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

• US 9,700,795 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2016
• Issued: 07/11/2017
• 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): RENWICK, REGINALD A
• Application Number:
  US15/178,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20160279520A1
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• 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 system for detecting aspects of motion related to moving a hand-held device, the system comprising:

a processing system having at least one processor, the processing system configured to;

determine a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement resulting from moving the hand-held device in free space;

determine a second output for a second axis of the accelerometer arrangement, at least the first and/or second output reporting data indicative of at least a centripetal force resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space along a curved path; and

provide responsive output related to the aspects of motion, resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space, based on, at least, the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement and the second output for the second axis of the accelerometer arrangement.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second output corresponds to a magnitude related to movement of the hand-held device in free space along the curved path.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the responsive output related to the aspects of motion is associated with simulated boxing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first output corresponds to a moment of impact of a punching motion.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second output corresponds to a strength of a punching motion.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing system determines a moment of impact when the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the output is responsive to the determined moment of impact and a determined magnitude corresponding to the centripetal force resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space along the curved path.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the responsive output includes a tactile sensation resulting from a vibration circuit of the hand-held device.

9. A method for simulated striking of a virtual object based on a motion of a hand-held device, the method comprising:

determining a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement resulting from moving the hand-held device in free space;

determining a second output for a second axis of the accelerometer arrangement, at least the first and/or second output reporting data indicative of at least a centripetal force resulting from moving the handheld device in free space; and

providing responsive output indicative of the simulated striking of the virtual object, resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space, based on, at least, the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement and the second output for the second axis of the accelerometer arrangement.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the responsive output is associated with simulated boxing.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first output corresponds to a moment of impact of a punching motion.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second output corresponds to a strength of a punching motion.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining a moment of impact when the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the output is responsive to the determined moment of impact and a determined magnitude corresponding to the centripetal force resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space along a curved path.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the responsive output includes a tactile sensation resulting from a vibration circuit of the hand-held device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer program code embodied thereon which, when executed by an information processing device having a processor, causes the processor to:

determine a first output for a first axis of an accelerometer arrangement resulting from moving the hand-held device in free space;

determining a second output for a second axis of the accelerometer arrangement, at least the first and/or second output reporting data indicative of at least a centripetal force resulting from moving the handheld device in free space; and

providing responsive output indicative of a simulated punching motion, resulting from moving of the hand-held device in free space, based on, at least, the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement and the second output for the second axis of the accelerometer arrangement, the responsive output including, at least, tactile feedback.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein when the simulated punching occurs is determined when the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein an action associated with the simulated punching motion is determined when the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein a moment of impact is determined when the first output for the first axis of the accelerometer arrangement exceeds a specified value.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the moment of impact is determined to be when the first output of the accelerometer arrangement reaches a maximum value that exceeds the specified value.