Computer readable storage medium having game program stored thereon and game apparatus

• US 9,724,604 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2016
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Sato, Katsuhisa, Suzuki, Ichiro, Shimamura, Takayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOSHI, ANKIT B
• Application Number:
  US15/217,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20160332076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes

Abstract

Based on posture/motion information obtained from predetermined detection means for detecting a posture or a motion of an input device operated by a user, a virtual plane is calculated at a predetermined timing and set as reference plane. Then, based on motion information, the posture of the input device is calculated as necessary. In accordance with the posture of the input device with respect to the reference plane, predetermined game processing such as moving an object in a virtual space or the like is executed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a processing system, including at least one hardware processor, the processing system being operationally coupled to an input device operated in an actual space and including a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the processing system being configured to control the apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtain input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

set a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the processing system sets based on the calculated posture of the input device at a predetermined timing;

obtain additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate a further posture of the input device in the actual space based on the additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor; and

perform an operation in a virtual space in accordance with the calculated further posture of the input device relative to the set virtual reference plane in the actual space.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predetermined timing is defined by a user input received on the input device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing system is further configured to control the apparatus to:

calculate an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device, and

determine whether the angle made by the virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device satisfies a predetermined condition, and

wherein the operation is performed in the virtual space when the predetermined condition is determined to be satisfied.

4. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a program to be executed by a computer operationally coupled to an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device further being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the computer executing the program to perform one or more operations in a virtual space based on the posture and/or motion information obtained from the sensor, the program, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to at least:

obtain input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

set a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer sets based on the calculated posture of the input device at a predetermined timing;

obtain additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate a further posture of the input device in the actual space based on the additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor; and

perform an operation in the virtual space in accordance with the calculated further posture of the input device relative to the set virtual reference plane in the actual space.

5. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium having the program stored thereon according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined timing is defined by a user input received on the input device.

6. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium having the program stored thereon according to claim 4, wherein the program, when executed by the computer, further causes the computer to:

calculate an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device, and

determine whether the angle made by the virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device satisfies a predetermined condition, and

wherein the operation is performed in the virtual space when the predetermined condition is determined to be satisfied.

7. A game apparatus for controlling an object in a virtual space, the game apparatus comprising:

an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device;

a computer processing system, including at least one processor, the computer processing system being operationally coupled to the input device and being configured to control the game apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

setting a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer processing system sets based on the calculated posture of the input device at a predetermined timing;

obtaining additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating a further posture of the input device in the actual space based on the additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor; and

displaying the object controlled in accordance with the calculated further posture of the input device relative to the set virtual reference plane.

8. The game apparatus of claim 7, wherein the predetermined timing is defined by a user input received on the input device.

9. The game apparatus of claim 7, wherein the sensor includes a motion sensor included in the input device.

10. The game apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing system is further configured to control the apparatus to:

calculate an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device, and

determine whether the angle made by the virtual reference plane and the further posture of the input device satisfies a predetermined condition, and

wherein the object is controlled in the virtual space when the predetermined condition is determined to be satisfied.

11. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program to be executed by a computer operationally coupled to an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device further being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the computer executing the game program to control an object in a virtual space based on the posture and/or motion information obtained from the sensor, the game program, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to at least:

obtain input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

set a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer sets based on the calculated posture of the input device at a predetermined timing;

obtain additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate a further posture of the input device in the actual space based on the additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor; and

display the object controlled in accordance with the calculated further posture of the input device relative to the set virtual reference plane in the actual space.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 11, wherein the sensor includes a motion sensor included in the input device.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium having the game program stored thereon according to claim 11, wherein the virtual reference plane is set based on the posture of the input device obtained when a user input is received on the input device.

14. A game processing method of a game system for controlling an object in a virtual space based on posture and/or motion information of an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the game processing method comprising:

obtaining input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

setting a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer sets based on the calculated posture of the input device at a predetermined timing;

obtaining additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating a further posture of the input device in the actual space based on the additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor; and

displaying the object controlled in accordance with the calculated further posture of the input device relative to the set virtual reference plane in the actual space.

15. A game apparatus for controlling an object in a virtual space, the game apparatus comprising:

an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device;

a computer processing system, including at least one processor, the computer processing system being operationally coupled to the input device and being configured to control the game apparatus to perform operations comprising;

obtaining input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

calculating a posture correction value based on the posture and/or motion of the input device detected by the sensor at a predetermined timing;

correcting the calculated posture of the input device with the calculated posture correction value;

setting a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer processing system sets based on the corrected posture of the input device;

calculating an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and a posture of the input device after the predetermined timing; and

display the object controlled in the virtual space based on the calculated angle.

16. The game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the predetermined timing is defined by a user input received on the input device.

17. The game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the sensor includes a motion sensor included in the input device.

18. The game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the movement speed and/or direction of the object in the virtual space is controlled based on the calculated angle.

19. The game apparatus of claim 15, wherein the computer processing system is further configured to control the game apparatus to perform operations comprising:

obtaining additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the angular displacement of the obtained additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane; and

controlling the displayed object in accordance with calculated angular displacement of the detected additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a game program to be executed by a computer operationally coupled to an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device further being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the game program to control an object in a virtual space based on the posture and/or motion information obtained from the sensor, the game program, when executed by the computer, causing the computer to at least:

obtain input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

calculate a posture correction value based on the posture and/or motion of the input device detected by the sensor at a predetermined timing;

correct the calculated posture of the input device with the calculated posture correction value;

set a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that the computer sets based on the corrected posture of the input device;

calculate an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and a posture of the input device after the predetermined timing; and

display the object controlled in the virtual space based on the calculated angle.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon the game program to be executed by the computer according to claim 20, wherein the game program, when executed by the computer, further causes the computer to at least:

obtain additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculate the angular displacement of the obtained additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane; and

control the displayed object in accordance with calculated angular displacement of the detected additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane.

22. A game processing method of a game system for controlling an object in a virtual space based on posture and/or motion information of an input device operated by a user in an actual space, the input device being operationally coupled to a sensor configured to detect posture and/or motion of the input device, the game processing method comprising:

obtaining input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the posture of the input device in the actual space based on the input device posture and/or motion information;

calculating a posture correction value based on the posture and/or motion of the input device detected by the sensor at a predetermined timing;

correcting the calculated posture of the input device with the calculated posture correction value;

setting a virtual reference plane in the actual space, the virtual reference plane having an orientation that is set based on the corrected posture of the input device;

calculating an angle made by the set virtual reference plane and a posture of the input device after the predetermined timing; and

display the object controlled in the virtual space based on the calculated angle.

23. The game processing method of claim 22, further comprising:

obtaining additional input device posture and/or motion information detected by the sensor;

calculating the angular displacement of the obtained additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane; and

controlling the displayed object in accordance with calculated angular displacement of the detected additional input device posture and/or motion information relative to the set virtual reference plane.