JP3409794B2 - Controller and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a controller that sends various instructions to an electronic device such as a game device when operated by an operator, and an electronic device such as a game device that is used by connecting the controller. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It has been several years since the introduction of home video game devices, and in recent years, a variety of interesting games have been developed, and some of them are very popular as entertainment. An input device called a controller is connected to such a home-use game machine, and a player operates the controller to send various instructions to the game machine to play the game.

Thus, the controller intervenes between the player and the game machine and functions as a man-machine interface, which is very important for the game machine. The operability and functionality of the controller are closely related to the playability and fun of the game.

Various types of game device controllers have been devised conventionally, but as a controller for a home video game device, a direction key for indicating a direction and a plurality of instruction buttons are provided. Those that are commonly used.

[0005]

However, the instruction button of the conventional controller is not suitable for continuous instruction because it can give only a single instruction by one operation. In particular, it has been very difficult to send a continuously changing instruction. If it is absolutely necessary for the progress of the game, there is no choice but to realize it by using the length of time that the instruction button is pressed or by an unnatural operation specification such as repeatedly pressing the instruction button.

Further, with the direction buttons of the conventional controller, the directions that can be instructed are limited to 4 or 8 directions, and the directions between them are instructed, or the direction is changed continuously. It was impossible.

Further, the conventional controller was initially provided with a direction key and two instruction buttons, but the number of instruction buttons is increased as the game becomes more complicated.
The number has increased from three to three, and in recent years, those with six instruction buttons are becoming common. The number of buttons that can be easily operated by the player is limited to 6 buttons, and it has been difficult to respond to a new game using more instruction buttons.

Further, in recent years, the operation method of the controller has become more and more complicated, and it has become difficult for the player to perform a stable operation. Therefore, the advent of a controller that can be operated in a stable state has been desired.

On the other hand, when the game creator considers the game content, he must always consider the operability of the controller, and the function of the controller and the game content are closely related. Usually, since a general controller is used, the game contents are limited by the function and operability of the controller.

On the other hand, although there is a case where a controller suitable for the operation of the game is newly provided by giving priority to the game contents, it is not desirable because it imposes a heavy burden on the user.

An object of the present invention is to provide a controller capable of giving an instruction in an arbitrary direction or an instruction of a continuously changing direction.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a controller to which an extended direction indicating function is added while maintaining compatibility with a conventional controller.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a controller which can be easily held by an operator.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a controller capable of giving a continuously changing instruction.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a controller that can be operated in a stable state.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device which is compatible with a conventional controller and which can be used by connecting a controller for transmitting both direction indicating operation data and extended direction indicating data. .

[0017]

Means for Solving the Problems The above-mentioned one or more objects are provided with a direction key for indicating a direction and a plurality of instruction buttons, and operation data inputted from the direction key and the instruction button are electronically stored. A controller transmitting to a device, wherein the directional key includes a discrete directional key indicating a plurality of predetermined discrete directions and an arbitrary directional key indicating an arbitrary direction of 360 degrees, the controller comprising: A mode for transmitting operation data compatible with a conventional controller based on the operation of the discrete direction keys and the plurality of instruction buttons, and a mode for transmitting data including arbitrary direction operation data based on the operation of the arbitrary direction key. Is equipped with
This is achieved by a controller configured to have a switching means for switching between a mode for transmitting operation data compatible with the conventional controller and a mode for transmitting data including the arbitrary direction operation data.

For one or more of the above purposes, a direction key for indicating a direction and a plurality of instruction buttons are provided, and operation data input by operating the direction key and the instruction button is transmitted to the electronic device. In the controller, the directional key includes a discrete directional key configured to be capable of designating a plurality of predetermined discrete directions, and an arbitrary directional key configured to be capable of designating a continuous arbitrary direction, The controller has a function of transmitting operation data compatible with a conventional controller based on the operation of the discrete direction key and the instruction button, and a function of transmitting data including arbitrary direction operation data based on the operation of the arbitrary direction key. And a structure for transmitting both the operation data compatible with the conventional controller and the operation data in the arbitrary direction to the electronic device. It is achieved by being formed by the controller is.

The controller described above can be configured to have an operation mode for transmitting operation data compatible with the conventional controller and an operation mode for transmitting data further including the operation data in the arbitrary direction. .

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025]

[0026]

[0027]

[0028]

[0029]

[0030]

[0031]

[0032]

[0033]

[0034]

[0035]

[0036]

[0037]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A controller according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a plan view of the controller of the present embodiment, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back side of the controller of the present embodiment seen obliquely from the front, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the controller of the present embodiment is held by a player. 4 is a perspective view of the back side of the controller of the present embodiment as seen obliquely from the rear side with the controller body and the extension unit removed, and FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the pin arrangement of the connector of the extension unit and the extension socket of the controller body.

(Structure of Controller) The controller body 10 provides the basic functions of the controller. As shown in FIG. 1, a start button 16 and a changeover switch 18 are provided in the lower center of the front operation surface 10 a of the controller body 10.
On the left side of 0a, an analog directional key 12 and a digital directional key 14 are provided to indicate the direction, and the operation surface 10
On the right side of a, six instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20
z, 20a, 20b, 20c are provided. An instruction lever 22l is provided on the central left operation surface 10c on the back side of the controller body 10, and an instruction lever 22r is provided on the central right operation surface 10d. A screw hole 29 for screwing is provided in the center on the back side of the controller body 10.

As described above, in the controller of this embodiment, the analog operation keys 12, the digital direction keys 14, the start button 16, the changeover switch 18, the instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20z, 20a are provided on the front operation surface 10a.
20b and 20c are provided, and operation surfaces 10c and 10 on the back side are provided.
Instruction levers 22l and 22r are provided at d.

The start button 16 is an instruction button of a type in which a single instruction can be input by pressing it once.
Since it is provided in the lower center of the operation surface 10a on the front side,
It is difficult to press frequently, and is mainly used for instructions such as game start instructions that do not need to be pressed during the game.

The changeover switch 18 is provided for maintaining compatibility with the conventional controller. When the changeover switch 18 is slid to the left, the mode becomes compatible with the conventional controller, the analog directional key 12 is disabled, the digital directional key 14, the start button 16, and the instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20z, 20a, 20b, 2 are selected.
0c and the instruction levers 22l and 22r are enabled. Games using conventional controllers can be played using this new controller. When the changeover switch 18 is slid to the right, the analog directional key 12 is also activated and the game corresponding to this new controller can be played.

In this embodiment, two direction keys 12, 1 are used.
4 are provided. Analog directional key 12 is 360
A digital directional key 14 is used to perform continuous directional instruction that can indicate all directions, so-called analog directional instruction.
The so-called digital directional instruction, which is a discrete directional instruction in only eight predetermined directions, is performed. Both direction keys 12 and 14 are provided on the left side of the front side operation surface 10a, and the player usually operates with the thumb of the left hand.

The analog directional keys 12 are used to control the player's operation.
An operation plate (not shown) that tilts freely depending on the
Has been. Detects the pointing direction from the tilt direction of the operation plate
To do. The digital direction keys 14 are operated by the player.
A control plate (not shown) that tilts freely
When the work plate is tilted, the switches provided on the top, bottom, left and right
(Not shown) is pressed, up, down, left, right and in
It is possible to detect 8 directions in total. Instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20z, 20a, 20b, 20c
Is an instruction button of a type in which a single instruction can be input by pressing it once. These instruction buttons 20x, 20
y, 20z, 20a, 20b, 20c are provided on the right side of the operation surface 10a on the front side, and a normal player operates with the thumb of the right hand.

The indicating levers 22l and 22r can input a continuously changing indicating amount by pulling the indicating levers 22l and 22r toward the front side. The instruction levers 22l and 22r are provided on the right and left operation surfaces 10c and 10d on the back side, and when the player holds the controller with the left and right hands, they are pulled to the front side by a finger other than the thumb, for example, the index finger or the middle finger. Manipulate.

Each of the instruction levers 22l and 22r is provided with an operation lever (not shown). Since the operation lever is rotated by operating the instruction levers 22l and 22r, the instruction levers 22l and 22r can output a continuously changing instruction amount according to the rotation angle of the operation lever.

An extension unit 30 is attached to the center of the back side of the controller body 10 as shown in FIG. Operation surfaces 10c, 10 on both the left and right sides of the expansion unit 30
Pointing levers 22l and 22r are provided at d.

As shown in FIG. 1, the controller body 10 has a substantially circular shape in which the outer edge of the operation surface 10a is about 13 cm. Since the circular shape has an appropriate size as described above, the player can hold it at any position on the outer edge of the operation surface 10a by his / her hand without feeling uncomfortable. In order for the player to operate the player without feeling uncomfortable, the diameter of the circular shape of the operation surface 10a of the controller body 10 is preferably within the range of about 9 to 17 cm.

Although the outer edge of the operation surface 10a of the controller body 10 has a substantially circular shape as a whole, the left side portion 10b of the analog directional key 12 is an arc having a large diameter. In this embodiment, the operation surface 10a is an arc having a diameter that is about twice the diameter of the entire circular shape, that is, a diameter of about 26 cm, and the length of the arc is about 8.5 cm. This left side 10
The direction of the arc of b substantially matches the specific direction of the analog directional key 12 (upward in FIG. 1). Therefore,
When the player holds the controller main body 10, the upward direction of the analog directional key 12 can be grasped from the feel of the palm, and the game can be operated without looking at the controller. In order for the player to operate without feeling uncomfortable, the diameter of the arc of the left side portion 10b is preferably about 18 to 34 cm, and the length of the arc is preferably about 6 to 11 cm.

When the player operates the controller of this embodiment by holding it in his / her hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the edge of the operation surface 10a of the controller body 10 is held by the left and right hands. The thickness of the controller body 10 is preferably about 2 to 4 cm so that the player can hold the controller with his or her hand without feeling discomfort, and the thickness of the portion of the instruction levers 22l and 22r is about twice as large as about 4 to 8 cm. Is desirable.

When the player holds the controller in his hand,
The left hand operates the analog direction keys 12 or the digital direction keys 14 on the front surface with the thumb, and operates the rear side instruction lever 22l with the index finger or the middle finger, and the right hand uses the thumb to operate the front surface instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20z, 20a. , 20
While operating b and 20c, the back side instruction lever 22r is operated with the index finger or the middle finger.

When operating the analog directional key 12 or the digital directional key 14, as shown in FIG. 3, the left hand portion 10b is held by the left hand, and the left hand portion of the left hand portion 10b is held. Since the part of the arc can be grasped, it is possible to grasp the reference direction of the analog directional key 12 and give a direction.

In particular, in the case of the analog direction key 12,
Unlike the digital direction key 14, there is no click feeling when the switch is pressed down, and therefore the player cannot know which direction the player's operation direction is, without the left side portion 10b. Therefore, it is very effective to provide the left side portion 10b having a large diameter arc.

In the case of the digital directional key 14, the pointing direction can be grasped from the click feeling of the switch, but the flat left side portion 10b can surely grasp the operating direction of the user.

The expansion unit 30, as shown in FIG.
It is attached to the center of the back side of the controller body 10. The expansion unit 30 is inserted between the controller body 10 and the game apparatus body 200, and
Instruction signals from 0 to various operation keys are sent to the game apparatus body 200. The expansion unit 30 can be removed from the controller body 10 and replaced if necessary.

In the controller with the expansion unit 30 attached, as shown in FIG. 2, the central portion of the controller body 10 projects. The controller is often handled roughly, and even if the controller is dropped or hit against another object, the controller body 10
Since the instruction levers 22l and 22r are provided on the concave operation surfaces 10c and 10d on the side of the expansion unit 30 protruding to the back side of the extension unit 30, it is possible to prevent the instruction levers 22l and 22r from being directly impacted.

The extension unit 30 is connected to the controller body 10
FIG. 4 shows a state of being removed from the. A connector 31 which is shaped like an end at the end of the expansion unit 30 on the controller body 10 side.
And a female expansion connector 26 is provided on the back side of the controller body 10. The extension connector 26 is an end portion of a circuit board (not shown) provided inside. At the time of mounting, the male connector 31 of the expansion unit 30 is connected to the female expansion connector 26 of the controller body 10.

The connector 31 of the expansion unit 30 is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), it has the shape of a male connector and is provided with ten pins P1 to P10. From the left, the first pin P1, the third pin P3, and the fifth pin P are on the top.
5, a seventh pin P7 and a ninth pin P9 are provided, and a second pin P2, a fourth pin P4, a sixth pin P6, an eighth pin P8 and a tenth pin P10 are provided from the left in the lower part.

Expansion connector 2 of the controller body 10
As shown in FIG. 5 (a), 6 has the shape of a female connector and is provided with 10 pins P1 to P10. The 9th pin P9, the 7th pin P7, the 5th pin
The pin P5, the third pin P3, and the first pin P1 are provided, and the tenth pin P10, the eighth pin P8, the sixth pin P6, the fourth pin P4, and the second pin P2 are provided from the left in the lower part. .

(Function of Controller) Next, the configuration of the controller of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.
This will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a state in which a basic expansion unit 30 to which an expansion function is not added is attached, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram in which an expansion unit 40 to which an expansion function is added is attached.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the controller body 10 is provided with a control computer 24 for controlling the whole. The control computer 24 includes an analog directional key 12, a digital directional key 14, a start button 16, and instruction buttons 20x, 20y, 20z, 20.
The operation signals from a, 20b, 20c and the instruction levers 22l, 22r are detected and output according to the operation mode of the changeover switch 18. The controller body 10 is provided with an expansion connector 26 for connecting the expansion unit 30.

As shown in FIG. 6, the expansion unit 30 to which the expansion function is not added is provided with a connector 31 for connecting to the controller body 10, and the signal line from the connector 31 is directly connected to the connection cable 32. There is.
A connector 33 for connecting to the connector 202 of the game apparatus body 200 is provided at the end of the connection cable 32.

The expansion unit 30 is the controller body 1
0 and the game apparatus main body 200 are inserted, and the instruction signal from the controller main body 10 is sent to the game apparatus main body 200 as it is.

As shown in FIG. 7, the expansion unit 40 to which the expansion function is added is provided with a control computer 44 for controlling the whole, and the control computer 44 is provided with a function expansion section 45 for realizing the expansion function. It is connected. Like the standard expansion unit 30, the expansion unit 40 is provided with a connector 41 for connecting to the expansion connector 26 of the controller body 10, and the connector 20 of the game apparatus body 200 is provided at the end of the connection cable 42.
A connector 43 for connecting to 2 is provided.

The expansion unit 40 is the controller body 1
0 and the game apparatus main body 200, and the control computer 44 receives an instruction signal from the controller main body 10.
Is added to the instruction signal expanded by the function expansion unit 45 and sent to the game apparatus body 200.

FIG. 8 shows a connector 41 of the expansion unit 40.
Pin arrangement and expansion unit 2 for controller body 10
6 shows a pin arrangement of 6.

Both connectors 41 and 26 have a fourth pin P4,
The fifth pin P5 and the sixth pin P6 are mainly used as control lines. The fourth pin P4 is a select signal (TH) from the expansion unit 40 to the controller main body 10, the fifth pin P5 is a request signal (TR) from the expansion unit 40 to the controller main body 10, and the sixth pin P6 is expanded from the controller main body 10. It is used as a control line for a response signal (TL) to the unit 40.

The seventh pin P7, the eighth pin P8, the second pin
The pin P2 and the third pin P3 are mainly used as data lines. The seventh pin P7 has a bit 3 data signal (R), the eighth pin P8 has a bit 2 data signal (L),
The second pin P2 is used as a data signal (D) of bit 1 and the third pin P3 is used as a data line of a data signal (U) of bit 0.

Furthermore, the first pin P1 is connected to the power supply line (VCC).
And the ninth pin P9 is used for a ground line (GND).

Next, the conversion processing of the instruction signal from the controller body by the expansion unit will be described with reference to FIG.

The instruction signal output from the controller body 10 is, as shown in FIG. 9A, the identification codes ID1 to ID4 of the controller and the data DATA that follows it.
And an end code END indicating the end of the instruction signal.

In the case of FIG. 6 in which the expansion unit 30 to which the expansion function is not added is connected, the instruction signal shown in FIG. 9A is sent to the game apparatus main body 200 as it is. The game apparatus main body 200 determines the type of the connected controller from the identification codes ID1 to ID4 and receives the data signal DATA thereof.

In the case of FIG. 7 in which the expansion unit 40 to which the expansion function is added is connected, the controller main body 10 sends the instruction signal shown in FIG. 9A, but the control computer 44 of the expansion unit 40. Therefore, FIG. 9 (b)
As shown in FIG. 4, the identification codes ID3 and ID4 are identification codes ID3 'and ID4' of the controller to which the extended function is added.
Is changed to, the data of the added extension is added,
It is sent to the game device body 200. Game device body 2
00 discriminates the type of the connected controller from the identification codes ID1 to ID4 ', and the data signal DA
Receive a TA.

A concrete example of the conversion processing of the instruction signal is shown in FIG.
9 (c) and 9 (d). From the controller body 10, as shown in FIG. 9C, the identification code “1114”
After that, the data “FFFF” is output, but the control computer 44 converts the identification signal into “1166” as shown in FIG. 9D, and the data “FFFF” is followed by the data “88”. Is added.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the expansion unit 40 is inserted between the controller body 10 and the game apparatus body 200, and the expansion unit 40 processes the instruction signal from the controller body 10 to process the game apparatus. Body 2
I am sending it to 00. Therefore, the control computer 24 of the controller body 10 need only send its own instruction signal. The control computer 44 of the expansion unit 40 performs processing related to the expansion function of its own expansion unit 40. Therefore, it is possible to freely add new functions that cannot be assumed when the controller body 10 is designed.

When designing a new controller, basic instruction keys such as direction keys and instruction buttons are necessary for game operation, and absolutely necessary to maintain compatibility with existing controllers. . In many cases, in addition to basic instruction keys such as direction keys and instruction buttons, an instruction key for realizing a new function is added. For this reason, the controller must be redesigned including the basic instruction keys, and the design cannot be performed quickly, resulting in high design cost.

In the case of the present embodiment, the control of the basic instruction keys is performed by the controller body 10, so that the expansion unit may be designed in consideration of only new functions. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the design cost and design quickly.

Various examples of expansion units are shown in FIGS.
4 will be briefly described.

Expansion unit 50 shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.
Is to realize a cordless controller by using an infrared signal.

Expansion unit 5 for adding a cordless function
As with the standard expansion unit 30, the connector 0 is provided with a connector 51 for connecting to the expansion connector 26 of the controller body 10. Further, the expansion unit 50 is provided with a control computer 53 for controlling the whole, and the control computer 53 is provided with a light emitting section 52. The control computer 53 is the controller body 1
The instruction signal from 0 is output from the light emitting unit 52 as an optical signal. The light receiving unit 204 of the game apparatus body 200 is the light emitting unit 5
The optical signal from 2 is received and decoded as an instruction signal. In this way, by mounting the expansion unit 50,
The controller can be easily made cordless.

Expansion unit 60 shown in FIGS. 10 and 12.
Is to add a function of receiving an optical signal from the outside such as a video monitor (not shown).

Expansion unit 6 for adding an optical signal detection function
0 is provided with a connector 61 for connecting to the expansion connector 26 of the controller main body 10 like the standard expansion unit 30, and an end of the connection cable 62 is connected to the connector 202 of the game device main body 200. A connector 63 for performing the operation is provided. In addition, the expansion unit 6
0 is provided with a control computer 64 for controlling the whole, and the control computer 64 is provided with a photodetection section 65. The detection signal from the light detection unit 65 is added to the instruction signal from the controller main body 10 by the control computer 64 and sent to the game apparatus main body 200. In this way, the light detection unit 65 can play a gun game such as shooting an enemy in the monitor screen by detecting the light signal from the video monitor, for example.

Expansion unit 70 shown in FIGS. 10 and 13.
Is to add a function of giving vibration to the controller body 10.

Like the standard expansion unit 30, the expansion unit 70 having a vibration function is provided with a connector 71 for connecting to the expansion connector 26 of the controller body 10, and the connection cable 72 is provided at the end thereof. A connector 73 for connecting to the connector 202 of the game apparatus main body 200 is provided, and a power supply 76 required for giving vibration is provided in the middle of the connection cable 72. Further, the expansion unit 70 is provided with a control computer 74 for controlling the whole, and the control computer 74 is provided with a vibrating section 75 for giving vibration. The vibrating section 75 vibrates based on an instruction signal from the game apparatus body 200 or the controller body 10 to give vibration to the controller body 10. In this way, by vibrating the controller main body 10 from the vibrating section 75, it is possible to realize a game with a realistic sensation by adding vibration during shooting.

As described above, according to this embodiment, by adding the expansion unit, it is possible to freely add a new function to the conventional controller. Further, in this embodiment, the expansion unit is inserted between the game apparatus main body and the controller main body so that the instruction signal from the controller main body is converted and sent to the game apparatus main body based on the expanded function. As a result, completely new functions can be added without changing the controller body.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, instead of the cross pattern of the analog key shown in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG.
Concentric grooves may be formed on the upper surface of the analog directional key 12. Since all directions can be specified with the analog directional key 12, even if a cross pattern is formed, the direction of the cross pattern and the direction specified by the analog directional key 12 do not always match. The formation of the cross pattern may rather confuse the player. Therefore, in FIG.
In the embodiment, the concentric grooves that do not point in a specific direction are formed. The concentric grooves also function as a slippery finger when the analog directional key 12 is operated.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, since the handle portions 11l and 11r are provided, it is possible to realize a controller that can be easily held by the operator.

[Modified Embodiments] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the data of both the digital directional instruction and the analog directional instruction may be supplied and selectively used by the game apparatus main body side.

Further, although the present invention is applied to the controller used in the game device in the above-described embodiment, the present invention may be applied to a controller as an input device for controlling an electronic device other than the game device.

In the present specification, “continuous” in “continuously changing”, “continuous indicating direction”, etc. is not limited to the case of being continuous as a so-called analog quantity,
Although it is not strictly continuous and discrete, like the digital amount when an analog signal is converted to a digital signal,
It also includes the case where it can be regarded as continuous from the viewpoint of signal processing.

[0091]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is suitable for a controller which sends various instructions to an electronic device when operated by an operator, and it is particularly desirable to send instructions according to the contents of a game such as a game device. Suitable for the controller.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the back side of the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention as seen obliquely from the front.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where the player holds the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention with the expansion unit removed from the controller body.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of a connector of an expansion unit and an expansion connector of a controller main body of the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a state in which an expansion unit to which an expansion function is not added is connected to the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where an expansion unit to which an expansion function is added is connected.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing pin arrangements of a connector of an expansion unit and a connector for expansion of a controller body of a controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of conversion processing of an instruction signal from the controller main body by the expansion unit according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a specific example of an extension unit in the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a specific example of an extension unit using an infrared signal in the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a specific example of an expansion unit having a photodetector in the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing a specific example of an expansion unit having a vibrating section in the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing a modified example of the controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification code FI G06F 3/02 390 G06F 3/02 390B 3/033 310 3/033 310Y 330 330A 380 380A Preliminary examination (56) Reference Game Walker February 1996 issue, Kadokawa Shoten Co., Ltd., February 1, 1996, Volume 3 Issue 2, Volume 16, Issue 22-25 Microcomputer BASIC Magazine June 1991, Denpa Shimbun, 1991 6 Vol. 10, Vol. 6, No. 108, Preface Color 24 pages (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A63F 13/00-13/12 A63F 9/24 G06F 3 / 00 G06F 3/02 G06F 3/033

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A controller provided with a direction key for designating a direction and a plurality of designating buttons, and transmitting operation data input by the direction key and the designating button to an electronic device, wherein the direction key is A predetermined direction, a discrete direction key for instructing a plurality of predetermined discrete directions, and an arbitrary direction key for instructing an arbitrary direction of 360 degrees, wherein the controller operates the discrete direction key and the plurality of instruction buttons. It is provided with a mode for transmitting operation data compatible with the conventional controller based on the above and a mode for transmitting data including operation data for the arbitrary direction based on the operation of the arbitrary direction key, and is compatible with the conventional controller. It has a switching means for switching between a mode for transmitting operation data and a mode for transmitting data including the operation data in the arbitrary direction. Controller. 2. A controller which is provided with a direction key for designating a direction and a plurality of designating buttons, and which transmits to the electronic device the operation data input by operating the direction key and the designating button. The key includes a discrete direction key configured to be capable of designating a plurality of predetermined discrete directions, and an arbitrary direction key configured to be capable of designating a continuous arbitrary direction, and the controller is configured to And a function of transmitting operation data compatible with a conventional controller based on the operation of the key and the instruction button, and a function of transmitting data including arbitrary direction operation data based on the operation of the arbitrary direction key, Operation data compatible with conventional controllers,
A controller that transmits both the arbitrary direction operation data to the electronic device. 3. An operation mode for transmitting operation data compatible with the conventional controller, and an operation mode for transmitting data further including the arbitrary direction operation data. controller.