Handheld control device for a processor-controlled system

• US 20080293492A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Rabin, Steve, Jawad, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,147,333 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 13/816 Athletics, e.g. track-and-field sports
• 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: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics
• 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

An example system and method of providing an input to a processor-controlled system uses a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer. The example system and method involve determining magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for one or more axes based on movement of the handheld control device and controlling the processor-controlled system based at least in part on a combination of the determined magnitudes.

Claims

1. A control method for a processor-controlled system using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer, the method comprising:

determining magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for one or more axes based on movement of the handheld control device; and

controlling the processor-controlled system based at least in part on a combination of the determined magnitudes.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for two or more axes based on movement of the handheld control device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for three axes based on movement of the handheld control device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the controlling comprises controlling movement an object displayed on a display device of the processor-controlled system.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the controlling of the movement comprises controlling a moving speed of an object displayed on a display device of the processor-controlled system.

6. A computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for use in the execution in a computer of a method according to claim 1.

7. An image processing system comprising:

a processor for generating a display comprising at least one display object; and

a controller comprising an accelerometer,

wherein the processor controls movement of the at least one display object based on a combination of magnitudes of accelerometer outputs for one or more axes resulting from movement of the controller.

8. The image processing system according to claim 7, wherein the magnitudes of accelerometer outputs for one or more axes are adjusted to remove effects of gravity.

9. A method for controlling movement of an object displayed on a display screen using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer, the method comprising:

receiving data indicative of magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for one or more axes based on movement of the handheld control device;

mathematically combining the magnitudes; and

controlling movement of the object on the display screen based at least in part on the mathematical combination of the magnitudes.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the mathematically combining comprises summing the magnitudes.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

weighting one or more of the magnitudes prior to the mathematical combining.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

dynamically varying which ones of the magnitudes are mathematically combined.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

setting which ones of the magnitudes are mathematically combined.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the speed of the object on the display screen is controlled based at least in part on the mathematical combination of the magnitudes.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the object is a video game character.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the mathematically combining produces an average of the magnitudes.

17. A system for controlling movement of an object displayed on a display screen using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer, the system comprising:

a receiver for receiving data indicative of magnitudes of outputs of the accelerometer for one or more axes based on movement of the handheld control device; and

a processing system for mathematically combining the determined magnitudes and controlling movement of the object on the display screen based at least in part on the mathematical combination of the determined magnitudes.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processing system weights the magnitudes prior to the mathematical combining.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processing system dynamically varies which ones of the magnitudes are mathematically combined.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processing system mathematically combines the magnitudes to produce an average of the magnitudes.