Method of determining operation input using game controller including acceleration detector

• US 20080132335A1
• Filed: 11/29/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc.
• Inventors: Yamaguchi, Kentaro
• Application Number:
  US11/987,376
• Publication Number:
  US 20080132335A1
• 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 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• 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 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/554 by saving game or status data
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 : Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/807 : Role playing or strategy games

Abstract

A game controller including an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations along three axial directions is moved to draw a figure pattern in a space. The positions p_i of the moving path are derived from the acceleration sampled during the movement, and a path function and an approximate plane are calculated from the positions p_i. An image obtained by observing the approximate plane in the normal direction is generated as a path image. The path image data is pattern-matched with reference pattern data to select a reference pattern with the highest degree of conformity, and the operation of a player character is controlled based on a magic actuation operation input instruction associated with the selected reference pattern.

Claims

1. A method of determining an operation input using a game controller including an acceleration detector, the method comprising:

calculating a moving path of the game controller based on acceleration information detected by the acceleration detector when a player moves the game controller to change a position of the game controller in a real space; and

controlling a process of a game based on the calculated moving path.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further including:

determining an operation input instruction from a plurality of operation input instructions based on the calculated moving path; and

executing a process based on the determined operation input instruction.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, the determining of the operation input instruction including:

selecting path reference data conforming to the calculated moving path from a plurality of pieces of path reference data respectively associated with the plurality of operation input instructions; and

determining that the operation input instruction associated with the selected path reference data has been issued.

4. The method as defined in claim 3,

each of the plurality of operation input instructions being an instruction that directs a predetermined process based on a given variable parameter;

the determining the operation input instruction including calculating a degree of conformity between the calculated moving path and each of the plurality of pieces of path reference data, and selecting path reference data from the plurality of pieces of path reference data based on the calculation result; and

the executing the process including executing the process based on the determined operation input instruction while changing the variable parameter depending on the calculated degree of conformity of the selected path reference data.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further including executing a process based on a predetermined operation input instruction when the calculated moving path coincides with a predetermined path.

6. The method as defined in claim 3,

each of the plurality of operation input instructions being an instruction that directs a predetermined process based on a given variable parameter;

the method further including calculating a size of the entire calculated moving path; and

the executing the process including executing the process based on the determined operation input instruction while changing the variable parameter depending on the calculated size of the entire moving path.

7. The method as defined in claim 3,

each of the plurality of operation input instructions being an instruction that directs a predetermined process based on a given variable parameter;

the moving path being calculated by calculating a moving path in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on a direction of the game controller;

the method further including determining a direction of the entire moving path from the calculated moving path in the three-dimensional coordinate system; and

the executing the process including executing the process based on the determined operation input instruction while changing the variable parameter depending on the determined direction of the entire moving path.

8. The method as defined in claim 2,

the moving path being calculated by calculating a moving path in a three-dimensional coordinate system based on a direction of the game controller;

the method further including determining a direction of the entire moving path from the calculated moving path in the three-dimensional coordinate system; and

the determining the operation input instruction including determining the operation input instruction based on the calculated moving path and the determined direction of the entire moving path.

9. The method as defined in claim 3,

a position condition relating to the game controller being predetermined for each of the plurality of operation input instructions;

the method further including determining a position of the game controller based on the acceleration information used to calculate the moving path; and

the determining the operation input instruction including determining whether or not an operation input instruction among the plurality of operation input instructions has been issued, the operation input instruction being associated with the path reference data conforming to the calculated moving path and satisfying the position condition with respect to the determined position of the game controller.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further including changing a position of a specific object in a game space based on the calculated moving path.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further including displaying an image of the calculated moving path.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further including:

detecting whether or not an operation input that directs start of the movement of the game controller has been performed; and

detecting whether or not an operation input that directs finish of the movement of the game controller has been performed,

the calculating the moving path including calculating the moving path during a period from detection of the operation input that directs start of the movement of the game controller to detection of the operation input that directs finish of the movement of the game controller.

13. The method as defined in claim 12, the calculating the moving path including calculating the moving path subject to the condition that a position of the game controller when the operation input that directs start of the movement of the game controller has been detected and a position of the game controller when the operation input that directs finish of the movement of the game controller has been detected satisfy a specific position condition.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, the calculating the moving path including calculating the moving path subject to the condition that a position of the game controller when the operation input that directs start of the movement of the game controller has been detected is the same as a position of the game controller when the operation input that directs finish of the movement of the game controller has been detected.

15. The method as defined in claim 12, the calculating the moving path including calculating the moving path subject to the condition that 1) a velocity of the game controller when the operation input that directs start of the movement of the game controller has been detected is zero and/or 2) a velocity of the game controller when the operation input that directs finish of the movement of the game controller has been detected is zero.

16. A program causing a computer to execute the method as defined in claim 1.

17. A computer-readable information storage medium storing the program as defined in claim 16.

18. A game device comprising:

a game controller including an acceleration detector;

a moving path calculation section that calculates a moving path of the game controller based on acceleration information detected by the acceleration detector when a player moves the game controller to change a position of the game controller in a real space; and

a game process control section that controls a process of a game based on the calculated moving path.