COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20080204406A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited Kyoto Japan
• Inventors: Ueno, Takayuki
• Application Number:
  US12/068,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• 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 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/001 Miniaturised objectives for electronic devices, e.g. portable telephones, webcams, PDAs, small digital cameras G02B23/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/008 designed for infrared light
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• 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: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A controller includes imaging means for capturing predetermined imaging targets and acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration applied to an input device. Based on a tilt which is related to images, included in a captured image captured by the imaging means, of the imaging targets and which is included in the captured image, a game apparatus calculates, as a first tilt, a tilt of the controller which is related to a rotation around an axis of a capturing direction of the imaging means. Further, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means, the game apparatus calculates, as a second tilt, a tilt which is related to a rotation around an axis of a direction different from the capturing direction. The game apparatus executes a predetermined process using the first tilt and the second tilt as an orientation of the controller.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus for performing a process determined in accordance with an orientation of an input device,

the input device including imaging means and acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration applied to the input device, and

the information processing program causing the computer to execute:

a first tilt calculating step of, based on a tilt which is related to images, included in a captured image captured by the imaging means, of predetermined imaging targets and which is obtained in the captured image, calculating, as a first tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to a rotation around an axis of a capturing direction of the imaging means;

a second tilt calculating step of, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means, calculating, as a second tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to a rotation around an axis of a direction different from the capturing direction; and

a process executing step of executing a predetermined process using the first tilt and the second tilt as the orientation of the input device.

2. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus for performing a process determined in accordance with an orientation of an input device,

the input device including imaging means and a sensor for outputting an output value which varies in accordance with a rotation around an axis of a predetermined direction different from a capturing direction of the imaging means, and

the information processing program causing the computer to execute:

a first tilt calculating step of, based on a tilt which is related to images, included in a captured image captured by the imaging means, of predetermined imaging targets and which is obtained in the captured image, calculating, as a first tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to a rotation around an axis of the capturing direction of the imaging means;

a second tilt calculating step of, based on the output value from the sensor, calculating, as a second tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to the rotation around the axis of the predetermined direction; and

a process executing step of executing a predetermined process using the first tilt and the second tilt as the orientation of the input device.

3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2,

wherein the sensor is an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in three-axial directions separately, and

wherein, in the second tilt calculating step, the computer calculates a tilt which is related to a rotation around an axis orthogonal to the capturing direction of the imaging means.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3,

wherein the process executing step includes:

an orientation calculating step of calculating the orientation of the input device based on the first tilt and the second tilt; and

a motion calculating step of calculating a motion of the input device by correcting, based on the orientation, the accelerations in the three-axial directions which are detected by the acceleration sensor.

5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4,

wherein, in the motion calculating step, the computer calculates the motion of the input device by rotating, in a direction of the first tilt by a degree of the first tilt, a three-dimensional acceleration vector which represents the accelerations in the three-axial directions, and also by rotating the three-dimensional acceleration vector in a direction of the second tilt by a degree of the second tilt.

6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4,

wherein the process executing step further includes a first game processing executing step of executing first game processing in accordance with the motion of the input device which is calculated in the motion calculating step.

7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 6,

wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to execute:

a target position calculating step of calculating a target position which is related to the images, included in the captured image captured by the imaging means, of the imaging targets and which is provided in the captured image; and

a second game processing executing step of executing second game processing based on the target position.

8. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2,

wherein the sensor is capable of outputting an output value which varies in accordance with the rotation around the axis of the capturing direction of the imaging means, and

wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to execute:

a determining step of determining, based on a state of the imaging targets being captured by the imaging means, whether or not it is possible to calculate the first tilt in the first tilt calculating step; and

a third tilt calculating step of calculating the first tilt based on the output value from the sensor when it is determined, in the determining step, that it is impossible to calculate the first tilt.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2,

wherein the sensor is an acceleration sensor capable of detecting accelerations in three-axial directions separately, and

wherein, in the second tilt calculating step, as a result of decomposing a vector representing the accelerations in the three-axial directions into a first vector parallel to the capturing direction and a second vector orthogonal to the capturing direction, the computer calculates, as the second tilt, an angle formed by the vector representing the accelerations and the second vector.

10. An information processing apparatus for performing a process determined in accordance with an orientation of an input device,

the input device including imaging means and acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration applied to the input device, and

the information processing apparatus comprising:

first tilt calculating means for, based on a tilt which is related to images, included in a captured image captured by the imaging means, of predetermined imaging targets and which is obtained in the captured image, calculating, as a first tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to a rotation around an axis of a capturing direction of the imaging means;

second tilt calculating means for, based on the acceleration detected by the acceleration detecting means, calculating, as a second tilt, a tilt which is related to a rotation around an axis of a direction different from the capturing direction; and

process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the first tilt and the second tilt as the orientation of the input device.

11. An information processing apparatus for performing a process determined in accordance with an orientation of an input device,

the input device including imaging means and a sensor for outputting an output value which varies in accordance with a rotation around an axis of a predetermined direction different from a capturing direction of the imaging means, and

the information processing apparatus comprising:

first tilt calculating means for, based on a tilt which is related to images, included in a captured image captured by the imaging means, of predetermined imaging targets and which is obtained in the captured image, calculating, as a first tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to a rotation around an axis of the capturing direction of the imaging means;

second tilt calculating means for, based on the output value from the sensor, calculating, as a second tilt, a tilt of the input device which is related to the rotation around the axis of the predetermined direction; and

process executing means for executing a predetermined process using the first tilt and the second tilt as the orientation of the input device.