lasers, optics, gyros and accelerometers etc. In an alternative embodiment the position data may be acquired by equipment disposed externally of the vehicle, for example by a method of tracking based upon stereoscopic cameras or similar that allow image interpretation.
The information generated is sufficiently precise to give the location of a vehicle and its dynamic characteristics at any instant in time. This can be correlated with visual position information. The information generated can be stored on bo
Covepath Limited
Mancene Gene
Nicolas Frederick C.
Ware Fressola Van der Sluys & Adolphson LLP
LandOfFree
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