WO2024164227A1

WO2024164227A1 - Vibration control apparatus, system and handheld console

Info

Publication number: WO2024164227A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/075174
Authority: WO
Inventors: 张傲; 吴廷强; 钟国友
Original assignee: 深圳市攻氪科技有限公司
Priority date: 2023-02-09
Filing date: 2023-02-09
Publication date: 2024-08-15

Abstract

The present invention is applicable in the technical field of game consoles; provided is a vibration control apparatus which is used to connect separately to a main control module, a handle control module and a linear motor. The main control module is used to run a system program and an application program; the handle control module is used to connect to the main control module, and the handle control module is used to receive a game vibration signal from the main control module and convert the game vibration signal into a standard vibration signal; a motor vibration signal is used to drive the linear motor to output vibration feedback; the vibration control device is configured to: receive a standard vibration signal from the handle control module and an audio signal from the main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signal. The configuration of the vibration control apparatus may create conflict between different signals used for vibration feedback, and various vibration feedback requirements may be met with only one linear motor, which simplifies the overall structure, saves cost, and improves the user experience.

Description

Vibration control device, system and handheld game console

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of game consoles, and in particular to a vibration control device, system and handheld game console.

Background Art

With the development of the times, modern handheld game consoles have made great progress in many aspects such as game plot, picture quality, music, etc., and have also brought better gaming experience to the majority of players.

For handheld game consoles, vibration feedback is a very helpful way to enhance the gaming experience. Traditional vibration methods are very simple, with only vibrations triggered by game controller functions. However, in some scenarios, vibrations triggered by music can also enhance the user experience. In the prior art, one method is to trigger vibrations by music, that is, to superimpose an independent control method on the original machine and use the original linear motor of the machine to achieve music-triggered vibrations; the other is to add a set of independent vibration control systems including linear motors to independently achieve vibrations triggered by music, that is, one linear motor is used to achieve the vibration feedback of the original game, and the other linear motor is used to achieve vibration feedback triggered by music.

In actual use, different vibrations of existing machines are prone to conflict or the cost of the entire machine is high. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a simpler and more efficient vibration control solution.

Technical Solutions

Based on this, it is necessary to provide a vibration control device, system and handheld game console to address the above problems.

In one embodiment, a vibration control device is provided, the vibration control device is used to be connected to a main control module, a handle control module and a linear motor respectively, wherein the main control module is used to run system programs and application programs; the handle control module is used to be connected to the main control module, the handle control module is used to receive a game vibration signal from the main control module, and convert the game vibration signal into a standard vibration signal; the motor vibration signal is used to drive the linear motor to output vibration feedback;

The vibration control device is configured to receive a standard vibration signal from a handle control module and an audio signal from a main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signals.

In one embodiment, a vibration control system is provided, the vibration control system comprising:

Main control module;

Handle control module;

Linear motors; and

A vibration control device as provided in the above embodiment.

A handheld game console includes: a machine body, a display screen, and an operating handle; and is also equipped with a vibration control system as provided in the above embodiment; wherein the main control module is arranged in the machine body, the main control module is connected to the display screen, the handle control module is connected to the operating handle, and the linear motor is arranged in the machine body.

Beneficial Effects

The above-mentioned vibration control device, system and handheld game console, by configuring the vibration control device, can receive different signals for vibration feedback, such as standard vibration signals and audio signals, and process the received signals and then send them directly to the linear motor, so that the linear motor only receives the motor vibration signal from the vibration control device, and there will be no conflict between different signals for vibration feedback. It can also be achieved that only one linear motor is used to meet different vibration feedback requirements, which simplifies the overall structure, saves costs, and improves the user experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a diagram of an application environment of a vibration control device provided in one embodiment;

FIG2 is a diagram of an application environment of a vibration control device according to another embodiment;

FIG3 is a flow chart of the processing steps of a vibration control device in one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the internal structure of a computer device in one embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention

In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

It is understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. used in this application may be used herein to describe various elements, but unless otherwise specified, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish a first element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of this application, a first xx script may be referred to as a second xx script, and similarly, a second xx script may be referred to as a first xx script.

As shown in FIG1 , an application environment diagram of a vibration control device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the vibration control device is used to be connected to a main control module, a handle control module and a linear motor respectively, wherein the main control module is used to run system programs and application programs; the handle control module is used to be connected to the main control module, and the handle control module is used to receive a game vibration signal from the main control module and convert the game vibration signal into a standard vibration signal;

The vibration control device is configured to receive a standard vibration signal from a handle control module and an audio signal from a main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signal; the motor vibration signal is used to drive the linear motor to output vibration feedback.

In this embodiment, the main control module may be present in a computer device, and the computer device may be a handheld game console, a game console, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited thereto; the main control module may run system programs and game programs, and the system program may be a Windows system or a Linux-based system, or a game platform system thereon, and the game program may be an application program for users to play, which is not specifically limited here.

In this embodiment, the handle control module is connected to the main control module. The handle control module can be independent of the main control module or welded on the circuit board of the main control module. The handle control module can be connected to the operating handle and is mainly used to control the operating handle. The communication between the handle control module and the operating handle follows the corresponding protocol, such as the Xinput protocol and the Dinput protocol. The user interacts with the application through the operating handle. For example, during the running of the game program, it may be necessary to trigger the vibration of the operating handle in some specific scenes or operations to give the user vibration feedback. The main control module will generate a game vibration signal and send the game vibration signal to the handle control module. After receiving the game vibration signal, the handle control module will convert it into a standard vibration signal after processing to make the linear motor vibrate. The standard vibration signal can be a signal that meets the Xinput protocol. The linear motor can output vibration according to the standard vibration signal.

In this embodiment, the vibration control device is configured to receive a standard vibration signal from the handle control module and an audio signal from the main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signal. During the running of the game program, the sound is also output through the audio signal and the speaker. At the same time, the main control module also sends the audio signal to the vibration control device, which is processed by the vibration control device and sent to the linear motor to output vibration to give feedback to the user, that is, the linear motor is enabled to realize the sound vibration feedback driven by the game sound through the vibration control device, which can enhance the user's experience when playing. The audio signal can be an analog signal or a digital signal, which is not specifically limited here. The vibration control device processes the received signal and sends it to the linear motor, including the processing of the vibration logic, that is, according to the different signals received, the linear motor outputs vibration with corresponding vibration intensity, vibration frequency, etc.; it also includes the processing of the received signal itself, such as converting the audio signal into a signal that can drive the linear motor, such as preventing the standard vibration signal and the audio signal from driving the linear motor. The vibration control device can receive standard vibration signals and audio signals, but is not limited to this. When there are other vibration feedback requirements, the corresponding signal can be sent directly to the vibration control device, which has good expansibility.

In this embodiment, the linear motor is directly connected to the vibration control device and receives the motor vibration signal sent by the vibration control device. The linear motor can output vibration according to the motor vibration signal. The linear motor is usually arranged inside the operating handle, and the linear motor can output vibration according to the standard vibration signal. It can be understood that in order to achieve a better vibration feedback effect, the number of linear motors is set to be multiple.

In this embodiment, the vibration control device is configured to receive different signals for vibration feedback, such as standard vibration signals and audio signals, and the received signals are processed and then sent directly to the linear motor, so that the linear motor only receives the motor vibration signal from the vibration control device. This prevents conflicts between different signals for vibration feedback and enables only one linear motor to meet different vibration feedback requirements, thereby simplifying the overall structure and saving costs.

As shown in FIG. 2 , as a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration control device is also used to connect with the touch control module to receive the switch signal sent by the touch control module; the touch control module is also connected with the main control module to send the touch sliding signal to the main control module.

In one embodiment, the user can manipulate the touch module to manipulate the system program or the game program. The touch device can be a touchpad, which is not specifically limited here. When vibration feedback is required for the user's manipulation of the touch module, the vibration control device is configured to be connected to the touch module. In one case, the user presses the touch module and the touch module generates a switch signal. The vibration control device can receive the switch signal, which can be processed by the vibration control device and sent to the linear motor. When the user presses the touch module, the linear motor outputs vibration to complete the vibration feedback. It can be understood that the touch module also needs to be connected to the main control module. When the user slides the touchpad, a touch sliding signal is also generated, and the touch sliding signal is sent to the main control module to control the system program or application.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration control device is used to receive a touch sliding signal sent by the touch module to trigger vibration feedback when sliding the touch module through the linear motor; or

The vibration control device is used to receive the touch sliding signal sent by the main control module, so as to trigger the vibration feedback when sliding the touch module through the linear motor.

In one embodiment, the vibration control device is configured to receive a touch sliding signal emitted by a touch module. The touch sliding signal may be a coordinate signal of a touch point on the touch module. When a user slides the touch module, the touch point may change continuously, and the coordinates of the touch point on the touch module are continuously sent to the vibration control device. The vibration control device processes the received touch sliding signal and sends it to the linear motor, thereby realizing vibration feedback when the user slides the touch module.

In another embodiment, the vibration control device is configured to receive a touch sliding signal sent by the main control module. The vibration control device itself is connected to the main control module, and the two can communicate with each other. After the touch module sends the touch sliding signal to the main control module, the main control module sends the touch sliding signal to the vibration control device. The vibration control device processes the received touch sliding signal and sends it to the linear motor, thereby realizing vibration feedback when the user slides the touch module.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration control device is used to receive the sound vibration firmware, vibration intensity setting data and sampling parameter configuration data issued by the main control module, and the sound vibration firmware is used to convert the audio data into a vibration signal for driving the linear motor.

In one embodiment, a program firmware is stored in the vibration control device, including a sound vibration firmware, to realize the vibration feedback of the audio-driven linear motor. The sound vibration firmware is sent to the vibration control device by the main control module. When the sound vibration firmware needs to be updated, the vibration control device can store the new sound vibration firmware. The vibration parameters such as the vibration intensity of the linear motor are controlled by the vibration control device. The vibration parameters can be set by the main control module, and the configuration data such as the vibration intensity setting data and the sampling parameter configuration data are sent to the vibration control device to meet different vibration feedback requirements. Among them, the sampling parameter configuration data is used to configure the sampling parameters of the touch module. When a pressure sensor is used in the touch module, the pressure sensor can be set to a set number of levels and a level threshold, such as 10 levels, and the threshold is 7. When the pressure sensor sampling reaches 7 or more, the corresponding signal is triggered.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration control device receives the standard vibration signal from the handle control module using the xinput protocol; the vibration control device communicates with the main control module through the serial port protocol; the main control module communicates with the handle control module through the USB protocol, and the main control module communicates with the touch control module through the USB protocol or the I2C protocol.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the switch signal is triggered by a press switch in the touch control module; or

The switch signal is triggered by a pressure sensor in the touch control module.

In one embodiment, the switch signal is triggered by a push switch in the touch module. The push switch has only two states: on and off. The switch signal is a high or low level. The vibration control device controls the linear motor to output vibration to prompt the user that the push switch of the touch module has been pressed.

In another embodiment, the switch signal is triggered by a pressure sensor in the touch module. The pressure sensor hardly deforms when pressed. In order to enhance the tactile sensation of pressing, when the user's pressing force reaches a certain threshold, the switch signal can be triggered and directly sent to the vibration control device. The vibration control device controls the linear motor to output vibration to enhance the tactile sensation of pressing.

As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the received signal includes one or more of a standard vibration signal, an audio signal, a switch signal, and a touch sliding signal, and the specific step of outputting a motor vibration signal according to the received signal includes:

Sorting the received signals of different types according to a set priority order and converting them into motor vibration signals for driving the linear motor respectively, or sorting the received signals of different types according to a set priority order and converting them into signals for driving the linear motor respectively and superimposing them to generate a motor vibration signal;

The motor vibration signal is output to the linear motor.

In one embodiment, the vibration control device can receive signals sent from different modules and uniformly control the vibration of the linear motor. For example, in a handheld game console, the vibration control device therein can receive standard vibration signals, audio signals, switch signals, and touch sliding signals, but it does not have to receive multiple signals at the same time. Different signals can be received in different scenarios, and the signals are processed and converted into driving signals for the linear motor, so that the handheld game console provides different vibration feedback to the user.

In one embodiment, there is a situation where the vibration control device receives multiple different types of signals almost at the same time. One possible situation is that in order to avoid conflicts, a priority order can be set for the different types of signals received, and the different types of signals can be processed in sequence according to the priority order; for example, when there is vibration feedback driven by the game and vibration feedback driven by the audio at the same time, that is, the vibration control device will receive the standard vibration signal and the audio signal at the same time, the vibration control device can process the standard vibration signal first, and then process the audio signal, so that the linear motor can output vibration feedback in sequence, and the vibration effect is better. It can be understood that this priority order is pre-set and can be changed. The vibration control device can receive the configuration data of the priority setting order of the main control module.

Another possible scenario is that in order to avoid conflict, different vibrations are superimposed, that is, the vibration control device sorts the different types of signals received according to the set priority order, and converts them into signals for driving the linear motor respectively and superimposes them to generate a motor vibration signal; the linear motor outputs vibration feedback according to the motor vibration signal, and the superimposed vibration feedback is mainly manifested as strong vibration. For example, when the vibration feedback driven by the game is strong and the vibration feedback driven by the audio is weak, the user perceives the stronger vibration feedback. Furthermore, when the sorted signals of different types are converted into signals for driving the linear motor and superimposed, the vibration intensity of the low-priority signal is weakened in order of priority before being superimposed, so that the linear motor can reflect the main vibration feedback; for example, the priority order of vibration feedback is vibration feedback triggered by the touch module, vibration feedback driven in the game, and vibration feedback driven by sound. For the vibration control module, the priority order corresponds to touch sliding signal, standard vibration signal, and audio signal. When the vibration feedback triggered by the touch module and the vibration feedback driven in the game are triggered at the same time, the touch sliding signal is processed first, and then the standard vibration signal is processed, and the vibration intensity of the standard vibration signal is weakened, and then the motor vibration signal is output after superposition; similarly, when the vibration feedback driven in the game and the vibration feedback driven by sound are triggered at the same time, the standard vibration signal is processed first, and then the audio signal is processed, and the vibration intensity of the audio signal is weakened, and then the motor vibration signal is output after superposition.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a vibration control system is provided, the vibration control system comprising:

Main control module;

Handle control module;

Linear motors; and

A vibration control device as provided in any one of the above embodiments.

In this embodiment, the main control module may be present in a computer device, and the computer device may be a handheld game console, a game console, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, etc., but is not limited to this; the main control module can run system programs and game programs, the system program may be a Windows system or a Linux-based system, or a game platform system based thereon, and the game program may be an application program for users to play, which is not specifically limited here.

In this embodiment, the vibration control device is configured to receive a standard vibration signal from the handle control module and an audio signal from the main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signal. During the running of the game program, the sound is also output through the audio signal and the speaker. At the same time, the main control module also sends the audio signal to the vibration control device, which is processed by the vibration control device and sent to the linear motor to output vibration to give feedback to the user, that is, the linear motor is enabled to realize the sound vibration feedback driven by the game sound through the vibration control device, which can enhance the user's experience when playing. The vibration control device processes the received signal and sends it to the linear motor, including the processing of the vibration logic, that is, according to the different signals received, the linear motor outputs vibration with corresponding vibration intensity, vibration frequency, etc.; it also includes the processing of the received signal itself, such as converting the audio signal into a signal that can drive the linear motor, such as preventing the standard vibration signal and the audio signal from driving the linear motor. The vibration control device can receive standard vibration signals and audio signals, but is not limited to this. When there are other vibration feedback requirements, the corresponding signal can be sent directly to the vibration control device, which has good expansibility.

As a preferred embodiment, the vibration control system further includes:

The touch control module is connected to the main control module and the vibration control device respectively, and is used to send a touch sliding signal to the main control module and send a switch signal to the vibration control device.

In one embodiment, the vibration control system further includes a touch module to control the linear motor to provide vibration feedback to the user's manipulation of the touch module. The user can manipulate the touch module to manipulate the system program or game program. The touch device can be a touch pad, which is not specifically limited here. When vibration feedback is required for the user's manipulation of the touch module; the vibration control device is configured to be connected to the touch module. In one case, the user presses the touch module, and the touch module generates a switch signal. The vibration control device can receive the switch signal, which can be processed by the vibration control device and sent to the linear motor. When the user presses the touch module, the linear motor outputs vibration to complete the vibration feedback. It can be understood that the touch module also needs to be connected to the main control module. When the user slides the touch pad, a touch sliding signal will also be generated. The touch sliding signal is sent to the main control module to control the system program or application.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a handheld game console is provided, comprising: a body, a display screen and an operating handle; characterized in that it is also configured with a vibration control system provided in any of the above embodiments; wherein the main control module is arranged in the body, the main control module is connected to the display screen, the handle control module is connected to the operating handle, and the linear motor is arranged in the body.

In one embodiment, the handheld game console has a body, a display screen, and an operating handle, and a complete vibration control system is arranged in the handheld game console. The body may include a shell, and may also include a battery, a speaker, etc., which are not specifically limited here. The operating handle is connected to the body, and the user can operate the operating handle to control the handheld game console and play games in the handheld game console. The vibration control system provides vibration feedback to the user when using the handheld game console, thereby improving the user experience.

FIG4 shows an internal structure diagram of a computer device in an embodiment. The computer device may specifically be the handheld game console provided in the above embodiment. As shown in FIG4 , the computer device includes a processor, a memory, a network interface, an input device, and a display screen connected via a system bus. Among them, the memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium of the computer device stores an operating system and may also store computer programs, such as game programs. The display screen of the computer device may be a liquid crystal display or an electronic ink display screen, and the input device of the computer device may be a touch layer covering the display screen, or may be a button, trackball, or touchpad provided on the housing of the computer device, or may be an external keyboard, touchpad, or mouse, etc.

Those skilled in the art will understand that the structure shown in FIG. 4 is merely a block diagram of a partial structure related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

It should be understood that, although each step in the flow chart of each embodiment of the present invention is shown in sequence according to the indication of the arrow, these steps are not necessarily performed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrow. Unless there is a clear explanation in this article, the execution of these steps does not have strict order restrictions, and these steps can be performed in other orders. Moreover, at least a portion of the steps in each embodiment may include a plurality of sub-steps or a plurality of stages, and these sub-steps or stages are not necessarily performed at the same time, but can be performed at different times, and the execution order of these sub-steps or stages is not necessarily performed in sequence, but can be performed in turn or alternately with at least a portion of other steps or sub-steps or stages of other steps.

Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes involved in the above embodiments can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application may include non-volatile and/or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the patent of the present invention. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

A vibration control device, characterized in that the vibration control device is used to be connected to a main control module, a handle control module and a linear motor respectively, wherein the main control module is used to run system programs and application programs; the handle control module is used to be connected to the main control module, the handle control module is used to receive a game vibration signal from the main control module, and convert the game vibration signal into a standard vibration signal; the motor vibration signal is used to drive the linear motor to output vibration feedback;

The vibration control device is configured to receive a standard vibration signal from a handle control module and an audio signal from a main control module, and output a motor vibration signal according to the received signals.
According to a vibration control device according to claim 1, it is characterized in that the vibration control device is also used to connect with a touch control module to receive a switch signal sent by the touch control module; the touch control module is also connected with a main control module to send a touch sliding signal to the main control module.
A vibration control device according to claim 2, characterized in that:

The vibration control device is used to receive a touch sliding signal sent by the touch module, so as to trigger vibration feedback when sliding the touch module through the linear motor; or

The vibration control device is used to receive the touch sliding signal sent by the main control module, so as to trigger the vibration feedback when sliding the touch module through the linear motor.
A vibration control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the vibration control device is used to receive sound vibration firmware, vibration intensity setting data and sampling parameter configuration data issued by the main control module, and the sound vibration firmware is used to convert audio data into a vibration signal for driving the linear motor.
A vibration control device according to claim 2, characterized in that the standard vibration signal received by the vibration control device from the handle control module adopts the xinput protocol; the vibration control device communicates with the main control module through the serial port protocol; the main control module communicates with the handle control module through the USB protocol, and the main control module communicates with the touch control module through the USB protocol or the I2C protocol.
A vibration control device according to claim 2, characterized in that:

The switch signal is triggered by a press switch in the touch control module; or

The switch signal is triggered by a pressure sensor in the touch control module.
A vibration control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the received signal includes one or more of a standard vibration signal, an audio signal, a switch signal, and a touch sliding signal, and the specific step of outputting a motor vibration signal according to the received signal includes:

Sorting the received signals of different types according to a set priority order and converting them into motor vibration signals for driving the linear motor respectively; or sorting the received signals of different types according to a set priority order, converting them into signals for driving the linear motor respectively and superimposing them to generate a motor vibration signal;

The motor vibration signal is output to the linear motor.
A vibration control system, characterized in that the vibration control system comprises:

Main control module;

Handle control module;

Linear motors; and

A vibration control device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.
A vibration control system according to claim 8, characterized in that the vibration control system further comprises:

The touch control module is connected to the main control module and the vibration control device respectively, and is used to send a touch sliding signal to the main control module and send a switch signal to the vibration control device.
A handheld game console, comprising: a body, a display screen and an operating handle; characterized in that it is also equipped with a vibration control system as described in any one of claims 8 to 9; wherein the main control module is arranged in the body, the main control module is connected to the display screen, the handle control module is connected to the operating handle, and the linear motor is arranged in the body.