CALIBRATION OF THE ACCELEROMETER SENSOR OF A REMOTE CONTROLLER

• US 20100280783A1
• Filed: 05/04/2010
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: STREIBEL, Edward William
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/104
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

A method and a video game system are disclosed for maintaining the readings of the accelerometer sensor of the remote controller used in conjunction with the video game system consistent over different controllers and different styles of play. The video game system looks at a predetermined time period, when the largest difference in the acceleration vectors for each frame is within a small limit, indicating that the player is holding the controller relatively idle. Then, the video game system averages the acceleration vectors over this time period, and the inverse of the magnitude of this average is used as a normalization constant.

Claims

1. A method for calibrating the operation of the acceleration sensor of a remote controller used in conjunction with a video game console so that it yields consistent readings, comprising:

considering a predetermined time period after initialization of the controller;

considering the values of the acceleration vectors of the acceleration sensor along each of a plurality of orthogonal axes, for a predetermined number of video frames over the predetermined time period;

determining whether the largest difference in the acceleration vectors for each frame over the predetermined time period is smaller than a predetermined limit;

setting a normalization factor based on said determining;

multiplying each acceleration vector for each axis of the acceleration sensor with said normalization factor.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

if the result of said determining is positive, then the normalization factor is equal to the inverse of the magnitude of the average acceleration vector over said predetermined time period for each axis.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

if the result of said determining is negative, then the normalization factor is equal to a predetermined value.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

said method is repeated periodically during the duration of a play session of the game video console.

5. A system for calibrating the readings of the accelerometer sensor of a remote controller used in conjunction with a video game console so that it yields consistent readings, comprising

a remote controller sending and receiving data from the video game console, wherein said remote controller comprises an accelerometer sensor yielding values for the acceleration vectors along each of a plurality of orthogonal axes;

time period consideration programmed logic circuitry in said video game console, for considering a predetermined time period after initialization of said remote controller;

acceleration values consideration programmed logic circuitry for considering the values of the acceleration vectors of the acceleration sensor along each axis, for a predetermined number of video frames over said predetermined time period;

threshold determination programmed logic circuitry for determining whether the largest difference in the acceleration vectors for each frame over the predetermined time period is smaller than a predetermined limit;

setting programmed logic circuitry for setting a normalization factor based on the result of said threshold determination programmed logic circuitry; and

normalization programmed logic circuitry for multiplying each acceleration vector for each axis of the acceleration sensor with said normalization factor.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

if the result of said threshold determination programmed logic circuitry is positive, then the normalization factor is equal to the inverse of the magnitude of the average acceleration vector over said predetermined time period for each axis.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein

if the result of said threshold determination programmed logic circuitry is negative, then the normalization factor is equal to a predetermined value.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein

the calibration of the readings of the accelerometer sensor of the remote controller is repeated periodically during the duration of a play session of the game video console.