Game Console Delay Measurement via Camera Feedback

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Game systems using televisions as display devices experience delays in displaying game images due to video processing, leading to poor response to game operations, necessitating a method to accurately measure and synchronize image and sound delays across different display devices.

Innovation Solution

A delay measurement system and method that includes a game apparatus and a portable display device, where the game apparatus generates and transmits images and sounds, and the portable device receives, decompresses, and displays them, allowing for calculation and synchronization of image and sound delays to align the timing of displays between devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If video processing is applied to enhance image quality in digital televisions, then image quality is improved, but display delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage qualityVSAvoiddisplay delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by capturing an image before video processing, storing it temporarily, and then comparing it with the processed output image to measure and compensate for delay. This allows the system to prepare reference data in advance to address the timing issue caused by video processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by measuring the actual delay between input and processed output images, then using this measured delay information to adjust timing compensation. The delay measurement result feeds back into the synchronization mechanism to continuously optimize the timing alignment between game operations and display output.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If delay measurement and synchronization mechanisms are implemented across multiple devices, then display responsiveness is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedisplay responsivenessVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary delay measurement mechanism that acts as a mediator between the game apparatus and display devices. This intermediary component measures timing differences and coordinates synchronization across devices, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing the complexity in a dedicated measurement and coordination module rather than distributing it across all devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS8715074B2Game apparatus, information processing apparatus, storage medium having game program or information processing program stored therein, game system, delay measurement system, image display method, audio output method, and delay measurement method

Publication Date: 2014.05.06 NINTENDO CO LTD

AI summary

An example game apparatus generates and outputs a predetermined test image to a television. A terminal device has its image pickup section acquire a pickup image of a screen of the television, and transmits the pickup image acquired by the image pickup section to the game apparatus. The game apparatus determines whether or not the pickup image includes the test image. When the pickup image is determined to include the test image, an image delay time is calculated on the basis of the time of the determination, the time of the output of the test image by the game apparatus, and a processing time between the acquisition of the pickup image and the determination. The game apparatus uses the image delay time to achieve synchronization between the terminal device and the television and also between image display and sound output of the television.