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

• US 9,480,918 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sumiyoshi, Nobuhiro, Hayashi, Yugo
• Primary Examiner(s): Barbee, Manuel L
• Application Number:
  US12/632,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20110077899A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 702/173, 702/175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/428 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 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8064 Quiz

Abstract

A game apparatus calculates a load value detected by a load controller, and a center-of-gravity position of a player, at predetermined time intervals. Based on the calculated center-of-gravity position, the game apparatus firstly determines whether or not the center of gravity moves, and determines the direction of the movement. Then, the game apparatus determines a change of the load of the player within a predetermined time period. When the amount of increase of the load is equal to or higher than a threshold value, the game apparatus determines that the player swings his/her hip in the direction in which the center of gravity moves.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus for processing a signal supplied from an input device which includes a load sensor for detecting a load of a user, the information processing program causing the computer to provide execution comprising:

acquiring load information concerning the load of the user or a change of the load over time, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

acquiring center-of-gravity information concerning a center-of-gravity position of the user or a direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

determining whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies a first condition;

specifying a time when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition;

specifying a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position at the specified time; and

determining a predetermined action of the user, using the specified coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position obtained when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition,

the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device, and

the predetermined action of the user is determined based on the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is acquired and obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the load of the user increases is determined based on the load information.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2, wherein whether or not a rate of increase of the load is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value is determined.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the center-of-gravity information concerning the center-of-gravity position is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device, and

even when the change of the load over time does not satisfy the first condition, if the absolute value of a coordinate value, with respect to a direction of a predetermined axis, of the center-of-gravity position which is obtained when the change of the load over time does not satisfy the first condition, is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value, the user is determined as performing the predetermined action.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to provide further execution comprising:

acquiring the center-of-gravity information concerning the center-of-gravity position and the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device,

determining whether or not the absolute value of a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to a direction of a first axis is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and

determining the predetermined action of the user, based on the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative and a result of the determination of whether or not the absolute value of the coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to the direction of the first axis is equal to or greater than the first threshold value is affirmative.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to provide further execution comprising:

determining whether or not the absolute value of the coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to the direction of the first axis is equal to or greater than a second threshold value which is greater than the first threshold value, and

even when the result of the determination as to whether the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is negative, determining the predetermined action of the user, based on the center-of-gravity position obtained when the result of the determination is negative and a result of the determination of whether or not the absolute value of the coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to the direction of the first axis is equal to or greater than the second threshold value is affirmative.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the center-of-gravity information concerning the center-of-gravity position is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device,

whether or not the center-of-gravity position exists in a predetermined region which is set at a predetermined position on an input plane which is provided in the input device and to which the load is applied by the user is determined, and

when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative and a result of the determination, at that time, of whether or not the center-of-gravity position exists in the predetermined region is negative, the user is determined as performing the predetermined action.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the center-of-gravity information concerning the center-of-gravity position and the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device,

whether or not the absolute value of a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to a direction of a first axis is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value is determined, and

when a result of the determination of whether or not the absolute value of the coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to the direction of the first axis is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value is affirmative, the predetermined action of the user based on the center-of-gravity position, which is obtained when the result is affirmative, is determined, and

the predetermined action of the user based on the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the absolute value of the coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position with respect to the direction of the first axis is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold value is negative and the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative is determined.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to provide further execution comprising:

calculating a speed at which the center-of-gravity position of the user moves, based on the acquired center-of-gravity information; and

determining whether or not the speed at which the center-of-gravity position moves satisfies a second condition, and

when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative and a result of the determination, at that time, of whether or not the speed at which the center-of-gravity position moves satisfies the second condition is affirmative, the predetermined action of the user is determined based on the center-of-gravity information.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions provided at boundaries of the first regions are in advance set on an input plane which is provided in the input device and to which the load is applied by the user, and

when the center-of-gravity position, which is acquired and obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is negative, exists in the first region, the user is determined as performing the predetermined action.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein whether or not the user performs the predetermined action in a predetermined direction is determined.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

whether or not the user performs the predetermined action in a predetermined direction is repeatedly determined,

when the user performs the predetermined action in the predetermined direction, a determination result indicating the direction in which the user performs the predetermined action is stored in a memory, and

the user is determined as performing the predetermined action, only when the direction in which the user performs the predetermined action, which is obtained based on the center-of-gravity information, is different from the direction indicated by an immediately preceding determination result stored in the memory.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12, wherein

a plurality of regions each indicating a direction in which the user performs the action is in advance set on an input plane which is provided in the input device and to which the load is applied by the user, and the user is determined as performing the predetermined action in the direction indicated by the region, on the input plane, where the center-of-gravity position exists.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 13, wherein even when the result of the determination as to whether the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is negative, the user is determined as performing the predetermined action in the direction indicated by the region, on the input plane, where the center-of-gravity position exists, the center-of-gravity position being obtained when the result of the determination is negative.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program causes the computer to provide further execution comprising displaying, on a display device, an appearance in which the user performs the predetermined action, when a result of the determination of the predetermined action of the user, based on the center-of-gravity information obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the first condition is satisfied when a pattern of local maximum and minimum values of the load information over a predetermined period of time satisfies a threshold value.

17. An information processing apparatus having one or more processors and configured to process a signal supplied from an input device which includes a load sensor for detecting a load of a user, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a load information acquisition unit for acquiring load information concerning the load of the user or a change of the load over time, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

a center-of-gravity information acquisition unit for acquiring center-of-gravity information concerning a center-of-gravity position of the user or a direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

a load determination unit for determining whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies a first condition;

a time specifying unit for specifying a time when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition;

a coordinate value specifying unit for specifying a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position at the specified time; and

an action determination unit for determining a predetermined action of the user, using the specified coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position obtained when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition,

the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device, and

the predetermined action of the user is determined based on the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is acquired and obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative.

18. An information processing system, comprising:

an input device having a load sensor for detecting a load of a user; and

an information processing apparatus having one or more processors and coupled to the input device, the information processing apparatus configured to process a signal supplied from the input device and comprising;

a load information acquisition unit for acquiring load information concerning the load of the user or a change of the load over time, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

a center-of-gravity information acquisition unit for acquiring center-of-gravity information concerning a center-of-gravity position of the user or a direction in which the enter-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

a load determination unit for determining whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies a first condition;

a time specifying unit for specifying a time when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition;

a coordinate value specifying unit for specifying a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position at the specified time; and

an action determination unit for determining a predetermined action of the user, using the specified coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position obtained when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition,

the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device, and

the predetermined action of the user is determined based on the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is acquired and obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative.

19. A method, implemented in an information processing apparatus having one or more processors, for processing a signal supplied from an input device which includes a load sensor for detecting a load of a user, the method comprising:

acquiring load information concerning the load of the user or a change of the load over time, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

acquiring center-of-gravity information concerning a center-of-gravity position of the user or a direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

determining, using the one or more processors, whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies a first condition;

specifying a time when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition;

specifying a coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position at the specified time; and

determining a predetermined action of the user, using the specified coordinate value of the center-of-gravity position obtained when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition,

the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves is acquired based on the signal supplied from the input device, and

the predetermined action of the user is determined based on the center-of-gravity information concerning the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, which is acquired and obtained when the result of the determination of whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition is affirmative.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program executable by a computer of an information processing apparatus for processing a signal supplied from an input device which includes a load sensor for detecting a load of a user, the information processing program causing the computer to provide execution comprising:

acquiring load information concerning the load of the user or a change of the load over time, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

acquiring center-of-gravity information concerning a center-of-gravity position of the user or a direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves, based on the signal supplied from the input device;

determining whether or not the change of the load over time satisfies a first condition; and

determining a predetermined action of the user, based on the direction in which the center-of-gravity position moves when the change of the load over time satisfies the first condition.