Storage medium having stored therein vibration signal generation program, vibration signal generation system, vibration signal generation apparatus, vibration signal generation method, and storage medium having stored therein data output program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11167210-B2
Application number	US-201615084747-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2016
Priority date	Apr 21, 2015
Publication date	Nov 9, 2021
Grant date	Nov 9, 2021

Abstract

A vibration signal for vibrating a vibration apparatus is generated, and data obtained by encoding amplitude modulation information indicating a change in an amplitude and/or frequency modulation information indicating a change in a frequency are acquired. Then, the acquired data is decoded, and the vibration signal is generated using the decoded amplitude modulation information and/or frequency modulation information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a vibration signal generation program to be executed by a computer included in an apparatus structured to generate a vibration signal for vibrating a vibration apparatus, the vibration signal generation program comprising instructions causing the computer to execute operations comprising:
acquiring first data obtained by encoding amplitude modulation information indicating a changing amplitude;
decoding the acquired first data to provide decoded amplitude modulation information; and
generating a current vibration signal for vibrating the vibration apparatus using the decoded amplitude modulation information and an amplitude of a previously generated vibration signal, the decoded amplitude modulation information indicating a change from the amplitude of the previously generated vibration signal.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 1 , wherein
the vibration signal is generated using waveform data indicating a predetermined waveform in which a value greater than a reference value and a value smaller than the reference value are repeated, and the decoded amplitude modulation information.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 2 , wherein
in the predetermined waveform, positive and negative values are repeated.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 3 , wherein
in the predetermined waveform, an amplitude is constant.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined waveform is a sine wave in which an amplitude is constant.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined waveform is a rectangular wave in which an amplitude is constant.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 2 , wherein the predetermined waveform is a waveform having a frequency at or near a resonance frequency of the vibration apparatus.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 1 , wherein
data obtained by encoding amplitude modulation information with respect to each of different frequency ranges is acquired as the first data,
the first data acquired with respect to each frequency range is decoded, and
the vibration signal is generated using the amplitude modulation information decoded with respect to each frequency range.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 8 , wherein
a first vibration waveform is generated using waveform data indicating a waveform of a first frequency and amplitude modulation information decoded for a first frequency range, a second vibration waveform is generated using waveform data indicating a waveform of a second frequency and amplitude modulation information decoded for a second frequency range, and the first vibration waveform and the second vibration waveform are combined together, thereby generating the vibration signal.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 8 , wherein
data obtained by encoding amplitude modulation information with respect to each frequency range including at least one of frequencies to which a plurality of different human sensory receptors for receiving cutaneous sensation respond is acquired as the first data.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 1 , wherein
second data obtained by encoding frequency modulation information indicating a change in a frequency is further acquired,
the acquired second data is further decoded, and
the vibration signal is generated using the decoded amplitude modulation information and frequency modulation information.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 11 , wherein
a frequency of waveform data indicating a predetermined waveform in which a value greater than a reference value and a value smaller than the reference value are repeated is changed using the frequency modulation information, and an amplitude of the predetermined waveform is changed using the amplitude modulation information, thereby generating the vibration signal.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 12 , wherein the predetermined waveform is a waveform having a frequency at or near a resonance frequency of the vibration apparatus.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 1 , the vibration signal generation program further causing the computer to execute
vibrating the vibration apparatus by applying to the vibration apparatus the vibration signal generated in the generation of the vibration signal.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the vibration signal generation program according to claim 1 , wherein
data obtained by encoding the amplitude modulation information is acquired from another apparatus through wireless communication.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the current vibration signal using the decoded amplitude modulation information and the amplitude of a previously generated vibration signal comprises changing an amplitude level of the previously generated vibration signal by an amount of the change the decoded amplitude modulation information indicates and using the changed amplitude level to control the amplitude of the current vibration signal.

17. A vibration signal generation system, including at least a first apparatus and a second apparatus, for generating a vibration signal for vibrating a vibration apparatus,
the first apparatus comprising:
a storage device configured to store first data obtained by encoding amplitude modulation information indicating a changing amplitude in a vibration waveform for vibrating the vibration apparatus; and
a computer processor configured to transmit the first data to the second apparatus,
the second apparatus comprising a computer processor configured to:
receive the first data transmitted from the first apparatus;
decode the received first data to provide decoded amplitude modulation information; and
generate a current vibration signal for vibrating the vibration apparatus using the decoded amplitude modulation information and an amplitude of a previously generated vibration signal, the decoded amplitude modulation information indicating a change from the amplitude of the previously generated vibration signal.

18. A vibration signal generation apparatus for generating a vibration signal for vibrating a vibration apparatus, the vibration signal generation apparatus comprising a computer processor configured to perform operations co

Assignees

• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamashita Kei
• Masubuchi Shoji

Classifications

• A63F13/28 Primary

  responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light · CPC title

• A63F13/285 Primary

  Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback · CPC title

• H04L27/02

  Amplitude-modulated carrier systems, e.g. using on-off keying; Single sideband or vestigial sideband modulation (H04L27/32 takes precedence) · CPC title