FR3018198A1 - INTERACTIVE TOY FOR VIDEO GAMES - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device comprising a toy (1) and a digital processing unit (2), such that said toy (1) comprises a sensor system (5) characterized in that the toy stores information from the sensor system (5) to then communicate them to said digital processing unit (2), which modifies the characteristics of the avatar (4) associated with said toy (1).

Description

The present invention relates to the field of video games and toys interacting with an imaging and sound system such as a screen connected to a digital processing unit such as video game consoles, video game consoles and video game consoles. personal computers, tablets or some mobile phones.

BACKGROUND ART The prior art already knows toys interacting with imaging and sound systems.

The prior art knows in particular video game accessories such that the controller of the video game is a toy provided with sensors for controlling in real time an avatar in the video game by acting on said toy. Such accessories require for the most part that the toy is connected to the digital processing unit for the sensors to work. These accessories are essentially designed to work in real time during video games. It appears that such accessories do not include, within the same game and participating in the same game, phases "with video game" succeeding phases "without video game", nor iterative interactions between these two types On the other hand, the types of sensors of these accessories 30 are chosen to capture actions from users of the toy (accelerometer, contact sensor), which is particularly limiting. Finally, such accessories are designed to capture relatively brief actions that are immediately transmitted to the digital processing unit.

Thus, the document JP2002153674 entitled "Video game apparatus" describes a digital processing unit connected to a television set, such as the digital processing unit, also acting as a video game controller, in the form of one of the characters of the game. video working with the digital processing unit. This accessory also allows an interaction between the toy and the game, by the fact that actions on buttons located on the surface of the digital processing unit have effects in the game. does not capture many different sizes, nor because of the necessary action on buttons, to generate and store such information between two video game sessions. In addition, the incorporation of the digital processing unit in the controller itself inevitably leads to constraints in terms of protection of this unit and therefore limitations on the efforts and situations that may be experienced by the controller.

Another type of accessories, described in the document EP0915412 entitled "electronic game device using a doll and its method of use", distinguishes a game controller having the shape of a doll and an imaging system and sound consisting of a game console and a television. The toy controller is equipped with contact sensors, articulating motion sensors and a location sensor. The video game reacts to the different contacts, movements and locations of the toy controller. Such an accessory is designed to reproduce in real time in the video game actions performed on the toy controller. Such a toy controller therefore only functions when it is connected to the digital processing unit and does not make it possible to memorize, between two connections of the toy controller and a digital processing unit, the information generated by the sensors of the controller. . On the other hand, the type of sensor is limited to the types of actions that a user performs when playing a video game, that is to say brief situations in non-extreme conditions. Document US2006223637 entitled "Video game system combining a game simulation with a remotely controlled robot and reaction robot" describes an accessory that includes a miniature car equipped with a camera, transmitting video images that it generates to a console portable game. Here again, primat is given to real time and to a single type of sensor, and not to storage, to operation independent of the digital processing unit and to different types of sensors. Document US2011021109 "Toy and companion avatar 15 on a portable electronic device" describes an accessory comprising a toy equipped with contact sensors in the form of a touch screen, accelerometers and loudspeakers, associated with a virtual avatar displayed via a portable system of images and sounds. The avatar and the toy 20 are visually similar and both react in real time to the actions of contact or movement made on one or the other. The identity between avatar and toy is sought in the form of reaction in real time. The toy does not memorize the situations to which it is subjected and the type of sensors chosen is limited. In addition, this accessory does not include game phases with and without the playful video dimension, nor fortiori of iterative interactions between these two phases of play. The document W02013070103 "ROBOTIC VIDEO GAME, INCORPORATED, INTERACTIVE VIA INTERMEDIATE USING SENSORS AND PHYSICAL OBJECTS "discloses a robot-shaped game controller having a variety of sensors, camera, lever, accelerometers, cardiac and electrodermic sensors, the purpose of which is to capture motion performed by the user on the controller or the user's body signals to reproduce them in real time in a video game. This accessory aims to reproduce in real time in a video game human signals (user's body signals) or human movements (movements of the user on the robot), and not to capture possibly extreme conditions encountered by the user. toy, neither to memorize them, nor to operate between two parts of video games. The prior art also known toys, marketed in recent years, in particular in the form of figurines associated with video games and provided with memory. These figurines, once placed on a specific object or directly on a digital processing unit, show their avatar in the video game. A document describing such an accessory is for example the document W02012158836 "VIDEO GAME ACCOMPANIED BY A SIMULTANEOUS TREATMENT OF PHYSICAL OBJECTS IN RELATION TO A GAME". This document describes a toy that can communicate via an RFID tag with a digital processing unit, and that includes a memory for storing information transmitted to the toy by the digital processing unit. This stored information is related to the advancement of the avatar in a given part of the video game and allows a user to use the toy on other digital processing units by continuing the game of video game at the same level. advancement. Still, the toy has no sensors or data processing system from these sensors and the memory incorporated in the toy can not store information from such sensors. On the other hand, this type of accessory does not include, within the same game and participating in the same game, phases "with video game" succeeding phases "without video game", nor iterative interactions between these two types of game phase.

Finally, there are in the prior art other accessories storing captures actions performed by the wearer of the accessory and using information from these captures in video games. Thus the document W02013033632 "PLATFORM MECHANICS" describes an accessory provided with at least one sensor configured to capture a user's activity (walk, run, climb steps), memorize it and translate it into a virtual currency unit in a video game. There are, in the same spirit, accessories that a user can wear on him, which capture via accelerometers, its level of activity and memorize. These accessories can be connected to a digital processing unit that translates this level of activity into a unit of value within a video game or virtual environment. It is basically sensors of the physical activity of the user, to memorize and import a level of physical activity in a video game. This type of accessory does not include a toy associated with an avatar and the sensors are chosen to capture users' physical activities, and not movements or situations that may be extreme for the player, but which can be met and perfectly supported by the user. toy. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention intends to remedy the shortcomings of the prior art. In particular, one of the aims of the invention is to develop new interactions between a toy and a video game, by associating with the toy a character or virtual object in the video game (hereinafter called avatar) which resembles it, and modifying the characteristics (power, energy or other) of said avatar according to certain conditions (light, temperature, shock, etc.) to which said toy has been subjected outside the video game parts, that is to say outside the moments of use of video game consoles, personal computers, tablets or certain mobile phones.

The link between the toy and its avatar will then be tangible not only during the video game parts, but also outside these parts, especially because the toy will then give the impression of continuing to interact with his avatar specifically and consistent with the characteristics of the avatar. To do this according to a first aspect, the present invention relates to a toy arranged for use with an imaging and sound system comprising a digital processing unit arranged to implement a video game capable of displaying an avatar associated with the toy with a display protocol determined, characterized in that said toy comprises at least one sensor for measuring at least one physical quantity representative of a state of the toy, an information processing unit for processing said at least one measured physical quantity and generating at least one corresponding state information, a memory unit arranged to store said at least one generated state information, an identifier of the toy arranged to associate the avatar with the toy, a connection unit with the digital processing unit , a communication unit with the digital processing unit, such as when the connection unit is connected with the line unit In a digital mode, the communication unit transmits to the digital processing unit data including at least said toy identifier and said at least one status information that has been stored in the memory unit before the connection unit of the toy is connected to the digital processing unit, and such that said data is arranged for use by the imaging and sound system to identify the avatar associated with the toy by means of the toy identifier and to modify the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic of the avatar identified by means of the state information. Such a device can be advantageously used to create strong links between toys and video game avatars that may for example have powers related to magnitudes captured by the sensors that are provided with said toys. For example, a video game character may have his life energy regenerated by the sun. The toy that will be associated with it will be a figurine in the image of the character and may have a light sensor and be configured so that exposure to light equivalent to that of a sunny day for at least 60 minutes produces data that, when transmitted to the associated virtual character, will provide the latter with a maximum vital level, as if the virtual character had been exposed to the sun instead of the figurine.

According to an advantageous embodiment, said at least one sensor is arranged to measure said physical quantity in a predetermined range of values and characterized in that at least one detachable part of the toy containing the sensor is designed to resist without damage to the conditions of measurement over the entire range of sensor values. According to this embodiment, the detachable portion of the toy including the sensor and possibly a portion of the power supply system required for the sensor is designed to be subjected without damage to conditions that the rest of the toy could not withstand. In such an embodiment, the sensor subjected to this type of condition, has a change of state that is perceptible by the rest of the toy once it is attached to the toy.

According to an alternative embodiment, the toy in its entirety is designed to withstand without damage the measurement conditions over the entire range of values of the sensor.

According to an advantageous embodiment, at least one of the terminals of the range of values of the sensor is defined to be reached under measurement conditions unsuitable for a human being. In particular, avatar powers can be associated with magnitudes or combinations of quantities not generated by human beings (light emission, electromagnetism, elevation of 4m in the air in less than 2 seconds, etc.) intensity not supported or considered extreme (temperatures well above or below normal human temperatures).

Measuring conditions that are unsuitable for humans also concern a combination between at least one of the limits of the range of values a priori adapted to a human being with a time factor making the resulting measurement conditions unsuitable, such as for example a sensor of Moisture sensing complete immersion of the toy in water for a prolonged period (eg 30 minutes). According to another embodiment, the toy has the shape of a snowmobile and must be refrigerated for 60 minutes so that when the toy is connected to the video game console, the avatar of the toy, which is a snowmobile can go at the maximum speed. According to the embodiments chosen, different toys having different types of sensors may be associated with different avatars. Each family of toys and avatars will have specific exposure conditions of the sensors (such will require heat, another light, another the proximity of a magnet etc). Still, the same type of sensors, but with different data processing, can be used for toys associated with different avatars. For example a temperature sensor may be used in a toy associated with an avatar whose powers are linked to fire, the toy will then be used to capture high temperatures (for example by being placed in an oven or placed on a radiator), and this same sensor could be used for an avatar with ice-related powers, the toy then asking to be put in cold temperatures (for example placed in a refrigerator) to "store the powers" of the avatar. A user may prepare in advance part of a video game by subjecting the toy, disconnected from the imaging system and sound, to conditions that are generally prolonged and that may be uncomfortable or even unbearable for humans (a very high temperature or very low for example), in order to store "power" for the associated avatar. This data which will be stored in the toy, will be returned later to the avatar, at the time of connection of the toy to the digital processing unit during a game of video game. The toy according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises at least one sensor and preferably a sensor system. According to one embodiment, the sensor system 20 comprises at least one temperature sensor. According to this embodiment, the temperature sensor is for example thermometer type or thermistor type. According to embodiments with a temperature sensor, the temperature sensor will be placed either near the surface of the toy, in an identified area, which will allow the user to heat or cool only said area, either at inside the toy, which will require the user to subject the entire toy to temperatures that react with the temperature sensor. According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one light sensor. According to this embodiment, the light sensor is for example of the photodiode, photocell or photovoltaic cell type.

According to an embodiment with a photovoltaic cell, the energy produced by the photovoltaic cell will be used to recharge the toy battery of the device according to the invention.

According to an embodiment with a light sensor, the sensor will be sensitive to certain wavelengths. Thus, if an avatar represents a hero who is regenerated when bathed by a green light, it will be necessary to expose a determined time to a green light the toy to increase the points of life of the avatar. According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one inertial sensor.

According to an embodiment with an inertial sensor, the inertial sensor is for example of the accelerometer, gyroscope or inclinometer type. According to one embodiment, the sensor system 20 comprises at least one position sensor. According to an embodiment with a position sensor, the position sensor is for example a GPS or an altimeter. An embodiment with altimeter may in particular be used to make a toy capable of achieving the altitude variation of 4m in less than 2 seconds indicated above in an example. According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one sound sensor. According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one electromagnetic or magnetic field sensor. According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one force or pressure sensor.

According to an embodiment with a force sensor, the force sensor is of strain gauge type or piezoelectric element.

According to one embodiment, the sensor system comprises at least one physiological data sensor. According to one embodiment with a physiological data sensor, the physiological data sensor is of the cardio-frequency meter (ECG, oximetry sensor) or the electrodermic sensor type. According to other embodiments, the sensor system comprises at least one flow sensor (wind or liquid flow rate) or a humidity sensor or an olfactory sensor. According to one embodiment, the sampling frequencies of the sensors are stored in the memory unit of the device according to the invention. According to one embodiment, the sensor system combines several sensors of different nature, each sensor being arranged to measure a physical quantity representative of a different state of the toy. Thus, for example, the same toy representing, for example, a superhero in armor that can fly due to the throwing of flames expelled from his boots and having on his chest a beam of energy, may have a temperature sensor at the level of the feet or the toy pedestal and a light sensor at his chest. In order to be able to fly the toy avatar into the game, it will be necessary to "reload the boots" by exposing the pedestal or feet of the toy to high temperatures, and in order to draw energy strokes through the chest, it will be necessary to recharge its energy beam by exposing the chest of the toy to a bright light and a certain color.

According to one embodiment, one or sensors of the sensor system will not be operational until the toy avatar has reached a certain level of progress or has performed certain actions in the video game. Other types of sensor may be envisaged while remaining within the scope of the device according to the invention, for example impact sensors, contact sensors, etc.

The toy according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises an information processing unit and a memory unit.

According to one embodiment, the memory unit comprises a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. According to one embodiment, the information processing unit will filter according to threshold values the quantities generated by the sensors of the device according to the invention and record them in the memory unit. In this embodiment, the threshold values may be values read in a non-volatile memory of the memory unit of the device according to the invention.

According to one embodiment, the information processing unit will record in the memory unit the sequence of quantities generated by the sensors of the device according to the invention. This embodiment may be used in particular when the sampling frequency is low or when the sensor is relatively rarely activated, for example in the case of a shock sensor. According to one embodiment, the information processing unit 35 will record in the memory unit the time-stamped sequence of the quantities generated by the sensors of the device according to the invention.

According to one embodiment, the information processing unit will perform a data analysis on the quantities resulting from the sensors and some of the stored information, using tools of the moving average type, storage model, trend analysis and so on. This type of processing can be used in case specific cycles or dynamics of the data from the sensors are requested. For example, it may be required to approach and move cyclically a lamp a number of times in a given time a toy equipped with a light sensor, which may correspond in the game to a rite. magic ", a dance around a fire for example, to which the toy must submit to regenerate or increase the" powers "of the avatar. According to one embodiment, the information processing unit will perform a specific treatment for each type of quantity generated by the sensor system. By way of example of this embodiment and according to an embodiment with a sound sensor, the processing system analyzes the volume and the sound frequencies, or even performs a recognition of the types of sound (recognition of vocalization, specific music etc.). The user 25 will in this case and for example either leave his toy in absolute silence, or place it near a prolonged source of loud and sharp noises (for example a tumble dryer). The search for situations satisfying a good capture of these quantities by the toy will itself be playful and may cause discussions and exchanges of experiences between users. The toy according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises an identifier. This identifier is stored in the toy memory unit. This identifier allows the digital processing unit to identify the toy and associate it with a specific avatar.

In particular, it is preferable that the toy and the avatar are alike because they are two representations of the same imaginary character (or the same object), one in the material world of toys, the other in the virtual world of video games. This imaginary shared toy and avatar has its coherences that are found through the characteristics of the toy and the avatar, and strengthen their links. For example, a popular superhero with magnetic control powers (common imaginary), will appear as such in the video game and may be represented by a toy having a system to capture the proximity of a magnet. On the other hand, the fact that the toy and what it has been subjected to outside the games of video games can act (deferred) on the virtual avatar, reinforces the idea of an imaginary world, participating in the world material and virtual, where these pending actions transit, thus giving more to this imaginary both in the real world and the virtual world, and increasing the credibility of the "magic" link between a toy and its avatar. Conversely, the games of video games will have an impact on the way the toy will react to its environment and the conditions to which it will be subjected. The two-way interaction further increases the link between the real and the virtual and perfect a persistent gaming system. The playfulness of the invention will be enhanced if said characteristics of the avatar increase as long as the duration during which the toy is subject to said conditions is long. This gives body and credibility the notion of "storing" powers while introducing a notion of "merit" of the player, in that it had the merit of predicting the time needed to store powers in his toy before the game video game.

According to one embodiment, the detachable part containing said at least one sensor or the toy in its entirety, depending on the variant considered, can be subjected to conditions for possibly long periods (for example 60 minutes of immersion under 30 cm of water ), which requires a specific unit of information processing so as not to saturate the memory.

The toy according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises a power supply system. According to one embodiment, this power supply is the fact of a battery. According to one embodiment, this power supply is the result of a rechargeable battery. According to one embodiment with a rechargeable battery, the battery is recharged when the toy is connected to the digital processing unit. According to one embodiment with a rechargeable battery, the battery is recharged by magnetic induction. According to one embodiment with rechargeable battery and photovoltaic cell, the battery is recharged at least in part by the energy produced by the photovoltaic cell. The toy according to the first embodiment of the invention comprises a communication unit and a connection unit 30 between the toy and the digital processing unit. According to one embodiment, the communication and connection units are those of a wireless communication. According to such an embodiment, the communication may be of the radio or infrared type.

According to one embodiment of wireless communication, the toy is provided with an activation system for activating or cutting said communication. This activation / interruption system may for example take the form of a push button or a two-state sliding button. According to one embodiment with wireless communication and connection units, the communication uses at least one RFID tag placed in the toy that is read by the digital processing unit. According to one embodiment, the connection of the toy with the digital processing unit is by means of 15 pins. According to one embodiment, when the connection unit is connected with the digital processing unit, the communication unit is arranged to receive instructions for modifying the state information from the digital processing unit. depending on the level of advancement of the avatar in the video game, and the status information stored in the memory unit is arranged to be modified according to the received modification instruction data. In particular, it is possible not to reset the stored state information (from the sensor) when connecting the toy and its reading by the game, but to change this value according to the power expenditure made by 30 the avatar in the game. It is then possible to use only a part of the powers stored in a toy, to stop playing (including turning off the console or changing console) and to redo a game on a other console without the need to fully charge the toy. According to one embodiment, the toy can connect to one or more other similar toys and such that the signal sent to the digital processing unit includes the identifiers of the toys thus connected and state information describing the quantities sensed by the sensors of the toys since their last connection to the digital processing unit. In particular, the toy connection unit is arranged to connect to at least one other similar toy; and the communication unit is arranged to exchange with said at least one other similar toy the data including the identifiers of the toys thus connected and the state information stored since their last connection to the digital processing unit, forming combined data , such that, at the next connection to the digital processing unit, the combined data is arranged to be transmitted to the digital processing unit, and such that the combined data is arranged for use by the imaging system and sounds for matching the avatars associated with the toys connected together by means of the toy identifiers and for modifying the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic of the paired avatars by means of the state information. Such an embodiment makes it possible, for example, to associate a toy of the figurine type with a certain number of toys having the role of accessories for the figurine and which will each be associated with particular powers. Thus, a figurine that will have a light sensor can connect to a toy in the shape of a snowmobile with a temperature sensor. The avatars associated with the two connected toys will appear in the game because the respective identifiers of the toys will be played. The avatar associated with the figurine will have increased power if the figurine has been exposed to a light of sufficient intensity, and will drive a virtual snowmobile associated with the toy in the shape of a snowmobile, which will have for example bonuses of autonomy if the toy has been exposed long enough to cold temperatures. Another example of this embodiment will be the constitution of a "giant robot" combining several toys of the device according to the invention, each toy being simultaneously associated with a video game character but also organic part (one will be the leg , the other the torso etc.) of said robot to which will be associated in the video game a specific avatar representing a "giant robot". According to one embodiment with several toys that can connect to each other, said toys, when connected, exchange the information stored in memory, and in particular those from the sensors, without the intervention of the processing unit. digital. An example of this embodiment is that by combining a group of toys with each other, all the "powers" generated by the sensors of the different toys will be gathered together in a single figurine that will become the group's powerful hero. . Another application could be that specific combinations of "compatible" toys increase, by connecting toys with each other, the values of the quantities coming from the respective sensors, thereby encouraging the users to obtain said toy combinations. These combinations are chosen to be in keeping with the common imaginary underlying toy groups and their avatar. It may be for example superheroes who are known to act in groups. This embodiment, allowing a fun activity with the toys outside a connection or communication with the digital processing unit, but while ensuring that said fun activity later has an impact on the related avatars to these toys, contributes to reinforce the impression of "clean life" of the toys as well as the links between avatars and toys, reinforcing the impression of reality of their common imagination by the fact that they can "act" by being freed from the game console, the computer, the tablet or the mobile phone, that is, a link to the virtual world. According to another embodiment, the toy comprises a contact sensor arranged to detect the presence of an accessory, such that, when the presence of an accessory is detected, at least one corresponding status information is generated and stored. In particular, such an embodiment makes it possible, for example, to associate with a toy of the figurine type, a certain number of accessories of the figurine, such as, for example, protective equipment (shield, etc.), which will each be associated to particular powers. When the accessory is attached to the figurine via a mechanism provided for this purpose, the contact sensor detects the presence of the accessory and a corresponding status information is stored in the memory unit of the figurine. According to one embodiment, the toy is provided with indicator means indicating quantities generated by the sensor system or, more generally, information representative of said at least one stored state information. These indicator means may in particular be visual. This will for example LED lights that will flash or activate when a threshold value will be reached by the sensors of the toy. It may also be a display screen. These indicator means may also include sound or mechanical indicators (such as a vibrator).

According to one embodiment, the indicator means are arranged to be activated by data, received from the digital processing unit, representative of the progress of the avatar in the game. According to one embodiment, the digital processing unit transmits data to the toy, which stores some in its memory unit. This will allow the digital processing unit and in accordance with the embodiments to store a progress level in the toy, and also to modify sample rates or threshold values used by the processing system. Thus, if a virtual character has had its power amplified during a game, the threshold values associated with one or more sensors of the toy can be lowered, which will allow the toy to generate more "power" for the same exposure of its sensors. The association between the toy and its avatar will thus be reinforced for the user by incorporating in the results of the sensors the level of advancement of the avatar in the video game. According to one embodiment with indicator means and such that the digital processing unit transmits information to the toy, the indicators may be controlled by the digital processing unit. This will for example physically translate on the toy a situation experienced by the virtual character. It could be for example the extinction of an LED (which may mean that the character is out of action), a sound, a vibration and so on. According to one embodiment, the toy connects to a controller of the digital processing unit and combines its signals with the latter to communicate with the digital processing unit. According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a video game device comprising a toy according to any of the embodiments according to the first aspect of the invention presented above, and an imaging and sound system comprising a digital processing unit arranged to implement the video game capable of displaying an avatar associated with the toy. According to one embodiment, the device comprises a communication device between the toy and the digital processing unit, such that this communication device is arranged to be connected in a standard manner to the digital processing unit (ie game consoles, computers, tablets or mobile telephones) and to communicate with the toy, with or without contact, such that the data from the toy is transmitted to the digital processing unit via said communication device. In one example of this embodiment, this device is connected in the manner of a standard game controller to a game console. The toy communicates its information to the device which in turn communicates to the game console under the form of information from a standard game controller. According to one embodiment with magnetic induction rechargeable battery and communication device, the magnetic induction platform is included in the communication device. According to one embodiment, the communication device comprises visual indicator means for displaying information representative of said at least one status information of the connected toy. In particular, the visual indicator means may display, for example by color change, the level of the current stored value (ie the stored state information) in the toy (for example, green: full charge, orange = medium red = more power), which allows the player to know if he has "loaded" his toy enough or not without entering a game. These visual indications may vary with the game, while the value stored in the toy varies. According to one embodiment, the communication device is arranged to modify the status information from a toy and transmitted to the digital processing unit. In particular, the communication device could modify the powers of figurine-type toys: 10 for example by increasing the power level of certain figurines, by privileging the "forces of evil" or the "forces of good", or certain types to be able to. Such communication devices could operate for example by also having identifiers 15 which would be read by the digital processing unit and would have effects on the powers of the avatars compared to the value stored in the toys, that is to say that would result in a further modification of the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic of the avatar associated with the toy connected with the communication device. According to one embodiment, the communication device is a connection base to the digital processing unit (for example a console) on which the toy is placed. According to an embodiment with communication and wireless connection units, the communication 30 uses at least one RFID tag placed in the toy that is read by the communication device. According to one embodiment, the connection of the toy with the communication device is by means of 35 pins.

According to a third aspect, the present invention relates to a communication device arranged to be used with an imaging and sound system comprising a digital processing unit arranged to implement a video game capable of displaying an avatar associated with a toy with a display protocol determined, characterized in that said communication device comprises at least one sensor for measuring at least one physical quantity representative of a state of the communication device applicable to the toy, an information processing unit for processing said at least one measured physical quantity and generating at least one corresponding state information, a memory unit arranged to store said at least one generated state information and at least one toy identifier to be associated with the toy avatar, a connection unit with the digital processing unit, a communication unit with the unit digital processing unit, such that when the connection unit is connected with the digital processing unit, the communication unit transmits to the digital processing unit data including at least said toy identifier and said at least one piece of information. state which has been stored in the memory unit before the connection unit of the communication device is connected to the digital processing unit, and such that said data is arranged for use by the imaging system and of sounds to identify the toy-associated avatar by means of the toy identifier and to modify the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic of the identified avatar by means of the state information. Such communication devices make it possible to use toys that have no sensor. For example, the communication device may comprise a single light sensor, which when loaded, would fill the gauge specific powers - whatever they are, even related to other energy than light - from each of the toys that are used with the communication device. According to a fourth aspect, the present invention relates to a video game device comprising at least one toy arranged to be associated with an avatar, an imaging and sound system comprising a digital processing unit arranged to implement the video game. adapted to display an avatar associated with a toy with a determined display protocol, and a communication device according to the third aspect of the invention. According to one embodiment, the toy identifier to be associated with the toy avatar is arranged to be manually selected by a user. According to an alternative embodiment, the toy comprises at least one RFID tag containing the identifier of the toy, which is read by the communication device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES The invention will be better understood from the following description, given purely for explanatory purposes and in no way limiting, of an embodiment of the invention, with reference to the appended figures: Figure 1 illustrates an overview of the device according to an example of the second aspect of the invention in use; Fig. 2 illustrates a view of the toy of the device according to an example of the first aspect of the invention; FIG. 3 illustrates an example of the connections between different toy components of the device when the sensor system is activated and the toy does not communicate with the digital processing unit; - Figure 4 illustrates an example of the links between different components of the device when the toy 5 communicates with the digital processing unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 illustrates an overall view and use of the device according to an example of the second aspect of the invention. According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the device consists of a toy 1, in the form of a figurine with its base, and an imaging and sound system consisting in particular of a unit of digital processing 2 which is a video game console, a screen 3 and a communication device 7. The imaging and sound system makes it possible to display on the screen 3 the images of a video game comprising an avatar 4 of the toy 1, and a power level gauge 6 of the avatar 4. The toy 1 comprises a light sensor 5. A communication device 7 is connected to the digital processing unit 2 by a cable 8, allowing two-way communication between the digital processing unit 2 and the communication device 7. The toy 1 communicates bilaterally and non-wiredly with the communication device 7, and thereby communicates bilaterally with the digital processing unit 2. Finally, the toy 1 comprises indicator means in the form of LEDs 9 placed in the 30 eyes of the figurine. Figure 2 illustrates a toy view of the device according to the first aspect of the invention. It shows the toy 1, disconnected from the digital processing unit 2 and the communication device 7, if any, positioned so that its light sensor 5 faces a light source 10, which allows said light sensor 5 to generate magnitudes which are stored by the toy and which will later be used in the video game. The LEDs 9 placed in the eyes of the toy 1 start to flash when the toy 1 has captured enough light to regenerate the powers of the avatar associated with the toy 1 in the video game, thus informing the user that he can use the toy in the video game. Figure 3 illustrates an example of the connections between different toy components of the device when the sensor system is activated and the toy does not communicate with the digital processing unit. Inside the toy 1, there is the sensor 5, activated, which generates quantities which are processed by the information processing unit 11. This information processing unit 11 uses for this purpose values which it reads in a non-volatile memory 12 of the memory unit of the device according to the invention. The result of this processing is then written to a volatile memory 13 of the toy memory unit. It also shows the indicator means 9 which is activated by the processing unit 11 when a threshold value of the quantities generated by the sensors 5 is reached. FIG. 3 also shows a rechargeable battery 15 integrated into the toy and used to supply the components of the toy 1 with electricity. This battery 15 notably enables the various sensors 5 and the various information processing units 11, memories 12 and 13, and indicators 9 to operate without the toy 1 to be connected to an external power source.

Figure 4 illustrates an example of the links between different components of the device when the toy communicates with the digital processing unit. It shows, inside the toy 1, the communication unit 14 read in the volatile memory 13 the information previously placed therein the information processing unit 11, and read in the non-volatile memory This information is then transmitted to the imaging and sound system 16. It will be understood that various combinations, modifications and / or improvements evident to those skilled in the art can be made to the various embodiments of the invention. the invention described in the present description without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims (17)

REVENDICATIONS1. Toy (1) arranged for use with an imaging and sound system (16) comprising a digital processing unit (2) arranged to implement a video game adapted to display an avatar (4) associated with the toy with a determined display protocol, characterized in that said toy comprises at least one sensor (5) for measuring at least one physical quantity representative of a state of the toy, an information processing unit (11) for processing said at least one a measured physical quantity and generating at least one corresponding state information, a memory unit (12, 13) arranged to store said at least one generated state information, a toy identifier arranged to associate the avatar with the toy, a a connection unit with the digital processing unit, a communication unit (14) with the digital processing unit, such that, when the connection unit is connected with the digital processing unit, the communication unitCommunication transmits to the digital processing unit data including at least said toy identifier and said at least one status information that has been stored in the memory unit before the toy connection unit is connected to the toy unit. digital processing unit, and such that said data is arranged for use by the imaging and sound system to identify the avatar associated with the toy by means of the toy identifier and to modify the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic (6) of the avatar identified by means of the state information. The toy (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor (5) is arranged to measure said physical quantity in a predetermined range of values and characterized in that at least one detachable portion of the toy containing the The sensor is designed to withstand the measuring conditions without damage to the entire range of 10 sensor values. The toy (1) according to claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor (5) is arranged to measure said physical quantity in a predetermined range of values and characterized in that the toy is designed to withstand the conditions without damage. measurement over the entire range of sensor values. 4. The toy (1) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that at least one of the range of values of the sensor (5) is defined to be reached under measurement conditions unsuitable for a human being. 5. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one sensor (5) is selected from one of the following sensors: a temperature sensor, a light sensor, an inertial sensor , a position sensor, a sound sensor, a force or pressure sensor, a flow sensor, a humidity sensor, an impact sensor or a contact sensor. 6. Toy (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said at least one sensor (5) is selected from one of the following sensors: an electromagnetic or magnetic field sensor, a sensor of physiological data cardio-frequency meter or electrodermic sensor or an olfactory sensor. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, when the connection unit is connected to the digital processing unit (2), the communication unit (14) is arranged to receive of the digital processing unit of the instructions for modifying the state information depending on the level of advancement of the avatar (4) in the video game, and in that the state information stored in the memory unit (12, 13) is arranged to be modified according to the received change instruction data. 8. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said at least one sensor (5) is arranged to be operational only from the moment when the avatar (4) has reached a level of predetermined advancement in the video game. 9. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of sensors (5) of different nature, each sensor being arranged to measure a physical quantity representative of a different state of the toy. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connection unit (14) is arranged to connect to at least one other similar toy; and the communication unit is arranged to exchange with said at least one other similar toy the data including the identifiers of the toys thus connected and the state information stored since their last connection to the digital processing unit (2), forming data combined, such that, at the next connection to the digital processing unit, the combined data is arranged to be transmitted to the digital processing unit, and such that the combined data is arranged for use by the system 16) to match the avatars (4) associated with the toys connected together by means of the identifiers of the toys and to modify the display protocol and / or at least one characteristic (6) of the matched avatars. means of state information. 11. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a contact sensor arranged to detect the presence of an accessory, such that, when the presence of an accessory is detected, the unless corresponding status information is generated and stored. 20 12. Toy (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises indicator means (9) for indicating information representative of said at least one stored state information. 25 13. Toy (1) according to claim 12, characterized in that the indicator means (9) are arranged to be activated by data received from the digital processing unit (2) representative of the state of progress. of 30 avatar (4) in the game. Video game device comprising: a toy (1) according to any one of the preceding claims; and an imaging and sound system (16) comprising a digital processing unit (2) arranged to implement the video game capable of displaying an avatar (4) associated with the toy. Device according to claim 14, characterized in that the device comprises a communication device (7) between the toy (1) and the digital processing unit (2), such that this communication device is arranged to be connected to the digital processing unit and communicating with the toy, such that the data from the toy is transmitted to the digital processing unit via said communication device. Device according to claim 15, characterized in that the communication device (7) comprises visual indicator means for displaying information representative of said at least one status information of the connected toy (1). Device according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that the communication device (7) is arranged to change the status information from a toy (1) and transmitted to the digital processing unit (2). ).