Line drawing image generating device, storage medium, and line drawing image generating method

• US 20060203003A1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: HAL Laboratory, Inc., Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujita, Yoshikazu
• Granted Patent: US 7,170,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/589
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6009 for importing or creating game content, e.g. authoring tools during game development, adapting content to different platforms, use of a scripting language to create content
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6692 using special effects, generally involving post-processing, e.g. blooming
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8094 Unusual game types, e.g. virtual cooking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/20 Drawing from basic elements, e.g. lines or circles

Abstract

In an original image, an area whose brightness is smaller than a predetermined value is detected as an ink line area, and a neighboring area of the ink line area, which surrounds the ink line area, is detected as a neighboring area. Furthermore, with respect to an area other than the ink line area and the neighboring area in the original image, an outline portion of an image is detected as an outline area. A color is applied to the ink line area and the outline area, and a different color is applied to an area other than the above two types of area.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A line drawing image generating device for generating line drawing data based on original image data, comprising:

a mechanism for detecting an area whose brightness is smaller than a predetermined value in an original image, as an ink line area, and generating ink line image data representing the ink line area;

a mechanism for consecutively selecting each pixel of entire original image data as a pixel to be processed;

a first determination mechanism for determining whether or not the pixel to be processed is included in the ink line area with reference to the ink line image data;

a second determination mechanism for determining whether or not the pixel to be processed is in a vicinity of the ink line area with reference to the ink line image data;

a third determination mechanism for determining whether or not the pixel to be processed is included in an outline by applying an outline extraction process to the pixel to be processed based on the original image data when the first determination mechanism determines that the pixel to be processed is included in the ink line area and the second determination mechanism determines that the pixel to be processed is in the vicinity of the ink line area; and

a mechanism for assigning, to a first color, pixels which are determined as being included in the ink line area by the first determination mechanism, and pixels which are determined as being included in the outline by the third determination mechanism, and assigning, to a second color other than the first color, pixels which are also determined as being in the vicinity of the ink line area by the second determination mechanism, and pixels which are determined as being not included in the outline by the third determination mechanism, thereby generating line drawing data while preventing the ink line area from becoming thickened.