Image generating apparatus, image generating method, and computer program

• US 20030071808A1
• 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 7,218,319 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• 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 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 draw a 3D image; and a graphics library (12). The drawing application processor is provided with a drawing object information generation device for generating drawing object information to draw an image; and a coordinate transformation information generation device for generating coordinate transformation information. The drawing device generates the 3D image by applying the coordinate transformation information to the drawing object information. An identifier is set to the coordinate transformation information. When the drawing device generates the 3D image, the coordinate transformation information is identified with the identifier.

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;

an identifier setting device for setting an identifier to the generated coordinate transformation information;

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

a coordinate transformation information storing device for storing the coordinate transformation information while keeping a connection between the coordinate transformation information and the identifier;

a control device for identifying the stored coordinate transformation information with the identifier; and

a drawing device for generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the coordinate transformation information identified with the identifier.

2. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drawing object information storing device stores a plurality of units of the drawing object information, the coordinate transformation information storing device stores a plurality of units of the coordinate transformation information to which the identifiers are set respectively, the control device identifies one or more than one of the plurality of units of the coordinate transformation information with the identifiers, and the drawing device generates the three-dimensional image with an arbitrary combination of one or more than one of the plurality of units of the drawing object information and the one or more than one of the plurality of units of the coordinate transformation information identified with the identifiers.

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

4. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1 comprising a drawing application processor and a graphics library, the graphics library comprising:

the drawing object information storing device;

the coordinate transformation information storing device; and

the control device,

the drawing application processor comprising;

the drawing object information generating device;

the coordinate transformation information generating device; and

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

5. 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.

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

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

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

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

a frame buffer for storing the plurality of partial frame images.

12. An image generating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein 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 drawing 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.

13. 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.

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

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

15. 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;

an identifier setting process of setting an identifier to the generated coordinate transformation information;

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

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information while keeping a connection between the coordinate transformation information and the identifier;

a control process of identifying the stored coordinate transformation information with the identifier; and

a drawing process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the coordinate transformation information identified with the identifier.

16. 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;

an identifier setting process of setting an identifier to the generated coordinate transformation information;

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

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information while keeping a connection between the coordinate transformation information and the identifier;

a control process of identifying the stored coordinate transformation information with the identifier; and

a drawing process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the coordinate transformation information identified with the identifier.

17. 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;

an identifier setting process of setting an identifier to the generated coordinate transformation information;

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

a coordinate transformation information storing process of storing the coordinate transformation information while keeping a connection between the coordinate transformation information and the identifier;

a control process of identifying the stored coordinate transformation information with the identifier; and

a drawing process of generating the three-dimensional image by using the stored drawing object information and the coordinate transformation information identified with the identifier.

18. An image generating method according to claim 17, wherein the drawing object information generating process comprises a list generating process of generating a list of the drawing object information.