Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Player-actuated control structure
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2003-08-19
Dolinar, Andrew M. (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Player-actuated control structure
C341S034000, C338S047000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06607442
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an operating apparatus (also is referred to as “controller”) used as a peripheral apparatus of an entertainment apparatus, such as a television (TV) game machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, with an entertainment apparatus such as a TV game machine, operations are executed using an operating apparatus. The operating apparatus has multiple operation buttons. A user operates these buttons in various manners and thereby controls the entertainment apparatus. This allows, for example, a character displayed on a TV receiver to move.
Many conventional operating apparatuses of this type have a cross-shaped or circular direction-commanding operation button arranged on a left side of a front face, and multiple multipurpose buttons arranged on a right side of the front face. The direction-commanding operation button and the multipurpose buttons are formed of tact switches or rubber switches. On and off operations of these switches allow the character to digitally move and allows the state of the character to digitally vary.
Thus, in the conventional entertainment apparatuses, the direction-commanding operation button and the multipurpose buttons have functions for digitally varying the character displayed on the TV receiver, but have no other functions. This causes problems in that the character movement and the character-state variation are discontinuous, so that views thereof on the screen are jerky.
To solve these problems, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 7-88252 proposed a game-machine operating apparatus that has an analog-type input device. According to this publication, the analog-type input device is configured of trackballs and joysticks, and the operating apparatus allows analogous control of a character displayed on TV-receiver screens. Another conventional technique for using an analog-type input device similar to the aforementioned type is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-90042.
However, operational characteristics of the analog-type input device configured of trackballs, joysticks, and the like significantly differ from those of the direction-commanding operation button and the multipurpose buttons. For users who used to operate the direction-commanding operation button and the multipurpose buttons, it takes substantial time for them to become skilled in the operation of the proposed analog-type input devices, reducing the amusement properties that the entertainment apparatuses are supposed to provide.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is made under the described circumstances. Accordingly, an object of the invention is to allow analogous operations to be implemented using press-operational operation elements that have conventionally been used for digital operations.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, an operating apparatus comprises press-operational operation elements; detecting elements for outputting analog signals corresponding to press-operations performed on the operation elements; a level-dividing means for dividing an output-level range of an analog signal that is outputted from each of the detecting elements according to a press-operation performed on each of the operation elements; an analog-digital converting means (A-D converting means) for converting the analog signal to digital signals corresponding to individual divisional output levels produced as a result of a dividing processing by the level-dividing means; and a level-correcting means for performing shifting of levels of the digital signals outputted from the A-D converting means and for outputting them, the shifting being performed according to a predetermined corresponding reference.
According to the operating apparatus as configured above, analog signals corresponding to press-operations performed on the operation elements. Therefore, using the press-operating operation elements allows analogous operations to be implemented.
Because of factors such as the variation in individualities of the detecting elements and the variation in voltages applied to the detecting elements, depending on the operating apparatus, variation may occur in the output-level range of an analog signal that is output from each of the detecting elements corresponding to the press-operation performed on the operation element. According to this variation, variation may also occur in the output-level range of digital signals that are output from the A-D converting means. The level-correcting means solves the problem of the variation in the digital signals, thereby allowing the digital signals to be output within a specific output-level range.
The level-correcting means may be arranged so as to permit the corresponding reference to be arbitrarily modified. The corresponding reference is used to shift the levels of a digital signal. According to this arrangement, for example, depending on an application to be operated by the operating apparatus, output levels of individual digital signals corresponding to press-operations may be arbitrarily shifted. In this case, the level-correcting means may be arranged to permit the corresponding reference to be modified according to control signals sent from an entertainment apparatus.
In addition, the arrangement may be such that, among output levels of the analog signal outputted from each of the detecting elements according to the press-operation performed on each of the operation elements, the level-dividing means recognizes an output level included in a predetermined level range to be the maximum level and to process it. According to this arrangement, the maximum output level of the analog signal to be outputted to the A-D converting means can be maintained to be constant, regardless of the variation in the individualities of the detecting elements and the variation in the voltage to be applied to the individual detecting elements.
Furthermore, the arrangement may be such that, among output levels of the analog signal outputted from each of the detecting elements according to the press-operation performed on each of the operation elements, the level-dividing means recognizes an output level included in a predetermined level range to be the minimum level and to process it. According to this arrangement, the minimum output level of the analog signal to be outputted to the A-D converting means can be maintained to be constant, regardless of the variations in the individual characteristics of the detecting elements and the variations in the voltages to be applied to the individual detecting elements.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a signal-output modulating method for an operating apparatus, which comprises detecting elements for outputting analog signals corresponding to press-operations performed on the operation elements, comprises a step of dividing an output-level range of an analog signal that is outputted from each of the detecting elements according to a press-operation performed on each of the operation elements; a step of converting the analog signal to digital signals corresponding to individual divisional output levels produced as a result of a dividing processing by the level-dividing means; and a step of performing shifting of levels of the digital signals outputted from analog-digital converting means (A-D converting means) and outputting them. The shifting is performed according to a predetermined corresponding reference.
The corresponding reference may be arranged to be arbitrarily modifiable. Also, the corresponding reference may be arranged to be modifiable according to control signals sent from an entertainment apparatus.
Furthermore, the signal-output modulating method may be arranged such that, among output levels of the analog signal output from each of the detecting elements according to the press-operation performed on each of the operation elements, an output level included in a predetermined level range is recognized to be the maximum level and is thereby
Nakazawa Hiroyuki
Ogata Hiroki
Tagawa Kazusato
Dolinar Andrew M.
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
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