GB2426565A

GB2426565A - Foot operated control device with rotary joint

Info

Publication number: GB2426565A
Application number: GB0510776A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark Roy Ayre
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2005-05-26
Filing date: 2005-05-26
Publication date: 2006-11-29
Also published as: GB0510776D0

Abstract

A control device for operation by the foot which consists of a foot plate 1 with or without control buttons, attached to a base 2 by a rotary joint 3 which allows limited bidirectional rotation of the foot plate around two principal axes (y) and (z) centred on the rotary joint, allowing 360 degree direction and variable magnitude control signals to be generated by sensing the displacement of the foot plate and/or rotary joint caused by the controlled foot 4. The rotary joint may or may not be sprung such that it will return to a neutral position in the absence of any controlling forces. The sensors may be analogue or digital.

Description

Title: Foot Operated Control Device. Background This invention relates to a control device that is operated using the foot. Pedal' foot controllers already exist for use in conjunction with driving games, but these are rather limited in that they are constrained to one direction of motion - as is the case with the pedal controls in automobiles. Many computer games (particularly the genre known as 1st person shooters) and numerous other applications would benefit from adding the ability to use the foot or feet to provide a greater level of control, and this invention provides that ability. Statement of Invention To facilitate enhanced control using the foot, the present invention proposes a moveable foot plate mounted on a rotary joint that can allow limited bidirectional movement around two axes of rotation to generate 360 degree direction and variable magnitude control signals for various applications. Advantages This invention has the following intrinsic advantages: (i) For the 1st person shooter genre of video game that involves controlled movement of the player through the game environment, the invention can be used in conjunction with a light-gun controller such that the player can control the movement of her character within the game using the foot plate controller (and perhaps other game controls using toe-operated buttons as well), whilst using the light-gun controller to shoot at enemies on the screen. This will provide a much more immersive experience to the player of this type of game than just the traditional hand controller. (ii) By constraining the movement of the foot plate to one direction, the invention can be used in conjunction with a steering wheel controller for driving games, in the same manner as existing driving pedal controllers. (iii) The invention could potentially be used in many other situations besides video games, for example as an enhanced control device for wheeled vehicles such as tanks and cars. (iv) The invention can be used by disabled people who do not have the ability to use a conventional hand controller, but can operate one using their feet. Theoretically this device could for example allow disabled people unable to operate a steering wheel and gears to drive a car. This invention has the following preferable features: (i) The foot plate could also include one or more buttons to be operated by the toes. The big toe is the obvious candidate for a button as the big toe is easily moved. (ii) The foot plate should be configurable and adjustable to be operable with either the right or left foot, and ergonomically designed and/or adjustable to be suitable for effective use by game players with a wide range of foot sizes. (iii) The foot plate should be mounted on a sturdy base that is able to resist movement along the surface on which it stands. Example Implementation 1 In this example description, the described application of the invention is for video game control, in referral to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 shows top (A), side (B), front (C) and three-quarter (D) views of the invention. Figure 2 shows side views of the footplate in upwards-displaced (A), neutral (B) and downwards-displaced (C) positions Figure 3 shows top views of the footplate in right-displaced (A), neutral (B) and leftdisplaced positions (C). Figure 4 shows nine front views of the invention which correspond to the neutral position and the eight limiting positions of the foot plate. Figure 5 shows a top view of the usual directional control commands given in a first person shooter game Figure 1 shows top (A), side (B), front (C) and three-quarter (D) views of the invention.This implementation relies on the footplate (1) being attached underneath to a rotary joint (3), which is in turn attached to a static base (2) which is placed on the floor in front of the player, who is sitting normally. The rotary joint is situated such that it is beneath the arch of the player's foot when the invention is in use. The position of the players toes and heel of the foot are shown on the top view (A) by the solid black circles (4). The rotary joint (3) allows rotary motion of the foot plate (1) around two axes - z and y as shown in the three-quarter view (D) - i.e. such that any element of the footplate can move across the surface of a spherical cap (or intersection between two spherical wedges - this depends on how the rotary joint is constrained) which have as a focal point the joint (3).Rotation around the x-axis is constrained such that the foot plate cannot rotate around the x-axis. The dimensions of the spherical cap or wedge intersection are defined by suitable mechanical constraints within the rotary joint (3) such that the range of allowed motion is comfortable for the player whilst being sufficient to provide the required control movement. The rotary joint (3) is sprung, in a similar manner to existing joypad analogue controllers, such that the footplate will return to the neutral position in the absence of any perturbing (i.e. controlling) forces from the players foot. The invention is shown in the neutral position throughout figure 1, selected (and adjustable) to be comfortable for the player. The rotary joint housing (3) also contains analogue or digital sensors that allow displacement of the footplate from the neutral position to be measured and transmitted to the games machine, again in a similar manner to existing joypad analogue controllers. In this way, the displacement of the footplate (both direction and magnitude) from the neutral position can directly correspond to the control command passed to the game. In principle, this could consist of two analogue sensors that allow y-axis arc and z-axis arc displacement of the footplate to be measured and combined to give the total displacement of the foot plate from the neutral position. Figure 2 shows side views of the footplate in maximum upwards-displaced (A), neutral ( B) and maximum downwards-displaced (C) positions; the arrows indicate the approximate point at which the foot applies pressure to the foot-plate to achieve the displacement. As can be seen, with this design all possible vertical (xz plane) positions of the foot plate - i.e. between (A) and (C) - can be obtained through exerting downward pressure on the foot plate. This is because the player can exert a torque moment both in front of and behind the ball joint (arrows), by simply pressing with either the ball or heel of the foot. Thus there is no requirement for the foot to be strapped or otherwise attached to the foot plate. Figure 3 shows top views of the footplate in right-displaced (A), neutral (B) and leftdisplaced positions (C).This displacement of the plate is achieved by rotation of the ankle of the player through a small angle. The surface of the foot plate (1) is obviously designed to couple well with the player's foot to provide the friction required to translate forces from the foot to the foot plate. Figure 4 shows nine front views of the invention which correspond to the neutral position and the eight limiting positions of the foot plate (1 ) within the spherical cap, as defined by the mechanical constraints in the rotary joint (3). Obviously the base (2) remains static at all times during operation. This design allows precisely the same capability as the traditional analogue thumb controller on a joypad, by translating the displacement of the foot plate within the spherical cap into control commands passed to the game. Buttons can also be implemented within this invention to provide an extra layer of control, such as, for example, switching between control modes or firing a weapon The most suitable position for a button would be situated beneath the big toe, as this is the easiest toe to articulate separately to the rest of the foot. As an example, Figure 5 shows a top view of the usual directional control commands given in a first person shooter game: movement in the horizontal plane along the facing-vector of the player character combined with rotational movement of the player-character (A), and movement in the horizontal plane in any direction with the player-character constantly facing the same direction (B). The foot plate could be used to provide this control, with pushing down on the front of the foot plate corresponding to moving forward within the game, pushing on the heel to move backwards, and rotating the ankle left or right to rotate (in the case of (A)) or move (in the case of (B)) left or right. The button on the foot plate could allow switching between the two modes (A) and (B). The invention could also be used for conventional pedal control for driving games, in conjunction with a steering wheel controller. In this case, the lateral (z-axis rotation) could be (although this would not be strictly necessary) constrained so the only rotation in the joint (3) is around the y-axis. This invention can be used in many other situations - for example, disabled players unable to operate traditional hand-held controllers could use the invention instead. For example, two of the inventions could be used (one on each foot) to provide an equivalent level of control to two analogue thumb controllers.

Claims

1. A control device for operation by the foot which consists of a foot plate with or without control buttons, attached to a static base by a rotary joint.

2. A control device according to 1 where the rotary joint allows limited bidirectional rotation of the foot plate around two axes centred on the rotary joint, such that 360 degree direction and variable magnitude control signals can be generated by sensing the displacement of the plate and/or joint.

3. A control device according to 2 where the rotary joint may or may not be sprung such that it will return to a neutral resting position in the absence of any applied controlling forces.