Coordinate calculation apparatus and storage medium having coordinate calculation program stored therein

• US 8,704,759 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US12/713,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20100225583A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1018 Calibration; Key and button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1031 using a wireless connection, e.g. Bluetooth, infrared connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• 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

A coordinate calculation apparatus calculates a coordinate point representing a position on a display screen based on an orientation of an input device. The coordinate calculation apparatus includes direction acquisition means, orientation calculation means, first coordinate calculation means, and correction means. The direction acquisition means acquires information representing a direction of the input device viewed from a predetermined position in a predetermined space. The orientation calculation means calculates the orientation of the input device in the predetermined space. The first coordinate calculation means calculates a first coordinate point for determining the position on the display screen based on the orientation of the input device. The correction means corrects the first coordinate point such that the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in a predetermined direction takes a predetermined reference value.

Claims

1. A coordinate calculation apparatus for calculating a coordinate point representing a position on a display screen based on an orientation of an input device, the apparatus comprising:

a direction acquisition unit configured to acquire information representing a direction of the input device viewed from a predetermined position in a predetermined space;

an orientation calculation unit configured to calculate the orientation of the input device in the predetermined space;

a first coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate a first coordinate point for determining the position on the display screen based on the orientation of the input device;

a correction unit configured to correct the first coordinate point such that the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in a predetermined direction takes a predetermined reference value; and

a position calculation unit configured for calculating a coordinate point representing the position on the display screen based on the first coordinate point corrected by the correction unit, wherein

the first coordinate calculation unit calculates as the first coordinate point a coordinate point representing an intersectional position between a line extending from a predetermined reference point toward a direction of a vector indicating the orientation of the input device and a predetermined plane,

the correction unit corrects the first coordinate point by dislocating a coordinate system for the first coordinate point such that the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in the predetermined direction takes the predetermined reference value.

2. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate a second coordinate point on the display screen based on the direction of the input device, wherein,

the correction unit corrects the first coordinate point such that the position on the display screen determined by the corrected first coordinate point matches a position represented by the second coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in the predetermined direction.

3. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

a correction amount determination unit configured to determine a correction amount in accordance with a difference between a position determined by the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in the predetermined direction and a position represented by the second coordinate point calculated at the same time, wherein,

the correction unit corrects the first coordinate point in accordance with the correction amount.

4. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a process execution unit configured to perform predetermined information processing in which the position on the display screen is used as an input, wherein,

the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount prior to the predetermined information processing in response to the input device being directed in the predetermined direction,

the first coordinate calculation unit calculates the first coordinate point while the predetermined information processing is being repeatedly performed, and

the correction unit corrects the first coordinate point in accordance with the correction amount each time the first coordinate calculation unit calculates the first coordinate point.

5. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a instruction image display unit configured to display a predetermined instruction image in a position represented by the second coordinate point on the display screen, wherein,

when the instruction image is placed within a predetermined range on the screen, the correction amount determination unit determines the correction amount based on the first coordinate point calculated at the time of placement of the instruction image within the predetermined range and the second coordinate point corresponding to a predetermined position within the predetermined range.

6. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a button image display unit configured to display a button image within the predetermined range allowing the user to give a predetermined instruction, wherein,

the correction amount determination unit performs a process for determining the correction amount only when the button image is displayed.

7. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first coordinate calculation unit calculates as the first coordinate point a coordinate value in accordance with the direction and the amount of change from a predetermined orientation to the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation unit.

8. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit performs correction by dislocating the coordinate system for the first coordinate point in the predetermined plane.

9. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit performs correction by rotating the coordinate system for the first coordinate point about the predetermined reference point.

10. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the first coordinate calculation unit calculates a two-dimensional coordinate point as the first coordinate point, and

the correction unit corrects the first coordinate point only for one component.

11. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the input device includes image pickup unit,

the information representing the direction of the input device acquired by the direction acquisition unit is information representing a position of a predetermined imaging target within an image taken by the image pickup unit.

12. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the input device includes an acceleration sensor and/or an angular rate sensor, and

the orientation calculation unit calculates the orientation of the input device based on a detection result or results by the acceleration sensor and/or the angular rate sensor.

13. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the orientation calculation unit calculates the orientation of the input device based on an angular rate detected by the angular rate sensor, and corrects the orientation based on an acceleration rate detected by the acceleration sensor.

14. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 12,

the input device includes an image pickup unit, and

the orientation calculation unit calculates the orientation of the input device based on an angular rate detected by the angular rate sensor, and corrects the orientation at least for a rotation about a gravitational direction based on a position of a predetermined imaging target within an image taken by the image pickup unit.

15. A coordinate calculation apparatus for calculating a coordinate point representing a position on a display screen based on an orientation of an input device, the apparatus comprising:

a direction acquisition unit configured to acquire a direction of the input device viewed from a predetermined position in a predetermined space;

an orientation calculation unit configured to calculate the orientation of the input device in the predetermined space;

a reference determination unit configured to determine as a reference orientation the orientation of the input device when the input device is directed in a predetermined direction;

a first coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate a first coordinate point for determining the position on the display screen such that a predetermined reference value is taken when the input device takes the reference orientation, the first coordinate point being calculated in accordance with the direction and the amount of change from the reference orientation to the orientation calculated by the orientation calculation unit; and

a position calculation unit configured to calculate the position on the display screen based on the calculation first coordinate point, wherein

the first coordinate point is a coordinate point representing an intersectional position between a line extending from a predetermined reference point toward a direction of a vector indicating the orientation of the input device and as predetermined plane,

the reference determination unit sets a coordinate system within the predetermined plane such that the first coordinate point takes the reference value in the case of the reference orientation, and

the first coordinate calculation unit calculates a first coordinate point represented by the coordinate system set by the reference determination unit.

16. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 15, further comprising a second coordinate calculation unit configured to calculate a second coordinate point on the display screen based on the direction of the input device, wherein,

the reference determination unit calculates the reference orientation such that a position on the display screen that corresponds to the reference value matches a position represented by the second coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in the predetermined direction.

17. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the reference determination unit sets the predetermined plane within a plane set to be fixed with respect to the reference point.

18. The coordinate calculation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the reference determination unit sets the predetermined plane to be maintained at a constant distance from the reference point.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a coordinate calculation program to be executed by a computer in a coordinate calculation apparatus for calculating a coordinate point representing a position on a display screen based on an orientation of an input device, the program causing the computer to at least:

acquire information representing a direction of the input device viewed from a predetermined position in a predetermined space;

calculate the orientation of the input device in the predetermined space;

calculate a first coordinate point for determining the position on the display screen based on the orientation of the input device;

correct the first coordinate point such that the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in a predetermined direction takes a predetermined reference value; and

, wherein,

a first coordinate calculation unit;

calculates as the first coordinate point a coordinate point representing an intersectional position between a line extending from a predetermined reference point toward a direction of a vector indicating the orientation of the input device and a predetermined plane,

a correction unit corrects the first coordinate point by dislocating a coordinate system for the first coordinate point such that the first coordinate point calculated when the input device is directed in the predetermined direction takes the predetermined reference value, and

the apparatus further comprises a position calculation unit for calculating a coordinate point representing the position on the display screen based on the first coordinate point corrected by the correction means.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a coordinate calculation program to be executed by a computer in a coordinate calculation apparatus for calculating a coordinate point representing a position on a display screen based on an orientation of an input device, the program causing the computer to at least:

acquire a direction of the input device viewed from a predetermined position in a predetermined space;

calculate the orientation of the input device in the predetermined space;

determine as a reference orientation the orientation of the input device when the input device is directed in a predetermined direction;

calculate a first coordinate point for determining the position on the display screen such that a predetermined reference value is taken when the input device takes the reference orientation, the first coordinate point being calculated in accordance with the direction and the amount of change from the reference orientation to the calculated orientation;

wherein,

the first coordinate point is a coordinate point representing an intersectional position between a line extending from a predetermined reference point toward a direction of a vector indicating the orientation of the input device and a predetermined plane,

the reference orientation uses a coordinate system within the predetermined plane such that the first coordinate point takes the reference value in the case of the reference orientation,

the first coordinate point is calculated with reference to the coordinate system, and further including calculating the position on the display screen based on the first coordinate point calculated.