Storage medium storing game program, game apparatus and game control method

• US 20070270219A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 11/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Kenta, Sugioka, Taku
• Granted Patent: US 8,167,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a controller provided with an acceleration sensor for detecting accelerations on at least two axes orthogonal to each other. When playing a game, the controller is given a rotating operation so as to rotate around an axis orthogonal to the two axes. The accelerations on the two axes detected according to the rotating operation are converted into a point on a two-dimensional coordinate system. An angle of each converted point is calculated, and an angle change is also calculated. Based on the angle change corrected to change smoothly and a previous correction angle, a present correction angle is calculated. Game processing according to the correction angle is performed, and a game object is moved by an amount corresponding to the correction angle, for example.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game program for performing game processing, in a game apparatus having an operation means including an acceleration sensor for detecting accelerations on at least two axes orthogonal to each other, according to a rotating operation to move said operation means around an axis orthogonal to said two axes, wherein

said game program causes a processor of said game apparatus to perform:

an obtaining step of obtaining the accelerations on the two axes detected by said acceleration sensor;

a conversion step of converting said accelerations on the two axes into a point on a two-dimensional coordinate system;

an angle calculation step of calculating an angle defined by a line connecting said point converted with a reference point, and a reference direction;

an angle change calculation step of calculating an angle change between a present angle calculated in said angle calculation step and a previous angle;

an angle correction step of calculating a correction angle based on the angle change calculated in said angle change calculation step and a previous correction angle; and

a game processing step of performing game processing based on the correction angle calculated in said angle correction step.

2. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein

said game program further causes said processor to perform a rotating direction determination step of determining whether or not a rotating direction is the same as a past one based on the angle change calculated in said angle calculation step, and

if the rotating direction is determined as not the same one in said rotating direction determination step, the correction angle is calculated on a supposition that said angle change is zero in said angle correction step.

3. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein said game processing step includes a display control step of displaying an object moved based on said correction angle on a display means.

4. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 1, wherein said game processing step includes a game clear determination step of determining whether or not a game clear condition is satisfied based on said correction angle.

5. A storage medium storing a game program according to claim 4, wherein

said game processing step includes a rotation number calculation step of calculating a rotation number of said rotating operation based on said correction angle, and

said game clear determination step determines whether or not said rotation number reaches a prescribed threshold or more within a time limit, as said game clear condition.

6. A game apparatus for performing game processing, having an operation means including an acceleration sensor for detecting accelerations on at least two axes orthogonal to each other, according to a rotating operation to move said operation means around an axis orthogonal to said two axes, comprising:

an obtaining means for obtaining the accelerations on the two axes detected by said acceleration sensor;

a conversion means for converting said accelerations on the two axes into a point on a two-dimensional coordinate system;

an angle calculation means for calculating an angle defined by a line connecting said point converted with a reference point, and a reference direction;

an angle change calculation means for calculating an angle change between a present angle calculated by said angle calculation means and a previous angle;

an angle correction means for calculating a correction angle based on the angle change calculated by said angle change calculation means and a previous correction angle; and

a game processing means for performing game processing based on the correction angle calculated by said angle correction means.

7. A game control method for performing game processing, in a game apparatus having an operation means including an acceleration sensor for detecting accelerations on at least two axes orthogonal to each other, according to a rotating operation to move said operation means around an axis orthogonal to said two axes, including:

an obtaining step of obtaining the accelerations on the two axes detected by said acceleration sensor;

a conversion step of converting said accelerations on the two axes into a point on a two-dimensional coordinate system;

an angle calculation step of calculating an angle defined by a line connecting said point converted with a reference point, and a reference direction;

an angle change calculation step of calculating an angle change between a present angle calculated in said angle calculation step and a previous angle;

an angle correction step of calculating a correction angle based on the angle change calculated in said angle change calculation step and a previous correction angle; and

a game processing step of performing game processing based on the correction angle calculated in said angle correction step.