INCLINATION CALCULATION APPARATUS AND INCLINATION CALCULATION PROGRAM, AND GAME APPARATUS AND GAME PROGRAM

• US 20130262022A1
• Filed: 05/21/2013
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: OHTA, Keizo
• Application Number:
  US13/899,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262022A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/00 Measuring acceleration; Measuring deceleration; Measuring shock, i.e. sudden change of acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/38 using photographic means
• 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

Abstract

An inclination calculation apparatus calculates an inclination of an input device operable in terms of a posture thereof. The input device includes an acceleration sensor and an imaging element. In one non-limiting example implementation, the inclination calculation apparatus computes first inclination information representing an inclination of the input device based upon a coordinate position of an imaging target in an acquired image obtained by the imaging element and an estimated coordinate position of a second imaging target not acquired by the imaging element. The inclination calculation apparatus also computes second inclination information representing an inclination of the input device solely from an acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. The inclination calculation apparatus then calculates an inclination of the input device using the first inclination information and the second inclination information.

Claims

1-44. -44. (canceled)

45. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a program executable by a computer of an apparatus for computing an aspect of orientation of a hand-held game input device and using a computed orientation aspect as an operation input for a game, wherein the input device includes an inertial sensor for acquiring inertial information and an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more specific imaging targets, the program comprising instructions causing the computer to:

compute first orientation information representing a first orientation aspect of the input device from two imaging targets imaged by the imaging element;

compute second orientation information representing a second orientation aspect of the input device based upon an inertial parameter sensed by the inertial sensor; and

compute an aspect of an orientation of the input device based on both the first orientation information and the second orientation information.

46. The medium of claim 45 wherein the inertial sensor comprises an accelerometer and the inertial parameter comprises acceleration.

47. A system for determining an aspect of orientation of a hand-held input device for a computer apparatus, wherein the input device includes an inertial sensor for detecting an orientation and an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more specific imaging targets, the system comprising:

a computer apparatus comprising one or more processor, the computer apparatus configured to at least;

compute first orientation information representing a first orientation aspect of the input device derived based upon coordinate position data of two imaging targets in an image acquired by the imaging element;

compute second orientation information representing a second orientation aspect of the input device based upon an inertial parameter detected by the inertial sensor; and

compute an aspect of an orientation for the input device based on both the first orientation information and the second orientation information considered together.

48. A wireless hand-held user interface device to a computer apparatus, comprising:

an inertial sensor for acquiring inertial parameter data;

an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more specific imaging targets;

an image processing circuit configured to determine a position coordinate set representing a position of an area within an acquired image matching a predetermined condition for detecting a candidate target image on an area-by-area basis, the predetermined condition being that the area has a brightness having a predetermined intensity value or higher and has a size within a predetermined range; and

a processor that encodes inertial parameter information and position coordinate set data for wireless communication, wherein encoded inertial parameter information and position coordinate set data is wirelessly transmitted from the hand-held user interface device to the computer apparatus for further processing.

49. A wireless hand-held user interface device to a computer apparatus, comprising:

an inertial sensor for acquiring inertial parameter information;

an image sensor for acquiring image data regarding one or more prospective imaging targets;

an image processing circuit that assigns position coordinates, relative to an imaging area of said sensor, to one or more areas of image data that meets predetermined conditions of size and either brightness or color, the predetermined conditions being that the area has a predetermined color, or a brightness being greater than a predetermined intensity, and has a size within a predetermined range; and

a processor that acquires and processes inertial parameter information from the inertial sensor and assigned position coordinate data from the image processing circuit, and which controls wireless communication of at least the inertial parameter information and position coordinate data from the hand-held user interface device to the computer apparatus for further processing.

50. A computer implemented method, using one or more computer processor devices, for calculating an aspect of orientation of a hand-held user interface device, wherein the user interface device includes an inertial sensor for acquiring inertial parameter data, an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more imaging targets, and an image processing circuit that generates relative position coordinate values associated with predetermined points in an imaging target acquired by the imaging element that meet predetermined image characteristics, the method comprising:

computing, using said one or more processor, first vector information based upon generated position coordinate values associated with predetermined points in an imaging target acquired by the imaging element;

computing, using said one or more processor, second vector information based upon inertial parameter data acquired by the inertial sensor; and

computing, using said one or more processor, output vector information indicative of an aspect of orientation of the hand-held user interface device, wherein, based upon characteristics of the first vector information and the second vector information, the output vector information is computed using either the first vector information alone or computed using the second vector information considered together with the first vector information.