System and method for detecting moment of impact and/or strength of a swing based on accelerometer data

• US 8,814,641 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Rabin, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Deodhar, Omkar
• Assistant Examiner(s): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US11/504,110
• Publication Number:
  US 20070270217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,933 Days
• Field of Search: 463/2, 463/3, 463/36, 463/37, 463/47, 463/47.2
• US Class Current: 463/2
• 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 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• 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 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• 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 2300/638 according to the timing of operation or a time limit
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8047 Music games
• CPC Class Codes: F41A 33/00 Adaptations for training adaptations of barrels for recoil reinforcement F41A21/26; Gun simulators teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26 ; shooting games A63F9/02; military simulation G09B9/003
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0008 Associated control or indicating means
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/311 with controlled tactile or haptic feedback effect; output interfaces therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/395 Acceleration sensing or accelerometer use, e.g. 3D movement computation by integration of accelerometer data, angle sensing with respect to the vertical, i.e. gravity sensing. conductor baton movement sensing G10H2220/206, angle sensing without reference to gravity G10H2220/391; player body joint angle sensing G10H2220/321
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/275 Spint drum

Abstract

An example system and method is provided for detecting a moment of impact and/or strength of a swing based on moving a hand-held device including an accelerometer arrangement. A moment and a magnitude of simulated striking of the object are determined based on one or more accelerometer arrangement outputs resulting from the moving of the hand-held device. Using one or more of aural, visual and tactile outputs, the striking of the object is simulated in accordance with the determined moment of simulated striking and the determined magnitude of the simulated striking.

Claims

1. A method of simulating the striking of an object based at least in part on moving a hand-held device comprising an accelerometer arrangement, the method comprising:

determining a moment of simulated striking of the object when a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement resulting from the moving of the hand-held device exceeds a specified value;

determining a magnitude of the simulated striking of the object based at least in part on a second output for a second axis of an accelerometer arrangement corresponding to a centripetal force resulting from the moving of the hand-held device to simulate striking of the object; and

using one or more of aural, visual and tactile outputs, simulating the striking of the object in accordance with the determined moment of simulated striking and the determined magnitude of the simulated striking, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises a multi-axis accelerometer and the first and second accelerometer outputs correspond to different axes of the multi-axis accelerometer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises first and second different accelerometers and the first and second accelerometer outputs are from the first and second accelerometers, respectively.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a downward acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device and the second output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a centripetal acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moment of simulated striking is determined to be when the first output of the accelerometer arrangement reaches a maximum value that exceeds a specified value.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the specified value is about 1.6G.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the magnitude of the simulated striking is determined based at least in part on an integration operation involving the second output of the accelerometer arrangement.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed, causes a processor to perform a method of simulating the striking of an object based at least in part on moving of a hand-held device comprising an accelerometer arrangement, the method comprising:

determining a moment of simulated striking of the object when a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value;

determining a magnitude of the simulated striking of the object based at least in part on a second output for a second axis of an accelerometer arrangement corresponding to a centripetal force resulting from the moving of the hand-held device to simulate striking of the object; and

using one or more of using one or more of aural, visual and tactile outputs, simulating the striking of the object in accordance with the determined moment of simulated striking and the determined magnitude of the simulated striking, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises a multi-axis accelerometer and the first and second accelerometer outputs correspond to different axes of the multi-axis accelerometer.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises first and second different accelerometers and the first and second accelerometer outputs are from the first and second accelerometers, respectively.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the first output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a downward acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device and the second output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a centripetal acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the moment of simulated striking is determined to be when the first output of the accelerometer arrangement reaches a maximum value that exceeds a specified value.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 10, wherein the specified value is about 1.6G.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the magnitude of the simulated striking is determined based at least in part on an integration operation involving the second output of the accelerometer arrangement.

13. A method of simulating the striking of drums based at least in part on moving first and second hand-held devices comprising respective first and second accelerometer arrangements, the method comprising:

determining a moment of simulated striking of a first drum when a first output for a first axis of the first accelerometer arrangement resulting from the moving of the first hand-held device exceeds a first specified value;

determining a magnitude of the simulated striking of the first drum based at least in part on a second output for a second axis of the first accelerometer arrangement corresponding to a first centripetal force resulting from the moving of the first hand-held device to simulate striking of the first drum;

determining a moment of simulated striking of a second drum when a first output for a first axis of the second accelerometer arrangement resulting from the moving of the second hand-held device exceeds a second specified value;

determining a magnitude of the simulated striking of the second drum based at least in part on a second output for a second axis of the second accelerometer arrangement corresponding to a second centripetal force resulting from the moving of the second hand-held device to simulate striking of the second drum;

aurally simulating the striking of the drums in accordance with the determined moments of simulated striking and the determined magnitudes of the simulated striking wherein the first accelerometer arrangement comprises a multi-axis accelerometer and the first and second accelerometer outputs of the first accelerometer arrangement correspond to different axes of the multi-axis accelerometer and the second accelerometer arrangement comprises a multi-axis accelerometer and the first and second accelerometer outputs of the second accelerometer arrangement correspond to different axes of the multi-axis accelerometer.

14. An information processing system having at least one processor and capable of simulating the striking of an object based at least in part on moving a hand-held device comprising an accelerometer arrangement, the information processing apparatus configured to perform functionality comprising:

determining a moment of simulated striking of the object when a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement resulting from the moving of the hand-held device exceeds a specified value;

determining a magnitude of the simulated striking of the object based at least in part on a second output for a second axis of an accelerometer arrangement corresponding to a centripetal force resulting from the moving of the hand-held device to simulate striking of the object; and

using one or more of aural, visual and tactile outputs, simulating the striking of the object in accordance with the determined moment of simulated striking and the determined magnitude of the simulated striking, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises a multi-axis accelerometer and the first and second accelerometer outputs correspond to different axes of the multi-axis accelerometer.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the accelerometer arrangement comprises first and second different accelerometers and the first and second accelerometer outputs are from the first and second accelerometers, respectively.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a downward acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device and the second output of the accelerometer arrangement is indicative of a centripetal acceleration resulting from the moving of the hand-held device.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the moment of simulated striking is determined to be when the first output of the accelerometer arrangement reaches a maximum value that exceeds a specified value.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the specified value is about 1.6G.

19. The system according to claim 14, wherein the magnitude of the simulated striking is determined based at least in part on an integration operation involving the second output of the accelerometer arrangement.