COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM STORED THEREON AND INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS

• US 20100248834A1
• Filed: 08/12/2009
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Shimamura, Takayuki, Sato, Katsuhisa, Suzuki, Ichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,979,653 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 13/42 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 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• 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 2300/8011 Ball

Abstract

Based on posture/motion information which is output from predetermined detection means for detecting a posture or a motion of an input device operated by a user, a posture of the input device at a predetermined timing is calculated and stored as a reference posture. Then, based on the posture/motion information, the posture of the input device is constantly calculated as a current posture, and a difference of the current posture from the reference posture is calculated. In addition, based on the difference between the posture/motion information and the posture difference, a re-calculation necessity degree, which represents the necessity degree of re-calculation of the reference posture, is constantly calculated. When the re-calculation necessity degree exceeds a predetermined value, a presentation for urging the re-calculation of the reference posture is made.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus, the information processing program being for calculating a posture of an input device based on posture/motion information obtained from predetermined detection means for detecting a posture or a motion of the input device operated by a user, the information processing program causing the computer to function as:

posture/motion information obtaining means for obtaining posture/motion information detected by the detection means;

reference posture calculation means for calculating, at a predetermined timing, a posture of the input device at the timing as reference posture data based on the posture/motion information;

current posture calculation means for repeatedly calculating a posture of the input device after the reference posture is calculated, as current posture data based on the posture/motion information;

posture difference calculation means for repeatedly calculating a difference between the posture represented by the reference posture data and the posture represented by the current posture data as posture difference data based on the reference posture data and the current posture data;

re-calculation necessity degree calculation means for repeatedly calculating, by accumulation, a re-calculation necessity degree, which represents a necessity degree of re-calculation of the reference posture, based on the posture/motion information obtained by the posture/motion information obtaining means and the posture difference data; and

presentation means for making a presentation for urging re-calculation of the reference posture when the re-calculation necessity degree exceeds a predetermined value.

2. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the detection means is a motion sensor included in the input device.

3. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the posture difference calculation means calculates the difference between a posture represented by the reference posture data and a posture represented by the current posture data as the posture difference data.

4. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the re-calculation necessity degree calculation means calculates the re-calculation necessity degree to be larger as the posture difference calculated by the posture difference calculation means is larger.

5. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the re-calculation necessity degree calculation means calculates the re-calculation necessity degree also based on a time period from when the reference posture data is calculated.

6. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the re-calculation necessity degree calculation means calculates the re-calculation necessity degree to be larger as the motion of the input device represented by the posture/motion information has a smaller magnitude.

7. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the re-calculation necessity degree calculation means calculates the re-calculation necessity degree also based on the current posture data.

8. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the re-calculation necessity degree calculation means calculates the re-calculation necessity degree to be larger as the posture represented by the current posture data is closer to a predetermined posture.

9. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to further function as reset means for resetting the re-calculation necessity degree at a predetermined timing.

10. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 9, wherein the reset means resets the re-calculation necessity degree when the reference posture calculation means calculates the reference posture.

11. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 9, wherein the reset means resets the re-calculation necessity degree when the motion of the input device represented by the posture/motion information obtained by the posture/motion information obtaining means has a magnitude equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

12. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 9, wherein the reset means resets the re-calculation necessity degree when the posture represented by the current posture data is a predetermined posture.

13. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein:

the information processing apparatus further includes display means; and

the presentation means outputs a display for urging the re-calculation to the display means.

14. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein:

the information processing apparatus further includes audio signal output means; and

the presentation means outputs an audio signal for urging the re-calculation to the audio signal output means.

15. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 2, wherein:

the motion sensor includes at least one of an acceleration sensor and an angular velocity sensor; and

the posture/motion information includes at least one of acceleration information output from the acceleration sensor and angular velocity information output from the angular velocity sensor.

16. A computer readable storage medium having the information processing program stored thereon according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to further function as game processing means for executing predetermined game processing when a posture represented by the reference posture data and a posture represented by the current posture data obtain a predetermined relationship.

17. An information processing apparatus for calculating a posture of an input device based on posture/motion information obtained from predetermined detection means for detecting a posture or a motion of the input device operated by a user, the information processing apparatus comprising:

posture/motion information obtaining means for obtaining posture/motion information detected by the detection means;

reference posture calculation means for calculating, at a predetermined timing, a posture of the input device at the timing as reference posture data based on the posture/motion information;

current posture calculation means for repeatedly calculating a posture of the input device after the reference posture is calculated, as current posture data based on the posture/motion information;

posture difference calculation means for repeatedly calculating a difference between the posture represented by the reference posture data and the posture represented by the current posture data as posture difference data based on the reference posture data and the current posture data;

re-calculation necessity degree calculation means for repeatedly calculating, by accumulation, a re-calculation necessity degree, which represents a necessity degree of re-calculation of the reference posture, based on the posture/motion information obtained by the posture/motion information obtaining means and the posture difference data; and

presentation means for making a presentation for urging re-calculation of the reference posture when the re-calculation necessity degree exceeds a predetermined value.