KR101397457B1 - Game controller apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a game controller which enables a user to actively use index fingers and input various information and is appropriate for a social network function. The composition of the present invention includes: a casing (1) which has an internal space by including an upper plate (3), a lower plate (5), and a side plate (7) as a boomerang shape in order to operate an input means by using thumbs and index fingers in a state of being grabbed with both hands; a first input means (13) which is installed in the upper plate (3) and is formed with one or more among a button, a stick, and a touchpad or a touch screen; and second input means (15, 15′) which are installed in the side plate (7) or first areas (L1, L1′) on the lower plate which can be touched by the end of an index finger which is naturally bent in a state of grabbing the left and right sides of the casing (1) with both hands, wherein the second input means (15, 15′) are displacement sensors which obtain position information of an x-y coordinate value by a contact of fingers.

Description

Game Controller Apparatus "

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a game regulating apparatus, and more particularly, to a game regulating apparatus capable of positively utilizing detection while deviating from a functional limit of a thumb by mounting a 'pointing device' .

Game control devices are used not only in console games but also in various PC games. A general game control device can be operated by using various input means such as a button, an analog stick, and the like which are held by both hands and are placed thereon. The game control device has a convenient structure for holding with both hands and has various buttons or stick type input means.

Recently, a pressure sensitive or electrostatic touchscreen has become widespread as an input means. They enable both display and input functions to be implemented simultaneously to maximize ease of use and space efficiency.

In the case of a conventional game control device, there is an analog stick (or pad) which acts as a direction key at a position where the thumb touches, which is also called a thumbstick because it is operated by using a thumb. When the analog stick acts as a directional key, the thumb is easy to use. However, when operating as a "pointing device", that is, when performing a mouse function, the pointer moves quickly and precisely The operation of the user is inconvenient. Conventional game control devices can not escape from the use of thumb.

This problem is due to the design features of the analog stick, which acts as a directional key, and at the same time the "pointing device" function must be operated. The pointer moves precisely and quickly in the direction desired by the user for aiming, The structure and the method that must be manipulated by using the thumb at the time of the user is inconvenient to the user.

Such a relative inconvenience is due to the structure that must be manipulated with the thumb when used as a mouse function, so it can be either a thumbstick or control stick in general form, or some other form, such as taking the form of a pad In the end, the way to manipulate the "pointer" using the thumb reveals the inherent limitations of precision and promptness, compared with the way of using the index finger.

Game control devices can be used not only for console games but also for playing PC games. In the case of PC games other than console games, since the mouse is developed with the mouse as a basic input device, the mouse pointer can be quickly and accurately moved, manipulated In the case of such a game, the structure of the existing game control device, in which the movement of the "pointer" is manipulated with the thumb, is difficult to proceed with the game using the game control device instead of the mouse.

Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0073048 Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0114286

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide a game apparatus and a game apparatus which are capable of quickly and precisely moving a pointer for a purpose of aiming or moving a point of view when operating a game control device as a "pointing device" By ergonomically configuring and designing "pointing device" on the game control device so that it can be manipulated using the index finger instead of the conventional thumb, it is possible to enjoy the game more smoothly by improving the precision and speed of operation, .

In addition, it is possible to organically integrate the mouse function and the keyboard function into the game control device when the touch screen which can input a variety of characters can be installed beyond the possibility of setting only a few game keys, It provides a computer-integrated input device that allows users to interact with each other through text input at the same time as the game.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a game controller for facilitating easy use of a console game as well as a PC game. In addition, it provides a computer integrated controller that allows easy manipulation in genres such as FPS or RTS requiring detailed manipulation, and easy operation of all PC games based on a keyboard and a mouse.

The above object can be achieved by a portable information terminal device comprising: a casing having an inner space formed by an upper plate, a lower plate, and a side plate so as to be capable of operating an input means using a thumb and a finger in a state of being held by both hands; First input means provided on the upper plate, the first input means being at least one of a button, a stick, and a touch screen; And second input means provided in a sensor mounting region on the side plate or the lower plate on which the end portion of one of the naturally bent bent portions such as an arrow can be touched while holding the right and left sides of the casing with both hands;
The second input means is a pressure sensitive, electrostatic or optical displacement sensor for obtaining positional information in the xy coordinate value by touching the finger, excluding a displacement sensor held in contact with the ball, And a pointing device for performing functions such as clicking, clicking, and moving the mouse pointer.

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According to an aspect of the present invention, the first input means includes a touch screen, and characters can be input using the thumb by arranging the dial through the touch screen.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the second input means is a pressure sensitive, electrostatic or optical displacement sensor for obtaining positional information in the xy coordinate value by finger contact, excluding a displacement sensor held in contact with the ball, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > (OTP). ≪ / RTI >

According to another aspect of the present invention, a second input means in the form of a trigger button is further provided in the sensor installation area on the side plate of the casing to perform a game key function, Button function can be performed.
According to still another aspect of the present invention,
A third input means in the form of a wheel button is further provided in the sensor installation area on the side plate of the casing so as to perform a game key function and a right button function in a general mouse.
According to still another aspect of the present invention,
Wherein the displacement sensor is installed in an input means seating portion provided in a protruding form from a side plate of the casing; The mounting position of the input means seating portion can be adjusted.
According to still another aspect of the present invention,
On both right and left sides of the casing, a handle portion protruding toward the body of the user can be provided.

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According to the above configuration, since the 'pointing device' that can be operated by using the index finger is installed, it can be used as a substitute for a mouse, but unlike a conventional mouse which needs to be used on the floor, There is a game control device (or computer integrated input device) that is less constrained, sitting at the desk, as well as lying on the bed and sitting on the sofa.

In addition, if you have a touch screen that allows you to enter text, you can integrate the mouse and keyboard functions into one game control device, replace the mouse and keyboard, and play games that match the current trend An adjustment device (or a computer integrated input device) is provided.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a game regulating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view, and Fig. 3 is a plan view.
4 is a plan view showing the use state of a game control device usable with both hands according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a game control device usable with both hands according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a plan view thereof.
7 is a plan view of a game regulating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a bottom view of a game regulating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a basic embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG.

The game control device (hereinafter, referred to as a 'game control device') of the present invention is formed by organically integrating a keyboard and a mouse, which are conventional computer peripherals, into a single body called a casing.

The casing 1 is elongated in the left-right direction so as to be able to operate the input means using the thumb and index finger in a state of being held by both hands. The casing 1 is composed of an upper plate 3, a lower plate 5 and a side plate 7 and has an internal space. The internal space includes a control unit for receiving a command input from the input means and generating and outputting an input signal, and a driving unit for transmitting the generated input signal to a computer, and these devices are well known.

Although the concrete form of the casing 1 may be various, basically, it is enough that the general person can grip and hold comfortably for a long time by holding both sides with both hands. The size and shape of a typical game controller (or Microsoft's Xbox game controller), which is widely available on the market, can be referred to in determining the size and shape of the casing, since it is difficult to have too much volume or too large a volume.

According to another aspect of the present invention, both sides of the casing 1 may have a boomerang shape provided with a handle 9 protruding toward the user's body. The handle 9 is provided in a shape similar to a cone and has an egg size. This is to enable the user to grasp the casing 1 comfortably for a long time and at the same time to enjoy various games provided on the market.

A first input means (13) is provided on the top plate of the casing. The first input means 13 may be constituted by at least one of a button 13a, a stick 13b and a touch screen 13c. According to the embodiment of the present invention, a touch screen 13c capable of a display function is provided as one of the first input means at the central portion of the upper plate. The touch screen 13c has an area corresponding to a screen of a PDA, an electronic notebook, a tablet PC, or a smartphone provided on the market. Accordingly, not only can various game keys be set through the touch screen 13c and can be pressed in a button form, and if the character input keypad screen is changed according to the setting, characters can be input in a manner similar to a conventional keyboard. That is, the first input means 13 can perform a function as a keyboard, and allow a user to communicate with a counterpart through a message through a character input at the same time as the game. In this regard, a game control device with enhanced social functions is provided.

The plurality of buttons 13a can be used for instructing a character or manipulating a menu, and the stick 13b can be mainly used for a direction key, that is, for moving a game character. They perform the same functions as those used in conventional game controllers and can be controlled with thumbs.

As mentioned above, the casing 1 is composed of the upper plate 3, the lower plate 5 and the side plate 7. [ The boundary between the upper plate 3, the lower plate 5, and the side plate 7 will not be conspicuous in many cases. In the present invention, the side plate 7 of the casing 1 can be regarded as a portion corresponding to a face that can be visually recognized when viewed from both side faces, the rear face, or the front face of the casing 1 by the positive projection method. In other words, it can be considered that the portion in the section S indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2 which is a front view corresponds to the side plate 7.

According to the present invention, the second input means 15, 15 ', 15 "are provided in the sensor mounting areas L1, L2, L3 on the side plate 7 or the lower plate 5. The sensor mounting areas L1, L2, L3 refers to a region centered on a point at which the end portions of the detection fingers F1 and F2 naturally curved like an arch come in contact with the left and right grip portions 9 of the casing 1 with both hands.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the second input means (15, 15 ', 15 ") is a displacement sensor that acquires positional information on the xy coordinate by touching the finger. According to the present invention, Or optical touch pads are all possible, but more preferable ones are optical touch pads.

The optical track pad (OTP), one of the optical touch pads, allows you to move, navigate, click, scroll, and zoom through the functions of your PC mouse through the movement of your fingers, We implement functions such as dragging through the mouse cursor.

The basic operation principle is to read the image data of the fingerprint fingerprint obtained by irradiating the infrared rays and then to make the image sensor through the optical module to perform a function similar to that of a mouse (manufactured by KRUSTICS Co., www.crucialtec.com).

Furthermore, one of various kinds of displacement sensors using the currently provided finger contact can be employed as the second input means, and various displacement sensors to be developed in the future can be replaced as needed. Therefore, the second input means is a "pointing device" capable of performing a single input button function as well as being able to control with a finger, as has been used in a conventional game controller, The mouse function can be performed.

The sensor mounting areas L1, L2 and L3 are composed of a first area L1, a second area L2 and a third area L3. The portion where the right finger F1 touches is the first area L1. There is a second area L2 (see FIG. 2) centering on a side symmetrical to the first area L1 with a point where the end of the other detection (F2, for example, left detection) can be reached. Both the left and right second input means 15 and 15 'may be provided in some cases.

The third input means 19 in the form of a wheel may be provided in parallel with the second input means 15, 15 ', 15 ". The third input means 19, 19' Can be used as an input means.

On the other hand, fourth input means 29 and 29 'are provided at the lower ends of the first region L1 and the second region L2, respectively (see FIG. 2). The fourth input means 29 and 29 'may be a' trigger button '. The trigger button is a trigger-type button that performs the same function as that used in a conventional game controller and can be controlled by a finger, which can be used to perform a right button function in a general mouse.

According to the above configuration, characters or the like can be inputted through the touch screen 13c by using the thumb F3 or F4 and the second input (second input) provided on the side plate 7 of the casing by using the detection F1 or F2 The means 15 can be used as a mouse. The input signal can be precisely and quickly generated to a degree corresponding to the second input means 15 by controlling the second input means 15 with a finger (F1 or F2) capable of precise and quick movement.

Hereinafter, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 5 to 6. Fig. According to the present embodiment, the input means seating portion 23 for providing the second input means 15 of the one side plate is provided in front of the side portion of the casing 1. The input means seating portion 23 is provided so as to protrude from the side plate 7 of the casing 1. The input means seating portion 23 may be integrally formed with the casing 1, but may be provided in the casing 1.

According to this embodiment, it can be said that the second input means 15 is suitable when the width of the second input means 15 is somewhat wide.

The position or orientation of the input means seating portion 23 may be adjusted according to individual needs as an expanded form of this embodiment. The casing 1 may be provided with a straight or circular rail and the input means seating portion may be provided with a linear or rotational movement along the rail. Of course, the input unit seating portion 23 should be kept electrically connected to the control unit installed in the casing 1 even when the input unit seating portion 23 is being moved.

Figure 7 relates to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the second input means 15 is provided at a suitable position for the right-handed user or the left-handed user according to his or her needs. The input means seating portion 23 'may be connected to or disconnected from the casing 1 via a connector.

On the right side of the side plate of the casing 1, there is provided a female connection terminal 25 for electrical connection and physical connection with the input means seating portion 23 '. On the rear surface of the input means seating portion 23 ', there is provided a male connection terminal 27 which can be coupled to the female connection terminal 25. A female connection terminal (not shown) will be provided on the left-right symmetrical side, and an unused female connection terminal will be closed by the cover.

This will be described below with reference to Fig. 8 is a bottom view of the game regulating apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The casing 1 has a simple rectangular shape different from the previous embodiment. The second input means 15 '' of the lower plate, which is of the same type as the second input means 15 of the side plate, that is a displacement sensor for obtaining position information by the contact of the fingers, That is, the third region L3, on the lower plate 5 which can naturally bend the detection finger F1 in a state in which the nipple 1 is held by both hands. So it is not necessary to repeat the explanation.

As described above, the present invention provides a displacement sensor for acquiring position information, that is, an xy coordinate value, on a predetermined plane on a point other than the front surface of the game control apparatus, which can be controlled using the detection do.

The configuration shown and described above is merely a preferred embodiment based on the technical idea of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Of course, each of the embodiments described above may be embodied in any combination without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1: casing 3: top plate
5: lower plate 7: side plate
9: handle 13: first input means
15, 15 ', 15 ": second input means 19, 19': third input means
23, 23 ': input means seating portion 25: female connection terminal
27: male connection terminals 29, 29 ': fourth input means
L1, L2, L3: first, second and third regions

Claims (8)

A casing which is configured by an upper plate, a lower plate, and a side plate and has an internal space so that the input means can be operated using the thumb and index finger while being held by both hands; First input means provided on the upper plate, the first input means being at least one of a button, a stick, and a touch screen; And second input means provided in a sensor mounting region on the side plate or the lower plate on which the end portion of one of the naturally bent bent portions such as an arrow can be touched while holding the right and left sides of the casing with both hands;
The second input means is a pressure sensitive type electrostatic or optical displacement sensor for obtaining positional information in the xy coordinate value by the touch of a finger. The sensor can perform not only a game key function but also functions such as clicking and movement of a mouse pointer Wherein the game device is a pointing device for performing a game.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first input means includes a touch screen, wherein characters can be input using the thumb by arranging the dial through the touch screen.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second input means is a pressure sensitive, electrostatic or optical displacement sensor for obtaining positional information in the xy coordinate value by finger contact, the optical input device comprising an optical optical trackpad (OTP).
The method according to claim 1,
A second input means in the form of a trigger button is further provided in a sensor mounting area on the side plate of the casing to perform a game key function and a right button function in a general mouse Game control device.
The method according to claim 1,
A third input means in the form of a wheel button is further provided in the sensor installation area on the side plate of the casing so as to perform a game key function and a right button function in a general mouse Game control device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the displacement sensor is installed in an input means seating portion provided in a protruding form from a side plate of the casing;
Wherein the installation position of the input means seating portion can be adjusted.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a handle is provided on both sides of the casing to protrude toward the body of the user.
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