JP3165853B2 - Cross key adapter device and controller - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cross key adapter device for adding a cross key function to a controller for sending various instructions to an electronic device such as a game device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Several years have passed since the introduction of home video game machines. In recent years, a variety of interesting games have been developed, and some of them are very popular as entertainment. An input device called a controller is connected to such a home game device, and a player operates the controller to send various instructions to the game device to play a game.

As described above, the controller intervenes between the player and the game device and functions as a man-machine interface, and is very important for the game device. The operability and functionality of the controller are closely related to the ease of playing the game and the fun of the game. Conventionally, various types of controllers for game devices have been devised, but a controller for a home video game device is provided with a cross key for indicating a direction and a plurality of instruction buttons. Things are common.

[0004] By the way, depending on the content of the game, if one player makes full use of two cross keys at the same time, an item on the monitor can be moved at will, or the game operation feeling is preferable. . In such a case,
On the game software supply side, as game specifications,
Providing a controller dedicated to the game, letting you play using two normal controllers, changing the game design so that one normal controller can be operated, or using the trigger button of the normal controller instead, Will be selected.

[0005]

However, the method of providing a controller dedicated to a game has a great problem in terms of cost. Further, the method using two ordinary controllers requires twice as many controllers as the player, so that the cost burden is large and there is a problem in operability. In addition, the method of changing the game design increases development costs and has a large effect on game contents. Also,
A satisfactory operation feeling cannot be obtained by the method using the trigger button instead. As described above, all of the conventional methods have advantages and disadvantages and have not been sufficiently satisfactory.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cross key adapter device which can be realized at a low cost for a game in which it is preferable to use two cross keys, and which can obtain a satisfactory operation feeling. It is in.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cross key adapter device attachable to a controller for sending various instructions to an electronic device, wherein a plurality of buttons through which a plurality of buttons provided on the controller are passed. Part, a pedestal that can be mounted on the controller, a plurality of keys pivotally mounted around a substantially central part of the pedestal, and each extending above the opening, and a central part of the pedestal. And a fixing device for mounting the pedestal to the controller, the cross key cover device covering the plurality of keys, and a cross key cover device.

In the above-described cross key adapter device,
Preferably, the key is hinged to the pedestal. In the above-described cross key adapter device, it is preferable that the plurality of keys be arranged with a gap therebetween. In the cross key adapter device described above,
It is preferable that a notch is formed between the plurality of openings of the pedestal from the outer periphery of the pedestal toward the center.

In the above-described cross key adapter device,
It is preferable that the apparatus further includes a cover adjusting unit for adjusting a height or an inclination of the cross key cover with respect to the controller. The above purpose is provided with a plurality of buttons,
A controller for transmitting various instructions to an electronic device, wherein a controller for tiltably supporting a cross key adapter device is provided between the plurality of buttons.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cross key adapter device to be mounted on the above-mentioned controller, wherein the cross key adapter device is attached to a support portion of the controller and has a cross key cover for covering a plurality of keys. Achieved by

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cross key adapter device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a controller of a home video game to which the cross key adapter device of the present embodiment is mounted will be schematically described with reference to FIG.

The controller 1 is connected to a game device main body (not shown) and is operated by a player. The controller 1 has a controller main body 3 having a gently curved contour so as to be easily adapted to human hands.
On one side of the controller body 3, a cross key 5 operated by the player's left hand (especially the thumb) is provided, and on the other side, a plurality of trigger buttons 7 (7A, 7A, 7B, 7C, 7X, 7Y,
7Z) is provided. A start button 4 is provided at the center of the controller body 3, and a left button 61 and a right button 6r are provided on both left and right sides.

The four-way key adapter device according to the present embodiment has four trigger buttons, which are close to each other, in this embodiment, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, above the buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y. To use.
FIG. 2 shows a state in which the cross key adapter device of the present embodiment is fixed on the controller main body 3. As shown in the figure, the cross key adapter device 10 of the present embodiment includes a rectangular device main body 13 and a fixed band 15 locked to the device main body 13 and wound around the controller main body 3. The fixing band 15 may be formed of a relatively hard material such as metal or plastic, or may be formed of a flexible band such as an elastic material represented by a rubber band or a vinyl cloth. You may.

The apparatus body 13 with respect to the controller body 3
At the time of mounting, the controller body 3 is wrapped in at least three directions, in FIG. As the band locking method, for example, FIG.
As shown in (b), the protrusion 19 at the band end may be engaged with the controller screw hole 17 on the back side of the controller main body 3, or the bands may be connected via the stopper 21.

The main body 13 of the cross key adapter device 10
FIG. 4 shows an assembled cross-sectional view, and FIG. 5 shows an exploded perspective view thereof.
The apparatus main body 13 includes a rectangular pedestal 23 directly mounted on the controller main body 3, a cross key cover 25 stored in the pedestal 23, and a trigger 23 which is sandwiched between the pedestal 23 and the cross key cover 25. Four keys 27 (27A, 27B, 27) respectively in contact with the buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y
X, 27Y) and each key 27 (27A, 27B, 27
X, 27Y) for pivotally connecting the pedestal 23 to the pedestal 23.
9.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the pedestal 23 is formed as a flat box having an open top, and has four openings through which the trigger buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, and 7Y pass. A part 31 is formed. In addition, each key 27 (27A, 27B, 27X, 27
A center base 33 that swingably supports Y) protrudes,
In the center of the upper surface, a hemispherical recess 37 which engages with the projection 35 formed on the lower surface of the cross key cover 25 and supports it downward.
Are formed.

Between the openings 31 formed in the pedestal 23, four notches 3 are formed from the periphery of the pedestal toward the center base 33.
9 is formed. The cuts 39 allow the pedestal portion sandwiched between the cuts 39 to be easily curved downward. When the cross key cover 25 is fitted into the pedestal, the pedestal 23 is bent downward to facilitate the fitting operation.

Each key 2 in contact with each trigger button 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y protruding into the pedestal through the opening 31
7 (27A, 27B, 27X, 27Y) is formed in a rectangular shape having an area larger than the cross section of the trigger button 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y, and its base 41, which cooperates with the center base 33, is formed in a hinge shape. Is done. As shown in FIG. 6 in an enlarged manner, the base portion 41 supports the support portion 4
3 are pivoted separately. Also, keys 27A, 27
B, 27X, and 27Y are arranged in a cross shape corresponding to the trigger buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, and 7Y arranged in a cross shape, and have a predetermined width 45 without closely contacting other adjacent keys. Is arranged through. This means that a specific key 2 is provided by the player via the cross key cover 25.
This is to prevent the adjacent keys 27A, 27B, 27X, 27Y from being pressed by the cross key cover 25 and being erroneously input when the keys 7A, 27B, 27X, 27Y are pressed.

Thus, the trigger buttons 7A, 7B,
Keys 27A, 27B having a larger sectional area than 7X, 7Y,
By supporting the hinges 27X and 27Y, respectively, even if the positions of the trigger buttons 7A, 7B, 7X and 7Y are not accurately arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions, the keys 27 and
A, 27B, 27X, 27Y, when a force is applied anywhere on the upper surface, the trigger buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y can be pressed down reliably, and the key input of up, down, left, and right can be made. become.

In this embodiment, in addition to the above-described configuration, a circular recess 47 is formed on the lower surface of each key 27A, 27B, 27X, 27Y to allow the trigger buttons 7A, 7B, 7X, 7Y to be engaged with a margin. In addition to securely fixing the apparatus main body 13, the height of the entire apparatus is reduced. The cross key cover 25 that covers the keys 27A, 27B, 27X, and 27Y is made of a flexible material such as rubber or polypropylene, and has a flange fitted around the pedestal 23 to prevent the cover from falling off. 49 are provided. In the center of the upper surface, a hemispherical recess 3 for facilitating deformation of the cross key cover 25 in the up, down, left, and right directions.
7 are formed on the back surface of the center base 3 as described above.
A projection 35 is formed to engage with the third recess 37, thereby enabling downward support from the center of the pedestal.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily add a cross key to a conventional controller having a trigger button in at least substantially up, down, left and right directions, and to improve the operability of the cross key provided on the controller. We can provide something close. Note that, in the present embodiment, the case where the controller provided with the cross key and the trigger button is provided with the cross key adapter device has been described as an example. However, according to the present embodiment, the cross key can be easily realized by the cross key adapter device. Therefore, only a plurality of trigger buttons may be provided on the left and right without providing a conventional cross key as a controller. This makes it possible to easily cope with game software in which a large number of trigger buttons are operated with left and right hands. Further, in this case, since the cross key can be set on either the left or right side of the controller, an operation environment according to the player's preference can be realized.

Next, various modifications of the above-described embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following modified embodiments, the same components as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. In the above-described embodiment, the controller 1 has a sufficient protrusion amount of the trigger button 7. However, depending on the controller used, the protrusion amount of the trigger button 7 may be extremely smaller than that in FIG. is there. The cross key adapter device shown in FIG. 7 allows the cross key to be operated with a certain amount of protrusion of the trigger button.

For the trigger button 7 having a small protrusion amount,
According to the present embodiment, on the lower surface of each key 27, a convex portion 53 having a cross-sectional area smaller than at least the cross-sectional area of the opening 31 is formed so as to protrude. Thus, the urging force of the cross key cover 25 can be reliably transmitted to the trigger button 7 having a small protrusion amount, and the cross key operation can be reliably performed.

Further, depending on the controller 1, the surface may be inclined or curved, the trigger button 7 may be inclined, or may be mounted at different heights. For this purpose, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the bottom surface of the pedestal 23 is shaped so as to be in close contact with the curved surface of the controller 1. For example, with respect to the difference in height between the trigger buttons 7, the thickness and the height are adjusted by providing or not providing the convex portion 53. Also,
In the case where the surface of the trigger button 7 itself is curved in an uneven manner, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, by changing the shape of the trigger button contact surface of the key 27, the trigger button 7 is changed. 7 to ensure adhesion.

In this way, finally, the upper surface of the cross key cover 25 and the upper surface of the cross key 5 on the controller 1 side are made parallel, and further, the load is not applied to the cross key cover 25. As a result, it is possible to perform key input at the same depth in any direction, and it is possible to operate without any incompatibility with the existing cross key. A controller and a cross key adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The cross key adapter device according to the above-described embodiment can be attached to an existing controller of any shape and adds a function of the cross key to the existing controller. It is assumed that an adapter device is installed. As shown in FIG. 10, the controller 61 of the present embodiment does not have a cross key, has four trigger buttons 67A to 67D in a right area, and has four trigger buttons 67E to 67H in a left area. Is provided. A start button 62 is provided in front of the center, and a left button 64l and a right button 64r are provided on both left and right sides.

The four right trigger buttons 67A-67
D is arranged neatly up, down, left and right, and the center of the four trigger buttons 67A to 67D is
5 is provided with a mounting hole 68r.
The four trigger buttons 67E to 67H on the left side are arranged neatly up, down, left, and right.
A mounting hole 681 for mounting the cross key cover 65 is provided at the center of the holes 67H to 67H.

When a game requiring a cross key is performed, a cover 63 for the cross key shown in FIG. 11A is used, and a screw 63 is used as shown in FIG. 11B.
It is fixed to the ball adjust 69 inside the controller via the mounting hole 68. Ball adjust 69 is cradle 77
Because it is tiltably supported on a ball adjustment 6
The cross key cover 65 attached to 9 can easily tilt in any direction, and can obtain the same operational feeling as the original cross key.

In FIG. 11, the trigger button 6
7 to hold the camera 7 in a stable state.
5, a depression 71 is formed, and the trigger button 67 is located in the depression 71. When the trigger button 67 is pressed, on / off is detected by the rubber switch 73. As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to easily add a cross key having a good operation feeling.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the trigger buttons 7X, 7Y, 7A, 7B are used, but other buttons, for example, the buttons 7Y, 7Z, 7B, 7C of the trigger button 7 shown in FIG. 1 are used. You may do so. Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the controller used for the game device, but the present invention may be applied to a controller as an input device for controlling an electronic device other than the game device.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of openings for passing a plurality of buttons provided on a controller for sending various instructions to an electronic device are formed, and can be mounted on the controller. A pedestal, a plurality of keys pivotally mounted about a substantially central portion of the pedestal, and each extending above the opening, a cross key cover supported by the central portion of the pedestal and covering the plurality of keys, and a pedestal. Since it has a fixture for mounting to the controller, it is possible to easily add a cross key at low cost and easily compared to the conventional controller,
A controller with high operability can be provided for a video game that requires two cross keys.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a controller to which a cross key adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a cross key adapter device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for fixing the cross key adapter device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cross key adapter device taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the cross key adapter device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a connection form of a key and a base constituting the cross key adapter device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a cross key adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a cross key adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a key in a cross key adapter device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an external view of a controller according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an explanatory diagram of the appearance of a cross key adapter mountable to the controller of FIG. 10 and a method of mounting the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Controller 3 ... Start button 5 ... Cross key cover 6l ... Left button 6r ... Right button 7 (7A, 7B, 7C, 7X, 7Y, 7Z) ... Trigger button 10 ... Cross key adapter device 13 ... Device body 15 ... Fixed Band 23 ... Pedestal 25 ... Cross key cover 27 (27A, 27B, 27X, 27Y) ... Key 29 ... Pin 31 ... Opening 33 ... Central base 39 ... Cut 41 ... Base 43 ... Support 45 ... Gap 61 ... Controller 62 ... Start button 63 ... Screw 64l ... Left button 64r ... Right button 65 ... Cross key cover 67A-67H ... Trigger button 68 ... Mounting hole 69 ... Ball adjust 71 ... Recess

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-8-24439 (JP, A) JP-A-64-14739 (JP, U) JP-A 4-114390 (JP, U) JP-A 6-4739 73841 (JP, U) US Patent 4945357 (US, A) European Patent Application Publication 682350 (EP, A2) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63F 13/00-13/12 A63F 9/24 G06F 3/02

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cross key adapter device attachable to a controller that sends various instructions to an electronic device, wherein a plurality of openings for passing a plurality of buttons provided on the controller are formed, and A plurality of keys pivotally mounted around a substantially central portion of the pedestal and extending above the opening, respectively; and a plurality of keys supported by the central portion of the pedestal. Ten covering
A cross key adapter device comprising: a character key cover; and a fixture for mounting the base to the controller. 2. The cross key adapter device according to claim 1, wherein the key is hinged to the base. 3. The cross key adapter device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of keys are arranged with a gap therebetween. 4. The cross key adapter device according to claim 3, wherein a notch is formed between the plurality of openings of the pedestal from an outer periphery of the pedestal to a center portion. Key adapter device. 5. The cross key adapter device according to claim 1, further comprising a cover adjusting unit for adjusting a height or a tilt of the cross key cover with respect to the controller. Cross key adapter device. 6. plurality of buttons are provided, in the controller for sending various instructions to the electronic device, on the plurality of buttons, a cross key according to any one <br/> of claims 1 to 5 A controller having an adapter device mounted thereon. 7. A controller provided with a plurality of buttons and sending various instructions to an electronic device, wherein four of the plurality of buttons are arranged on the surface of the controller in an up , down, left, and right order . a surface of the four buttons
In the center, a cross key adapter that covers the button in a stable state
The mounting device has a mounting hole through which the cross key adapter device is mounted on the receiving stand inside the controller through the mounting hole .
Controller, characterized in that the tiltable supporting portion for tilting freely by supporting is provided. 8. The cross key adapter device mounted on a controller according to claim 7 , wherein the four key adapter devices are mounted in the mounting holes of the controller, supported by the tiltable support portion, and the four key devices. Stable button
A cross key adapter device having a cross key cover for covering in a state where the cross key is set.