Computer-readable storage medium storing information processing program and information processing device

• US 20090209344A1
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Okamura, Yuichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,216,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• 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: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/135 Musical aspects of games or videogames; Musical instrument-shaped game input interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/201 for movement interpretation, i.e. capturing and recognizing a gesture or a specific kind of movement, e.g. to control a musical instrument
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing

Abstract

First determination means determines at a unit time interval whether or not a magnitude of a change amount vector is equal to or larger than a first threshold value. When it is determined that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, predetermined processing is executed. Also, when it is determined that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, a swinging direction in which an input device is swung is calculated, and whether or not the change amount vector which shifts in a direction opposite to the swinging direction intersects with a second threshold value is determined by second determination means. After it is determined that the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value, further, whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than a third threshold value is determined by third determination means. When the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, the first determination means waits for a determination that the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than the third threshold value to be made, and restarts the determination as to whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing an information processing program executed by a computer of an information processing device which executes processing based on acceleration data which is outputted from an acceleration sensor which detects acceleration in at least two axial directions which is applied to an input device,

the information processing program causing the computer to function as:

acceleration data obtaining means for obtaining the acceleration data at a unit time interval;

change amount vector calculation means for calculating, based on the acceleration data obtained by the acceleration data obtaining means, a change amount vector indicative of a change amount of acceleration;

first determination means for determining at the unit time interval whether or not a magnitude of the change amount vector calculated by the change amount vector calculation means is equal to or larger than a first threshold value;

processing execution means for executing predetermined processing when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value;

swinging direction calculation means for when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, calculating a swinging direction in which the input device is swung based on the change amount vector;

second threshold value setting means for after the swinging direction calculation means calculates the swinging direction, setting at least one second threshold value in a direction opposite to the swinging direction;

second determination means for determining whether or not the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value; and

third determination means for after the second determination means determines that the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value, determining whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than a third threshold value which is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value,

when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, the first determination means waiting for the third determination means to determine that the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than the third threshold value, and then restarting the determination which is made at the unit time interval as to whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is larger than the first threshold value.

2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the second threshold value setting means sets the second threshold value to be a value indicated as a straight line or a plane perpendicular to the swinging direction in a space based on a number of dimensions of the change amount vector, and

the second determination means determines whether or not a straight line indicated by the change amount vector intersects with the straight line or the plane perpendicular to the swinging direction in the space.

3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the second threshold value setting means sets the second threshold value to be the value indicated as the straight line or the plane which is located in a position distant from an origin in the space and in a direction opposite to the swinging direction.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the swinging direction calculation means regards as the swinging direction a direction indicated by the change amount vector when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value.

5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, the swinging direction calculation means regards as the swinging direction a direction indicated by a change amount vector based on acceleration data which is obtained after a predetermined time period elapses from a time of the determination.

6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the swinging direction calculation means includes combination vector calculation means for when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, combining change amount vectors for a predetermined time period from a time of the determination to calculate a combination vector, and

the swinging direction calculation means regards a direction indicated by the combination vector as the swinging direction.

7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the second threshold value setting means sets the second threshold value to be a value in accordance with the magnitude of the change amount vector when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value.

8. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to function as threshold value increase means for increasing the first threshold value in accordance with the magnitude of the change amount vector at a predetermined timing.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to function as decrease means for gradually decreasing the first threshold value as time passes after the threshold value increase means increases the first threshold value.

10. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the second determination means calculates an inner product between the change amount vector and the swinging direction, and compares the inner product with the second threshold value to determine whether or not the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value.

11. An information processing device for executing processing based on acceleration data which is outputted from an acceleration sensor which detects acceleration in at least two axial directions which is applied to an input device, the information processing device comprising:

acceleration data obtaining means for obtaining the acceleration data at a unit time interval;

change amount vector calculation means for calculating, based on the acceleration data obtained by the acceleration data obtaining means, a change amount vector indicative of a change amount of acceleration;

first determination means for determining at the unit time interval whether or not a magnitude of the change amount vector calculated by the change amount vector calculation means is equal to or larger than a first threshold value;

processing execution means for executing predetermined processing when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value;

swinging direction calculation means for when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, calculating a swinging direction in which the input device is swung based on the change amount vector;

second threshold value setting means for after the swinging direction calculation means calculates the swinging direction, setting at least one second threshold value in a direction opposite to the swinging direction;

second determination means for determining whether or not the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value; and

third determination means for after the second determination means determines that the change amount vector intersects with the second threshold value, determining whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than a third threshold value which is equal to or smaller than the first threshold value,

when the first determination means determines that the magnitude of the change amount vector is equal to or larger than the first threshold value, the first determination means waiting for the third determination means to determine that the magnitude of the change amount vector is smaller than the third threshold value, and then restarting the determination which is made at the unit time interval as to whether or not the magnitude of the change amount vector is larger than the first threshold value.