Storage medium storing information processing program, information processing apparatus and information processing method

• US 8,529,355 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hiratake, Shinya, Shimamura, Takayuki, Yamashita, Yoshikazu, Nakamura, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Elisca, Pierre E
• Application Number:
  US12/481,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20100001952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 463 1- 5, 463 7- 9, 463 30- 34, 463 36- 39, 463 40- 43, 463 49- 57, 273/108.1, 273/127.R, 273/148.R, 273/148.B, 273/309, 273/317.1, 273/340, 273/348, 273361-367, 345 11- 34, 345/156, 345/157, 345/160, 345/419, 345473-475, 345618-619, 345/629, 345660-671, 348/37, 348/119, 348141-142, 348/240.99, 348E13022-E13027, 348/E13.036, 715/706, 715/738, 715757-759, 715762-764, 715/766, 715781-783, 715/788, 715794-795, 715/798, 715801-802, 715/807
• US Class Current: 463/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/573 using trajectories of game objects, e.g. of a golf ball according to the point of impact
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/816 Athletics, e.g. track-and-field sports
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8005 Athletics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

A game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU controls a moving object within a virtual space on the basis of acceleration data and angular velocity data which are transmitted from a controller. For example, before the angular velocity data is above a predetermined magnitude, a position and an orientation of the moving object is controlled on the basis of the angular velocity data. When the angular velocity data is above the predetermined magnitude, an initial velocity of the moving object is decided on the basis of the acceleration data, and a moving direction (orientation) of the moving object is decided on the basis of the angular velocity data. Thereafter, the moving object moves within the virtual space according to a general physical behavior.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program configured, when executed, to cause a computer of an information processing apparatus controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detector configured to detect a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device to perform functionality comprising at least:

control said object such that said object performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

determine whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition during when said object is controlled to perform said first motion within said virtual space, and

control said object such that said object performs a second motion different from said first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal in a case that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition.

2. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein said detector includes a gyro sensor, and said status signal is a gyro signal.

3. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 2, wherein

the determination of whether or not the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies the predetermined condition includes:

calculating a magnitude of said gyro signal, and

determining whether or not the calculated magnitude of the gyro signal is above a first predetermined value, and

said object is controlled such that said object performs said second motion in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value.

4. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein a moving velocity and a moving direction of said object is controlled on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value.

5. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein

said input device further includes an acceleration sensor,

said information processing program further causes said computer to perform functionality comprising at least:

calculate an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration occurring to said input device on the basis of an output from said acceleration sensor,

control a moving velocity of said object on the basis of the calculated acceleration signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value, and

control a moving direction of said object on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value.

6. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein said information processing program further causes said computer to perform functionality comprising at least:

sequentially store magnitude data corresponding to the magnitude of said gyro signal in a storage location,

calculate, on the basis of magnitudes of a plurality of gyro signals indicated by the magnitude data stored in said storage location, an extreme of the magnitudes of said gyro signals,

determine whether or not the extreme of the magnitude of the gyro signal is above a second predetermined value, and

control said object such that said object performs said second motion within said virtual space on the basis of said gyro signal in a case that said extreme is determined to be above said second predetermined value.

7. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein said information processing apparatus is a game apparatus for controlling a motion of said object within said virtual space.

8. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein a moving velocity and a moving direction of said object are controlled on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein

said input device further comprises an acceleration sensor,

said information processing program further causes said computer to perform functionality comprising at least:

calculate an acceleration signal corresponding to an acceleration occurring to said input device on the basis of an output from said acceleration sensor,

control a moving velocity of said object on the basis of the calculated acceleration signal in a case that the magnitude of the gyro signal is determined to be above said first predetermined value, and

control a moving direction of said object on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that the magnitude of said gyro signal is above said first predetermined value.

10. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 7, wherein said information processing program further causes said computer to perform functionality comprising at least:

sequentially store magnitude data corresponding to the magnitude of said gyro signal in a storage location,

calculate, on the basis of magnitudes of a plurality of gyro signals indicated by the magnitude data stored in said storage location, an extreme of the magnitudes of said gyro signals,

determine whether or not the extreme of the magnitude of the gyro signal is above a second predetermined value, and

control said object such that said object performs said second motion within said virtual space on the basis of the gyro signal in a case that said extreme is determined to be above said second predetermined value.

11. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein said object is arranged within said virtual space according to at least any one of a position and an orientation which are decided on the basis of said status signal.

12. A non-transitory storage medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein said input device is formed with a single housing.

13. An information processing apparatus for controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detector configured to detect a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device, comprising:

a first motion controller configured to control said object such that said object performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

a condition determining circuit configured to determine whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition during when said object is controlled to perform said first motion within said virtual space, and

a second motion controller configured to control said object such that said object performs a second motion different from said first motion on the basis of said status signal within said virtual space in a case that said condition determining circuit determines that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies the predetermined condition.

14. An information processing method of an information processing apparatus for controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detector configured to detect a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device, the method comprising:

(a) controlling, in connection with the information processing apparatus, said object such that said object performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

(b) determining whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition during when said object is controlled to perform said first motion within said virtual space, and

(c) controlling, in connection with the information processing apparatus, said object such that said object performs a second motion different from said first motion within said virtual space on the basis of the status signal in a case that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal is determined to satisfy the predetermined condition in (b).

15. An information processing system for controlling a motion of an object within a virtual space on the basis of a status signal output from a detector configured to detect a status including at least one of a position and an attitude of an input device, comprising:

processing resources, including at least one processor and a memory, configured to;

control said object such that said object performs a first motion within said virtual space on the basis of said status signal,

determine whether or not information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies a predetermined condition during when said object is controlled to perform said first motion within said virtual space, and

control said object such that said object performs a second motion different from said first motion on the basis of said status signal within said virtual space in a case that said condition determining circuit determines that the information relative to a magnitude of said status signal satisfies the predetermined condition.