# US 10,319,199 B2 · Vibration generation system, vibration generation apparatus, storage medium having stored therein vibration signal generation program, and vibration generation method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,319,199 B2 - Document ID: US10319199B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/691,809 - Filed: 2015-04-21 - Published: 2016-01-14 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2014-07-09 - Assignees: Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Nintendo Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Kazutoshi Obana; Kochi Kawai; Junichiro Miyatake; Masahiko Inami; Kouta Minamizawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10319199B2 ## CPC - G08B 6/00: Tactile signalling systems, e.g. tactile personal calling systems - A63F 13/285: Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback - A63F 13/54: involving acoustic signals, e.g. for simulating revolutions per minute [RPM] dependent engine sounds in a driving game or reverberation against a virtual wall - A63F 2300/1037: being specially adapted for converting control signals received from the game device into a haptic signal, e.g. using force feedback - H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response - H04R 2400/03: Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones - H04R 2499/11: Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - A63F: CARD, BOARD, OR ROULETTE GAMES; INDOOR GAMES USING SMALL MOVING PLAYING BODIES; VIDEO GAMES; GAMES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K) ## Abstract Sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit that enables at least a user to perceive a vibration is converted into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit or belonging to a low-frequency range, and a vibration signal is generated using the sound pressure information after the conversion. This makes it possible to generate a vibration signal. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vibration signal generation system for generating a vibration signal from a sound signal, the vibration signal generation system comprising one or more processors configured to: in a frequency shift, convert sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit which enables at least a user to perceive a vibration and at which human cutaneous sensation is received, into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit; and generate a vibration signal using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, wherein in the frequency shift, a moving maximum value in each certain moving section is extracted from waveform data of the sound signal, and using the moving maximum value, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, sound pressure at a time is used and converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, a section maximum value in each certain section is extracted from waveform data of the sound signal, and using the section maximum value, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, a curve passing through a local maximum value of sound pressure in waveform data of the sound signal is used and converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, a time axis of the sound signal is expanded, part of the sound signal after the expansion is cut out, and the cut-out parts are joined together, thereby converting the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, further comprising a low-pass filter configured to, in the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, diminish a component at a frequency higher than a cutoff frequency set to be less than or equal to a frequency corresponding to the upper limit, wherein in the generation of the vibration signal, the vibration signal is generated using the sound pressure information obtained by diminishing the component at the frequency higher than the cutoff frequency. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the generation of the vibration signal, the vibration signal is generated by changing an intensity of a sine wave at a particular frequency, using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, further comprising at least one vibrator, wherein the one or more processors is further configured to, as vibration control, vibrate the vibrator using the vibration signal generated in the generation of the vibration signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 8, further comprising at least one sound output unit, wherein: the one or more processors is further configured to, as sound control, control a sound to be output from the sound output unit, and a vibration to be output from the vibrator is controlled in the vibration control and a sound to be output from the sound output unit is controlled in the sound control, so that the vibration to be output from the vibrator and the sound to be output from the sound output unit are related to each other. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, based on a peak of sound pressure indicated by the sound signal, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vibration signal generation system according to claim 1, wherein in the frequency shift, based on all peaks of sound pressure indicated by the sound signal, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 12 A vibration signal generation system for generating a vibration signal from a sound signal, the vibration signal generation system comprising one or more processors configured to: in a frequency shift, convert sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit that enables at least a user to perceive a vibration, into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit; and generate a vibration signal using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift; wherein in the frequency shift, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range where a sound cannot be listened to by the user, and wherein in the generation of the vibration signal, the sound signal before the conversion in the frequency shift is added to the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, thereby generating the vibration signal. ### Claim 13 A vibration signal generation apparatus for generating a vibration signal from a sound signal, the vibration signal generation apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to: in a frequency shift, convert sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit which enables at least a user to perceive a vibration and at which human cutaneous sensation is received, into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit; and generate a vibration signal using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, wherein in the frequency shift, a moving maximum value in each certain moving section is extracted from waveform data of the sound signal, and using the moving maximum value, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The vibration signal generation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein in the frequency shift, based on a peak of sound pressure indicated by the sound signal, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a vibration signal generation program executed by a computer included in a vibration signal generation apparatus for generating a vibration signal from a sound signal, the vibration signal generation program causing the computer to execute: in a frequency shift, converting sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit which enables at least a user to perceive a vibration and at which human cutaneous sensation is received, into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit; and generating a vibration signal using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, wherein in the frequency shift, a moving maximum value in each certain moving section is extracted from waveform data of the sound signal, and using the moving maximum value, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 15, wherein in the frequency shift, based on a peak of sound pressure indicated by the sound signal, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 17 A vibration signal generation method for generating a vibration signal from a sound signal, the vibration signal generation method comprising: in a frequency shift, converting sound pressure information indicated by a sound signal and belonging to a frequency range above an upper limit which enables at least a user to perceive a vibration and at which human cutaneous sensation is received, into sound pressure information belonging to a frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit; and generating a vibration signal using the sound pressure information after the conversion in the frequency shift, wherein in the frequency shift, a moving maximum value in each certain moving section is extracted from waveform data of the sound signal, and using the moving maximum value, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The vibration signal generation method according to claim 17, wherein in the frequency shift, based on a peak of sound pressure indicated by the sound signal, the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range above the upper limit is converted into the sound pressure information belonging to the frequency range less than or equal to the upper limit.