Computer-readable storage medium having stored information processing program thereon, and information processing apparatus

• US 8,751,179 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Hayashi, Yugo, Matsutani, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US12/621,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20110077088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: 702/150, 702/152, 702/153, 702/155, 702/169, 702/193
• US Class Current: 702/94
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/214 for locating contacts on a surface, e.g. floor mats or touch pads
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/218 using pressure sensors, e.g. generating a signal proportional to the pressure applied by the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/422 automatically for the purpose of assisting the player, e.g. automatic braking in a driving game
• 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 2300/1056 involving pressure sensitive buttons
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1068 being specially adapted to detect the point of contact of the player on a surface, e.g. floor mat, touch pad
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands

Abstract

A CPU of a game apparatus sequentially obtains, from a gravity center position detection device, gravity center position data indicative of the gravity center position of a user, and detects a variation range of the gravity center position of the user during a predetermined period to the current time, based on previously obtained gravity center position data. In addition, the CPU executes a predetermined information process based on a relative position of a gravity center position, indicated by a latest gravity center position data, with respect to the variation range detected thus.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program that causes a computer of an information processing apparatus, which is connected to a gravity center position detection device for detecting the gravity center position of a user, to perform features comprising:

sequentially obtaining, from the gravity center position detection device, gravity center position data indicative of the gravity center position of the user;

detecting a variation range of the gravity center position of the user during a predetermined period to the current time, based on previously obtained gravity center position data; and

executing a predetermined information process based on a relative position of a gravity center position, indicated by a latest obtained gravity center position data, with respect to the detected variation range.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

correcting the latest obtained gravity center position data in accordance with the detected variation range, and

executing the predetermined information process based on the corrected latest gravity center position data.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising correcting the latest obtained gravity center position based on a linear conversion function by which a minimum value and a maximum value of the detected variation range are converted into a predetermined first fixed value and a predetermined second fixed value, respectively.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3, wherein the first fixed value and the second fixed value are a lower limit and an upper limit, respectively, of obtained gravity center position data.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

determining whether or not the width of the detected variation range is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold,

in the case where the width of the variation range is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, executing the predetermined information process when the relative position meets a predetermined condition, and

in the case where the width of the variation range is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, executing the predetermined information process even when the relative position meets the predetermined condition.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

determining whether or not the width of the detected variation range is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold,

in the case where the width of the variation range is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, executing the predetermined information process based on the relative position, and

in the case where the width of the variation range is not equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold, executing the predetermined information process based on the obtained latest gravity center position.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

determining whether or not a difference between the gravity center position indicated by the obtained latest gravity center position data and a gravity center position indicated by gravity center position data that is obtained immediately before the latest gravity center position data is obtained, is equal to or greater than a predetermined variation threshold,

in the case where the difference is equal to or greater than the predetermined variation threshold, executing the predetermined information process when the relative position meets a predetermined condition, and

in the case where the difference is not equal to or greater than the predetermined variation threshold, not executing the predetermined information process even when the relative position meets the predetermined condition.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising

comparing the obtained latest gravity center position with one or more predetermined determination thresholds, and

executing the predetermined information process in accordance with a result of the comparison.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 8, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising correcting the one or more predetermined determination thresholds in accordance with the detected variation range.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 9, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising correcting the one or more predetermined determination thresholds based on a linear conversion function by which a predetermined first fixed value and a predetermined second fixed value are converted into a minimum value and a maximum value, respectively, of the detected variation range.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 10, wherein the first fixed value and the second fixed value are a lower limit and an upper limit, respectively, of obtained gravity center position data.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

calculating a middle position of the detected variation range, and

executing the predetermined information process based on a relative position of the gravity center position, indicated by the obtained latest gravity center position, with respect to the middle position.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising detecting, as the variation range of the gravity center position of the user, a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of gravity center position data that is obtained during a latest predetermined period.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising detecting, as the variation range of the gravity center position of the user, a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of gravity center position data that is previously obtained.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising detecting, as the variation range of the gravity center position of the user, a range from a minimum value to a maximum value of gravity center position data that is obtained during a period from start of execution of the information processing program to the current time.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the computer is caused to perform further features comprising:

determining whether or not the user performs stepping based on the relative position;

performing movement control of an object in a virtual space based on a result of the determination; and

generating an image of the object and displaying the image on a display screen.

17. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory and configured to perform features comprising;

sequentially obtaining, from a gravity center position detection device for detecting the gravity center position of a user, gravity center position data indicative of the gravity center position of the user,

detecting a variation range of the gravity center position of the user during a predetermined period to the current time, based on previously obtained gravity center position data; and

executing a predetermined information process based on a relative position of a gravity center position, indicated by a latest obtained gravity center position data, with respect to the detected variation range.

18. An information processing system, comprising:

a gravity center position detection device for detecting the gravity center position of a user; and

an information processing apparatus operatively coupled to the gravity center position detection device and having one or more processors configured to perform features comprising;

sequentially obtaining, from the gravity center position detection device, gravity center position data indicative of the gravity center position of the user,

detecting a variation range of the gravity center position of the user during a predetermined period to the current time, based on previously obtained gravity center position data, and

executing a predetermined information process based on a relative position of a gravity center position, indicated by a latest obtained gravity center position data, with respect to the detected variation range.

19. A method implemented using an information processing apparatus having one or more processors, and which is operatively associated with a gravity center position detection device for detecting the gravity center position of a user, the method comprising:

sequentially obtaining, from the gravity center position detection device, gravity center position data indicative of the gravity center position of the user;

detecting, via the one or more processors, a variation range of the gravity center position of the user during a predetermined period to the current time, based on previously obtained gravity center position data; and

executing a predetermined information process based on a relative position of a gravity center position, indicated by a latest obtained gravity center position data, with respect to the detected variation range.