System and method for using accelerometer outputs to control an object rotating on a display

• US 8,100,769 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Rabin, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): DEODHAR, OMKAR A
• Application Number:
  US12/149,921
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 463/37, 463/38, 463 30- 32
• US Class Current: 463/37
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• 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 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

An example system and method controls a rotatable object on a display using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer. The example system and method involve determining an orientation of the handheld control device using an interpolation of an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and an output for a second axis of the accelerometer. The rotation of the rotatable object is controlled based on the determined orientation.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a rotatable object on a display using a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer, the method comprising:

determining an orientation of the handheld control device using a combined contribution of an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and an output for a second axis of the accelerometer obtained by interpolating the output for the first axis of the accelerometer and the output for the second axis of the accelerometer; and

controlling rotation of the rotatable object based on the determined orientation,

wherein the interpolation is based on the following equation;

Do=C1×

Xoutput+(1−

C1)×

Youtput

where Do is the determined orientation, C1 is a constant, Xoutput is the output for the first axis, and Youtput is the output for the second axis.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer comprises a three-axis accelerometer.

3. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for use in the execution in a computer of a method according to claim 1.

4. An image processing system comprising:

a handheld control device comprising an accelerometer; and

a processing system for determining an orientation of the handheld control device using a combined contribution of an output for a first axis of the accelerometer and an output for a second axis of the accelerometer obtained by interpolating the output for the first axis of the accelerometer and the output for the second axis of the accelerometer and for controlling rotation of a rotatable object based on the determined orientation,

wherein the interpolation is based on the following equation;

Do=C1×

Xoutput+(1−

C1)×

Youtput

where Do is the determined orientation, C1 is a constant, Xoutput is the output for the first axis, and Youtput is the output for the second axis.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the accelerometer comprises a three-axis accelerometer.