INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN INFORMATION PROCESSING PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20150209668A1
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: OBANA, Kazutoshi, KAWAI, Kochi, MIYATAKE, Junichiro, INAMI, Masahiko, MINAMIZAWA, Kouta
• Granted Patent: US 9,833,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback

Abstract

A portable information processing apparatus includes a display, stereo loudspeakers, a pair of vibrators, and one or more processors. The pair of vibrators is provided on a left side and a right side of a main body of the information processing apparatus with respect to a center of the display. The one or more processors are configured to: generate sound signals to be output to the stereo loudspeakers, and output the sound signals; generate vibration signals for vibrating the pair of vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components, and output the vibration signals; and control an image to be displayed on the display.

Claims

1. A portable information processing apparatus comprising:

a display;

stereo loudspeakers;

a pair of vibrators provided on a left side and a right side of a main body of the information processing apparatus with respect to a center of the display; and

one or more processors configured to;

generate sound signals to be output to the stereo loudspeakers, and output the sound signals;

generate vibration signals for vibrating the pair of vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components, and output the vibration signals; and

control an image to be displayed on the display.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals for vibrating the vibrators by vibrations, each in a frequency range having a predetermined width, are generated.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the vibration signals generated in the generation and output of the vibration signals are subjected to predetermined processing and thereby are able to be decoded into signals, each having a plurality of frequency components.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, a first vibration signal for vibrating one of the pair of vibrators and a second vibration signal for vibrating the other of the pair of vibrators are generated and output.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the stereo loudspeakers are provided on the left side and the right side of the main body of the information processing apparatus with respect to the center of the display, and

the stereo loudspeakers and the vibrators are placed at different positions in the main body of the information processing apparatus.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the stereo loudspeakers and the vibrators are placed at positions close to each other in the main body of the information processing apparatus.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a housing to be held by a user with both hands, wherein

one of the pair of vibrators is placed in a portion of the housing that is held by the user with a right hand, and the other of the pair of vibrators is placed in a portion of the housing that is held by the user with a left hand.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a conversion unit configured to convert the vibration signals into analog signals, drive the vibrators using the analog signals, and vibrate the vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals are generated to obtain vibrations corresponding to the image controlled in the control of the image.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

in the control of the image, at least one object is displayed on the display, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, a position of a vibration source to be perceived based on the vibrations of the pair of vibrators is controlled in accordance with a position of the object displayed on the display.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the generation and output of the sound signals, the sound signals are generated to obtain sounds corresponding to the image controlled in the control of the image.

12. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

in the control of the image, at least one object is displayed on the display, and

in the generation and output of the sound signals, a position where sound sources are localized for sounds output from the stereo loudspeakers is controlled in accordance with a position of the object displayed on the display.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals are generated to obtain vibrations corresponding to sounds controlled in the generation and output of the sound signals.

14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein

in the generation and output of the sound signals, sounds to be output from the stereo loudspeakers are controlled so that sound sources are localized at a predetermined position, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, a position of a vibration source to be perceived based on the vibrations of the vibrators is controlled in accordance with the position of localization of the sound sources.

15. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a program storage medium configured to store a sound generation program for generating the sound signals and a vibration generation program for generating the vibration signals, wherein

in the generation and output of the sound signals, the sound signals are generated by executing the sound generation program, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals are generated by executing the vibration generation program.

16. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a data storage medium configured to store sound data regarding the sound signals and vibration data regarding the vibration signals, wherein

in the generation and output of the sound signals, the sound data stored in the data storage medium is read to generate the sound signals, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration data stored in the data storage medium is read to generate the vibration signals.

17. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

in the control of the image, at least one object moving from a corresponding position in a virtual world displayed on the display to a corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area and/or moving from the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area to the corresponding position in the virtual world displayed on the display is displayed on the display, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, even if the object is placed at the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area, a position of a vibration source to be perceived based on the vibrations of the vibrators is controlled in accordance with the placement position of the object.

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

in the generation and output of the sound signals, even if the object is placed at the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area, a position where sound sources are localized for sounds output from the stereo loudspeakers is controlled in accordance with the placement position of the object.

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

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, even if the object is placed at the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area, the pair of vibrators is simultaneously vibrated based on distribution of intensities of vibrations corresponding to the placement position of the object, thereby causing a user to perceive the placement position as the vibration source based on the vibrations of the vibrators.

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

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, if the object is placed at the corresponding position in the virtual world displayed on the display, the position of the vibration source is controlled in accordance with the placement position of the object.

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

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, at least either if the object moves from the corresponding position in the virtual world displayed on the display to the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area, or if the object moves from the corresponding position in the virtual world outside the display area to the corresponding position in the virtual world displayed on the display, the position of the vibration source is controlled without interruption.

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

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals are generated such that as the object moves toward a position, in the virtual world, corresponding to a left reference position provided on the left side of the main body of the information processing apparatus, vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the left side increase, and as the object moves away from the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the left reference position, the vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the left side decrease, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, the vibration signals are generated such that as the object moves toward a position, in the virtual world, corresponding to a right reference position provided on the right side of the main body of the information processing apparatus, vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the right side increase, and as the object moves away from the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the right reference position, the vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the right side decrease.

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

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, if the object has moved to pass through a position, in the virtual world, corresponding to a left reference position provided on the left side of the main body of the information processing apparatus, the vibration signals are generated such that magnitudes of vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the left reference position increase in accordance with the movement of the object until the object reaches the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the left reference position, and after the object has passed through the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the left reference position, the vibration signals are generated such that the magnitudes of the vibrations decrease in accordance with the movement of the object, and

in the generation and output of the vibration signals, if the object has moved to pass through a position, in the virtual world, corresponding to a right reference position provided on the right side of the main body of the information processing apparatus, the vibration signals are generated such that magnitudes of vibrations of the vibrators corresponding to the right reference position increase in accordance with the movement of the object until the object reaches the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the right reference position, and after the object has passed through the position, in the virtual world, corresponding to the right reference position, the vibration signals are generated such that the magnitudes of the vibrations decrease in accordance with the movement of the object.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executed by a computer included in a portable apparatus including a display, stereo loudspeakers, and a pair of vibrators provided on a left side and a right side of a main body of a housing of the portable apparatus with respect to a center of the display, or by a computer included in an apparatus different from the portable apparatus, the information processing program causing the computer to execute:

generating sound signals to be output to the stereo loudspeakers, and outputting the sound signals;

generating vibration signals for vibrating the pair of vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components, and outputting the vibration signals; and

controlling an image to be displayed on the display.

25. An information processing system including a plurality of apparatuses capable communicating with each other, the information processing system including a portable apparatus including a display, stereo loudspeakers, and a pair of vibrators provided on a left side and a right side of a main body of a housing of the portable apparatus with respect to a center of the display, the information processing system comprising one or more processors configured to:

generating sound signals to be output to the stereo loudspeakers, and outputting the sound signals;

generating vibration signals for vibrating the pair of vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components, and outputting the vibration signals; and

controlling an image to be displayed on the display.

26. An information processing method executed by a processor or a cooperation of a plurality of processors, the processor or the plurality of processors included in an information processing system including a portable apparatus including a display, stereo loudspeakers, and a pair of vibrators provided on a left side and a right side of a main body of a housing of the portable apparatus with respect to a center of the display, the information processing method comprising:

generating sound signals to be output to the stereo loudspeakers, and outputting the sound signals;

generating vibration signals for vibrating the pair of vibrators by vibrations, each having a plurality of frequency components, and outputting the vibration signals; and

controlling an image to be displayed on the display.