Game system that projects game image and created image onto projection target object

• US 10,080,960 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2015
• Issued: 09/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Takemoto, Junichi, Sakakibara, Tadashi, Kanakubo, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Rowland, Steve
• Application Number:
  US14/666,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20150375105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,281 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/355 Performing operations on behalf of clients with restricted processing capabilities, e.g. servers transform changing game scene into an encoded video stream for transmitting to a mobile phone or a thin client

Abstract

A game system includes at least one game device, a control section that is communicably connected to the game device, and a projection section that includes at least one projection device that projects a projection image onto a projection target object. The control section performs a control process that controls the game device and a projection control process that controls projection of the projection image. The projection section projects a game image generated by the game device and a created image created by the control section onto the projection target object as the projection image.

Claims

1. A game system comprising:

a plurality of game machines that generate a game image;

a control machine that is communicably connected to the plurality of game machines and generates a created image independently from the plurality of game machines; and

a projector that includes at least one projection device that projects a projection image onto a projection target object,

the plurality of game machines generate the game image of a game based on a game program and game operation information input by a respective plurality of players, the plurality of game machines operate the game independent of the control machine, the game includes cooperative play or battle play,

the control machine includes a processor, the processor is configured to;

create the created image which is independent of the game image generated by each of the plurality of game machines, wherein the created image is based on game results or a game process of the game program executed on the game machines,

perform a control process that controls the game machines and a projection control process that controls projection of the projection image, and

control the projector to project the game image as generated by the game machines and the created image created by the control machine onto the projection target object as the projection image,

wherein the game image and the created image in the projection image are different from each other and the created image includes a game effect image synchronized to the game results.

2. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to create the created image based on information received from the game machine.

3. The game system as defined in claim 2,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to create the created image based on a plurality of pieces of game result information respectively received from the plurality of game machines, and

the projector projecting the created image based on the plurality of pieces of game result information onto the projection target object.

4. The game system as defined in claim 2,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to create the game effect image as the created image based on the information received from the game machines, and

the projector projecting the game effect image onto the projection target object.

5. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform the projection control process that controls projection of the game image and the created image.

6. The game system as defined in claim 5,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform the projection control process that switches between projection of the game image onto a projection region of the projection target object and projection of the created image onto the projection region.

7. The game system as defined in claim 5,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform the projection control process that stops projecting the game image, or switches from the game image to the created image, responsive to the game machine being in a predetermined state.

8. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform the projection control process that controls projection of the projection image based on information received from the game machines.

9. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform a sound output control process based on at least one of information received from the game machines and a projection state of the projection image.

10. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to perform a projection mapping process based on shape information about the projection target object to create the created image.

11. The game system as defined in claim 10,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to create the created image that reflects a shape of the projection target object that is represented by the shape information.

12. The game system as defined in claim 11,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to change contents of the created image according to a projection state of the projection image.

13. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the control machine including a control processing device and a projection processing device,

the game machines and the control processing device being communicably connected through a network, and

the projection processing device receiving the game image from the game machines through a video signal line, and causing the projector to project the received game image onto the projection target object.

14. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to receive operation information from an operation section that is operated by an operator, and perform at least one of the control process that controls the game machines and a control process that controls the projector based on the operation information.

15. The game system as defined in claim 1,

the processor of the control machine is further configured to create the created image based on at least one of information received from a portable communication terminal operated by a user and an image captured by a camera that captures a game play state.

16. The game system as defined in claim 15,

the information received by the control machine from the portable communication terminal including input information input by the user, and

the projector projecting the game image and the created image created based on the input information onto the projection target object.

17. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

create the created image to include the game effect image adapted to a three-dimensional model information shape of the projection target object, the game effect image changes over time based on the game results of the game program executed on the game machines,

control the projector to project onto the projection target object as the projection image;

(i) on a first projection region of the projection target object, the game image generated by the game machines and (ii) on a second projection region of the projection target object, the created image including the game effect image created by the control machine, the second projection region is separate from the first projection region.

18. The game system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further configured to

adapt the created image based on the game results or the game process of the game program executed on the game machines to cause the game effect image to appear at a location in the projection image which corresponds to an actual physical feature of the projection target object, so that the game effect image appears to interact with the actual physical feature of the projection target object.

20. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to

control the projector to project (i) the game image as a whole as generated by the game machines and (ii) the created image which is created by the control machine onto the projection target object as the projection image, wherein the game image and the created image in the projection image are different from each other.

21. The game system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to

control the projector to project the game image and the created image onto respective projection regions set to be at different, non-overlapping, locations of the projection target object.

22. The game system of claim 1, wherein

the game image is changed by control performed by the game machines in accordance with player interaction with the game program at the game machines, wherein the created image is changed by control performed by the control machine independent of the player interaction.

23. The game system of claim 1, wherein the game effect image of the created image is projected as the projection image to correspond to an actual physical feature of the projection target object.

24. The game system of claim 1, wherein the created image includes the game effect image that is controlled to appear from a virtual or actual physical feature of the projection target object, wherein the projection target object is a building and the virtual or actual physical feature is an opening, a window, a door, or a crack of the building.

25. The game system of claim 1,

wherein the game effect image of the created image includes at least one of the following:

a character shape changing, a character size changing, a character moving, a smoke effect, a fire effect, and a waterfall effect synchronized to the game results.

19. A game system comprising:

at least one game device;

a control section that is communicably connected to the game device; and

a projection section that includes at least one projection device that projects a projection image onto a projection target object,

each of the at least one game device generates a game image based on a game program and game operation information input by a player,

the control section includes a processor, the processor is configured to;

create a created image which is independent of the game image generated by each of the at least one game device, wherein the created image is based on game results or a game process of the game program executed on the game device,

perform a control process that controls the game device and a projection control process that controls projection of the projection image,

control the projection section to project the game image generated by the game device and the created image created by the control section onto the projection target object as the projection image, wherein the game image and the created image in the projection image are different from each other; and

adapt the created image based on the game results or the game process of the game program executed on the game device to cause a game effect image to appear at a location in the projection image which corresponds to an actual physical feature of the projection target object, so that the game effect image appears to interact with the actual physical feature of the projection target object,

wherein the game effect image which appears at the location in the projection image which corresponds to the actual physical feature of the projection target object is at least one of the following;

a character flying, a character falling, a character appearing, a smoke effect, a fire effect, a waterfall effect synchronized to the game results.