JP2001029659A - Game device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the changeover of game scenes, etc., by providing the head mount display of a game device for enabling a player to make play by projecting the videos of a game on the head mount display with inclination sensors and causing these sensors to generate input signals when the player faces a vertical direction. SOLUTION: The head mount display(HMD) 1 is equipped with a goggle part 2 provided with a display of liquid crystals for displaying the game videos and headphones for uttering voices. The inclination sensors 4 and 5 of a contact type are built in the HMD 1 in order to rapidly change the game screen in follow up to the directions where the player faces when the chase, etc., of an enemy plane are carried out by a plane maneuvered by a player in, for example, a shooting game simulating air battles by airplanes during the game. These inclination sensors are so constituted that the inclination sensor 4 turns on when the face is directed upward about 45 deg. and that the inclination sensor 5 turns on when the face is directed downward about 45 deg.. The game screen is changed over by these on signals.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a game apparatus for displaying a game image on a head mounted display and playing the game.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There are many conventional game devices using a head mounted display (hereinafter, referred to as HMD). This type of game device is an HMD
The player proceeds with the game by operating the input device as appropriate based on the game image displayed on the screen. In addition, the game device using the HMD has a more realistic feeling than that using a CRT display, and the use of an input device capable of more realistic input can greatly improve the power and reality of the game. Things.

[0003] In game machines, when shifting a game scene, for example, in many home video game machines, the shift is performed through a key called a cross key provided on a controller. However, this method is called HMD
If the game device is adapted to a game device using the HMD, there is a problem that the advantage of using the HMD is lost.

In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to incorporate a gyro into the HMD, detect the direction of the player using the gyro, and shift a game scene, for example, using the detection signal. With this configuration, when the player turns upward, for example, the game scene also becomes an upper scene, and the sense of reality of the game is greatly improved.

[0005]

However, the above-mentioned game apparatus has a problem that the gyro is very expensive. Further, since the gyro is relatively heavy, there has been a problem that, if the game is continued for a certain period of time, the neck is easily hurt and the shoulder is stiff.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a game device that can obtain an input signal when a player turns in a vertical direction, is extremely inexpensive, and does not require a heavy HMD.

[0007]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a game apparatus which plays a game by displaying a game image on a head-mounted display, wherein the head-mounted display is provided with an inclination sensor. I have.

It is to be noted that the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of the inclination sensors are provided, and when it is detected that at least one of the sensors is inclined upward, and when it is detected that another sensor is inclined downward, It is effective.

Further, in the present invention, a plurality of the tilt sensors are provided, and when at least one of the sensors is detected to be tilted to the upper left or lower left, the other sensor is tilted to the upper right or lower right. It is effective to detect that it has been tilted.

Still further, according to the present invention, a plurality of the inclination sensors are provided, and the inclination sensor detects when at least two of the sensors are inclined upward or downward, and detects the magnitude of the inclination angle to be detected. Is different, it is effective.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the game play apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an HMD,
The MD 1 is provided with a goggle unit 2 provided with a liquid crystal display (not shown) for displaying a game image. In this game device, the player playing the game
The game is advanced by putting the MD1 on the head and operating a game controller (not shown). Note that H
The MD1 may be equipped with a headphone that emits a voice related to the game.

By the way, there are many kinds of games, and for example, there is a shooting game that simulates an aerial battle by an airplane. In this type of game, when you chase enemy aircraft with the player's pilot,
It often moves up and down. When the direction of the character controlled by the player is changed in this manner, it is preferable that the game screen also changes following the direction of the player. However, if the change of the game scene is performed by the push button operation, the reality of the game is lacking and the interest is reduced by half.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
5 is incorporated. The tilt sensors 4 and 5 output an ON signal when tilted by a certain angle or more, for example, 45 degrees, and the tilt sensor 4 turns the face upward by 45 degrees from a state where the player faces the front, for example. When turned on, an ON signal is output. On the other hand, the inclination sensor 4 is set so as to output an ON signal when the player turns his / her face downward by 45 degrees from a state where the player faces the front, for example.

In the game device thus configured, when the player turns his / her face upward or downward, for example, following an enemy image, the tilt sensor 4 or 5 is turned on, and the game scene can be changed according to the signal. That is, if the player turns his / her face 45 degrees upward, the tilt sensor 4 is turned on, and the signal can be used to turn the game scene upward, and if the player turns his / her face downward, the tilt sensor 5 is turned on. Then, the game scene can be switched to an image facing downward. In addition, the game device has a very simple configuration in which the tilt sensors 4 and 5 are incorporated in the HMD 1, and can be provided at a low cost. Further, since the inclination sensors 4 and 5 are extremely lightweight, the HM
D1 itself does not become heavy.

By the way, depending on the game, there is a case where it is desired to change the scene stepwise according to the angle facing upward or downward. At this time, a countermeasure can be taken by incorporating a plurality of tilt sensors that are turned on at different tilt angles. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 2, one of the inclination sensors 4 and 5 that are turned on at the same angle can be used by mounting one of them on an installation surface having an angle.

With this configuration, the ON signal can be obtained at different inclination angles without preparing inclination sensors having different ON angles. Further, if the size of the angle at which the inclination sensor is installed can be changed, the angle at which the inclination sensor is turned on can be adjusted. If the angle at which the tilt sensor is turned on can be adjusted, not only the change according to the content of the game but also the scene can be adjusted so that the player changes the scene at a desired angle.

In the above-described embodiment, the inclination sensors 4 and 5 detect that the player has tilted the head in the vertical direction.
Although it is used for game control, it is possible for the player to detect the left and right lateral inclinations by devising the arrangement of the inclination sensor, and this will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 3, the HMD 1 is provided with tilt sensors 6 and 7 separately from the tilt sensors 4 and 5 described above. The tilt sensors 6 and 7 are contact type sensors similar to the tilt sensors 4 and 5, but are approximately 9
They are arranged at an angle of 0 degrees. It is advantageous to use the inclination sensors 6 and 7 that turn on when they are inclined at a relatively small angle, for example, 20 degrees.

The H in which the tilt sensors 6 and 7 are disposed as described above
The MD1 does not turn on even when the player turns his face right beside, but turns on when the player turns his face diagonally downward. Therefore, an ON signal is obtained when the player raises and lowers his / her face and when the player turns his / her face diagonally right and left, so that the game scene can be changed corresponding to each direction. The tilt sensors 6 and 7 are turned on when facing diagonally downward, but can also be arranged to be turned on when facing diagonally upward. If the number of sensors provided on the HMD 1 is increased, the inclination sensors 6 and 7 can be vertically and diagonally downward and diagonally upward. It is also possible to detect each of the six directions.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the game scene can be changed to the signal by tilting the player's face.
Since the configuration is simple and inexpensive, and the HMD does not become heavy, the worry that the player is tired unnecessarily is reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a game device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of mounting a tilt sensor.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the game device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 HMD 4, 5, 6, 7 tilt sensor

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A game device for displaying a game image on a head mounted display and playing the game, wherein an inclination sensor is provided on the head mounted display. 2. The game device according to claim 1, wherein
A game device, comprising: a plurality of the inclination sensors; detecting that at least one of the sensors is inclined upward and detecting that another sensor is inclined downward. 3. The game device according to claim 1, wherein
A plurality of the inclination sensors are provided, and it is detected that at least one of the sensors is inclined obliquely upward or downward left, and that another sensor is inclined obliquely upward or downward right. A game device characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The game device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the inclination sensors are provided, and the inclination sensor detects when at least two of the sensors are inclined upward or downward, and the sensor detects the inclination. A game device characterized in that the magnitudes of the detected inclination angles are different.