STORAGE MEDIUM STORING INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20100001952A1
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nakamura, Masahiro, Hiratake, Shinya, Shimamura, Takayuki, Yamashita, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 8,529,355 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• 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 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• 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 game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU controls a moving object within a virtual space on the basis of acceleration data and angular velocity data which are transmitted from a controller. For example, before the angular velocity data is above a predetermined magnitude, a position and an orientation of the moving object is controlled on the basis of the angular velocity data. When the angular velocity data is above the predetermined magnitude, an initial velocity of the moving object is decided on the basis of the acceleration data, and a moving direction (orientation) of the moving object is decided on the basis of the angular velocity data. Thereafter, the moving object moves within the virtual space according to a general physical behavior.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing an information processing program, said information processing program causes a computer of an information processing apparatus controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detecting means for detecting a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device to function as,

a first motion controlling means for controlling said object such that it performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

a condition determining means for determining whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition, and

a second motion controlling means for controlling said object such that it performs a second motion different from said first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal in a case that said condition determining means determines that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition.

2. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

said detecting means includes a gyro sensor, and said status signal is a gyro signal.

3. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 2, wherein

said condition determining means includes

a gyro magnitude calculating means for calculating a magnitude of said gyro signal and

a first gyro magnitude determining means for determining whether or not the magnitude of the gyro signal calculated by said gyro magnitude calculating means is above a first predetermined value, and

said second motion controlling means for controlling said object such that it performs said second motion in a case that said first gyro magnitude determining means determines that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

4. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein

said second motion controlling means includes a movement controlling means for controlling a moving velocity and a moving direction of said object on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that it is determined that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

5. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein

said input device further includes an acceleration sensor,

said information processing program causes said computer to further function as

an acceleration calculating means for calculating an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration occurring to said input device on the basis of an output from said acceleration sensor,

said second motion controlling means includes

a moving velocity controlling means for controlling a moving velocity of said object on the basis of the acceleration signal calculated by said acceleration calculating means in a case that it is determined that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value,

a moving direction controlling means for controlling a moving direction of said object on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that it is determined that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

6. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein

said information processing program causes said computer to further function as

a gyro magnitude storing means for sequentially storing magnitude data corresponding to the magnitude of said gyro signal in a storing means,

an extreme calculating means for calculating, on the basis of magnitudes of a plurality of gyro signals indicated by the magnitude data stored in said storing means, an extreme of the magnitudes of said gyro signals and

a second gyro magnitude determining means for determining whether or not the extreme of the magnitude of the gyro signal calculated by said extreme calculating means is above a second predetermined value, and

said second motion controlling means controls said object such that it performs said second motion within said virtual space on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that said second gyro magnitude determining means determines that said extreme is above said second predetermined value.

7. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein

said information processing apparatus is a game apparatus for controlling a motion of said object within said virtual space.

8. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein

said second motion controlling means includes a movement controlling means for controlling a moving velocity and a moving direction of said object on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that it is determined that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

9. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein

said input device further comprises an acceleration sensor,

said information processing program causes said computer to further function as

an acceleration calculating means for calculating an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration occurring to said input device on the basis of an output from said acceleration sensor, and

said second motion controlling means includes

a moving velocity controlling means for controlling a moving velocity of said object on the basis of the acceleration signal calculated by said acceleration calculating means in a case that it is determined that the magnitude of the gyro signal is above said first predetermined value, and

a moving direction controlling means for controlling a moving direction of said object on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

10. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein

said information processing program causes said computer to further function as

a gyro magnitude storing means for sequentially storing magnitude data corresponding to the magnitude of said gyro signal in a storing means,

an extreme calculating means for calculating, on the basis of magnitudes of a plurality of gyro signals indicated by the magnitude data stored in said storing means, an extreme of the magnitudes of said gyro signals and

a second gyro magnitude determining means for determining whether or not the extreme of the magnitude of the gyro signal calculated by said extreme calculating means is above a second predetermined value, and

said second motion controlling means controls said object such that it performs said second motion within said virtual space on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that said second gyro magnitude determining means determines that said extreme is above said second predetermined value.

11. A storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

said first motion controlling means includes an arrangement controlling means for arranging said object within said virtual space according to at least any one of a position and an orientation which are decided on the basis of said status signal.

12. An information processing apparatus for controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detecting means for detecting a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device, comprising:

a first motion controlling means for controlling said object such that it performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

a condition determining means for determining whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition, and

a second motion controlling means for controlling said object such that it performs a second motion different from said first motion on the basis of said status signal within said virtual space in a case that said condition determining means determines that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition.

13. An information processing method of an information processing apparatus for controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detecting means for detecting a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device including step of:

(a) controlling said object such that it performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

(b) determining whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition, and

(c) controlling said object such that it performs a second motion different from said first motion within said virtual space on the basis of the status signal in a case that said step (b) determines that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition.