Inclination calculation apparatus and inclination calculation program, and game apparatus and game program

• US 8,473,245 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2011
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): CHERRY, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US13/157,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 702/152, 702/154
• US Class Current: 702/152
• 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. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program executable by a computer of a game apparatus having one or more processors for computing an inclination of a hand-held game input device operable in terms of a posture thereof and using a computed inclination as an operation input for a game, wherein the input device includes an acceleration sensor for acquiring acceleration information and an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more specific imaging targets, the game program causing the computer to:

compute first inclination information representing a detected inclination of the input device based upon positions of two imaging targets in an image acquired by the imaging element;

compute second inclination information representing a detected inclination of the input device based upon an acceleration sensed by the acceleration sensor; and

compute an inclination value for the input device based on both the first inclination information and the second inclination information considered together.

2. An apparatus for calculating an inclination of a game apparatus hand-held input device operable in terms of a posture thereof and using the calculated inclination as an operation input for a game, wherein the input device includes an acceleration detector for detecting an acceleration and an imaging element for acquiring an image of one or more specific imaging targets, the game apparatus comprising:

an image information processor that computes first inclination information representing a detected inclination of the input device derived based upon coordinate position data of two imaging targets in an image acquired by the imaging element;

an acceleration information processor that computes second inclination information representing detected inclination of the input device based upon an acceleration detected by the acceleration detector; and

an information processor that computes an inclination of value for the input device based on both the first inclination information and the second inclination information considered together.

3. A wireless hand-held user interface device operable in terms of a posture thereof for providing input to a game apparatus, comprising:

an acceleration sensor for acquiring acceleration 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 acceleration data and image coordinate data for wireless communication, wherein encoded acceleration data and target image position coordinate set data is wirelessly transmitted from the hand-held user interlace device to a game apparatus for further processing.

4. A wireless hand-held entertainment system user interface device operable in terms of a posture thereof for providing input to a game apparatus, comprising:

an acceleration sensor for acquiring acceleration data;

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 acceleration data from the acceleration sensor and assigned position coordinate data from the image processing circuit, and which controls wireless communication of at least the acceleration data and position coordinate data form the hand-held user interface device to a game apparatus for further processing.

5. A method for calculating an inclination of a hand-held entertainment system user interface device which is operable in terms of a posture thereof, wherein the user interface device includes an acceleration sensor for acquiring acceleration 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 first vector inclination information based upon generated position coordinate values associated with predetermined points in an imaging target acquired by the imaging element;

computing second vector inclination information based upon acceleration data acquired by the acceleration sensor;

computing output vector information indicative of an inclination of the hand-held entertainment system user interface device, wherein the output vector information is computed using either said first vector inclination information alone or said second vector inclination information considered together with said first vector inclination information based upon computed characteristics of both said first and second vector inclination information.