Storage medium having stored thereon information processing program, information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522323-B2
Application number	US-201213362289-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2012
Priority date	Mar 8, 2011
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

On the basis of data output from a portable display apparatus, it is determined whether or not a direction of a predetermined axis set in the portable display apparatus is included in a predetermined range. When it has been determined that the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range, an action of an object placed in a virtual world is controlled in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis. Further, when the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range or present outside the predetermined range, an action of a first virtual camera for generating an image of the virtual world is controlled in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis. Then, a first image representing the virtual world viewed from the first virtual camera is displayed on the portable display apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an information processing program to be executed by a computer of an information processing apparatus configured to display an image on a portable display apparatus that outputs at least data based on an attitude and/or a motion of the portable display apparatus body, the information processing program causing the computer to perform functionality comprising:
determining, on the basis of the attitude and/or motion data output from the portable display apparatus, whether or not a direction of a predetermined axis set in the portable display apparatus is included in a predetermined range;
controlling, when the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range, an action of an object placed in a virtual world in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis;
controlling, when the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range or present outside the predetermined range, an action of a first virtual camera, for generating an image of the virtual world, in accordance with the direction of the predetermined axis; and
displaying on the portable display apparatus a first image representing the virtual world viewed from the first virtual camera,
wherein a direction of the object corresponds to the attitude and/or motion of the portable display device until the predetermined axis is outside the predetermined range, where a direction of the virtual camera continues to correspond to the attitude and/or motion of the portable display device even when the predetermined axis is outside the predetermined range.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein
the determination of whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range includes
determining, on the basis of the data output from the portable display apparatus, whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis in a left-right direction in real space is included in a first range set in the left-right direction, and
when it has been determined that the direction of the predetermined axis in the left-right direction in real space is included in the first range, the action of the object is controlled such that on the basis of the direction of the predetermined axis in the left-right direction in real space, the object rotates and/or moves in a left-right direction in the virtual world.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 2 , wherein
the determination of whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range includes
determining, on the basis of the data output from the portable display apparatus, whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis in an up-down direction in real space is included in a second range set in the up-down direction, and
when it has been determined that the direction of the predetermined axis in the up-down direction in real space is included in the second range, the action of the object is controlled such that on the basis of the direction of the predetermined axis in the up-down direction in real space, the object rotates and/or moves in an up-down direction in the virtual world.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 3 , wherein
the first range has an angular range of a predetermined size, and
the second range has an angular range of a size different from the size of the angular range of the first range.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 3 , wherein
the first range is a range having the same angular ranges in a left-right direction about a reference direction in real space, and
the second range is a range having angular ranges different from each other in an up-down direction with respect to a horizontal direction in real space.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein
when it has been determined that the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range, an attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled such that a direction of a line of sight of the first virtual camera is the same as a direction of the object in the virtual world.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein
the action of the object is controlled on the basis of a change in the direction of the predetermined axis, and
the action of the first virtual camera is controlled on the basis of the change in the direction of the predetermined axis.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 7 , wherein
the action of the object is controlled such that the greater the change in the direction of the predetermined axis, the greater the object moves, and
the action of the first virtual camera is controlled such that the greater the change in the direction of the predetermined axis, the greater the first virtual camera moves.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 1 , wherein
the action of the object is controlled such that the object rotationally moves in accordance with an angle of the predetermined axis, and
the action of the first virtual camera is controlled such that the first virtual camera rotationally moves in accordance with the angle of the predetermined axis.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 1 , the information processing program further causing the computer to perform functionality comprising:
calculating an attitude and/or a motion of the portable display apparatus on the basis of the data output from the portable display apparatus, wherein
on the basis of the attitude and/or the motion of the portable display apparatus, it is determined whether or not the direction of the predetermined axis is included in the predetermined range.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 10 , wherein
the attitude and/or the motion of the portable display apparatus are calculated with respect to a predetermined direction in real space,
on the basis of the attitude and/or the motion of the portable display apparatus with respect to the predetermined direction in real space, the action of the object is controlled with respect to a direction that corresponds to the predetermined direction and is set in the virtual world, and
on the basis of the attitude and/or the motion of the portable display apparatus with respect to the predetermined direction in real space, the action of the first virtual camera is controlled with respect to the direction that corresponds to the predetermined direction and is set in the virtual world.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon the information processing program according to claim 11 , wherein
the attitude and/or the motion of the portable display apparatus are calculated with respect to a direction of gravity in real space, using the direction of gravity

Assignees

• Hayashi Yugo
• Sumaki Kazuya
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hayashi Yugo
• Sumaki Kazuya

Classifications

• A63F2300/301

  using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller · CPC title

• A63F2300/105

  using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes · CPC title

• A63F13/5255

  according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character · CPC title

• G06T3/60

  Rotation of whole images or parts thereof · CPC title

• G06F3/04815

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title