Storage medium storing sound output program, sound output apparatus and sound output control method

• US 8,801,521 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2006
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Haga, Takayuki, Okane, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): LIM, SENG HENG
• Application Number:
  US11/542,237
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,869 Days
• Field of Search: 463/36, 463/37
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/348 Switches actuated by parts of the body other than fingers
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/206 Conductor baton movement detection used to adjust rhythm, tempo or expressivity of, e.g. the playback of musical pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing. conductor baton movement sensing G10H2220/206, angle sensing without reference to gravity G10H2220/391; player body joint angle sensing G10H2220/321
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/401 3D sensing, i.e. three-dimensional (x, y, z) position or movement sensing. movement pattern or gesture sensing G10H2220/201; geolocation sensing G10H2220/355, 3D sensing with accelerometer G10H2220/395
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2250/435 Gensound percussion, i.e. generating or synthesising the sound of a percussion instrument; Control of specific aspects of percussion sounds, e.g. harmonics, under the influence of hitting force, hitting position, settings or striking instruments such as mallet, drumstick, brush, hand spint percussion G10H2230/231

Abstract

A video game apparatus as a sound output apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU detects acceleration data included in input information data transmitted from a controller. The acceleration data is numerical value data for accelerations in three axial directions set to the controller. For example, a swinging motion of the controller in a right direction or a left direction is determined based on the acceleration in a direction of one axis (x-axis) out of three axes. In addition, a downward swinging motion of the controller and a posture of the controller at the time of end of swing are determined based on the acceleration in directions of two axes (y-axis and z-axis) other than the one axis. Accordingly, for example, a performance of a musical instrument displayed on a game screen is individually instructed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory storage medium storing a sound output program of a sound output apparatus having an operating unit including an acceleration sensor, wherein the sound output program causes a processor of the sound output apparatus to perform operations comprising:

detecting a swinging motion of the operating unit based on an output of the acceleration sensor;

determining when the output of the acceleration sensor becomes constant or approximately constant, after the swinging motion is detected;

determining aspects of a posture of the operating unit based on the output of the acceleration sensor, after it is determined that the output of the acceleration sensor has become constant or approximately constant; and

outputting sound based on stored tone data, in accordance with a determination result of determining aspects of a posture of the operating unit.

2. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the acceleration sensor comprises a multiaxial acceleration sensor;

the sound output program causes the processor to perform further operations comprising determining a direction of the swinging motion based on acceleration in directions of two axes of the multiaxial acceleration sensor;

the determining of aspects of a posture of the operating unit includes determining an inclination of the operating unit to a horizontal surface in a vertical direction based on acceleration in the direction of an axis perpendicularly crossing the two axes, when it is determined that the direction of the swinging motion is a vertical direction; and

the outputting of sound based on stored tone data includes reading the tone data in accordance with a position in the vertical direction following the determined inclination.

3. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 1, wherein, when it is determined that the direction of the swinging motion is a rightward direction, the stored tone data is read in accordance with the rightward direction, and, when it is determined that the direction of the swinging motion is a leftward direction, the stored tone data is read in accordance with the leftward direction.

4. The non-transitory storage medium according to claim 2, wherein

the sound output apparatus further comprises a display;

the sound output program causes the processor to display on the display a guidance screen for guiding the swinging motion; and

a determined direction of the swinging motion corresponds to a direction in the guidance screen.

5. A sound output apparatus having an operating unit including an acceleration sensor, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, control the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting a swinging motion of the operating unit based on an output of the acceleration sensor;

determining when the output of the acceleration sensor becomes constant or approximately constant, after the swinging motion is detected;

determining aspects of a posture of the operating unit based on the output of the acceleration sensor, after it has been determined that the output of the acceleration sensor has become constant or approximately constant; and

outputting sound based on tone data stored in a storage, in accordance with the determined aspects of a posture of the operating unit.

6. A sound output control method for a sound output apparatus having an operating unit including an acceleration sensor, the method comprising:

(a) detecting a swinging motion of the operating unit based on an output of the acceleration sensor;

(b) determining when the output of the acceleration sensor becomes constant or approximately constant, after the swinging motion is detected in (a);

(c) determining aspects of a posture of the operating unit based on the output of the acceleration sensor, after determination in (b) shows that the output of the acceleration sensor has become constant or approximately constant; and

(d) outputting sound based on tone data stored in a storage in accordance with a determination detection result in (c).

7. A sound output system, comprising:

an operating unit including an acceleration sensor;

a moving motion detector that detects a swinging motion of the operating unit based on an output of the acceleration sensor;

a determiner that determines when the output of the moving motion detector becomes constant or approximately constant, after the swinging motion is detected by the moving motion detector;

a posture determiner that determines aspects of a posture of the operating unit based on the output of the acceleration sensor, after it is determined that the output of the acceleration sensor has become constant or approximately constant; and

an outputter that outputs sound based on stored tone data in accordance with a result of the posture determiner.

8. A sound output system, comprising:

a user control device including an inertial sensor and communication circuitry for wirelessly transmitting inertial sensor data; and

an electronic machine comprising;

communication circuitry for receiving the inertial sensor data wirelessly transmitted by the user control device; and

processing circuitry for detecting a swinging motion of the user control device based on the inertial sensor data for multiple times;

determining, subsequent to the detecting of the swinging motion, when the inertial sensor data for multiple times indicates that acceleration of the user control device has become constant or approximately constant;

determining, when the inertial sensor data is determined to indicate that the acceleration of the user control device has become constant or approximately constant, aspects of a posture of the user control device based on the inertial sensor data; and

outputting tone data based on the determined aspects of posture.