Information processing program having computer-readable storage medium therein and information processing apparatus

• US 8,654,073 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2009
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Konishi, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/632,314
• Publication Number:
  US 20110074665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

Abstract

A game apparatus calculates a first evaluation value based on the difference between the time when the load value detected by a load controller becomes the maximum and the time when the velocity of the center of gravity, which represents the velocity of movement of the position of the center of gravity, becomes the maximum. The game apparatus calculates a second evaluation value based on the velocity of load, which represents the degree of increase in the load in a predetermined time period, and the velocity of the center of gravity. The game apparatus calculates a third evaluation value based on the path of the position of the center of gravity. The game apparatus calculates the amount of slice based on the first through third evaluation values.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus for processing a signal from a first input device including a load sensor to which load is applied by a user, the information processing program causing the computer to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring, based on the signal from the first input device, load information about a change over time in the load applied to the first input device;

detecting a position of center of gravity of the user based on the signal from the first input device;

calculating a velocity of center of gravity, the velocity of center of gravity representing a velocity of movement of the position of center of gravity; and

determining a given motion of the user based on a relationship between the load information and velocity-of-center-of-gravity information about the velocity of center of gravity.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising storing, in a storage unit, therein load value data based on the signal from the first input device, the load value data representing the load applied to the first input device in a predetermined time period;

and

acquiring the load information based on the load value data stored in the storage unit.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring, as the load information, a time when the load applied to the first input device satisfies a first condition; and

determining the given motion of the user based on the time when the load applied to the first input device satisfies the first condition and a time when the velocity of center of gravity satisfies a second condition.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 3, wherein the information processing program further causes the commuter to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring a time when the load applied to the first input device becomes a maximum; and

determining the given motion of the user based on the time when the load becomes the maximum and a time when the velocity of center of gravity becomes a maximum.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 4, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

determining the given motion of the user based on a difference between the time when the load becomes the maximum and the time when the velocity of center of gravity becomes the maximum.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring a velocity of load as the load information, the velocity of load representing an amount of change in the load applied to the first input device in a predetermined time period; and

determining the given motion of the user based on the velocity of center of gravity and the velocity of load.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring a velocity of load as the load information, the velocity of load representing an amount of change in the load applied to the first input device in a predetermined time period; and

determining the given motion of the user by comparing a relationship between a predetermined velocity of load and a predetermined velocity of center of gravity with a relationship between the acquired velocity of load and the calculated velocity of center of gravity.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 7, wherein

the given motion of the user is determined based on, in a coordinate system where the velocity of load is a first axis and the velocity of center of gravity is a second axis, a distance from a straight line or a curve to a point in the coordinate system, the straight line or the curve representing the relationship between the predetermined velocity of load and the predetermined velocity of center of gravity, the point representing the acquired velocity of load and the calculated velocity of center of gravity.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 8, wherein

the given motion of the user is determined based on, in the coordinate system where the velocity of load is the first axis and the velocity of center of gravity is the second axis, a distance from a straight line to the point in the coordinate system, the straight line representing a relationship between a velocity of load and a velocity of center of gravity that are detected when the given motion of the user is made in an ideal manner, the point representing the acquired velocity of load and the calculated velocity of center of gravity.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 9, wherein

an inclination of the straight line is approximately 2.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 10, wherein

an intercept of the straight line is approximately 0.07.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 9, wherein

an inclination of the straight line is from approximately 1.7 to 2.3.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 12, wherein

an intercept of the straight line is from approximately 0.058 to 0.083.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 13, wherein

the intercept of the straight line decreases when the inclination of the straight line increases.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

acquiring, as the load information, a time when the load applied to the first input device satisfies a first condition and a velocity of load, the velocity of load representing an amount of change in the load applied to the first input device in a predetermined time period;

making a first evaluation based on the time when the load applied to the first input device satisfies the first condition and the time when the velocity of center of gravity satisfies a second condition;

making a second evaluation based on the velocity of center of gravity and the velocity of load; and

determining the given motion of the user based on an evaluation result of the first evaluation unit and an evaluation result of the second evaluation unit.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 15, wherein

the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising making a third evaluation based on a path of the detected position of center of gravity;

and

determining the given motion of the user based also on an evaluation result of the third evaluation unit.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 15, wherein

the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising making a third evaluation based on an area surrounded by at least a part of a path of the detected position of center of gravity and a line connecting two of the detected positions of center of gravity;

and

determining the given motion of the user based also on an evaluation result.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 15, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

calculating a first evaluation value based on the time when the load applied to the first input device satisfies the first condition and the time when the velocity of center of gravity satisfies the second condition;

calculating a second evaluation value based on the velocity of center of gravity and the velocity of load; and

changing the second evaluation value in accordance with a value of the first evaluation value, and determining the given motion of the user based on the first evaluation value and the changed second evaluation value.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 18, wherein

the second evaluation value is changed such that the greater the value of the first evaluation value, the smaller the value of the second evaluation value.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

whether or not a time of the given motion of the user is lagging behind a predetermined time is determined.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing apparatus further processes a signal from a second input device that is different from the first input device;

the information processing apparatus further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising setting, as a reference time, a time when an input from the second input device to the information processing apparatus satisfies a predetermined condition; and

determining the given motion of the user based on a relationship between the acquired load information in a time period determined in accordance with the reference time and the velocity-of-center-of-gravity information.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 21, wherein the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising:

determining, based on a relationship between the load information acquired in the time period determined in accordance with the reference time and the velocity-of-center-of-gravity information acquired in the determined time period, the given motion of the user at a plurality of times in the time period.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 21, wherein

the second input device includes an acceleration sensor;

and

based on the signal from the second input device, the reference time setting unit sets, as the reference time, a time when a magnitude of an acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor has exceeded a predetermined threshold.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the information processing program according to claim 1, wherein

the information processing program further causes the computer to perform functionality comprising displaying, based on a determination of the given motion of the user based on the relationship between the load information and the velocity-of-center-of-gravity information about the velocity of center of gravity, a state where a predetermined object provided in a virtual space moves in the virtual space.

25. An information processing apparatus for processing a signal from a first input device including a load sensor to which load is applied by a user, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a load information acquisition unit for, based on the signal from the first input device, acquiring load information about a change over time in the load applied to the first input device;

a position-of-center-of-gravity detection unit for detecting a position of center of gravity of the user based on the signal from the first input device;

a velocity-of-center-of-gravity calculation unit for calculating a velocity of center of gravity, the velocity of center of gravity representing a velocity of movement of the position of center of gravity; and

a motion determination unit for determining a given motion of the user based on a relationship between the load information and velocity-of-center-of-gravity information about the velocity of center of gravity.

26. An information processing system for processing a signal from a first input device including a load sensor to which load is applied by a user, the information processing system comprising:

a memory; and

one or more processors operatively associated with the memory and configured to perform functionality comprising;

a load information acquisition unit for, based on the signal from the first input device, acquiring load information about a change over time in the load applied to the first input device,

a position-of-center-of-gravity detection unit for detecting a position of center of gravity of the user based on the signal from the first input device,

a velocity-of-center-of-gravity calculation unit for calculating a velocity of center of gravity, the velocity of center of gravity representing a velocity of movement of the position of center of gravity, and

a motion determination unit for determining a given motion of the user based on a relationship between the load information and velocity-of-center-of-gravity information about the velocity of center of gravity.

27. A method implemented using an information processing apparatus having one or more processors and for processing a signal from a first input device including a load sensor to which load is applied by a user, the method comprising:

acquiring, based on the signal from the first input device, load information about a change over time in the load applied to the first input device;

detecting a position of center of gravity of the user based on the signal from the first input device;

calculating a velocity of center of gravity, the velocity of center of gravity representing a velocity of movement of the position of center of gravity; and

determining a given motion of the user based on a relationship between the load information and velocity-of-center-of-gravity information about the velocity of center of gravity.