Image generating apparatus, image generating method, and computer program

• US 20030071807A1
• Filed: 09/25/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Reiji, Adachi, Hajime
• Granted Patent: US 7,221,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/205 for detecting the geographical location of the game platform
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3638 including 3D objects and buildings three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects G06T17/00; geographic models G06T17/05
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

An image generating apparatus (1) is provided with: a drawing application processor (11) for indicating a drawing device (13) to generate a 3D image; and a graphics library (12). The drawing application processor separates information to generate the image into coordinate transformation information and drawing object information and generates both with two independent generating devices respectively, and the graphics library stores and manages these information. The drawing device generates the 3D image on the basis of these stored and managed information and outputs it to a display device. The drawing object information is prepared for a broader area than the area of a field of view corresponding to the 3D image to be displayed this time.

Claims

1. An image generating apparatus for drawing a three-dimensional image comprising:

a drawing object information generating device for generating drawing object information, which is information for drawing objects as the three-dimensional image, in a single coordinate system;

a coordinate transformation information generating device for generating coordinate transformation information, which is information for defining at least one of a view point and a field of view concerning the three-dimensional image;

a drawing object information storing device for storing the drawing object information;

a coordinate transformation information storing device for storing the coordinate transformation information; and

a drawing device for carrying out an image generating process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the stored coordinate transformation information,

wherein the drawing object information generating device generates, in advance, not only the drawing object information corresponding to the objects to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out now but also the drawing object information corresponding to other objects that expected to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out at a different time, the drawing object information storing device stores the generated drawing object information corresponding to the other objects, and the drawing device generates the three-dimensional image corresponding to said other objects by using the drawing object information corresponding to said other objects stored in advance.

2. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said other objects are objects that exist in a peripheral region of a current field of view.

3. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said other objects are objects that exist in a region located ahead of a current field of view located ahead of a view point of a viewer.

4. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing object information generates the drawing object information corresponding to the objects that exist within a region broader than the current field of view.

5. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a changing information supplying device for supplying changing information that indicates a change of at least one of the view point and the field of view, to the coordinate transformation information generating device,

wherein the coordinate transformation information generating device generates the coordinate transformation information on the basis of the supplied changing information.

6. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing device generates the three-dimension image whenever the coordinate transformation information generated by the coordinate transformation information generating device is changed.

7. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing object information generating device includes a list generating device for generating a list of the drawing object information, and

the list generating device generates, in advance, not only the list of the drawing object information corresponding to the objects to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out now but also the list of the drawing object information corresponding to said other objects that expected to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out at the different time.

8. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image generating apparatus includes a drawing application processor and a graphics library,

the graphics library comprises:

the drawing object information storing device;

the coordinate transformation information storing device; and

a controlling device for controlling the drawing device, and

the drawing application processor comprises;

the drawing object information generating device;

the coordinate transformation information generating device; and

an instructing device for instructing the controlling device to execute the generation of the three-dimensional image.

9. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a map information supplying device for supplying map information, which contains a source of the drawing object information, to the drawing object information generating device.

10. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a view point setting device for setting the information for defining the view point on the basis of a current position of a viewer.

11. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing device generates the three-dimensional image with perspective.

12. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate transformation information includes information for defining a light source.

13. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information for defining the view point is set on the basis of a view point of a movable body operator.

14. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the information for defining the field of view is set on the basis of a field of view of a movable body operator.

15. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the view point on the three-dimensional image is set so as to be located at a central portion of a display area of a display device.

16. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing device generates a plurality of partial frame images on the basis of the stored drawing object information, and superimposes the plurality of partial frame images.

17. An image generating apparatus according to claim 16 further comprising a frame buffer for storing the plurality of partial frame images.

18. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate transformation information generating device generates a plurality of units of the coordinate transformation information, in which at least one of the view point and the field of view is different from each other, with respect to one unit of the drawing object information, and the image processing device generates the three-dimensional image which changes with time by applying the plurality of units of the coordinate transformation information to the one unit of the drawing object information.

19. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a process of generating the drawing object information in the drawing object information generating device, a process of generating the coordinate transformation information in the coordinate transformation information generating device, a process of storing the drawing object information in the drawing object information storing device and a process of storing the coordinate transformation information in the coordinate transformation information storing device are carried out with multitasking.

20. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising:

a display device for displaying the images generated by the drawing device.

21. A program storage device readable by a computer for tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform an image generating method of drawing a three-dimensional image, the image generating method comprising:

a drawing object information generating process of generating drawing object information, which is information for drawing objects as the three-dimensional image, in a single coordinate system;

a coordinate transformation information generating process of generating coordinate transformation information, which is information for defining at least one of a view point and a field of view concerning the three-dimensional image;

a drawing object information storing process of storing the drawing object information;

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information; and

a drawing process of carrying out an image generating process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the stored coordinate transformation information,

wherein;

in the drawing object information generating process, not only the drawing object information corresponding to the objects to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out now but also the drawing object information corresponding to other objects that expected to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out at a different time is generated in advance;

in the drawing object information storing process, the generated drawing object information corresponding to said other objects is stored; and

in the drawing process, the three-dimensional image corresponding to said other objects is generated by using the drawing object information corresponding to said other objects stored in advance.

22. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave and representing a series of instructions which cause a computer to perform an image generating method of drawing a three-dimensional image, the image generating method comprising:

a drawing object information generating process of generating drawing object information, which is information for drawing objects as the three-dimensional image, in a single coordinate system;

a coordinate transformation information generating process of generating coordinate transformation information, which is information for defining at least one of a view point and a field of view concerning the three-dimensional image;

a drawing object information storing process of storing the drawing object information;

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information; and

a drawing process of carrying out an image generating process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the stored coordinate transformation information,

wherein;

in the drawing object information generating process, not only the drawing object information corresponding to the objects to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out now but also the drawing object information corresponding to other objects that expected to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out at a different time is generated in advance;

in the drawing object information storing process, the generated drawing object information corresponding to said other objects is stored; and

in the drawing process, the three-dimensional image corresponding to said other objects is generated by using the drawing object information corresponding to said other objects stored in advance.

23. An image generating method of drawing a three-dimensional image comprising:

a drawing object information generating process of generating drawing object information, which is information for drawing objects as the three-dimensional image, in a single coordinate system;

a coordinate transformation information generating process of generating coordinate transformation information, which is information for defining at least one of a view point and a field of view concerning the three-dimensional image;

a drawing object information storing process of storing the drawing object information;

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information; and

a drawing process of carrying out an image generating process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the stored coordinate transformation information,

wherein;

in the drawing object information generating process, not only the drawing object information corresponding to the objects to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out now but also the drawing object information corresponding to other objects that expected to be displayed in the image generating process that carries out at a different time is generated in advance;

in the drawing object information storing process, the generated drawing object information corresponding to said other objects is stored; and

in the drawing process, the three-dimensional image corresponding to said other objects is generated by using the drawing object information corresponding to said other objects stored in advance.

24. An image generating method according to claim 23, wherein said other objects are objects that exist in a peripheral region of a current field of view.