WO2010150232A1

WO2010150232A1 - A game system comprising a number of building elements

Info

Publication number: WO2010150232A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/052915
Authority: WO
Inventors: Søren BILSOE
Original assignee: Zyx Play Aps
Priority date: 2009-06-25
Filing date: 2010-06-25
Publication date: 2010-12-29
Also published as: EP2445600A1

Abstract

A game-system is provided which comprises a number of building elements arranged for being assembled into at least one predefined three-dimensional structure, wherein said game system comprises position means for determining and/or detecting the position and/or the three-dimensional orientation of at least one of the building elements in the three-dimensional structure, and verification means for establishing if said position and/or three-dimensional orientation is correct in relation to said pre-defined three-dimensional structure. The game system according to the present invention has the advantage that the player can hold the building elements in the hands, and physically build the structure; thereby ensure that the game system according to the invention involves a level of interaction, which is not present in a conventional virtual game.

Description

A game system comprising a number of building elements

The present invention relates to a game system comprising a number of building elements arranged for being assembled into at least one three-dimensional structure. The invention further relates to a building element and a method of using the game system.

Electronic games have been a popular form of entertainment for both children and adults for many years due to the high degree of flexibilities and the interactive possibilities in the games .

In this respect the players are increasingly moving from an active lifestyle, which includes playing outside and participating in sports activities to a lifestyle where activities concerning television, computers and television game consoles are more and more important.

When playing electronic games the primary physical activity is to move the fingers using a standard controller, mouse or keyboard. This has a negative effect on e.g. the delicate motor function and hand-to-eye coordination of especially younger children.

Another problem with the computer games for younger children is that even though it is possible to virtually construct e.g. houses and towers, the known games does not encourage the player to develop his or her own design skills or artistry. Also, as the game often only provides the possibilities of the game components to be assembled in one manner, the player will invariably become bored very quickly and lose all interest in the game .

Furthermore, even though the computer games displays 3D- objects virtually on the computer screen, the lack of using the touch/tactile sense is evident in the present Internet and television-mediated world. Children are not exposed to real things when playing computer and this has shown to have a negative impact on the tactile sense, i.e. the sensory system that receives sensations of e.g. touch, pressure, vibration and movement, primarily through receptors in the skin. If children is not stimulated sufficiently they will not have a normal reaction to some types of touch or contact with their body, either being oversensitive or unresponsive. Tactile problems can arise in many ways and have serious effects on a child's behaviour and ability to learn. Children with tactile problems are frequently misdiagnosed as having ADD/ADHD.

Therefore, simply seeing a 3D-object on the computer screen deprive the user of the essential sensation of feeling and understanding the object. In this respect it must be noted, that the sight is linked to the other senses, especially to the tactile sense. Both sense modalities require that a person move both the eyes and fingers across the surface of an object - to see and touch the texture of said object - in order for the person to fully understand the object.

A number of game consoles have tried to meet this problem by adding vibration to the console, however such consoles are not a proper substitution for feeling the texture of an object when the player holds it in the hand. It has been proven that a combination of the visual sense and tactile sense has a synergistic effect and has an essential impact not only on a persons learning process but also on the person's cognitive ability .

As an example of a device arranged to meet these problems can be mentioned the game play apparatus disclosed in US 2004/0214642 where a powered master unit operates interactively with one or more nonself-powered play objects. The master unit has a preprogrammed microcontroller and an RFID reader/interrogator circuit. Each play object has a RFID tag IC. When the host and a play object are positioned so as to afford RF communication between them, the master unit sends power to energize the tag IC of the play object. This causes the tag IC to transmit data back to the master unit. The master unit recognizes that transmitted data and makes a presentation to the user caused by that transmitted data. Thus, in one embodiment the master unit is capable of identifying either "when" a specific play object is placed on the master unit or "that" the specific play object has been placed on the master unit, however the position of where the blocks are placed are not considered by the system, and the system is therefore not capable of identify if the play objects are placed correctly in e.g. a two- or three- dimensional structure nor can the system evaluate and verify that the play object has a three-dimensional correct orientation, e.g. that a specific face of the play object is facing upwards .

US 2003/0148700 and WO 2006/092358 both discloses systems having a number of play objects each formed as cubes marked on several faces e.g. with indicia of a letter or character, a figure or number, an arithmetic symbol, an object, an animal, etc.

However, these systems are based in a two-dimensional platform at it is not disclosed how any of these systems are capable of detecting the location of a specific play object in a three- dimensional structure. As the system in WO 2006/092358 works without a master unit all features of the specific system has to be incorporated in each play object, making the system both complicated and expensive and neither system is capable of identifying if play object has the intended three-dimensional orientation, i.e. that a specific face of the play object is e.g. facing upwards.

In this respect it can be mentioned that the toddler stage is the age where children learn the most rapidly. They are more aware of themselves as unique individuals, they are inquisitive and they are ready for new challenges and to learn new things. Creating stimulating activities including activates combining the visual and tactile senses will help toddlers develop more fully and quickly.

Thus, it is a first aspect of the present invention to provide a game system, which combines the flexibility and adversity of the computer games and at the same time meets the demand of involving the different senses at a higher degree than hitherto known.

It is a second aspect of the present invention to provide a set of building elements for the construction of assemblies for games, whereby it is possible to transmit a plurality of educational information and visual, tactile and/or sound stimuli to e.g. children, also enabling them to learn shapes, colours and/or other elementary characteristics of the building element, during the game.

It is a third aspect of the present invention to provide a game system which comprises a number of building elements conformed and disposed to allow for different positioning between the building elements, without requiring particular expedients and/or skills.

It is a fourth aspect of the present invention to provide a game system arranged for evaluating if a specific building element has the intended three-dimensional orientation.

It is a fifth aspect of the present invention to provide a game system, which can be used as an educational tool.

It is a sixth aspect of the present invention to provide a game system, having a communication path between the individual building elements.

These and further aspects are achieved according to the present invention since the game system comprises a number of building elements arranged for being assembled into at least one pre-defined three-dimensional structure, wherein said game system comprises position means for determining and/or detecting the position and/or the three-dimensional orientation of at least one of the building elements in the three-dimensional structure, and verification means for establishing if said position and/or three-dimensional orientation is correct in relation to said pre-defined three- dimensional structure.

Thereby is obtained a system which not only is able to detect and/or determine the position of a specific building element including the building elements three-dimensional orientation, but also a system which is able to evaluate if said position and/or orientation is correct.

As an example for illustrating the function of the position means in relation to determine and/or detecting the three- dimensional orientation can be mentioned that if the building elements are conventional six-sided dices, i.e. each side has one number from one to six, and the sum of opposing sides are seven, the position means is arranged for detecting/determining if e.g. the side having number three is facing upwards and/or if the side with number one is facing in a specific direction, e.g. north. As the game system comprises a number of building elements, the position means are arranged for individually determine and/or detecting the three- dimensional orientation for each building element.

Thus, within the context of the present application the term "three-dimensional orientation" means the orientation of a building element in the three-dimensional space. In the present application the term "orientation" has been used interchangeable with the term "three-dimensional orientation".

Similar the position means are arranged for determining/detecting the individual position of each building element in the assembled three-dimensional structure. Thus, if the game system comprises three cubic building elements, each having a single side displaying a letter, e.g. the letters D, O and G, the building elements will in combination be able to spell the word "DOG". When the three building elements are e.g. stacked on top of each other as a tower, the position means is arranged for determining the individual position of each building element in said tower. This means that the position means can determine if the element comprising the letter D is placed at the top, the element comprising the letter 0 in the middle and the element with the letter G at the bottom, or visa versa.

The verification means will thereafter and/or during the stacking of the building elements, be able to establish if the building elements position and/or three-dimensional orientation is correct in relation to said pre-defined three- dimensional structure. In the presented example this means that the verification means will able to verify that the three-dimensional orientation corresponds to the intention of the predefined three-dimensional structure, e.g. that all letters of the building elements are facing in the same direction, and also that the building elements are placed in the correct order in the assembled tower, correctly spelling the word "DOG".

The term correct" in relation to the assembled structure, means in the context of the present invention an assembled structure, which corresponds to or is identical with the predefined three-dimensional structure. Accordingly, the term "incorrect" means a structure, which does not correspond to the pre-defined structure.

The use of the position means and verification means in the game system according to the present invention therefore gives a completely new dimension compared to the conventional building systems, as the game system in question is capable of guiding the player's movements, as well as provide relevant feedback to the player e.g. information on relevant errors in the assembled three-dimensional structure. The fact that the player can hold the building elements in the hands, and physically build the three-dimensional structure, ensures that the game system according to the invention involves a level of interaction, which is not present in a conventional virtual game or in any of the known conventional physical games utilising building elements, such as e.g. bricks

Accordingly the game system of the present inventions ensures that a player learns the boundaries, goals, and controls of a given game in a demanding and challenging way, which will call on many different areas of cognitive function. The game system therefore not only enhances the players own design capability, but also improves the player's manual dexterity, stimulates the hand-to-eye coordination and the player's ability to problem-solve .

The building elements according to the present invention can have any given shape, size, colour and texture, however it is contemplated that the building elements is designed specifically to a given game and age and can be assembled into a three dimensional structure. Thus, the building elements for a construction game designed for small children will inevitability be different from an educational game for adults .

The idea that the building elements can be individually designed ensures that the relevant senses also can be effectively stimulated, e.g. the can tactile sensation be improved for children if the building elements have different textures and the visual sense be stimulated if the building elements have different shapes and colours.

In a preferred embodiment the game system comprises a master unit arranged for communication with each of the number of building elements. This ensures that data between the master unit and each building elements easily can be exchanged, e.g. data from a specific building element can be forwarded to the master unit and the building element can in return receive data from the master unit. However, it is preferred that not only the master unit but also that each building element is capable of gathering and sending data relating not only to the building elements own position and/or three-dimensional orientation, but also data relating to neighbouring building elements position and/or orientation as this will provide an especially simplified system according to the invention.

In one embodiment each building element comprises a position means. Said positioning means preferably comprises identification means for individually and uniquely identifying each building element. Preferably the identification means is arranged for sending identification data to neighbouring building elements and/or the master unit. Similar the identification means can also be arranged for receiving data from the neighbouring building elements.

In a preferred embodiment said identification means is a microcontroller and/or a microprocessor i.e. a unit that incorporates most or all of the functions of a central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit. Each microcontroller and/or microprocessor has a unique identifier and is not only able to send data including said unique identifier to microprocessors in neighbouring building elements in the three-dimensional structure but also able to receive corresponding data from other microprocessors in neighbouring building elements.

As an alternative the identification means can be RFID-tags applied to or incorporated in the building elements. The RFID tag comprises integrated circuit for storing and processing data, modulating and demodulating a radio-frequency (RF) signal, and other specialized functions. In this respect the master unit provides an electric, magnetic or electromagnetic field, which is absorbed by the RFID tag to transmit a signal, which contains identification or other data recorded on the RFID tag. Such systems are well known in the art and will not be discussed further.

Advantageously, the position means in each building element will further comprise at least one positioning unit arranged for sending and/or receiving data relating to the three- dimensional orientation of each building element and/or the position of each individual building element in the three- dimensional structure, such that the verification means can establish if e.g. the intended face of a building element is facing in the correct direction.

The at least one positioning unit arranged for sending and/or receiving data relating to said building elements position in the three-dimensional structure, comprises preferably at least one transmitter and at least one sensor. In that respect the transmitter is arranged for sending data to the at least one sensor of a neighboring building element in the three- dimensional structure and/or the master unit, and the sensor is arranged for receiving data from at least one transmitter of a neighboring building element in the three-dimensional structure and/or the master unit. It is understood that the master unit also can comprise the relevant sensors and/or transmitters .

The at least one transmitter is preferably in the form of a number of light emitting diodes strategically placed on the surface of each building element. As an example can be mentioned that if the building elements are in the form of cubes and/or parallelepipeds a light emitting diode can advantageously be placed in, at and/or on every corner on each face of the building element, i.e. each building element have twenty-four light emitting diodes on the surface.

The sensors are preferably light receiving units capable of receiving light from the light emitting diodes. Said light receiving units can e.g. be in the form of a phototransistor or a light receiving diode and be arranged for forwarding the received data to the verification means and/or the microcontroller and/or microprocessor in the respective building element.

In a preferred embodiment each of the transmitters on a building element are arranged for sending different information and/or data, e.g. they emit light with different wavelengths or intensity, thereby ensuring that any building element not only is able to identify the neighbouring building elements from the respective unique identification means but also the three-dimensional orientation of said building elements due to the relevant data from the transmitters.

It should be noted that each building element either can contain a battery for providing power to the respective components, e.g. transmitter and/or sensors or the components can receive the relevant power from a energy field applied by the master unit .

As an alternative to the above embodiments the position units can be designed for reflecting light. Conventional techniques are known for generating three-dimensional ("3D") visual images of physical objects. The 3D image may be generated by a computer that processes data representing the surfaces and contours of a physical object. The computer displays the 3D image on a screen or a computer monitor. The data may be generated by optically scanning the physical object and detecting or capturing the light reflected off of the object. Based on processing techniques such as Moire, interferometry, and laser triangulation the shape, surfaces and/or contours of the object may be modelled by the computer.

As an example can be mentioned that a CCD camera can e.g. capture the image formed when light is swept over the building elements/structure, and a signal from the camera is input to an image encoder. In addition to the signal, a coding signal indicating a projection angle of the light is input to the image encoder. The image encoder applies a peak-holding process of brightness for each pixel in real time with respect to the input signal, and, at the same time, detects a timing when each pixel is at the maximum brightness as determined by the peak-holding process. It then stores the coding signal at the detected timing as a coding value of the pixel, and forms a coding image to which the light-sectioning method can be applied. The software can then evaluate if the coding image corresponds to the desired structure, and informs the user if the structure is correctly assembled. If the structure is incorrect the user will be informed accordingly and at the same time receive information where any structural inconsistencies exists.

Alternatively or in combination with the above disclosed position means, the position units of the game system according to the present invention can utilize positional sensors e.g. in the form of infrared and/or light-based sensors which may reflect off the master unit. In this respect the master unit may be reflectively 'bar coded' to indicate the position of the respective building elements within the structure via the coding of the reflected light from the sensors of the disks. These positional sensors may be relevant to obtain the position of the respective building elements in order to calculate the building elements specific position in the structure.

Such sensors may be either infrared receivers or infrared blasters or transmitters. These sensors may extend around the housing of the building element to detect the position of the building element.

As an alternative for determining the three-dimensional orientation of the building elements according to the present invention, each building element can comprise at least one orientation determination sensor preferably adapted to detect movement and orientation of the building elements. The orientation determination element can comprise an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic sensor, inclinometer and similar known means the only requirement being that the sensor is capable of detecting motion and/or the orientation of the building element in two or three dimensions. In either mode, the orientation determination sensor measures/monitors one or more of a number of different parameters for example tilt angle, angular velocity and/or acceleration of the building element. The sensor can be is added to or installed in connection with the microcontroller.

In an example embodiment said orientation determination sensor is further provided with at least one gyro sensor. This embodiment can provide additional position and movement data according to the actual (even constant) angular speeds. Conventional gyroscopes using rotating masses or piezo gyro sensors may implement this. This implementation has the advantage that the gyros can utilize the precession and the momentum of a rotating mass to determine angular speeds and accelerations .

The advantage of having building element comprising an orientation determination sensor determining e.g. speed, is that the skills of a specific user can be established more precisely during a gaming session. In contrast to only giving the user information whether or not the three-dimensional structure is correct, information relating to the speed of adding the building elements to the assembled structure can also be taken into account, ensuring that a more precise evaluation of the users next level is obtained.

The verification means for establishing if said position and/or three-dimensional orientation if at least one building element is correct in relation to said pre-defined three- dimensional structure is a preferably a suitable software program. Said program will preferably also suggest possible pre-defined three-dimensional structures to build. These predefined three-dimensional structures are preferably displayed on a visual display unit, such as a monitor or a similar display in communication with the system. The software can be individually designed for any specific age group, educational means and/or specific interest or allow the player to add input to the game, in order to ensure that the player repeatedly is encouraged to attempt to build new constructions from the building elements thereby developing the player's own design skills or artistry.

It is preferred that the verification means are arranged for gathering data from the at least one positioning unit in each building element and/or the identification means and/or the orientation determination sensor, process said data and individually establish if the position and/or three- dimensional orientation of each building element is correct in relation to the pre-defined three-dimensional structure.

When the verification means is allocated to the master unit an especially simple and inexpensive system is provided as this ensures that the building elements can simple, i.e. each building elements does not need a large and complicated system. The master unit can itself be a personal computer or be in communication with a personal computer or similar means. In the latter case the computer provides the relevant hardware and/or software.

In any case the system according to the invention comprises a software program ensuring that the master unit either alone or in combination with a separate computer is able to gather data from respective positioning units, ensuring that the master unit is capable of uniquely identifying the three-dimensional structure build and the position and/or orientation of each building element in the structure.

The computer program is preferably further designed so that the system is capable of handling that building elements are added to or removed from the three-dimensional structure at any time and that building elements may be placed in any order with any orientation. The master unit is preferably able to gather the data from the position means within seconds, optionally including sending these to the host computer, ensuring that the speed of the game does not drop during the game session.

The master unit according to the invention is preferably designed to cover a restricted workspace, typically within the range of 500 cm² - 2500 cm² and to have an accuracy in the millimetre-range or better. In a preferred embodiment the master unit is in the form of plate and/or board as this provides an advantages platform for building the three- dimensional structure. The respective building elements can easily be placed on, removed from, or moved across the board and the board can further have a design, which ensures that the board also can serve as a storage space for the building elements when the elements are not in use.

As discussed earlier the master unit i.e. the game board itself can comprise a display unit and hardware/software for the relevant game however the game board can within the scope of the present invention also be a simple master unit, which is connected to a host computer via a universal serial bus (USB) .

The different components of the building element e.g. the identification means and position means can either by powered by a conventional battery e.g. a 3.0 volt battery or receive the necessary power from an energy field applied by the master unit to the building elements. In a preferred embodiment the components are powered by a rechargeable battery using e.g. kinetic energy harvesting as disclosed in e.g. US 2010/0045241 or using the principles of magnetic induction described by Faraday's Law. In the latter principle a magnet is surrounded by a copper coil, which "induces" a small amount of voltage in the coil when it is shaken.

When the game is started, the visual display will show a suggested structure for the player to build. The software is designed to display a number of different structures all of which can be build using the same building elements and when one three-dimensional structure is correctly completed the next structure will be displayed. The player can of course choose a different structure depending on skills and motivation or design a personal structure to be built.

The master unit can then apply e.g. small alternating currents to some or all of the building elements activating the transmitters, the sensors and the microcontroller and/or microprocessors, which in turn will intercommunicate, not only with the interconnected/neighbouring building elements but also with a microcontroller and/or microprocessor in the master unit .

The verification means can either process the received data continuously or wait until the system is stabilized, i.e. no new data is added, before the data is processed by the verification means.

In any case the player can receive relevant desired information on the building process, e.g. the time spend from start to finish, if the building process could be optimized by using the building elements in a different order, if the structure is correctly assembled and/or where possible errors are located in the structure and how to correct these errors.

In another preferred embodiment according to the invention the different building elements are designed to have different electric resistance. In this respect each of the relevant building elements comprises at least one position unit in the form a small electrode.

After the building elements have been assembled into a structure - or alternatively during said assembly - an electric current, typically a few milliamperes of alternating current at a frequency of 10-100 kHz, is applied across the structure preferably by the master unit . The master unit in turn comprises a number of different electrodes to measure the resulting voltage. This can be repeated for numerous "stimulation patterns", such as successive pairs of adjacent electrodes. The voltages measured are then passed via the USB to the host computer to perform the reconstruction and display of the image.

The system according to the invention is capable of working at several frequencies and can measure both the magnitude and phase of the voltage. The currents used are relatively small, and certainly below the threshold at which would cause stimulation of nerves. The frequency of the alternating current is sufficiently high not to give rise to electrolytic effects in the body and the ohmic power dissipated is sufficiently small and can be diffused over the body to be easily handled by the body's thermoregulatory system.

The current is applied using current sources, either a single current source switched between electrodes using a multiplexor or a system of voltage to current converters, one for each electrode, each controlled by a digital to analogue converter. The measurements again may be taken either by a single voltage measurement circuit multiplexed over the electrodes or a separate circuit for each electrode.

It is preferred that the game system according to the invention comprises means for automatically detecting when and/or if the three-dimensional structure is completed, not only if the structure is correctly assembled, i.e. if it corresponds to the pre-defined three dimensional structure, but also if the structure is not correctly assembled. This can e.g. be obtained when the system detects when all, or the required number, of building elements have been used, if the system detects when the structure corresponds to the desired structure or - in a simple embodiment - if the player informs the system that the structure is completed. In an advantageously embodiment the player will receive information that the assembled structure is either incorrect or correct by sending a signal. The signal can be in any given relevant form, e.g. a visual or audible signal. However, it is preferred that the signal for a correct assembly of the three- dimensional structure is different from the signal for an incorrect assembly.

At least some of the building elements preferably comprise means for making the respective building element individually displaying a signal. This could e.g. be if two or more building elements will change colour or start to flash on and off if these building elements are incorrectly placed in the structure or if the building elements should be interchanged. This embodiment is not only relevant for games directed to children but also for educational games.

It is not necessary to distinguished between the individual elements if there are several identical building elements in the game system, as these building elements easily can be interchanged without compromising the final three-dimensional structure. However, it is important that different non- identical building element can be distinguished from each other .

In an extremely simple embodiment all building elements are stacked precisely on top of each other and a three-dimensional structure according to the present invention will consist of one or more towers. The term "tower" means in the context of the present applications means a vertical stack of several building elements.

In said embodiment the building element can consist of a number of first printed circuit boards (PCB's) and the master unit can consist of a second PCB's. PCB's are well known in the art and are a devices capable of electrically connecting electronic components using conductive pathways. A PCB in the master unit will receive data only from the PCB's in the building elements placed on the specific PCB of the master unit. The master unit will gather the collective data from all towers and based on these establish if the three-dimensional structure of stacked building elements placed on the master unit is correct.

Each building element will gather data about it's specific location in the three-dimensional structure and send the data to a neighboring building element and/or the master unit for further processing. In this respect it is relevant that the master unit receives data about the ordering of building elements in the tower, as well as the orientation of each building element.

In this respect each tower of building elements can be seen as a linked list of building element. In a linked list each element in the list contains a reference to the next element. The ordering of the list can be derived from these references. Likewise the ordering of building element in a tower may be derived if each building element sends a reference downward to the next building element in the tower until the data reaches the verification means in master unit which gathers all data from the building elements.

Thus, each building element will gather data from the building element placed above it in the three-dimensional structure, integrate said data with data about is own identification and three-dimensional orientation, and send it to the next building element in the structure, until it reaches the master unit, where the data will be further processed e.g. by the verification means.

This embodiment has the advantage that data need not be exchanged across towers and since all the towers can be considered isolated system, data collection from all towers can be done in parallel, significantly reducing the complexity of the system. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the game system comprises the ability to network multiple game play stations to allow virtual fights between multiple players and/or the coordinated efforts of multiple participants. A low cost network such as the Internet may be used as the network transport protocol. Alternatively, one game station may be configured as a master station, acting as a communication master and other game stations may be networked to the master station .

Many known games present simulated story worlds where emergent behaviour occurs within the context of the game. The term "emergent narrative" has been used to describe how, in a simulated environment, storyline can be created simply by "what happens to the player"IGIV; GDC 2004: Warren Spector Talks Games Narrative . However, emergent behaviour is not limited to role-playing games and the present invention also encompasses that the software and/or game system comprises an artificial intelligence in order for event-driven instructions to occur for a player in a game, ensuring that emergent behaviour will exist. For instance, take a simple construction game aimed at a toddler. The building elements should according to the relevant software be assembled into a tower. If the player encounter an obstacle during the assembly e.g. the building elements tends to overbalance, the player will then try to compensate by placing the next building element on top of the others so that the tower becomes balanced.

It shall been noted that players adopt an attitude while playing that is of such high concentration, that they don't realize they're learning, and if the system is transferred to educational system the players would enjoy significant benefits. Students are found to be "learning by doing" playing games while fostering creative thinking. Such educational games could e.g. be construction of molecules in chemistry and biology where the player can try and build a relevant molecule and then receive information regarding possible errors in the constructions. The game system according to the invention thereby provides an intuitive learning environment - in the example herein for chemistry and biology, however different learning situations can be easily contemplated for the persons skilled in the art based on the enclosed description. A collaborating environment for sharing these scenarios over the Internet is also covered by the invention.

In an embodiment all building elements are identical or only consisting of a few geometric shapes preferably having the form of a cube or a parallelepiped. This embodiment can e.g. be directed to small children who love to build and stack toy bricks on top of each other. This activity not only stimulates the child hand-to-eye coordination but also ensures that the child dexterity are improved when (s)he prevents the upper brick from falling down or the tower to overbalance. As the building element of the game system according to the present invention interacts with a master unit a new dimension to building with "conventional" bricks are added for the child, ensuring that the child find the game amusing for a longer period of time.

The software in the game system according to the invention will suggest different pre-defined three-dimensional structures to build by displaying them on the display unit whereby the child then can try to duplicate the virtual structure by using the building elements, or the child can race the computer trying to build the structure faster than previously or faster than other players.

The total system consist e.g. of several building elements and a master unit which are able communicate with each other, thus the system according to the invention can be seen as a dynamic wireless network of embedded devices, where each device is a static wired network.

In a preferred embodiment the building element are in the form of a cube, wherein each side of the building element comprises a positioning units consisting of four transmitters and one sensor. This means that each building element has twenty-four transmitters placed on the surface. These transmitters are placed at each corner on all six sides of the cubic building element and the sensor is preferably placed in the same corner on all sides, making it especially easy to detect the three- dimensional orientation of a neighbouring building element. Said transmitters are preferably light emitting diodes and said sensors are preferably phototransistors .

Alternatively or in combination with the transmitters and sensors, the positioning units can consist of a specific id- number on each side of the cube. In this situation the id- number preferably follows the standard numbering of an ordinary six-sided dice were the sums of the numbers on two opposing sides gives seven. Thus finding the id-number of an opposing side is relatively simple and straightforward.

The invention also relates to a method of using the game system according to the invention. Said method comprises the following steps,

— providing a pre-defined three-dimensional structure,

— stacking the number of building elements one top of each other into an assembled three-dimensional structure,

— determining and/or detecting the position and/or three- dimensional orientation of at least one of the building elements in the assembled three-dimensional structure, and

— establishing if said position and/or orientation is correct in relation to said pre-defined three-dimensional structure.

Thereby is obtained a method which not only is able to detect and/or determine the position of a specific building element including the building elements three-dimensional orientation in an assembled three-dimensional structure but also a method which is able to evaluate if said position and/or orientation is correct. It is understood that the game of the present invention may also use additional features or effects to encourage the player to move the building elements on the game board.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below where further advantageous properties and example embodiments are described with reference to the drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows a gaming system according to the present invention in a perspective view,

Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of a building element according to the present invention,

Fig. 3 shows a communication path between four building element according to the present invention, and

Fig. 4a - 4d illustrates the use of the game system according to the present during assembly of a three-dimensional structure.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the game system according to the invention comprises a number of identical cubic building elements 1, a master unit 2 and a host computer 3.

The master unit 2 is in the embodiment shown a board 4 having a conductive layer 5 applied to the top of said board. Said layer 5 is via a wire 6 and respective USB ports (not shown) connected to the host computer 3. The conductive layer 5 is arranged for applying an electric current, typically a few milliamperes of alternating current at a frequency of 10-100 kHz, across the building elements placed on the master unit 2.

As best seen in figure 2 each cubic building element 1 comprises a transmitter 7 in the form of a number of light emitting diodes 8. These diodes are placed at each corner on all six sides of the cubic building element 1, thus each building element 1 have twenty-four light emitting diodes 8 on the surface.

Every building element further comprises a microcontroller (not shown) having a unique identifier. In the embodiment shown the building elements have a cubic form, and each side of a cube are further labeled with an id-number, which is the number one to six in combination with the unique identifier.

The id-number preferably follows the standard numbering of an ordinary six-sided dice were the sum of the numbers on two opposing sides gives seven. Thus finding the id-number of an opposing side is relatively simple and straightforward.

The microcontroller is able to send data including said unique identifier to a microcontroller in a neighbouring building element in the structure and receiving corresponding data from other microcontroller.

As an example of a preferred microcontroller can be mentioned an AvR ATiny84 8-bit processor with 8k bytes of flash memory, using a RISC type architecture, clocked at 8MHz. The AvR is manufactured by Atmel. In the embodiment shown a building element has a microcontroller for each of the six sides, however it is possible within the scope of the present invention to have a different number of microcontrollers e.g. where more than one side share a single microcontroller. The different microcontrollers may exchange data on a shared BUS.

The microcontroller, the light emitting diodes and/or light receiving diodes can either be powered by a battery in each building element, or they can receive the necessary power from the energy field from the master unit.

The respective building elements also have a number of sensors 9 in the form of phototransistors designed to receive light from the light emitting diodes 8. Only a single sensor 9 is present on each side of the building element in order to avoid potential mixing of signals received from the different light emitting diodes. All light emitting diodes 8 and sensors 9 are in communication with the microcontroller of the respective building elements 1 and/or the master unit 2, e.g. via conventional technology ensuring that all received data can be processed and accordingly send to the master unit 2.

The communication paths between the different building elements are illustrated in fig. 3. This figure represents the communication paths between four identical building elements Ia, Ib, Ic, and Id. However, the communication paths between non-identical building elements are consistent with to the shown communication paths.

When power is applied to the game system via the wire 6 all light emitting diodes 8 will start to send data to the surroundings and all sensors 9 will start receiving the emitted light and generate a current. The two components are preferably chosen so they work together. As an example can be mentioned that in one embodiment the light emitting diodes 8 emits light with a wavelength of 587nm and the sensors 9 has a peak sensitivity at 600nm.

Simultaneously the microcontrollers of each building element 1 will start to process all data based on the light/current received from the respective light emitting diodes 8 and send and/or receive data from the neighbouring building elements.

In the example shown, light will be emitted from the light emitting diodes 8a of the building element Ia. The light emitted from diode 8a' and 8a'', represented with arrow 12 and 13, will be received by the light receiving unit 9b' on building element Ib and light receiving unit 9d'' on building element Id respectively.

The sensors 9b' and 9d' will generate a current from the emitted light pulse, which can be detected by the respective microcontroller on the receiving building elements Ib and Id. In turn building element Ia will receive light, via sensors 9a' and 9a'' from the light emitting diode 8b' and 8d'' represented with arrow 14 and 15, from building element Ib and Id, respectively.

The light emitting diodes 8 on a building element 1 will in one embodiment be arranged for sending different data, e.g. they emit light with different wavelengths or intensity ensuring that any building element 1 not only is able to identify the neighbouring building elements 1 from the respective unique identifier but also the orientation of said building elements 1 due to the relevant data from the light emitting diodes 8.

As each light emitting diodes 8a' and 8a' 'of the building element Ia are arranged for sending different data, e.g. emit light with different wavelengths or intensity, the microcontroller of the neighbouring building elements Ib and Id are via the sensors 9b' and 9d'' capable of identifying the three-dimensional orientation of the building element Ia. This can be very important in more complex systems where the building elements don't have symmetrical shapes, e.g. parallelepipeds or are of different sizes.

Furthermore, since several building elements Ib and Ic will receive data from the same first element Ia data processed and forwarded to the host computer 3 or master unit 2 by e.g. building element Ib will be verified by the data send from building element Ic. Thereby the game system according to the present invention has an incorporated verification and trouble-shooting feature. If the data received by the master unit 2 relating to the orientation of building element Ia from the microcontrollers in building elements Ib and Id is conflicting, the master unit 2 and/or host computer 3 can ensure that the game system is either reset or the relevant microcontroller receives new data. When data including the unique identifier from the microcontroller of building element Ia are received by the building elements Ib and Id, will building element Ib and Id also not only be able to identify the specific neighbouring element but also the building elements three-dimensional orientations, ensuring that the system has the possibility of verifying if the respective building element is correctly placed and oriented in the final three-dimensional structure.

It should be noted that since the building elements Ia, Ib, Ic and Id are identical the sensors 8a', 8b', 8c' and 8d' can all emit light with identical intensity and/or wavelength. This is relevant since identical building elements can be interchanged without compromising the final three-dimensional structure. In such cases the unique identifier of the building element can also be identical for identical building elements.

However, in game systems where the building elements are not identical, i.e. where shapes, colours, tactile means, size, etc are different for the relevant building elements the unique identifier will be different for the different building elements and in order to establish the three-dimensional orientation the data send from the different light emitting diodes can also be different.

Each building element 1 may communicate with other building elements 1 and/or the master unit on each of the building elements six sides. For each side the building element 1 may be rotated into four positions, one for each light emitting diodes 8 where it is able to communicate. This allows for a total number of twenty-four orientations.

Similar data can be send between the other building elements. As an illustrative example can be mentioned that light via communication path 17 and 18 are send to sensors 9c' and 9c'' on building element Ic from the light emitting diode 8b'' and 8d' on building element Ib and Id respectively. As an alternative for the transmitters to send light with different wavelengths and/or intensity in order to establish the three-dimensional orientation in the assembled structure, the applied software can alternatively be designed in order establish the orientation by two other parameters.

The first parameter is the id-number of the side facing downwards in the three-dimensional structure. Since each building element 1 as mentioned above preferably uses the same numbering scheme as a conventional dice, this uniquely identifies the rotation of the building element in two dimensions. The last dimension is determined by the unique identifier used for communication on the building element side facing down in a three-dimensional structure. This identifies the rotation of the last of three dimensions relative to the building element one place lower in the three-dimensional structure .

The ordering and three-dimensional orientation of a single building element can thus be determined by the side id-number of the building element facing downwards, the unique identifier used for communication on the side facing downwards, and the unique identifier of the next building element in the three-dimensional structure.

Each building element will gather data from the building element placed above it in the three-dimensional structure, integrate said data with data about is own orientation, and send it to the next building element in the structure, until it reaches the master unit, where the data will be further processed e.g. by the verification means.

It is important to stress that in order for two building elements to be able to communicate both with each other and the master unit, the elements and unit must be within communication distance. Said communication distance is preferably chosen such that direct contact between the z O Q o

different parts of the system according to the invention is not necessary.

When a player would like to play the game he takes the master unit 2 and connect it to the host computer 3 via the wire 6.

The game software can e.g. be entered into the host computer via a conventional DVD or CD-ROM. As best seen in figures 4a the game will display a suggested structure for the player to build, which in order to form a general view is a tower structure 12. The software is designed to display a number of different structures all of which can be build using the same building elements and when one structure is correctly completed the next structure will be displayed. The player can of course choose a different structure depending on skills and motivation or design personal structures to be built.

The player will then start building the structure 12 by placing the building elements 1 on the master unit 2. As seen in figure 4a - 4d the player will continue to add building elements 1 to the master unit 2 until the assembled structure 12' is completed in fig. 4d.

When the structure 12' is completed the player will receive information in form of a signal that the assembled structure 12' is correct. The signal can be in any given relevant form, e.g. a light and/or sound signal. If the structure 12' had not been assembled correctly the game system according to the invention would send a signal that the structure was incorrect, and preferably also information of which building elements were incorrectly placed or had an incorrect three- dimensional orientation in the final structure 12.

As mentioned above the master unit 2 will apply small alternating currents during the game, to some or all of the building elements 1, thereby activating the light emitting diodes 8, the sensors 9 and the microcontrollers (not shown). These components will start to communicate as described above under figure 3, not only with the interconnected building elements 1 but also with a microcontroller in the master unit 2.

The verification means in e.g. the master unit can either process the received data continuously or wait until the system is stabilized, i.e. no new data is added, before the data is processed.

In any case the player will receive relevant desired information on the building process, e.g. the time spend from start to finish, if the building process could be optimized by using the building elements in a different order, if the structure is correctly assembles and/or where possible errors are located in the structure and how to correct these errors.

As discussed earlier the game board itself can comprise a display unit and hardware/software for the relevant game however the game board can within the scope of the present invention also be a simple master unit, which is connected to a host computer via a universal serial bus (USB) .

As described above the game system according to the invention comprises a number of hardware devices, such as the building elements, master unit and/or host computer. These devices are capable of exchanging data in any suitable form e.g. in the form of data package or other similar form of communication relevant information between two physical entities. Such data packages are well known to a person skilled in the art and will therefore not be discussed in details, however one possible solution is to provide a data package comprises three fields. The first field is an opcode, which specifies the type and the purpose of the package as well as the format of the following Payload field. The Payload field contains data associated with the opcode command. The last field is the CHK field that contains a checksum number used to detect if the package was transmitted and received correctly. The master unit will periodically run a protocol instance of the applied software, starting with locating the first building element in the three-dimensional structure e.g. by sending a beacon into the structure. The protocol instance ends when the master unit has extracted all data from the building elements and said data is ready for further processing. The behavior of each device during one protocol instance is described by a finite state machine, also well known to a person skilled in the art.

Gaming utilizing physical building elements has been described. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that any arrangement, which achieve the same purpose, may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown .

Claims

1. A game system comprises a number of building elements (1) arranged for being assembled into at least one predefined three-dimensional structure (12), wherein the game-system comprises:

— position means (8,9) for determining and/or detecting the position and/or three-dimensional orientation of at least one of the building elements (1) in the three-dimensional structure, and

— verification means for establishing if said position and/or three-dimensional orientation is correct in relation to said pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12) .

2. A game system according to claim 1, wherein the game system comprises a master unit (2) arranged for communicating with each of the number of building elements (1) .

3. A game system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each building element (1) comprises the position means (8,9) and wherein said positioning means comprises identification means for individually identifying each building element (1) .

4. A game system according to claim 3, wherein the identification means is arranged for sending identification data to, or receiving identification data from, neighbouring building elements (1).

5. A game system according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the identification means for individually identifying each building element (1) is a microcontroller and/or a microprocessor and/or a RFID-tag.

6. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the position means in each building element (1) further comprises at least one positioning unit arranged for sending and/or receiving data relating to the three- dimensional orientation of each building element (1) and/or the position of each individual building element

(1) in the three-dimensional structure (12').

7. A game system according to claim 6, wherein the at least one positioning unit is arranged for sending and/or receiving data relating to said building elements (1) position in the three-dimensional structure (12'), said position unit comprises at least one transmitter (8) and at least one sensor (9).

8. A game system according to claim 7, wherein the transmitter is arranged for sending data to at least one sensor of a neighboring building element (1) and/or the master unit (2), and wherein the sensor (9) is arranged for receiving data from at least one transmitter (8) of a neighboring building element (1) and/or the master unit

(2) .

9. A game system according to any of the claim 6 - 8, wherein the at least one positioning unit (8) is selected from the group comprising light emitting diodes (8), electrodes, light reflecting devices, or infrared blasters .

10. A game system according to any of the preceding claims wherein said position means comprise at least one orientation determination sensor preferably adapted to detect movement and three-dimensional orientation of the building elements (1) .

11. A game system according to claim 10, wherein the orientation determination sensor are arranged for measuring and/or monitoring one or more of a number of the following parameters, tilt angle, angular velocity and acceleration of the building element (1) .

12. A game system according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the orientation determination sensor are selected from the group comprising an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetic sensor and an inclinometer.

13. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the verification means are arranged for gathering data from the position means, process said data and individually establish if the position and/or three- dimensional orientation of each building element (1) is correct in relation to the pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12).

14. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the verification means is allocated to the master unit (2) and/or each building element (1).

15. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the verification means is a software program.

16. A game system according to any of the claims 2 - 15, wherein the master unit (2) is arranged for generating an electric, magnetic or electromagnetic energy field for detecting positioning units (8) in the energy field.

17. A game system according to any of the claims 2 - 16, wherein the master unit (2) is designed as a game board, a game plate.

18. A game system according to any of the claims 2 - 17, wherein the master unit (2) comprises a personal computer.

19. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the system further comprises means arranged for detecting when and/or if the three-dimensional structure (12') is assembled.

20. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the game system comprises a first signalling means for sending a first signal if the assembled three- dimensional structure (12') corresponds to the predefined three-dimensional structure (12).

21. A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the game system comprises a second signalling means for sending a second signal if the assembled three- dimensional structure (12') does not corresponds to the pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12).

22.A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one building element (1) comprises means for making said building element (1) individually displaying a third signal.

23.A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the first, second and/or third signal are audible and/or visual.

24.A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the three-dimensional structure (12') consists of one or more stacks of building elements (1), each stack defines a tower.

25.A game system according to claim 24, wherein the three- dimensional structure (12') comprises at least two towers and wherein data only is exchanged between the building elements (1) in a tower and, optionally the master unit.

26.A game system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the building elements (1) comprise tactile means.

21. A building element (1) as defined in any of the claims 1

- 26.

28.A building element (1) according to claim 27, wherein each building element (1) are in the form of a cube or a parallelepiped.

29. A building element (1) according to claim 27 or 28 wherein the building element (1) comprises identification means e.g. in the form of a microcontroller.

30. A building element (1) according to claim 27, 28 or 29 wherein each side of the building element (1) comprises a positioning unit (8,9) comprising four transmitters (8) and one sensor (9) .

31. A building element (1) according to claim 30 wherein the transmitters (8) are light emitting diodes and the sensor (9) is a phototransistor .

32.A building element (1) according to any of the claims 27

- 31, wherein each side of the building element (1) comprises a positioning units comprising of a specific id-number .

33.A method of using the game system according to any of the claims 1 - 26, which method comprises a) providing a pre-defined three-dimensional structure

(12), b) stacking a number of building elements (1) on top of each other thereby providing an assembled three- dimensional structure (12'), c) determining and/or detecting the position and/or three- dimensional orientation of each building elements (1) in the assembled three-dimensional structure (12'), and d) establishing if said position and/or orientation of each building element (1) is correct in relation to said pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12).

34.A method according to claims 33, wherein each building element (1) in step c) will perform the following steps, i. gather data from a building elements (1) relating to a first neighboring building element's position and/or three-dimensional orientation, ii. integrate said data with data about the building elements own position and/or three-dimensional orientation, iii. sending said assembled data to the mater unit, optionally via at least one a second neighboring building element (1), iv. continue step i. to iii. until the assembled data is can be proceed by the verification means.

35.A method according to claim 34 wherein step d) comprises the steps of v. processing the assembled data, and vi . establishing if the position and/or orientation of each building element (1) is correct in relation to the pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12).

36.A method according to any of the claims 33 - 35, wherein the method further comprises the step of e) sending a first signal if the assembled three- dimensional structure (12') corresponds to the predefined three-dimensional structure (12), or f) sending a second signal if the assembled three- dimensional structure (12') does not corresponds to the pre-defined three-dimensional structure (12').