Computer-readable storage medium, information processing system, and information processing method for controlling a virtual object using attitude data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9643085-B2
Application number	US-201113277561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2011
Priority date	Mar 8, 2011
Publication date	May 9, 2017
Grant date	May 9, 2017

Abstract

An object arranged in a virtual world is caused to move in accordance with data based on a load applied to a load detection device. Then, based on attitude data outputted from a portable display device and a position of the object in the virtual world, a first virtual camera for generating an image of the virtual world is controlled, and a first image representing the virtual world viewed from the first virtual camera is displayed on the portable display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising an information processing program executed on a computer of an information processing apparatus which is capable of displaying an image on a separately housed portable display device which outputs at least attitude data based on an attitude of a body of the portable display device, wherein the information processing program, when executed, causes the computer to:
obtain data based on a load applied to a load detection device;
cause an object arranged in a virtual world to move based on the obtained data;
render, using processing circuitry of the information processing apparatus, a first image from a first virtual camera;
control the first virtual camera, which generates the first image of the virtual world, based on the attitude data, corresponding to the attitude of the body of the portable display device, and a position of the object in the virtual world;
render, using the processing circuitry of the information processing apparatus, a second image from a second virtual camera having a different viewpoint than the first virtual camera;
transmit, from the information processing apparatus to the separately housed portable display device, an encoded signal including the first image representing the virtual world viewed from the first virtual camera and rendered using the processing circuitry of the information processing apparatus; and
output, from the information processing apparatus to a separately housed stationary display device operatively coupled to the information processing apparatus, the second image representing the virtual world viewed from the second virtual camera and rendered using the processing circuitry of the information processing apparatus.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the information processing program further causes the computer to calculate an attitude of the portable display device, based on the attitude data, and
control the first virtual camera based on the calculated attitude of the portable display device and the position of the object.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
at least one of a position and an attitude of the first virtual camera in the virtual world is controlled based on the attitude of the portable display device.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 3 , wherein
an attitude of the portable display device is calculated with respect to a predetermined direction in a real space, and
at least one of the position and the attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled, with reference to a direction which corresponds to the predetermined direction and is set in the virtual world, based on the attitude of the portable display device with respect to the predetermined direction in the real space.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 4 , wherein
the predetermined direction is a direction of gravity in the real space, and an attitude of the portable display device is calculated with respect to the direction of gravity, and
at least one of the position and the attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled, with reference to a direction of gravity set in the virtual world, based on the attitude of the portable display device with respect to the direction of gravity in the real space.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 5 , wherein
at least an attitude in which the portable display device rotates around the direction of gravity in the real space is calculated, and
the attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled by rotating the first virtual camera around the direction of gravity set in the virtual world, based on the attitude in which the portable display device rotates around the direction of gravity in the real space.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
at least one of a position and an attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled by controlling a line-of-sight direction of the first virtual camera in the virtual world, the line-of-sight direction being based on the attitude of the portable display device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
an attitude of the first virtual camera is controlled so as to be the same as the attitude of the portable display device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
the first virtual camera is controlled such that the object is included in the first image.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
the object is caused to move in a direction based on a line-of-sight direction of the first virtual camera.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
the portable display device includes at least one of a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, and
an attitude of the portable display device is calculated based on data outputted from at least one of the gyro sensor and the acceleration sensor.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 2 , wherein
image data representing the first image is transmitted to the portable display device, and
the portable display device is configured to:
obtain image data outputted from the information processing apparatus; and
display the first image represented by the obtained image data.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 12 , wherein
the information processing program further causes the computer to generate compressed image data by compressing the image data representing the first image,
output the generated compressed image data to the portable display device, and
obtain the compressed image data outputted from the information processing apparatus, wherein
the portable display device is further configured to decompress the compressed image data to obtain image data representing the first display image, and
display the first image represented by the obtained and decompressed image data.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
the information processing program further causes the computer to set, based on the position of the object in the virtual world, the second virtual camera for generating an image of the virtual world, in a position different from the position of the first virtual camera such that the object is included in the second image.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein
the second virtual camera is set in a position apart from the object by a distance longer than the distance between the object and the first virtual camera, and
a range of the virtual world, which range is broader than the range of the virtual world as the first image, is displayed on the stationary display device as the second image.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 14 , wherein
the second virtual camera is set in a position in the virtual world from which the second virtual camera views the object in a manner of bird's eye viewing, and
an image in which the object arranged in the virtual world is viewed in a manner of bird's eye viewing is displayed on the stationary display device as the second image.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein
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Assignees

• Matsunaga Hiroshi
• Hayashi Yugo
• Sumaki Kazuya
• Minato Keiichi
• Nintendo Co Ltd

Inventors

• Matsunaga Hiroshi
• Hayashi Yugo
• Sumaki Kazuya
• Minato Keiichi

Classifications

• A63F2300/403

  Connection between platform and handheld device · CPC title

• A63F13/26

  having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth · CPC title

• A63F2300/6676

  by dedicated player input · 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

• A63F2300/301

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