Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and input apparatus

An information processing apparatus for processing information obtained from an operation device having a motion sensor capable of detecting translating and rotating motion of the operation device, the apparatus comprising:

• a calculation unit having
• a two-dimensional calculation mode configured to perform, when the operation device is placed on an operation surface and a user operates the operation device, calculation based on a detection value of the motion sensor corresponding to two-dimensional motion of the operation device, and
• a three-dimensional calculation mode configured to perform, when the user operates the operation device in a three-dimensional space, calculation based on a detection value of the motion sensor corresponding to three-dimensional motion of the operation device;
• and
• a determination unit configured to determine which of the two-dimensional calculation mode and the three-dimensional calculation mode is used to perform the calculation with the calculation unit, based on the detection value of the motion sensor and at least one of information other than the detection value of the motion sensor;
• wherein
• the operation device is an operation device
• including an acceleration sensor, an angular speed sensor, and a magnetic sensor each having three orthogonal detection axes in a local coordinate system and
• capable of being operated by the user in any position in the three-dimensional space, and
• the calculation unit is configured to implement the two-dimensional calculation mode with
• an acquisition unit configured to acquire information on acceleration, angular speeds, and magnetic intensity detected by the acceleration sensor, the angular speed sensor, and the magnetic sensor, respectively,
• a coordinate conversion unit configured to convert, using information on posture angles of the operation device in a global coordinate system representing the three-dimensional space, the angular speeds acquired by the acquisition unit into global angular speeds in the global coordinate system,
• an initial posture angle calculation unit configured to calculate initial posture angles of the operation device in the global coordinate system as the posture angles based on the information on the acceleration and the magnetic intensity acquired by the acquisition unit when the user starts operating the operation device,
• an update unit configured to update the posture angles of the operation device in the global coordinate system based on information on the global angular speeds converted by the coordinate conversion unit, and
• a control unit configured
• to cause the coordinate conversion unit to convert, using information on the initial posture angles calculated by the initial posture angle calculation unit, first angular speeds as the angular speeds acquired by the acquisition unit when the user starts operating the operation device into the global angular speeds, and
• to cause the coordinate conversion unit to convert, using information on the updated posture angles, second angular speeds acquired after the first angular speeds into the global angular speeds.