COMPUTER-READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100245236A1
• Filed: 09/17/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: TAKAYAMA, Takahiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,395,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 13/42 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• 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 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: G01G 19/44 for weighing persons
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/122 Determining position of centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices

Abstract

When a gravity center position enters a right input area, a motion of a character in a virtual game space pushing down the right pedal of a bicycle is started, and the bicycle is accelerated. Further, a reference position is moved so as to gradually approach the gravity center position, and the boundary between a non-input area and a left input area is also moved so as to gradually approach the gravity center position in conjunction with the reference position. When the gravity center position enters the left input area, a motion of the character in the virtual game space pushing down the left pedal of the bicycle is started, and the bicycle is accelerated. Further, the reference position is moved so as to gradually approach the gravity center position, and the boundary between the non-input area and the right input area is also moved so as to gradually approach the gravity center position in conjunction with the reference position.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program that causes a computer of an information processing apparatus to operate as:

gravity center position detection means for detecting a gravity center position of a user based on a signal from a gravity center position detection device;

process means for performing a predetermined process to based on a relative position of the gravity center position, detected by the gravity center position detection means, with respect to a reference position or a reference area that is stored in a storage area; and

reference position update means for updating, based on the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means, the reference position or the reference area that is stored in the storage area.

2. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the reference position update means sequentially updates, based on the gravity center position detected sequentially by the gravity center position detection means, the reference position stored in the storage area.

3. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the reference position update means updates the reference position stored in the storage area, so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

4. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the reference position update means updates, in a phased manner, the reference position stored in the storage area, so as to approach, in a phased manner, the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

5. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the reference position update means repeats a process of updating the reference position stored in the storage area, to be a position between the reference position and the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

6. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4, wherein the reference position update means updates the reference position stored in the storage area, so as to approach, at a predetermined rate, the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

7. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the process means:

(a) performs a first process when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is distant from the reference position stored in the storage area, in a first direction for a constant distance or longer; and

(b) performs a second process when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is distant from the reference position stored in the storage area, for the constant distance or longer in a second direction different from the first direction.

8. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the reference position update means:

(a) moves the reference position stored in the storage area, in the first direction when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is distant from the reference position stored in the storage area, in the first direction for the constant distance or longer; and

(b) moves the reference position stored in the storage area, in the second direction when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is distant from the reference position stored in the storage area, for the constant distance or longer in the second direction opposite to the first direction.

9. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 7, wherein the process means:

(a) is capable of executing only the second process out of the first process and the second process during a period after the first process is executed until the second process is executed; and

(b) is capable of executing only the first process out of the first process and the second process during a period after the second process is executed until the first process is executed.

10. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the process means:

(a) performs a first process in accordance with a distance between the gravity center position and the reference position when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is located in a first direction with respect to the reference position stored in the storage area; and

(b) performs a second process in accordance with a distance between the gravity center position and the reference position when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is located in a second direction different from the first direction, with respect to the reference position stored in the storage area.

11. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the reference position update means:

(a) moves the reference position stored in the storage area, in the first direction when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is located in the first direction with respect to the reference position stored in the storage area; and

(b) moves the reference position stored in the storage area, in the second direction opposite to the first direction, when the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means is located in the second direction with respect to the reference position stored in the storage area.

12. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the reference position update means updates the reference position stored in the storage area, so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means, with a predetermined approach limit position as a limit.

13. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to operate as approach limit position setting means for setting the approach limit position based on the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

14. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to operate as display control means for generating an image showing the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means and the reference position that has been updated by the reference position update means, and for outputting the image to a display device.

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

the information processing program further causes the computer to operate as movement detection means for detecting, based on a signal from an operating device held by the user, movement of the operating device, and

the process means performs the predetermined process based on both the relative position detected by the gravity center position detection means and the movement of the operating device detected by the movement detection means.

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

the gravity center position detection means includes determination means for determining in which of the reference area, a first area adjacent to the reference area, and a second area adjacent to the reference area and distant from the first area, the gravity center position of the user detected based on the signal from the gravity center position detection device is located,

the process means includes:

first process means for executing a first process in accordance with entry of the gravity center position into the first area; and

second process means for executing a second process in accordance with entry of the gravity center position into the second area, and

the reference position update means includes;

first update means for updating, in accordance with the entry of the gravity center position into the first area, a position of the reference area so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means; and

second update means for updating, in accordance with the entry of the gravity center position into the second area, the position of the reference area so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.

17. An information processing apparatus comprising:

gravity center position detection means for detecting a gravity center position of a user based on a signal from a gravity center position detection device;

process means for performing a predetermined process based on a relative position of the gravity center position, detected by the gravity center position detection means, with respect to a reference position or a reference area that is stored in a storage area; and

reference position update means for updating, based on the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means, the reference position or the reference area that is stored in the storage area.

18. The information processing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein

the gravity center position detection means includes determination means for determining in which of the reference area, a first area adjacent to the reference area, and a second area adjacent to the reference area and distant from the first area, the gravity center position of the user detected based on the signal from the gravity center position detection device is located,

the process means includes:

first process means for executing a first process in accordance with entry of the gravity center position into the first area; and

second process means for executing a second process in accordance with entry of the gravity center position into the second area, and

the reference position update means includes;

first update means for updating, in accordance with the entry of the gravity center position into the first area, a position of the reference area so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means; and

second update means for updating, in accordance with the entry of the gravity center position into the second area, the position of the reference area so as to approach the gravity center position detected by the gravity center position detection means.