Systems and methods for control device including a movement detector

• US 9,925,460 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2016
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Rabin, Steven, Ohta, Keizo, Sato, Kenta
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulloch, Jr., William H
• Application Number:
  US15/360,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20170136356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 489 Days
• Field of Search: 463 30, 463 31, 463 36, 463 37, 463 38, 463 39, 715863
• 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 13/87 Communicating with other players during game play, e.g. by e-mail or chat
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• 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

Abstract

An example image processing system and method uses a control device including a movement detector. Gesture inputs corresponding to a gesture made by moving the control device are used for animation. An animation begins based on at least one gesture input received prior to completion of the gesture and the animation is modified based on at least one gesture input received after the beginning of the animation.

Claims

1. An image processing system comprising:

a motion sensor configured to output motion data; and

processing circuitry configured to detect aspects of a gesture based on the motion data and generate an animation of an object in a virtual space based on the detected aspects of the gesture,

wherein an actual path of the object in the virtual space is determined based on at least a first aspect of the gesture detected after a beginning of the animation, and

wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the animation based on a pre-specified path for the object at least until the first aspect of the gesture is detected and thereafter generate the animation based on the actual path of the object.

2. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising a first housing in which the motion sensor is disposed and a second housing different from the first housing in which the processing circuitry is disposed.

3. The image processing system according to claim 2, wherein the first and second housings each includes wireless communication circuitry for wireless communication of the motion data.

4. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer.

5. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises a gyroscope.

6. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the motion sensor comprises an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

7. The image processing system according to claim 1, further comprising wireless communication circuitry for wirelessly communicating the motion data.

8. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to interpolate between the pre-specified path and the actual path.

9. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the beginning of the animation is based on detection of a second aspect of the gesture.

10. The image processing system according to claim 9, wherein the second aspect of the gesture corresponds to a simulated striking of the object.

11. The image processing system according to claim 1, wherein the object is ball.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer of an image processing system, controls the image processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving motion data based on output of a motion sensor;

detecting aspects of a gesture based on the motion data; and

generating an animation of an object in a virtual space based on the detected aspects of the gesture,

wherein an actual path of the object in the virtual space is determined based on at least a first aspect of the gesture detected after a beginning of the animation, and

wherein the animation is generated based on a pre-specified path for the object at least until the first aspect of the gesture is detected and thereafter the animation is generated based on the actual path of the object.

13. An image processing method comprising:

receiving motion data based on output of a motion sensor; and

detecting, by processing circuitry, aspects of a gesture based on the motion data;

generating, by the processing circuitry, an animation of an object in a virtual space based on the detected aspects of the gesture,

wherein an actual path of the object in the virtual space is determined based on at least a first aspect of the gesture detected after a beginning of the animation, and

wherein the animation is generated based on a pre-specified path for the object at least until the first aspect of the gesture is detected and, thereafter, the animation is generated based on the actual path of the object.