JP4702738B2 - Game system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication terminal device having a wireless communication function, and more particularly to a communication terminal device including a plurality of communication modules.

  In recent years, various wireless communication protocols have been proposed and put into practical use. IEEE802.11 and Bluetooth (registered trademark) are typical examples, and they are incorporated into various information terminal devices and used for wireless connection with peripheral devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), printers, and headsets. . Due to recent technological innovations, wireless communication modules are manufactured in a small size and at low cost, and it is also possible to incorporate a plurality of types of wireless communication protocol modules in one housing.

  The wireless communication module needs to transmit a signal up to a certain distance and to reproduce a signal by receiving a weak radio wave transmitted from a peripheral device. Therefore, the wireless communication module includes a transmitter capable of high output and a highly sensitive receiver.

  When a plurality of wireless communication modules are mounted in one housing, the wireless communication modules are arranged close to each other due to space constraints. Therefore, mutual interference of radio waves may occur between the wireless communication modules. In particular, since the wireless communication protocol of IEEE802.11 and Bluetooth uses the same 2.4 GHz band, the problem of mutual interference becomes large.

  In order to avoid mutual interference between different wireless communication modules, a technique called AFH (Adaptive Frequency Hopping) has been developed in the Bluetooth protocol. According to the AFH technology, the Bluetooth communication module avoids the use of frequency bands occupied by other communication modules in the same band, and performs frequency hopping using only available frequencies, thereby enabling communication of Bluetooth protocol. Stabilize.

  However, when a plurality of wireless communication modules are mounted in the same housing, the wireless communication modules are arranged at a short distance, so that the interference by radio waves cannot be sufficiently avoided by the countermeasures using AFH. In particular, when one wireless communication module is in a signal transmission mode and another wireless communication module in close proximity is in a signal reception mode at the same time, the other wireless communication module is The output transmission radio wave is received. At this time, the signal to be originally received is buried in the received radio wave, and a situation in which the signal cannot be properly reproduced also occurs. Therefore, it is desired to develop a technology that realizes stable communication when a plurality of wireless communication modules are mounted in the same housing.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication terminal device in which a plurality of wireless communication modules can perform stable communication.

  In order to solve the above problems, a communication terminal device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a first wireless communication module and a second wireless communication module having a common reference communication cycle. The first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module communicate with each other at a communication cycle that is an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle. The communication cycle of the first wireless communication module and the second wireless communication module is expressed by N times the reference communication cycle (N is an integer of 1 or more). Note that the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module and the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module do not have to be the same, and each may be an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle. The communication terminal device according to this aspect sets an offset time from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module to the communication start time of the second wireless communication module.

  According to this aspect, the communication terminal device includes a plurality of wireless communication modules by setting the offset time so that the communication of the second wireless communication module is started after the communication of the first wireless communication module is completed. Even in this case, it is possible to create a state in which the communication of the first wireless communication module is not interfered by the communication of the second wireless communication module.

  It should be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements and a conversion of the expression of the present invention between a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium, a computer program, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a communication terminal device in which a plurality of wireless communication modules can perform stable communication.

  FIG. 1 shows a communication system 1 in an embodiment of the present invention. The communication system 1 includes a game apparatus 10, wireless controllers 25 a, 25 b, 25 c (hereinafter referred to as “wireless controller 25”) that are wirelessly connected to the game apparatus 10, portable game machines 30 a, 30 b (hereinafter referred to as “portable game machines”). 30 ”) and a personal computer 32 (hereinafter referred to as“ PC 32 ”). The game apparatus 10 includes a first wireless communication module 12 and a second wireless communication module 14 having a communication function, a control unit 16 that manages the entire game apparatus in an integrated manner, and application processing for executing a game application. A unit 18 and an output unit 20 for outputting the processing result of the game application are provided. The game device 10 functions as a wireless communication terminal device by including the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14. The first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 enable communication using separate wireless communication protocols.

  In the communication system 1, the wireless controller 25 is a game controller for the game apparatus 10, and one or more users operate the wireless controller 25 while watching a game screen displayed on the display of the game apparatus 10 to play a game. be able to. The portable game machine 30 is a terminal device that can perform a plurality of simultaneous play by communicating with other portable game machines 30 using the game apparatus 10 as a relay station. The portable game machine 30 may have a function of receiving moving image data from the game apparatus 10 and providing a moving image to the user. Furthermore, the portable game machine 30 can also be used as a game controller for the game apparatus 10, and the user operates the portable game machine 30 while looking at the game screen displayed on the display of the game apparatus 10. You can also play games. Thus, the game apparatus 10 can function for a plurality of uses.

  In the present embodiment, the first wireless communication module 12 performs wireless communication using the Bluetooth protocol and enables wireless connection with a plurality of wireless controllers 25. In Bluetooth, a frequency hopping type spread spectrum system is adopted. In the communication system 1, the first wireless communication module 12 functions as a master unit, that is, a master for the wireless controller 25, and the wireless controller 25 functions as a slave. A piconet is formed between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25. The piconet is a network that is temporarily formed between the terminals when the Bluetooth terminals are brought close to each other, and a maximum of eight Bluetooth terminals can participate in one piconet. Therefore, the first wireless communication module 12 as a master can be wirelessly connected to a maximum of seven wireless controllers 25.

  The second wireless communication module 14 performs wireless communication according to the IEEE802.11 protocol, and enables wireless connection with a plurality of portable game machines 30 and the PC 32. For example, IEEE802.11b and / or IEEE802.11g is adopted as the IEEE802.11 protocol. Under a communication environment based on the IEEE802.11 protocol, the second wireless communication module 14 functions as an access point. The wireless LAN MAC layer technology based on the IEEE802.11 protocol adopts CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) as an access control method. Has a function of transmitting data after confirming that the communication path is continuously available for a certain time or more. This waiting time is the minimum time plus a random waiting time for each terminal. Multiple terminals transmit at the same time after a previous communication, and signals collide with each other. This prevents the situation from occurring.

  The control unit 16 manages communication functions by the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14. In the present embodiment, the control unit 16 starts from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 so as to reduce the mutual interference between the communication of the first wireless communication module 12 and the communication of the second wireless communication module. 2 Set an offset time until the communication start time of the wireless communication module 14. The control unit 16 sets a first communication period in which communication of the first wireless communication module 12 is permitted based on the number of wireless controllers 25 managed by the first wireless communication module 12. By setting the offset time to be equal to or longer than the first communication period, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the communication of the second wireless communication module 14 is started before the communication of the first wireless communication module 12 is completed. In addition, the control unit 16 may set a second communication period in which communication of the second wireless communication module 14 is permitted based on the number of portable game machines 30 managed by the second wireless communication module 14. At this time, the control unit 16 sets the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 and / or the second wireless communication module 14 so that the first communication period and the second communication period do not overlap on the time axis. Also good. Thereby, the game apparatus 10 which can reduce or eliminate the mutual interference of the radio waves between the wireless communication modules and enables stable communication is realized.

  The first wireless communication module 12 receives an operation input related to a game application from one or a plurality of wireless controllers 25 and supplies the operation input to the application processing unit 18 via the control unit 16. The application processing unit 18 executes a game application based on the received operation input. The output unit 20 is configured with a display, a speaker, and the like, and a processing result by the application processing unit 18 is output.

  The second wireless communication module 14 receives status information from one or more portable game machines 30. The second wireless communication module 14 transfers status information from the portable game machine 30 participating in the wireless LAN to another portable game machine 30. Thereby, in each portable game machine 30, the game application in which the status information in the other portable game machines 30 is reflected is executed, and a plurality of users can simultaneously play a game on each portable game machine 30. I can enjoy it. When the portable game machine 30 is used as a game controller, the second wireless communication module 14 receives an operation input from the portable game machine 30 via the control unit 16 as in the first wireless communication module 12. This is supplied to the application processing unit 18. Furthermore, when the portable game machine 30 is used as a terminal for receiving a moving image, the second wireless communication module 14 distributes moving image data to the portable game machine 30. Below, the case where the status information of a game application is communicated between the 2nd wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30 is taken as an example.

  Since the game device 10, the wireless controller 25, and the portable game machine 30 transmit and receive data related to the processing of the game application, in principle, information transmission in real time is required although there is a difference in degree. For this reason, in the communication system 1 of the present embodiment, the process of the game application is performed by keeping the period in which the first wireless communication module 12 communicates and the period in which the wireless controller 25 communicates as much as possible on the time axis. To stabilize communications.

  On the other hand, the communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32 is not used for execution of the game application, and strict real-time property is not required. For example, a usage situation in which the game apparatus 10 is connected to the Internet via a router and the PC 32 transmits and receives electronic mail is assumed. Therefore, communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32 includes communication between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 and communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30. It will be done during non-use hours.

  FIG. 2 shows functional blocks of the control unit. The control unit 16 includes the interface unit 50a between the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14, and includes the interface unit 50b between the application processing unit 18 and other configurations. Send and receive data. The interface unit 50a and the interface unit 50b may have a common hardware structure.

  The control unit 16 further includes a data transfer unit 52, a communication load monitoring unit 54, a latency determination unit 56, a communication timing setting unit 58, and a clock unit 60. The control unit 16 has a function of comprehensively controlling and managing the game apparatus 10, but FIG. 2 particularly shows a functional block for managing communication of the game apparatus 10.

  The communication management function of the control unit 16 is realized in the game apparatus 10 by a CPU, a memory, a program loaded in the memory, and the like, and here, functional blocks realized by their cooperation are drawn. The program may be built in the game apparatus 10 or may be supplied from the outside in a form stored in a recording medium. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by hardware only, software only, or a combination thereof.

  The communication load monitoring unit 54 monitors each communication load of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14. The communication load monitoring unit 54 monitors the number of wireless controllers 25 that are wirelessly connected to the first wireless communication module 12 and the number of portable game machines 30 that are connected to the second wireless communication module 14. The communication load of the communication module may be grasped. The communication load monitoring unit 54 may periodically monitor the communication load of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14. Further, when a change occurs in the number of connected units, the communication load may be monitored by receiving a new number of connected units from the wireless communication module. The communication load monitoring unit 54 sends the monitoring result of the communication load of each communication module to the communication timing setting unit 58.

  The communication timing setting unit 58 receives the monitoring result of the communication load of the first wireless communication module 12, and the offset from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 to the communication start time of the second wireless communication module 14. Set the time. At this time, the communication timing setting unit 58 sets a first communication period in which communication of the first wireless communication module 12 is permitted from the communication load of the first wireless communication module 12. For example, when the first wireless communication module 12 manages three wireless controllers 25, a total of six time slots are required by receiving polling for each wireless controller 25 and responses thereto. In this case, the communication timing setting unit 58 determines that at least 6 time slots are required for communication of the first wireless communication module 12, and the first communication period is preferably at least 6 time slots. Is set to 6 time slots. As will be described later, it is preferable that communication between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 is executed in a burst manner to facilitate the calculation of the first communication period.

  When obtaining the first communication period, the communication timing setting unit 58 sets the offset time to be equal to or longer than the first communication period. Accordingly, the second wireless communication module 14 starts communication after the offset time has elapsed from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12, that is, after the first communication period of the first wireless communication module 12 ends, Communication by the second wireless communication module 14 is not started before the communication of the wireless communication module 12 ends. Therefore, the mutual interference of communication between the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 can be reduced or eliminated. Note that the communication timing setting unit 58 searches for the wireless controller 25 that establishes a new wireless connection with the first wireless communication module 12 during the first communication period necessary for the communication of the first wireless communication module 12. The offset time may be set by adding the above time. The time for searching for the new wireless controller 25 is the time for the first wireless communication module 12 to make a connection inquiry, that is, “inquiry” to the surrounding communication terminal devices, and the time for the wireless controller 25 to recognize and call “call”. including.

  In the game apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 have a common reference communication cycle. In the first wireless communication module 12 that is the Bluetooth master, the reference communication cycle is set to the minimum polling interval for individually calling the wireless controller 25 for each operation during the intermittent operation in the sniff mode. In the second wireless communication module 14, the reference communication cycle is set as the minimum beacon interval in the IEEE802.11 protocol. In the game apparatus 10 of the present embodiment, the processing result by the application processing unit 18 is output as a moving image from the output unit 20, and therefore the reference communication cycle is set to, for example, 11.25 milliseconds based on the frame rate of the moving image.

  The communication timing setting unit 58 sets the communication cycle for each of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 to an integer multiple of the reference communication cycle. The first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 alternately repeat the communication state and the non-communication state, and communicate with the external terminal at a communication cycle that is an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle. Each communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 is the same as the start time of each communication cycle, and communication with an external device is started at the start of the communication cycle. In this specification, the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module 14 means a communication cycle between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30. As described above, communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32 is performed using the free time. It should be noted that when the communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32 is not performed in this free time, the first wireless communication module 12 searches for the wireless controller 25 that establishes a new wireless connection. May be.

  In addition, each communication period should just be an integral multiple of a reference | standard communication period, and does not need to be the same. By setting a period that is an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle as each communication cycle, the relative time difference between the start times of the communication cycles can be made constant. As a result, as long as there is no change in the number of connected first wireless communication modules 12 and second wireless communication modules 14 to external terminals, the offset time can be fixed in principle, and the communication timing setting unit 58 can set the offset time. You only need to ask for once.

  In addition, the communication timing setting unit 58 receives a monitoring result of the communication load of the second wireless communication module 14 and sets a second communication period during which communication of the second wireless communication module 14 is permitted. Since the second wireless communication module 14 performs communication by the CSMA / CA method, it is not easy to obtain an accurate time from the start to the end of communication. Therefore, the communication timing setting unit 58 predicts the time taken from the start to the end of communication based on the number of portable game machines 30 managed by the second wireless communication module 14, and has a certain time margin for the predicted time. In addition, it is preferable to set the second communication period.

  The communication timing setting unit 58 sets each so that the first communication period and the second communication period do not overlap. The first communication period is shorter than the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12, and similarly, the second communication period is shorter than the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module 14. Therefore, when the sum of the first communication period and the second communication period is greater than M times the reference communication cycle (M is an integer of 1 or more) and less than (M + 1) times, the communication timing setting unit 58 Each of the communication cycle of the wireless communication module and the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module is set to (M + 1) times or more of the reference communication cycle. Thereby, the state where the 1st communication period and the 2nd communication period do not overlap can be created.

  As described above, the communication timing setting unit 58 sets the respective communication cycles of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14, and further starts the second wireless communication from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12. The offset time until the communication start time of the communication module 14 is set. The communication timing setting unit 58 transmits the communication cycle and offset time of the first wireless communication module 12 to the first wireless communication module 12, and transmits the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module 14 to the second wireless communication module 14. . Since the offset time is directly used by the second wireless communication module 14, the communication timing setting unit 58 may directly transmit the offset time to the second wireless communication module 14.

  In the embodiment described above, the communication timing setting unit 58 starts communication of the second wireless communication module 14 from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 based on the monitoring result of the communication load of the first wireless communication module 12. An offset time to the time was set. In another example, the communication timing setting unit 58 determines the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 from the communication start time of the second wireless communication module 14 based on the monitoring result of the communication load of the second wireless communication module 14. It is also possible to set an offset time up to. For example, when communication of the first wireless communication module 12 is started during communication execution of the second wireless communication module 14, an offset time based on the communication start time of the second wireless communication module 14 may be set. Even in this case, accurate time management can be facilitated by setting an offset time based on the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 as described later.

  FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing a communication state in the game device of this embodiment. 3A shows the communication status between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25, FIG. 3B shows the communication status between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30, FIG. 3C shows the communication status between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32. In the timing chart shown in FIG. 3, the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 is set to one time the reference communication cycle. In addition, each communication start time of the 1st radio | wireless communication module 12 and the 2nd radio | wireless communication module 14 is the same as the start time of each communication period. Therefore, communication in each communication module is started with the start of each communication cycle.

At time t ₀ , the first wireless communication module 12 starts communication with the three wireless controllers 25. Communication between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 is preferably carried out in a burst manner and is completed in a short time. The first wireless communication module 12 polls each of the three wireless controllers 25 in order, and receives data from the wireless controller 25 each time. Note that the number of the first wireless communication modules 12 is merely an example, and the first wireless communication module 12 can manage one to seven wireless controllers 25.

The first wireless communication module 12 notifies the second wireless communication module 14 that communication is started at time t ₀ and also notifies the offset time transmitted from the communication timing setting unit 58. Thereby, the second wireless communication module 14 can know the time to start communication, that is, the target beacon transmission time (TBTT). In this example, the offset time is set to (t ₁ -t ₀ ). Note that (t ₃ -t ₂ ) and (t ₅ -t ₄ ) are also equal to the offset time.

The second wireless communication module 14 receives the notice of the start time and the offset time of the communication of the first wireless communication module 12, and waits for the offset time from the time t ₀ to time t _1, the back-off from time t ₁ After further waiting for a random waiting time called, a beacon signal is transmitted. Note that the communication start time may be expressed as a relative time from the notification time. When the portable game machine 30 under the control of the second wireless communication module 14 receives the beacon signal, it transmits status information of each game.

  The first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 may operate with a common clock. For example, the clock may be supplied to each communication module from the clock unit 60 in the control unit 16, or the clock used in one of the first wireless communication module 12 or the second wireless communication module 14 may be supplied to the other. Good. When a high-speed clock is adopted in the first wireless communication module 12 or the second wireless communication module 14, it is preferable to use it. Since the first wireless communication module 12 can transmit and receive data to and from the wireless controller 25 in a burst manner under accurate time management, communication time management of the first wireless communication module 12 is relatively easy. Therefore, it is preferable to share the clock between the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 by supplying the clock used in the first wireless communication module 12 to the second wireless communication module 14. . Moreover, when the 1st radio | wireless communication module 12 and the 2nd radio | wireless communication module 14 are comprised integrally, a clock may be supplied from the clock part provided in common. By using a common clock, it is easy to synchronize the two.

  In this embodiment, since the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 is set to an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle, the second wireless communication module 12 starts from the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12. The offset time until the communication start time of the communication module 14 can be fixed. For this reason, the first wireless communication module 12 only needs to transmit the offset time to the second wireless communication module 14 once at the start of communication, and thereafter, each communication module is set to each using a common clock. Based on the communication cycle thus performed, stable communication can be performed without mutual interference.

  Note that the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 may operate with their own clocks. For example, when the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 are manufactured by different manufacturers, it is difficult to achieve complete synchronization because each communication module operates with its own clock. For this reason, the first wireless communication module 12 may periodically transmit the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12 to the second wireless communication module 14 to perform synchronization. Even if each employs a unique clock, the actual deviation is extremely small. Therefore, the first communication period of the first wireless communication module 12 is adjusted by periodically adjusting the operation timing of the second wireless communication module 14. And the second communication period of the second wireless communication module 14 can be maintained in a non-overlapping state.

  As described above, the offset time is set according to the time when all the communication in the first wireless communication module 12 is completed. Since the first wireless communication module 12 performs communication using the Bluetooth protocol, it is easier to perform communication in a burst manner as compared with the IEEE802.11 protocol that employs the CSMA / CA method. Therefore, the first communication period of the first wireless communication module 12 can be accurately obtained. By setting an offset time with reference to the communication start time of the first wireless communication module 12, a free time between the communication end time of the first wireless communication module 12 and the communication start time of the second wireless communication module 14 is set. Can be reduced. In the example shown in FIG. 3, after the communication in the first wireless communication module 12 is completed, a slight time margin is taken until the time when the second wireless communication module 14 transmits the beacon. The communication period of the second wireless communication module 14 is started immediately after the communication of the first wireless communication module 12 is completed by setting the time from the start to the end of the communication and the offset time equal to each other. It is also possible to transmit a beacon signal. On the other hand, the communication timing setting unit 58 searches for the wireless controller 25 that establishes a new wireless connection with the first wireless communication module 12 at a time when all communication in the first wireless communication module 12 is completed. An offset time may be set by adding time. The search time may be always included in the offset time, and when the frequency of searching is reduced, the search time may be periodically included in the offset time.

  Note that the second wireless communication module 14 may limit communication of the PC 32 by transmitting a packet (for example, RTS) including a NAV (network allocation vector). For example, the period for limiting communication by NAV may be set equal to the offset time. The NAV is transmitted before the start of the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12. Thereby, the possibility that radio waves generated by the PC 32 may interfere with each other with respect to the first wireless communication module 12 can be reduced. When the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 is transmitted, the second wireless communication module 14 can know the overall image of the communication schedule in the game apparatus 10. At this time, since the second wireless communication module 14 can grasp the first communication period between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 and the second communication period between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30, It is possible to communicate with the PC 32 using the free time.

  For example, if a device that restricts communication can be specified by NAV, the period for restricting communication of PC 32 by NAV may be set to the sum of the first communication period and the second communication period. Thereby, the situation where the PC 32 interferes with the communication between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 and the communication between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30 can be avoided. It becomes possible to stabilize more.

  Since a dynamic wireless network is constructed in the communication system 1, for example, a new wireless controller 25 may join the piconet, or the already-participated wireless controller 25 may withdraw from the piconet. In the control unit 16, the communication load monitoring unit 54 monitors increase / decrease in the number of the wireless controllers 25, and the communication timing setting unit 58 resets the offset time and / or communication cycle according to the monitoring result. Good. The same applies to the case where a new portable game machine 30 newly participates in the wireless LAN, or the case where the already participated portable game machine 30 leaves the wireless LAN, and the communication timing setting unit 58 performs communication load monitoring. The communication cycle may be reset according to the communication load monitoring result by the unit 54.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the data transfer unit 52 transmits the operation input received by the interface unit 50 a from the interface unit 50 b to the application processing unit 18. In the application processing unit 18, a process corresponding to the operation input is performed, and the game proceeds.

  Game applications can be classified into two groups, that is, games with high real-time requirements and games with low real-time requirements. A game with a high real-time requirement is a game that requires rapid progress of the game, such as a fighting game or a racing game, and that requires a user operation input to be immediately reflected in the output of a game screen or the like. On the other hand, games with low real-time requirements are games with relatively slow progress, such as battle games such as shogi and mahjong, and RPG (role playing game).

  The game screen is updated at a predetermined frame rate or refresh rate. At present, the rewriting speed of one field is about 16.7 msec (1/60 sec). Therefore, in a game application that requires high real-time requirements, that is, low delay is required, at least 1 per field (16.7 msec). It is preferable that the operation input from the wireless controller 25 is reflected on the game screen.

  The situation is the same for the portable game machine 30 that uses the second wireless communication module 14 as an access point. At least once in one field, its own status information is notified to other portable game machines 30; Further, it is preferable to know status information of other portable game machines 30. In the case of a racing game, the status information is absolute information such as the position on the course, the direction of the car, and the speed. Note that the absolute information here is because the communication reliability in the wireless environment is not high. If sufficient reliability can be secured, the difference information between the past and the present can be known. Good.

  In the communication system 1, each portable game machine 30 executes applications independently and asynchronously. In a game application that does not require low delay, it is sufficient to perform retransmission processing even when data update for each field is not possible. Therefore, there is little possibility of greatly affecting the processing of the application.

  In view of the above circumstances, the latency determining unit 56 monitors the progress of the game processed in the application processing unit 18 via the interface unit 50b, and determines the degree of latency required for communication. The above is the latency required in the wireless controller 25, but the same applies to the portable game machine 30, and the latency determination unit 56 monitors the progress of the game in the portable game machine 30 via the interface unit 50a. Then, the degree of latency required in the portable game machine 30 is determined. The latency determination unit 56 transmits the determined degree of latency to the communication timing setting unit 58. Hereinafter, the degree of latency required in the wireless controller 25 will be considered.

  The communication timing setting unit 58 sets the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 to be short when the wireless controller 25 requires low delay. As described above, the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 is set to an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle (11.25 msec), and therefore the communication cycle is the shortest reference communication cycle (= 11.25 msec). × 1) is set. On the other hand, when low delay is not required in the wireless controller 25, that is, when the real-time property required for the game progress is low, the communication cycle may be set to P times the reference communication cycle (P is an integer of 2 or more). When the request for real-time property is low, the power consumption of the wireless controller 25 can be suppressed by setting the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 to be long. At this time, the second communication period can be set longer for the second wireless communication module 14. Since it is also assumed that the second wireless communication module 14 transmits video data to the portable game machine 30, the game apparatus 10 can be set by shortening the period during which the first wireless communication module 12 is in the operating state. The overall communication efficiency can be increased.

  FIG. 4 is a timing chart showing a modification of the communication status in the game apparatus of the present embodiment. 4A shows the communication status between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25, and FIG. 4B shows the communication status between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30. FIG. In FIG. 4, illustration of the communication status between the second wireless communication module 14 and the PC 32 is omitted.

  In the timing chart shown in FIG. 4, the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 is set to be twice the reference communication cycle. This is a timing chart in the case where low delay is not required in the first wireless communication module 12, and it is assumed that large data is transmitted between the second wireless communication module 14 and the portable game machine 30. . As shown in FIG. 4, when the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 is set to be long, the second communication period of the second wireless communication module 14 can be set to be long. During this second communication period, HCCA (Hybrid Coordination Function Controlled Channel Access) that guarantees quality may be executed by centralized control using polling by the second wireless communication module 14.

  In HCCA, the second wireless communication module 14 performs scheduling in consideration of the priority of the portable game machine 30, and transmits a polling frame in which a channel usage time permitting transmission is described. During the transmission of the portable game machine 30 that is permitted to transmit, access to other portable game machines 30 is suppressed, and QoS can be guaranteed.

  The above is a case where a low delay is not required for the communication of the wireless controller 25, but even when a low delay is not required for the communication of the portable game machine 30, the communication cycle of the second wireless communication module 14 can be set long. Good. For example, when a low delay is required for the communication of the wireless controller 25 and a low delay is not required for the communication of the portable game machine 30, the communication cycle of the first wireless communication module 12 is set to the reference communication cycle, and the second The communication cycle of the wireless communication module 14 is set to be twice or more the reference communication cycle. By reducing the ratio of the communication period to the communication cycle, the power consumption of the wireless controller 25 and the portable game machine 30 can be suppressed.

  In the above, this invention was demonstrated based on the Example. These embodiments are exemplifications, and it is understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the combination of each component and each processing process, and such modifications are within the scope of the present invention. is there. In FIG. 1, the first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 each have an antenna, but the antenna may be shared. Since the communication period of the first wireless communication module 12 and the communication period of the second wireless communication module 14 are assigned so as not to overlap each other, the antenna can be shared.

  In the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 1, the portable game machine 30 communicates with the second wireless communication module 14 using the IEEE802.11 protocol, but the portable game machine 30 further functions as a Bluetooth master, You may communicate with other Bluetooth terminals. At this time, the portable game machine 30 may have a communication function similar to that of the game apparatus 10, and is in a communication period allocated between the first wireless communication module 12 and the wireless controller 25 with the Bluetooth terminal. Communication may be performed.

  FIG. 5 shows a modification of the communication system in the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 includes a game device 10 and a communication terminal device connected to the game device 10. FIG. 5 shows a configuration for realizing the communication function of the game apparatus 10, and the application processing unit 18 and the output unit 20 are not shown.

  In this modification, the communication terminal device connected to the game apparatus 10 includes wireless controllers 25a and 25b, a wireless controller 35, a portable game machine 28, portable game machines 30a and 30b, a wired controller 38, and a PC 32. As described above, the wireless controllers 25a and 25b have a wireless communication function based on the Bluetooth protocol, and the portable game machines 30a and 30b and the PC 32 have a wireless communication function based on the IEEE802.11 protocol. . In the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 5, the portable game machine 28 may have a wireless communication function based on the Bluetooth protocol, and the wireless controller 35 may have a wireless communication function based on the IEEE802.11 protocol. The wired controller 38 has a function of transmitting and receiving information by wired connection to the game apparatus 10 via a cable.

  The game apparatus 10 includes a first wireless communication module 12 that performs wireless communication using the Bluetooth protocol, and a second wireless communication module 14 that performs wireless communication using the IEEE802.11 protocol. The first wireless communication module 12 enables wireless connection with the wireless controller 25 and the portable game machine 28, and the second wireless communication module 14 allows wireless connection with the portable game machine 30, the PC 32, and the wireless controller 35. And Similar to the wireless controller 25, the wireless controller 35 is a dedicated game controller for the game apparatus 10. Similarly to the portable game machine 30, the portable game machine 28 is a terminal device that can communicate with other portable game machines 28 and 30 using the game apparatus 10 as a relay station. It can also be used as a game controller. Note that the portable game machine 28 and the portable game machine 30 may have a game application program so that the game application can be executed without communicating with other portable game machines. At this time, the user can execute the game application alone (single play). This game application program may be read from a recording medium to an internal memory, or may be a built-in one. Furthermore, the game application program may be downloaded from the game apparatus 10. The game application program may be held in advance in all of the portable game machine 28, the portable game machine 30, and the game apparatus 10. For example, when the game application program is not held in the game apparatus 10, the portable game machine 28 Alternatively, the game application program can be uploaded from the portable game machine 30 to the game apparatus 10.

  The game apparatus 10 further includes a first wired communication module 80 that transmits and receives information to and from the wired controller 38. The wired controller 38 is a dedicated game controller and is connected to the connection terminal 84 via a cable. This is realized by inserting a connector part provided at one end of the cable into a connection terminal 84 configured as a female connector.

  The game apparatus 10 also includes a second wired communication module 82 that transmits and receives information to and from the external network 90 via the connection terminal 86. The network 90 may be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. The second wired communication module 82 may be a module that performs wired connection, or may be configured as a module that performs wireless connection with an access point installed outside. In the latter case, it functions as a third wireless communication module.

  By using the communication method described in the embodiment, the communication system 1 can realize an environment in which various types of game controllers are mixed. That is, the game controller that can be used in the communication system 1 may be either a wireless type or a wired type, and may be configured as a dedicated or one function of a portable game machine. Further, in the case of the wireless type, it may be a controller using the Bluetooth protocol or a controller using the IEEE802.11 protocol. Basically, the communication between the wired controller 38 and the first wired communication module 80 does not affect the radio wave environment, but even if there are a plurality of game controllers using different wireless communication protocols, The first wireless communication module 12 and the second wireless communication module 14 have a common reference communication cycle, and communicate with each other at a communication cycle that is an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle. By appropriately setting the offset time from the communication start time to the communication start time of the second wireless communication module 14, the possibility of radio wave interference in the wireless communication environment can be reduced.

  In the communication system 1, the wireless controller 25 and the wireless controller 35 function as a dedicated game controller for the game apparatus 10. The portable game machine 30 and the portable game machine 28 basically function as information terminal devices that can operate independently. When operating alone, the portable game machine 30 and the portable game machine 28 do not transmit / receive signals to / from the game apparatus 10.

  When receiving a signal from the wireless controller 25 or the wireless controller 35, the control unit 16 recognizes that it is an operation input to the game apparatus 10 and supplies it to the application processing unit 18 (not shown). In addition, when the control unit 16 receives a signal from the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28, the control unit 16 determines whether the input signal should be transferred to another portable game machine or to the game apparatus 10. It is determined whether it is an operation input. When the user uses the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28, the user is in a one-player mode, a mode used as a game controller, or a plurality of other portable game machines. Specifies whether the mode is for human play. When the communication function is used, the control unit 16 selects a game application in a mode in which the portable game machine is used as a game controller or with another portable game machine based on a mode designation from the user. It is determined whether the mode is to be executed, and the input signal is processed according to the mode. That is, when in a mode used as a game controller, the control unit 16 supplies an input signal to the application processing unit 18, while when in a mode for executing a game application with another portable game machine, Transfer the input signal to another portable game machine. As a result, the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 can be used as a game controller in accordance with designation from the user, and a plurality of types of games can be used together with the dedicated wireless controllers 25 and 35 and the wired controller 38. A game system in which controllers are mixed can be realized.

  In this embodiment, the reference communication cycle is set to 11.25 msec, which is shorter than the frame rate (1/60 sec) of the moving image. The first wireless communication module 12 receives a user operation input from a game controller such as the wireless controller 25 or the portable game machine 28 in a communication cycle that is an integral multiple of the reference communication cycle. The control unit 16 sequentially stores input signals received by the first wireless communication module 12 in a buffer memory (not shown). The control unit 16 reads the input signal stored in the memory to the application processing unit 18 at the cycle of the frame rate of the moving image.

  When the communication cycle is 11.25 msec, the control unit 16 may receive an input signal twice from the same game controller during the frame rate period (1/60 sec). At this time, the control unit 16 may read only the latest received input signal to the application processing unit 18. In this case, the buffer memory of the control unit 16 is configured as an overwrite-type memory, and the input signal received by the first wireless communication module 12 is sequentially overwritten. As a result, the latest input signal is stored in the buffer memory.

  The control unit 16 may take the sum of two input signals stored in the memory and read the sum to the application processing unit 18. For example, when the first input signal is an instruction signal for moving the character to the right and the next input signal is an instruction signal for moving the character to the right, the control unit 16 performs an application process on the instruction signal for moving the character twice to the right. Supply to unit 18. Further, for example, when the first input signal is an instruction signal for moving the character to the right and the next input signal is an instruction signal for moving the character upward, the control unit 16 moves the character once to the right and 1 upward. An instruction signal for turning is supplied to the application processing unit 18. In the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment, the communication cycle and the frame rate are asynchronous, but the control unit 16 appropriately reflects the operation input from the user in the game application by processing the input signal as described above. It becomes possible to do.

  The processing of the input signal received by the first wireless communication module 12 has been described above. However, the control unit 16 performs the same processing for the input signal received by the second wireless communication module 14.

  It is also possible to transmit information from the game device 10 to the game controller. As an example, it is conceivable to transmit control information for vibrating the game controller in accordance with the progress of the game. At this time, it is preferable to always transmit control information for vibration to the wireless controllers 25 and 35 and the portable game machines 30 and 28 during a period in which vibration is desired. On the other hand, the control information for starting the vibration may be transmitted to the wired controller 38 when the vibration is started, and the control information for stopping the vibration may be transmitted when the vibration is stopped. In wired communication, high stability of information transmission can be expected. Therefore, the load on the control unit 16 can be reduced by reducing the number of times control information is transmitted.

  In the communication system 1, various game controllers can be present, but the existence of all the game controllers described above is not essential. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, in the communication system 1, only the wireless controller 25 and the portable game machine 30 are used as the wireless game controller, and the portable game machine 28 and the wireless controller 35 shown in FIG. 5 are used. It does not have to be.

  Note that when the portable game machine 30 establishes a wireless connection with the second wireless communication module 14, the portable game machine 30 may acquire communication parameters by wireless communication according to the connection procedure of the IEEE802.11 protocol. It is also possible to acquire communication parameters from the game apparatus 10 via a cable such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus). By acquiring the communication parameters from the USB, it is possible to avoid a situation in which a communication terminal device of another communication system accidentally participates in the communication environment of the communication system 1. The same applies to the portable game machine 28, and the communication parameters may be acquired by wireless communication according to the Bluetooth connection procedure. However, the communication parameters are acquired from the game apparatus 10 via a cable such as a USB. Also good. The same applies to the wireless controller 25 and the wireless controller 35.

  As described above, the portable game machines 30 and 28 and the wireless controllers 25 and 35 can acquire the parameters for wireless communication via the cable such as USB, but the USB is connected to the connection terminal 84 of the game apparatus 10. It can also be used as a game controller in a state. In this case, the portable game machines 30 and 28 and the wireless controllers 25 and 35 can be handled in substantially the same manner as the wired controller 38.

  FIG. 6 shows a modification of the connection configuration of the communication system. The first wired communication module 80 provides a communication interface based on, for example, a USB data transmission standard, and realizes data transmission between the wired controller 38 and the wireless controller 25 connected with a USB cable. Further, as described above, the first wireless communication module 12 controls wireless communication using the Bluetooth protocol, performs data transmission with the wireless controller 25, the portable game machine 28, and the like, and the second wireless communication module 14 The wireless communication based on the IEEE802.11 protocol is controlled to perform data transmission with the portable game machine 30, the wireless controller 35, and the like.

  The second wired communication module 82 provides a communication interface based on a LAN standard such as Ethernet (registered trademark). By connecting a LAN cable connected to an external communication device to the connection terminal 91, data transmission between the second wired communication module 82 and the external communication device can be realized. As the Ethernet standard, for example, Gigabit Ethernet with a communication speed of 1 Gbps may be adopted. Thereby, high-speed communication between the game apparatus 10 and the external communication device can be realized. The second wired communication module 82 may adopt IP (Internet Protocol) on the LAN standard. By using the IP address, various types of external communication devices can be connected to the second wired communication module 82.

  For example, a game device 10 a different from the game device 10 may be connected to the second wired communication module 82. The game apparatus 10a may have the same function as the game apparatus 10 or may have a different function. For example, when the hardware specification of a game device is updated and a device with an upgraded version is sold, the user purchases a new version of the game device every time the version is updated, and as a result, a plurality of versions having different versions are purchased. May have one gaming device. At that time, since the user already has a peripheral device such as the wired controller 39 used in the old version of the game apparatus 10a, it is preferable that such a peripheral apparatus can be effectively used also in the new version of the game apparatus 10. . Therefore, the game apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment provides the second wired communication module 82 that supports the LAN standard, which is Ethernet, and connects the old version of the game apparatus 10a so that the wired controller 39 in the game apparatus 10a can be connected. Make it available effectively.

  The game apparatus 10a and the wired controller 39 are connected by a unique protocol by the game apparatus 10a. On the other hand, IP is used for data transmission from the game apparatus 10 a to the second wired communication module 82. In this case, the game device 10a incorporates a program for transmitting an input signal from the wired controller 39 to the second wired communication module 82 by IP. The game apparatus 10 a activates this transmission program and transmits an input signal from the wired controller 39 to the second wired communication module 82. The transmission program may be installed in advance in the game apparatus 10a, or may be read from the recording medium into the game apparatus 10a at a necessary timing.

  In the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 6, by connecting the game apparatus 10 a to the second wired communication module 82, the user can use the wired controller 39 of the old version of the game apparatus 10 a on the new version of the game apparatus 10. You can enjoy the game application that runs on.

  Note that not only the game apparatus 10 a but also a multi-tap apparatus having a plurality of connection ports into which connector parts of the wired controller 39 are inserted may be connected to the second wired communication module 82. As described with respect to the game device 10a, the multi-tap device and the wired controller 39 are connected by a unique protocol by the multi-tap device. On the other hand, data transmission from the multi-tap device to the second wired communication module 82 is IP. Is used. The program for IP transmission may be installed in advance in the multi-tap device, or may be read from the recording medium into the multi-tap device at a necessary timing. Thereby, the game apparatus 10 can use a plurality of types of game controllers. Regardless of whether the game apparatus 10a is connected or a multi-tap apparatus is connected, a user can connect various types of game controllers by realizing communication using IP (Internet Protocol). Can be used. Here, the game device 10a or the multi-tap device has not only the connector port of the wired controller 39 but also the port of the memory card 11 for storing the game data, like the game device 10, It is preferable to have functions equivalent to those of the game apparatus 10 regarding application operations and data storage.

  In the communication system 1 shown in FIG. 6, as a game controller, a wired controller 38 that uses a USB protocol, a wired controller 39 that uses a unique protocol for data transmission, a wireless controller 25 that uses a Bluetooth protocol, and a portable game machine 28. , And the portable game machine 30 using the 802.11 protocol and the wireless controller 35 can be used. Note that the communication system 1 of the present embodiment is not intended to use all of these types of game controllers, as long as at least two or more types of game controllers can be used. In this way, the communication system 1 can provide a communication environment in which backward compatibility is realized and a plurality of types of game controllers having different data formats and communication protocols can be used. For example, although the wired controller 39 cannot be directly used in the game apparatus 10, the wired controller 39 is connected to the game apparatus 10 via a game apparatus 10 a or a multi-tap apparatus incorporating a program that enables IP transmission. It becomes possible to use it for the operation of the game application started by.

  Although the above is an example in which a game application program is started by inserting a recording medium holding a game application program (hereinafter referred to as “game recording medium”) into the game apparatus 10, May be inserted into the game device 10a and the game application program may be activated on the game device 10a. At this time, it is preferable that the game apparatus 10 a can accept an input signal from the wired controller 39 and accept an input signal from the game controller in the game apparatus 10. For example, the second wired communication module 82 transmits an input signal from the game controller received from the control unit 16 to the game apparatus 10a by IP. The game apparatus 10 a may be preinstalled with a program for receiving a signal transmitted via IP so that the input signal from the game apparatus 10 can be received in the same manner as the input signal from the wired controller 39. Thereby, the game apparatus 10a can receive a user's operation input from the game controllers of the wireless controller 25, the portable game machine 28, the portable game machine 30, the wireless controller 35, and the wired controller 38. Note that, as described above, not all types of game controllers in the game apparatus 10 are used, but any number of types of game controllers may be used.

  Furthermore, the game recording medium may be inserted into the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 and the game application program may be activated. At this time, the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 transmits game screen data indicating the progress of the game to the game apparatus 10, as if the game application program is activated in the game apparatus 10. Can produce. At this time, the output unit 20 of the game apparatus 10 displays the transmitted game screen data.

  Further, the game apparatus 10 transfers the game screen data transmitted from the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 in which the game application program is activated to the other portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28. May be. At this time, in the other portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28, the transmitted game screen data is processed and displayed on a display unit (not shown). This game screen data is data reflecting operation inputs from other portable game machines 30 or portable game machines 28. In this case, the other portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 transmits an operation input via the game device 10 to the portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28 in which the game application program is activated. Then, the game screen data reflecting the operation input is transferred to the other portable game machine 30 or the portable game machine 28.

  Note that the storage device 94 may be connected to the second wired communication module 82. The storage device 94 may be, for example, an external HDD (hard disk drive), and may hold image data and game application data used in the game device 10. When the game apparatus 10 does not have a built-in storage device, it is possible to save data used by the game apparatus 10 or data generated by the game apparatus 10 by making it possible to attach a large-capacity storage apparatus 94 externally. Become.

  Further, the router 96 may be connected to the second wired communication module 82 to connect the external storage device 98 and the game apparatus 10 via the network 90 such as the Internet. For example, even when the user does not have the external storage device 94, the storage device 98 provided on the network 90 can be used as a virtual storage.

It is a figure which shows the communication system in the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the functional block of a control part. It is a timing chart which shows the communication condition in the game device of a present Example. It is a timing chart which shows the modification of the communication condition in the game device of a present Example. It is a figure which shows the modification of the communication system in an Example. It is a figure which shows the modification of the connection structure of a communication system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Game device, 12 ... 1st wireless communication module, 14 ... 2nd wireless communication module, 16 ... Control part, 18 ... Application process part, 20 ... Output unit, 25 ... Wireless controller, 30 ... Portable game machine, 32 ... PC, 50 ... Interface unit, 52 ... Data transfer unit, 54 ... Communication load monitoring , 56... Latency determination unit, 58... Communication timing setting unit, 60.

Claims (2)

A first game device for executing a game, a first game controller for the first game device , a second game device having a hardware specification different from that of the first game device, and a second game device for the second game device A game system comprising a game controller ,
The first game device has at least a first communication module that can communicate with the first communication standard and a second communication module that can communicate with the second communication standard as communication modules that communicate with other devices. ,
The first communication module may receive a game operation input signal from the first game controller for the first game device,
It said second communication module, the first game device from the second game controller is not available directly, to receive a game operation input signal via the second game device,
The second game device includes:
A game operation input signal from the second game controller according to a third communication standard used between the second game device and the second game controller and different from the first communication standard and the second communication standard. With the ability to receive
A function of transmitting the received game operation input signal to the second communication module in accordance with a second communication standard;
A game system in which a program for transmitting an operation input signal of a game received in a third communication standard according to a second communication standard is incorporated in the second game device.   The game system according to claim 1, wherein the second communication standard is an Internet protocol (IP).

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