KR820001840B1 - Digital preprogrammed television game system - Google Patents

Abstract

None.

Description

T.V game device pre-programmed digital data

1 is a schematic diagram of a system for extracting digital data recorded on an inexpensive standard cassette recorder and means for detecting and decoding such data.

FIG. 2 is a series of waveform diagrams showing characteristics of data recorded in the audio cassette of FIG.

3 is a series of waveform diagrams showing clock signals and data signals of different characteristics.

4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment that differs from the apparatus of FIG. 1 and utilizes the signal of FIG.

FIG. 5 includes a device for using data recorded on an audible cassette to provide pre-programmed operation with a sign displayed on the cathode ray tube of a rasty scanning display, and simplified of the device of FIG. Schematic diagram.

6 is a schematic diagram showing another application of the embodiment of FIG. 1 or FIG. 4 showing the utilization of a device for controlling various T.V game functions.

7 is a schematic diagram illustrating in more detail the embodiment of FIG.

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a circuit in a video game generator including an audio recording player, wherein the audio frequency recording player is connected to a video game generator and is decoded therein. Use audible frequency tape or phonograph with recorded data.

Electronic game apparatus for generating a signal for a symbol to be displayed on the screen of the TV receiver is well known in the prior art, and US Patent Nos. 3,728,480, 3,778,058, 3,829,095, Re, which are all assigned to the assignee of the present invention 28,598.

The electronic game apparatus described by the above patent is a game attachment for a lasting scanning indicator such as a conventional T.V receiver or T.V monitor, and has an electric circuit or element for generating a signal. This signal indicates a game symbol or spot that is movable on the raster scan indicator. The game device is also assembled in the raster scan indicator itself.

Either device of the patent is used to play several different games. That is, any one of the symbols causes a repulsion from another symbol when it matches, disappears on the screen when it matches, or generates a completely distinct motion as soon as they match. Representative games using these features include simulated long-term games, maze games, table tennis, hockey, tennis, and throwing. In any of the games in this category, one or more competition symbols (which refer to bats that hit the cavities on the screen) occur simultaneously with the points representing the game targets, or the ball or puck, and the game. The melting point is individually controllable in at least one direction.

Typically each participant or user is provided with one or more potentiometers for adjusting the vertical and horizontal positions of the user's marked symbols (symbols given to the competitor).

In a typical game, such as ping pong, a point representing a ball causes a horizontal movement across the screen of the indicator until it is blocked by the user's preference position over the direction of movement.

Ball movement is controlled by the charge and discharge of the condenser.

However, digital circuits such as counters can be used instead. For example, in a hockey game, if the ball is not blocked by the player and is linked to a goal, it remains off the screen until it is set again by one of the players.

Also various other games are described in the above patents. In order to expand the game range, a device has been added to the device described in the above patents to provide a preprogrammed operation for the constant variation of displayed points or symbols. This is described in US Pat. No. 3,921,161, assigned to the assignee of the present invention.

In this patent, it is illustrated that a pre-programmed means, such as a magnetic tape or tape reader, is connected to the game device, which automatically controls any of the changes in the displayed symbols in accordance with the information recorded on such tape. In the case of determining the progress of the game, it is to be a labor participation by the playing field, but a part of the game progress is determined in advance by the information recorded on the selected game tape.

The information recorded on the tape is analog information similar to the bandit signal output by the game control. A representative pair of potentiometers as described above is used to control the horizontal and vertical position of the symbol. Instead of using these potentiometers for actual symbol control, the potentiometers are used to provide audible acoustic analog information recorded on the tape with the voltage, and the tape output is used to automatically adjust the position of the symbol (ie, the symbol displayed to the competitor). One or more regulators for the competitor's symbol). However, the devices in the US patent require broadband and are relatively expensive. It is also limited to use by means of pre-recording, i.e., the need to generate a control signal that is recorded on an audible frequency tape or side acoustic substrate.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to broaden the scope of the present TV game apparatus, and another object is to provide a new pre-programmed behavior for the TV game indicator, and another object is to add considerable variety to the TV game circuit. have.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a variety of arbitrary input devices for a TV game circuit and another object to provide a newly pre-programmed TV game device, and another object of the present invention is to obtain a recording player together with a digital demodulator. It is to provide a regulator for controlling a circuit in a game generator by means of pre-recorded digital data.

In one embodiment of the invention, a pre-programmed means, such as an audible frequency tape or a phonograph, is provided, which includes recorded digital data suitably affecting the course of a TV game played by one or more participants. have.

For example, the recorded digital data can be used to control game parameters, such as the position of a ball or player's symbol, or it can be used to enable various power distribution circuits in a TV game control electronics, such as a switch, to perform any particular game function. This saves the user the hassle of manipulating the switch.

Digital information recorded on the tape is recorded in the form of an audible frequency tone. For example, a series of audible frequency tones with a frequency of 7KHz are made up of clock siganl, while a second series of audible frequency tones with a frequency of 5KHz is made up of a data signal. The output from the audible cassette recorder through the earphone jack is applied to three filters, where the three filters provide output to the speaker through the power amplifier and at 3.5 kHz to provide an audible frequency (voice or music). Roll-off low-pass filters, two bandpass amplifiers of 7KHz and 5KHz, respectively, to separate the clock and data signals.

The output of the band amplifier is detected and applied to the shift register, whereby a clock signal is applied to the clock input of the shift register and read in the data input applied to the data input of the shift register. In this way, the clock signal and data signal tones are decoded so that there are one bit data words used for various functions at the respective output positions of the shift register. For example, if a 4-bit data word is stored in the shift register, each bit of this word can be used to run any particular game function or its bits (1 and 0) with the integrator up and down in the vertical direction. Or it can be used to instruct the symbol generator to move from side to side in the horizontal direction.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1 one embodiment of the present invention is shown which includes a standard audio player 10. The player 10 is a conventional relatively inexpensive magnetic cassette player.

However, conventional players, i.e., those used for recording voice and music, such as real magnetic tape recorders and gramophone player, can also be used. The output of the cassette tape player 10 is taken from the jack 12, which is the output of the cassette playback unit which was conventionally provided as the earphone output. Recorded on the magnetic cassette tape of the player 10 is digital data including audio frequency information such as voice and music, and audio frequency tone burst.

A representative data signal composed of tone bursts is shown by waveform D in FIG. 2, where digital " 1 " is represented by tone burst 14 and digital " 0 " has no tone burst for a predetermined period 16. Is displayed. In this embodiment of the present invention, it is more preferable that the clock signal is recorded on the magnetic cassette tape. The clock signal is typically represented by waveform C of FIG. 2, which consists of tone bustones 18. FIG. However, these tone bursts 18 will be at a frequency different from that of the data signal for separation.

Waveforms C and D of FIG. 2 are shown for illustrative purposes only, and the number of periods indicated for each burst signal does not represent a number actually used, as will be described later.

Waveforms (A) and (B) in FIG. 2 are representative clock signal waveforms as designed by the program maker, and data signal waveforms. In order to record the clock and data signals of waveforms A and B on a magnetic tape, these signals are converted into pulse burst signals of different frequencies as shown by waveforms C and D. .

In the embodiment, the pulse burst 18 of the clock signal is generated at 7 KHz and at the same time the pulse burst of the data signal representing one logic is generated at 5 KHz. Because of the limited bandwidth of this device, assuming that it takes more than 10 cycles before the player 10 outputs a one-level signal output, the pre-recorded pulse burst is represented by the clock burst period of the waveform (C) and the waveform (D). It is used for at least 10 periods during one logical period of the data waveform. In the conventional manner, the data signal is shown in phase with the clock signal and the advancing signal.

This makes the data signal available to the device at the time the clock signal arrives to clock the data signal to the device.

Referring to FIG. 1, the output of the cassette recorder 10 taken from the jack 12 is applied to the digital demodulator 20. FIG.

The input 22 of the digital demodulator 20 is connected to three amplifiers 24, 26 and 28. The low pass amplifier 24 reproduces the voice or musical component of the signal recorded on the magnetic cassette tape.

Typically, this amplifier is designed to roll off at about 24db / octave at 3.5KHz, providing adequate high sensitivity and fidelity while simultaneously providing a wide band for two tone burst signals recorded on magnetic cassette tape. Allow width.

In a real cheap cassette player, the upper limit frequency available is around 7KHz, so the use of two tones, 7KHz and 5KHz, is used to separate the bandpass amplifiers 26 and 28 clock tone outputs from the data tone outputs. .

The output of the low pass amplifier 24 composed of music or voice is applied to the power amplifier 30, and the amplifier output is applied to the speaker 32.

The tone bursts separated after the bandpass filter using band amplifiers 26 and 28 are paired detectors 34 to reconstruct their original pulse waveforms as shown by waveforms (B) and (A) in FIG. Envelope detection is done in and (36). The RC integrator network is configured with a simple diode detector to track detectors 34 and 36 in the envelope of the tone burst. Detectors 34 and 36 also include a Schmitt trigger circuit, which is exactly rectangular and provides a clear digital waveform with predetermined digital 1 and 0 voltage levels.

The clock signal output from detector 36 is applied to data input 42 of shift register 40.

Consequently, whenever one logical level is obtained at data input 42, this logic signal coexists with one logical signal applied to clock signal input 38 of shift register 40, and the clock signal registers this one bit. It is propagated downward by 1 bit position whenever each new clock signal arrives at input 38 by shift register.

For example, if a 4 bit word is used by the device of FIG. 1 in 0-1-1-0 order, four consecutive clock bits first shift the 0 logic to the shift register 40. Then move 1 logic, and finally move 0 logic. The four bit words 0-1-1-0 are stored in the shift register when the clock pulse stops or no longer persists on the prerecorded tape.

Although the shift register 40 is shown in the example of FIG. 1 as having only four bit storage capacities, this is only an embodiment and several bit words can be used to store relatively long data words or multiple data words.

Instead of clocking the shift register 40 of FIG. 1 only when new data is input, the clock configuration shown by the waveform of FIG. 3 can be used.

The clock bit and data bit are periodically supplied to the shift register 40. The average value of the clock is a function of the clock duty cycle, which is a function of the digital demodulator input level. Therefore, the DC component of the clock voltage can be used as a control component for the automatic read control (AGC) circuit. In FIG. 4, the AGC circuit 43 is disposed between the generator 10 and the digital demodulator 20. As shown in FIG.

The control input to the AGC circuit flows out of the DC filter 45 which filters the clock signal from the band pass amplifier 20.

This allows a wide range of signal levels from the player for proper operation.

In another embodiment multi-track recording is used to eliminate the need to filter to separate the signals recorded thereon.

One overview of the present invention is to use the output of the shift register as a " function switch " in this embodiment that can control more than four circuit functions or control additional functions for the shift register with large storage capacity. For example, suppose that four bits control the vertical and horizontal motion of two symbols, which are symbols for hockey matches, on the display of a cathode-ray cathode ray tube display. In addition, one logic at the output 1 of the shift register 40 moves the hockey player vertically on the screen, and zero logic at the output 1 moves the hockey player vertically. Suppose that 1 logic in) moves the hockey player to the right and 0 logic in output 2 moves the hockey player to the left. Likewise assume that the movement of the second hockey player is controlled by the outputs 3 and 4 of the shift register 40.

If a new digital signal arriving periodically to the shift register 40 is shifted at a rate of 350 bits per second (1/20 carrier modulation frequency), the 4-bit word takes 11.4 milliseconds to fully shift to the shift register 40. Therefore, there is a transition period of less than 11.4 milliseconds in which new data bits ripple past various shift register outputs 1-4. After this period, the predetermined 1 logic and 0 logic appear as appropriate outputs in the stopped state. Load cycle noise as the period of 11.4 milliseconds is short enough for the movement of hockey players on the cathode ray tube (CRT) screen, which includes the response to discharge and charging of the RC integrator network commonly used in video game circuits. Is in the aftermath and does not have any decisive influence on the position of the hockey match.

In another example, when the shift register 40 has additional memory bits, the next memory bit in the digital word can be allocated to erase the symbol displayed on the cathode ray tube screen. With about 10 times the load period or 100 millisecond time constant at the fifth output of the shift register, the noise generated during the shift in the RC filter period is canceled and one logic and zero logic voltage is leaked out of the fifth output ( Typically +5 volts and 0 volts respectively). This logic level signal is applied to a gate that controls the erasing and erasing of a predetermined symbol on the TV screen.

Referring to FIG. 5, the application of the apparatus described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 causes the preprogrammed movement of a symbol displayed on the screen of a raster scan indicator such as a TV receiver or monitor. The digital demodulator 20 is supplied with a pre-recorded data bit string from the cassette tape player 10 and flows out of either 0 logic or 1 logic output at its terminal 1-4. Voltage levels at terminals (1) and (2) are applied to integrators 50 and 52, and voltage levels from terminals 3 and (4) are resistors 46 ₁ -46 ₄ and capacitors 48 ₁ -48 is applied to the filter consisting of ₄ ).

For example, suppose that the output terminal 1 in the digital demodulator 20 is one logic (for example, +5 volts). This voltage is applied to the integrated amplifier 50 and the condenser 54 of the integrated circuit through the resistor 53.

As a result, the output voltage from integrator amplifier 50, taken in line 56, begins to drop in the negative direction and continues to drop while one logical signal remains at one output of digital demodulator 20.

Line 56 is connected to a T.V game circuit 58 of the type described in US Pat. No. Re28,598. The game circuit includes symbol generators 60 and 63 for receiving horizontal and vertical synchronizing signals as input from the synchronizing oscillator 62. The outputs from the symbol generators 60 and 63 are applied to the summer 66 in accordance with the synchronization signal from the synchronous generator 62, and generate a symbol such as 70 and 71 on the screen. A stud scan cathode ray tube indicator 68 is applied. The output of the summation circuit 66 is connected directly to the video circuit of the indicator 68 or to the antenna terminal of the receiver via a modulator and a radio frequency (RF) oscillator as in an application such as a conventional home T.V receiver.

When a negative ramp voltage at the integrator 50 is applied to the vertical position input of the symbol generator 60, the corresponding symbol 70 on the screen of the indicator 68 moves downward. The movement speed of the sign 70 is determined by the element value associated with the resistor 53 and the condenser 54 and the position-to-input voltage relationship of the sign generator 60.

Assume that one output from the digital demodulator returns to zero voltage level (0 logic) because of the pre-programmed tape command signal. Immediately, the integrator output 56 is inverted and inverts the movement of the symbol 70 on the screen to move upward (positive direction).

If the pre-recorded command signal changes rapidly between logic 1 and logic 0, it can be seen that an equilibrium state exists at the input and output of the integrator 50. Therefore, the vertical movement of the symbol displayed on the screen stops.

Likewise, the continuous change of the logic signal in the output line 2 of the digital demodulator 20 causes the corresponding horizontal movement of the display symbol 70. The output of the filter comprising the resistor 46 and the condenser 48 is also used to cancel the output of the symbol generator 60. When the output 3 of the digital demodulator 20 is set at the zero logic level, the filter applies zero logic to the AND gate 61.

In doing so, the output of the symbol generator 60 is erased and the symbol 70 is removed from the cathode ray tube screen. Therefore, it can be seen that the position of the T.V receiver game code can be controlled simply and economically by using voltage levels corresponding to 1 logic and 0 logic of the output of the digital demodulator 20.

The symbol 71 generated by the symbol generator 63 is controlled by the participant using the manual adjuster 73 in the manner described in any one of the above-mentioned US patents.

Referring to FIG. 6, a general embodiment according to the present invention that can play a T.V type game using a recording tape or other medium which is pre-programmed in a digital manner is described. As shown, the data previously recorded from the cassette player 10 is applied to the digital demodulator 20 as described later. The digital demodulator contains a shift register of any actual length suitable for use. Hence, as is common in digital data systems, any actual length of digital words, such as 4, 8, 12, 16 or 24 bits, is shifted from a prewritten source to storage.

These digital words are then applied in parallel to the data processing logic assistance system 74. The data processing logic assistant system is simply an analog converter using an output DC position voltage for use in a symbol generator, or a small microprocessor that contains complex stored software.

In the latter case, the microprocessor would be considered as a programmable multi-item switching board of software that can switch circuitry at their respective junctions to create a large number of different TV matches under the control of pre-programmed tapes and participants. Can be. The output from the data processing logic circuit 74 is connected to the T.V game circuit 58, and the output from the game circuit is applied to the register scan indicator 68.

FIG. 7 is a detailed view of the apparatus as in FIG. 6 described in such a manner that the simulated hockey game is played by one or more players in association with pre-programmed and recorded digital data. In FIG. 7, information in the playback device 10 is applied to the digital demodulator 20, and is applied to the data processing logic device 74 which is decoded to indicate a command. The command signal 25 is applied via a line 76 to a preprogrammed memory symbol generator 78 which is programmed in advance to represent the simulated hockey player 80 displayed on the screen of the raster scanning video indicator 68. Output raster signal.

The next digital word in the digital demodulator 20 is applied to the data processing device 74, and is output to the symbol position and moving circuit, that is, the game circuit 58, via the line 82. This signal switches the game elements in the game circuit 58, which acts as a speed controller for the simulated puck to be a fast moving or game function such as movement characteristics (speed) for one player versus another.

The continuous digital words in the digital demodulator 20 renew the vertical and horizontal position symbol inputs to the game control circuit 58 via the line 86. This signal can control the position of any mock competitor, not directly controlled by the patent participant, but rather by the counter competitor / participant. This movement may be arbitrary or influenced by additional input of the instantaneous position of the simulated puck, in the latter case the movement of the opposing player occurs in the direction of the puck, increasing the likelihood of blocking the player and the puck, Therefore, a game operation including scoring of a goal is realized by a tape-controlled player / player. The continuous digital word continuously updates the vertical and horizontal position signal inputs applied via line 86. Participant input from manual control 73 is applied via line 87.

A numeric generator 88 is also provided and receives via line 90 the output from data processing device 74 in response to input from digital demodulator 20 to the data processing device. The output of the digital demodulator does not periodically erase part of the indicator, providing a score number and a time stamp. The output from the number generator 88 is applied to the video summing circuit 66 in the case of a gate 92. Another output from the digital demodulator 20 is applied to the gate 92 via the data processing device and also via the line 94 so that the image shown on the raster scan video indicator 68 is erased to Used to mark an end or another. One or more additional symbol generators 96 are arranged to generate signs that represent such things as stadium boundaries, goals, lines, and the like.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 6 and 7, the pre-recorded datawords can be used to guide aircraft, start dropping of simulated shells and adjust their paths, launch a simulated gun to another coded object such as another simulated tank or airplane, and simulate ping pong. It can be used to control a wide variety of TV game display functions, such as ball movement in billiards or billiard games.

Accordingly, the illustrated embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative only, and various modifications and changes may not be made without departing from the principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (1)

Means for generating on a screen a first symbol representing a first game play object that can be moved on a screen, and for displaying a game on a screen of a cathode ray tube using a prerecorded audio frequency magnetic recording member; An apparatus, comprising: a pre-recorded audio frequency magnetic recording member having recorded binary encoded digital data, and providing signals to move a first symbol on a screen of a cathode ray tube and through a suitable reproducing apparatus in the magnetic recording member; And a demodulator for acquiring binary encoded digital data, and means for coupling said demodulator to said generating means.

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