Information Processing Apparatus and Computer-Readable Recording Medium Recording Information Processing Program

• US 20130293465A1
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishida, Kenichi, Sakaguchi, Tsubasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,875 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device

Abstract

Motion information is obtained which is information about a motion applied to an input device housing itself including a pointing device of a plurality of input mean. Next, based on the motion information, a movement amount of the input device housing is calculated. Thereafter, it is determined whether or not the movement amount satisfies predetermined conditions. When the predetermined conditions are satisfied, a position is designated based on an output from the pointing device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium recording an information processing program executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus for designating a position on a screen based on outputs of input means including a pointing device and a non-pointing device, the program causing the computer to function as:

a motion amount calculating section configured to calculate a motion amount that is based on a motion applied to an input device itself including the pointing device; and

a switching section configured to, based on the motion amount, switch a position designation mode between a first position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on output from the pointing device and a second position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on an output from the non-pointing device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the first position designation mode if the motion amount exceeds a predetermined threshold when the position designation mode is the second position designation mode.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the second position designation mode, on a condition not based on the motion amount, when the position designation mode is the first position designation mode.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 3, wherein

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the second position designation mode if an input to the non-pointing device has occurred when the position designation mode is the first position designation mode.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a no-input period measuring section configured to measure a period of time during which it is determined that there is not an input to the non-pointing device when the position designation mode is the second position designation mode, and

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the first position designation mode when the period of time measured by the no-input period measuring section exceeds a predetermined value.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the input device includes a motion sensor for detecting a motion applied to the input device itself, and

the motion amount calculating section calculates the motion amount based on data output from the motion sensor.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the motion amount calculating section calculates the motion amount based on a change amount of the designated positions of the pointing device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

an accumulation section configured to accumulate the motion amounts calculated by the motion amount calculating section; and

a threshold determining section configured to determine whether or not the cumulative value of the accumulation section exceeds a predetermined threshold, and

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the first position designation mode when the threshold determining section determines that the cumulative value exceeds the predetermined threshold.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein

the accumulation section accumulates the motion amounts for a predetermined period of time until a current time.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a cumulative value resetting section configured to reset the cumulative value when an input has occurred with respect to the non-pointing device.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a motion change amount calculating section configured to calculate a change amount of the motion amounts calculated by the motion amount calculating section, and

the threshold determining section determines whether or not the change amount calculated by the motion change amount calculating section exceeds a predetermined threshold.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 11, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a change amount accumulating section configured to accumulate the change amounts calculated by the motion change amount calculating section, and

the threshold determining section determines whether or not the cumulative change amount of the change amount accumulating section exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 12, wherein

the change amount accumulating section accumulates the change amounts for a predetermined period of time until a current time.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 12, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a cumulative value resetting section configured to reset the cumulative change amount when an input has occurred with respect to the non-pointing device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the first input device includes an image capturing section configured to capture an image of at least one object whose image to be captured and which is located in a vicinity of a display device,

the first position designating section includes:

a captured image data obtaining section configured to obtain captured image data output from the input device including the image capturing section, and

the first position designating section designates a position based on an object whose image to be captured is shown in a captured image indicated by the captured image data.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein

the first position designation mode is a mode in which any position on the screen can be designated, and any of the objects displayed on the screen can be selected by designating a position where the object is displayed, and

the second position designation mode is a mode in which an object can be selected by changing setting of a focused state indicating a selected state among the objects displayed on the screen in a predetermined order depending on a predetermined key input.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 16, wherein

the information processing program causes the computer to further function as:

a first determination section configured to determine whether or not the predetermined key input has been performed when the position designation mode is the first position designation mode,

the motion amount calculating section calculates the motion amount when the position designation mode is the second position designation mode, and

the switching section switches the position designation mode to the second position designation mode when the first determination section determines that the key input has been performed, and switches the position designation mode to the first position designation mode when the motion amount calculated by the motion amount calculating section exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. An information processing apparatus for designating a position on a screen based on outputs of input means including a pointing device and a non-pointing device, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a motion amount calculating section configured to calculate a motion amount that is based on a motion applied to an input device itself including the pointing device; and

a switching section configured to, based on the motion amount, switch a position designation mode between a first position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on output from the pointing device and a second position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on an output from the non-pointing device.

19. An information processing system for designating a position on a screen based on outputs of input means including a pointing device and a non-pointing device, the information processing system comprising:

a motion amount calculating section configured to calculate a motion amount that is based on a motion applied to an input device itself including the pointing device; and

a switching section configured to, based on the motion amount, switch a position designation mode between a first position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on output from the pointing device and a second position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on an output from the non-pointing device.

20. An information processing method for controlling an information processing apparatus or an information processing system for designating a position on a screen based on outputs of input means including a pointing device and a non-pointing device, the information processing method comprising:

calculating a motion amount that is based on a motion applied to an input device itself including the pointing device; and

switching, based on the motion amount, a position designation mode between a first position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on output from the pointing device and a second position designation mode in which position designation is performed based on an output from the non-pointing device.