# US 11,077,372 B2 · Method for controlling a display element by a games console

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- Number: US 11,077,372 B2
- Document ID: US11077372B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/639,684
- Filed: 2018-08-10
- Published: 2020-08-20
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2017-08-17
- Assignees: Nacon
- Applicants: Nacon SA
- Inventors: Alain Falc; Yannick Allaert; Alexandre Notebaert; Stephen Dudoyer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11077372B2

## CPC

- A63F 13/22: Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
- A63F 13/53: involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
- A63F 13/20: Input arrangements for video game devices
- A63F 13/25: Output arrangements for video game devices
- A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A control process of a display element, the process comprising the steps: measuring a position of a control lever, projecting in a base plane the position of the lever to determine a first set of coordinates, determining a homothetic figure on a mechanical stop of the lever, determining a circumscribed square on the homothetic figure, projecting onto the circumscribed square at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates, calculating a second set of coordinates in a Cartesian reference frame, on the basis of the projection of said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control process of a position and/or travel of a display element generated on a display screen by a video games console coupled to a games controller comprising a control lever arranged to be shifted by a user according to at least two degrees of liberty in a zone delimited by a mechanical stop, the process comprising the steps of:
measuring a position of the control lever in the determined zone with at least one sensor (12) outputting at least one electric signal per degree of liberty,
projecting in a base plane the position of the control lever measured with said at least one sensor, to determine a first set of coordinates,
determining a homothetic figure (FH) of a projection of the mechanical stop in the base plane, centered on a rest position of the control lever and passing through the projected position of the control lever in the base plane,
determining a circumscribed square (Ccfh) on the homothetic figure (FH),
projecting onto the circumscribed square (Ccfh) at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates; and
calculating a second set of coordinates in a Cartesian frame of reference, on the basis of the projection of said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square (Ccfh) so as to be able to send to the console the second set of Cartesian coordinates which is an image of the first set of coordinates.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A control process according to the claim 1, wherein the mechanical stop has a polygonal shape, and wherein the step for determining the homothetic figure (FH) comprises a step of determining in the base plane an angular sector containing the projected position of the control lever, then a step of determining a straight line passing through the projected position and parallel to one side of the polygonal projection of the mechanical stop in the base plane, contained in the determined angular sector.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical stop has an elliptical shape, and wherein the step for determining the homothetic figure (FH) comprises a step of determining a position ellipse centered on the rest position of the control lever and passing through the projected position of the control lever in the base plane.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, wherein the projection step of said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square (Ccfh) comprises a step of determining a projected position point as being a point of intersection of an axis passing through the rest position of the control lever and the projected position, with the circumscribed square (Ccfh).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, wherein the projection step of said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square (Ccfh) comprises a step of projecting onto the circumscribed square (Ccfh) the projected position, according to a direction of projection defined by a radius of the homothetic figure (FH) passing through the projected position.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The control process according to claim 4, wherein the calculation step of the second set of Cartesian coordinates comprises:
a step of calculating a first length as being a length of a segment connecting the rest position (Cp) to the projected position;
a step of calculating a second length as being a length of a segment connecting the rest position to the projected position point; and
a step of multiplying each coordinate of the first set of coordinate by a factor defined by a ratio of the second length on the first length.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, wherein the step for projecting said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square (Ccfh) comprises at least one step of projecting the projected position on the circumscribed square (Ccfh), according to a projection direction defined by an axis of an orthonomed system.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The control process according claim 1, wherein the projection step of said at least one coordinate of the first set of coordinates on the circumscribed square comprises:
a step of projecting onto the circumscribed square (Ccfh) the projected position, according to a first direction of projection defined by an axis of an orthonomed system defining the shortest distance between the projected position and the circumscribed square (Ccfh), to define a single projection point.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The control process according to claim 8, wherein the second set of Cartesian coordinates is defined by the Cartesian coordinates of the single projection point.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The control process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps of determining the homothetic figure (FH), determining the circumscribed square (Ccfh) on the homothetic figure (FH), projecting on the circumscribed square (Ccfh) said at least one coordinate, and calculating the second set of coordinates in a Cartesian frame of reference are conducted previously for all the possible projected positions of the control lever in the base plane so as to define a predefined conversion table of the first set of coordinates to the second set of coordinates.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The control process according to claim 10, wherein the predefined conversion table inputs the first set of coordinates, and outputs a coefficient for multiplying with each coordinate of the first set of coordinates, to calculate the second set of coordinates.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The control process according to claim 10, wherein said predefined conversion table inputs the first set of coordinates, and outputs the second set of coordinates.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, comprising a step of sending the second set of Cartesian coordinates to the games console.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The control process according to claim 13, wherein the steps up to the calculation step of the second set of coordinates are conducted with a first resolution, and wherein a step of reducing the resolution prior to the step for sending the second set of coordinates is provided, for sending the second set of coordinates according to a second resolution, lower than the first resolution.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The control process according to claim 1, wherein the position and/or the travel of the display element generated on the display screen is modified on the basis of the second set of Cartesian coordinates.