Motion determining apparatus and storage medium having motion determining program stored thereon

• US 20070211025A1
• Filed: 04/18/2006
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 7,872,638 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/00 Animation

Abstract

Acceleration data representing accelerations in at least two axial directions which is output from an acceleration sensor included in an input device is obtained. Based on a shift of the acceleration data, a motion direction of the input device with respect to the direction of the acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device is determined. Motion data including at least the determined motion data is output.

Claims

1. A motion determining apparatus for determining a motion of an input device including an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration in each of at least two axial directions, the motion determining apparatus comprising:

data obtaining means for obtaining acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor;

motion direction determination means for determining a motion direction of the input device with respect to a direction of an acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device, based on a shift of the acceleration data obtained by the data obtaining means; and

output means for outputting motion data including at least the motion direction determined by the motion direction determination means.

2. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion direction determination means includes circulation direction determination means for determining a circulation direction in which the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner around an origin of a two-dimensional coordinate system as a shifting axis, wherein coordinate axes of the two-dimensional coordinate system are defined based on components of the two axial directions of the acceleration data and the origin represents a value of the acceleration data in the state where no acceleration including the acceleration of gravity acts upon the acceleration sensor;

the motion direction determination means determines a moving direction of the input device based on the circulation direction determined by the circulation direction determination means; and

the output means outputs the motion data including at least the moving direction determined by the motion direction determination means.

3. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the circulation direction determination means determines the circulation direction using a calculation, by which acceleration data having a relatively larger distance from the origin of the two-dimensional coordinate system is given a higher degree of contribution to the determination of the circulation direction and acceleration data shifting in a circulation direction in a time series manner around the origin as the shifting axis is given a higher degree of contribution to the determination of the circulation direction.

4. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the circulation direction determination means calculates a first accumulated area by sequentially accumulating areas of triangles in a time series manner, wherein each of the triangles is defined by, as apexes, the origin and coordinate points represented by two pieces of acceleration data which are continuous in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system and shift in one of two circulation directions;

calculates a second accumulated area by sequentially accumulating areas of triangles in a time series manner, wherein each of the triangles is defined by, as apexes, the origin and coordinate points represented by two pieces of acceleration data which are continuous in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system and shift in the other circulation direction which is opposite to the one circulation direction; and

when either one of the first accumulated area and the second accumulated area exceeds a threshold value, determines that the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner in the circulation direction corresponding to the exceeding accumulated area.

5. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising storage means for storing the acceleration data sequentially obtained by the data obtaining means;

wherein the circulation direction determination means determines the circulation direction in which acceleration data obtained within a predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the storage means, shifts in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system.

6. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration of the input device in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another;

the circulation direction determination means sets a time period in which acceleration data in a first axial direction of the three axial directions exceeds a predetermined value as a predetermined period;

the two-dimensional coordinate system has the coordinate axes defined based on components of a second axial direction and a third axial direction of the three axial directions; and

the circulation direction determination means determines the circulation direction in which acceleration data in the second axial direction and the third axial direction obtained and stored in the storage means in the predetermined period shifts in a time series manner.

7. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising inclination determination means for determining an inclination state of the input device immediately before the predetermined period based on the acceleration data in the first axial direction stored in the storage means before the predetermined period.

8. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the motion direction determination means further includes:

angle calculation means for calculating an angle defined by a vector from the origin toward a coordinate point in the two-dimensional coordinate system represented by the first acceleration data obtained in the predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the storage means, and a vector from the origin toward a coordinate point in the two-dimensional coordinate system represented by the last acceleration data obtained in the predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the storage means; and

rotation direction determination means for, when the angle exceeds a first threshold value, determining that the input device has been rotated in one of two directions around a direction perpendicular both to the two axial directions as a rotation axis, and when the angle is less than a second threshold value, determining that the input device has been rotated in the other of the two directions around the rotation axis; and

wherein the output means outputs the motion data further including the rotation direction determined by the rotation direction determination means.

9. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the motion direction determination means includes shifting direction determination means for determining a shifting direction in which the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner in a two-dimensional coordinate system with respect to the direction of the acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device, wherein coordinate axes of the two-dimensional coordinate system are defined based on components of the two axial directions of the acceleration data;

the motion direction determination means determines a moving direction of the input device with respect to the direction of the acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device based on the moving direction determined by the shifting direction determination means; and

the output means outputs the motion data including at least the moving direction determined by the motion direction determination means.

10. A motion determining apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration including at least a centrifugal component generated when the input device is swung by a user to output the acceleration data; and

the motion direction determination means determines the motion direction of the input device using acceleration data obtained in a time period in which an acceleration of the centrifugal component exceeds a threshold value, among the acceleration data obtained by the data obtaining means.

11. A storage medium having stored thereon a motion determining program executable by a computer of a motion determining apparatus for determining a motion of an input device including an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration in each of at least two axial directions, the motion determining program causing the computer to execute:

a data obtaining step of obtaining acceleration data which is output from the acceleration sensor;

a motion direction determination step of determining a motion direction of the input device with respect to a direction of an acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device, based on a shift of the acceleration data obtained in the data obtaining step; and

an output step of outputting motion data including at least the motion direction determined in the motion direction determination step.

12. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 11, wherein:

the motion direction determination step comprises a circulation direction determination step of determining a circulation direction in which the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner around an origin of a two-dimensional coordinate system as a shifting axis, wherein coordinate axes of the two-dimensional coordinate system are defined based on components of the two axial directions of the acceleration data and the origin represents a value of the acceleration data in the state where no acceleration including the acceleration of gravity acts upon the acceleration sensor;

in the motion direction determination step, a moving direction of the input device is determined based on the circulation direction determined in the circulation direction determination step; and

in the output step, the motion data including at least the moving direction determined in the motion direction determination step is output.

13. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 12, wherein in the circulation direction determination step, the circulation direction is determined using a calculation, by which acceleration data having a relatively larger distance from the origin of the two-dimensional coordinate system is given a higher degree of contribution to the determination of the circulation direction and acceleration data shifting in a circulation direction in a time series manner around the origin the origin as the shifting axis is given a higher degree of contribution to the determination of the circulation direction.

14. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 13, wherein in the circulation direction determination step, a first accumulated area is calculated by sequentially accumulating areas of triangles in a time series manner, wherein each of the triangles is defined by, as apexes, the origin and coordinate points represented by two pieces of acceleration data which are continuous in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system and shift in one of two circulation directions;

a second accumulated area is calculated by sequentially accumulating areas of triangles in a time series manner, wherein each of the triangles is defined by, as apexes, the origin and coordinate points represented by two pieces of acceleration data which are continuous in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system and shift in the other circulation direction which is opposite to the one circulation direction; and

when either one of the first accumulated area and the second accumulated area exceeds a threshold value, it is determined that the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner in the circulation direction corresponding to the exceeding accumulated area.

15. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 12, wherein:

the motion determining program further causes the computer to execute a storage control step of storing the acceleration data, sequentially obtained in the data obtaining step, in a memory; and

in the circulation direction determination step, the circulation direction in which acceleration data obtained within a predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the memory, shifts in a time series manner in the two-dimensional coordinate system is determined.

16. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 15, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration of the input device in each of three axial directions perpendicular to one another;

in the circulation direction determination step, a time period in which acceleration data in a first axial direction of the three axial directions exceeds a predetermined value is set as a predetermined period;

the two-dimensional coordinate system has the coordinate axes defined based on components of a second axial direction and a third axial direction of the three axial directions; and

in the circulation direction determination step, the circulation direction in which acceleration data in the second axial direction and the third axial direction obtained and stored in the memory in the predetermined period shifts in a time series manner is determined.

17. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 16, wherein the motion determining program further causes the computer to execute an inclination determination step of determining an inclination state of the input device immediately before the predetermined period based on the acceleration data in the first axial direction stored in the memory before the predetermined period.

18. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 15, wherein the motion direction determination step further includes:

an angle calculation step of calculating an angle defined by a vector from the origin toward a coordinate point in the two-dimensional coordinate system represented by the first acceleration data obtained in the predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the memory, and a vector from the origin toward a coordinate point in the two-dimensional coordinate system represented by the last acceleration data obtained in the predetermined period, among the acceleration data stored in the memory; and

a rotation direction determination step of, when the angle exceeds a first threshold value, determining that the input device has been rotated in one of two directions around a direction perpendicular both to the two axial directions as a rotation axis, and when the angle is less than a second threshold value, determining that the input device has been rotated in the other of the two directions around the rotation axis; and

wherein in the output step, the motion data further including the rotation direction determined in the rotation direction determination step is output.

19. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 11, wherein:

the motion direction determination step includes a shifting direction determination step of determining a shifting direction in which the acceleration data shifts in a time series manner in a two-dimensional coordinate system with respect to the direction of the acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device, wherein coordinate axes of the two-dimensional coordinate system are defined based on components of the two axial directions of the acceleration data;

in the motion direction determination step, a moving direction of the input device with respect to the direction of the acceleration of gravity acting upon the input device is determined based on the moving direction determined in the shifting direction determination step; and

in the output step, the motion data including at least the moving direction determined in the motion direction determination step is output.

20. A storage medium having stored thereon the motion determining program according to claim 11, wherein:

the acceleration sensor detects an acceleration including at least a centrifugal component generated when the input device is swung by a user to output the acceleration data; and

in the motion direction determination step, the motion direction of the input device is determined using acceleration data obtained in a time period in which an acceleration of the centrifugal component exceeds a threshold value, among the acceleration data obtained in the data obtaining step.