System and method for using accelerometer outputs to control an object rotating on a display

• US 8,409,004 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo of America, Inc. (Nintendo Company Limited)
• Inventors: Rabin, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US13/234,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20120004035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: 463/37, 463/38
• US Class Current: 463/37
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

An example system and method controls a rotatable object on a display using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer. The example system and method involve determining an orientation of the handheld control device using an interpolation of an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and an output for a second axis of the accelerometer. The rotation of the rotatable object is controlled based on the determined orientation.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a rotatable object on a display using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer, the method comprising:

determining an orientation of the handheld control device by weighting an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and by weighting an output for a second axis of the accelerometer and interpolating the weighted outputs to avoid discontinuity when processing data output from the first axis and the second axis; and

controlling rotation of the rotatable object based on the determined orientation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for use in the execution in a computer of a method according to claim 1.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interpolation is a linear interpolation.

5. An image processing system comprising:

a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer; and

a processing system for determining an orientation of the handheld control device by weighting an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and by weighting an output for a second axis of the accelerometer and interpolating the weighted outputs to avoid discontinuity when processing data output from the first axis and the second axis, and for controlling rotation of a rotatable object based on the determined orientation.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the accelerometer comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein the interpolation is a linear interpolation.

8. An information processing system having a controller including at least one accelerometer, the information processing system comprising:

at least one processor configured to perform functionality comprising;

determining an orientation of the controller by weighting an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and by weighting an output for a second axis of the accelerometer and interpolating the weighted outputs to avoid discontinuity when processing data output from the first axis and the second axis; and

controlling rotation of the rotatable object based on the determined orientation.