Image processing program and image processing device for moving display area

• US 20060281546A1
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Published: 12/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nitta, Masahiro, Iwamoto, Daiki
• Granted Patent: US 8,866,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

A video game device calculates a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to an input position. Moreover, the video game device calculates movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the point of sight to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector. The point of sight is moved based on the movement parameter data. The video game device produces an image based on a virtual camera, which has been moved according to the movement of the point of sight, and displays the image on the screen of a display device.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing an image processing program to be executed by a computer of an image processing device, the image processing device comprising an input device for outputting an input position corresponding to a point on a screen of a display device specified by a user, and the image processing device displaying an image of a three-dimensional virtual space including an image of a controlled object placed in the virtual space, which can be controlled by the user, by using a virtual camera whose position is determined based on a point of sight set in the virtual space, the image processing program instructing the computer to perform:

a position obtaining step of obtaining an input position outputted from the input device;

a first calculation step of calculating a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to the input position;

a second calculation step of calculating movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the point of sight to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector;

a movement control step of moving the point of sight based on the movement parameter data; and

a display control step of producing an image based on the virtual camera, which has been moved according to the movement of the point of sight, and displaying the image on the screen of the display device.

2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

in the second calculation step, position data representing a target point in the virtual space is calculated as the movement parameter data, the target point being determined, with respect to the fixed point, by a direction in the virtual space based on the direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on the magnitude of the difference vector; and

in the movement control step, the point of sight is moved to the target point.

3. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein in the movement control step, the point of sight is moved so that the point of sight gradually approaches the target point.

4. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein in the second calculation step, the movement parameter data is calculated so that the controlled object will not be outside the screen after the point of sight is moved.

5. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein:

the computer is instructed to further perform a detection step of detecting whether there is no longer an input to the input device; and

in the second calculation step, the movement parameter data used for moving the point of sight to the fixed point is calculated when it is detected in the detection step that there is no longer an input.

6. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

the second calculation step includes;

a space vector calculation step of calculating a space vector, being a vector in the virtual space, based on the difference vector; and

a target point setting step of setting the target point at a position of an end point of the space vector with respect to the fixed point; and

the space vector calculation step further includes a first correction step of correcting at least one of the difference vector and the space vector so that a magnitude of the space vector is less than or equal to a predetermined upper limit value.

7. The storage medium according to claim 2, wherein:

the second calculation step includes;

a space vector calculation step of calculating a space vector, being a vector in the virtual space, based on the difference vector; and

a target point setting step of setting the target point at a position of an end point of the space vector with respect to the fixed point; and

in the space vector calculation step, a component of the space vector with respect to a first direction in the virtual space is calculated based on a component of the difference vector with respect to a third direction on the screen, and a component of the space vector with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is calculated based on a component of the difference vector with respect to a fourth direction perpendicular to the third direction.

8. The storage medium according to claim 7, wherein:

the virtual space has a predetermined plane on which the controlled object can be moved;

the virtual camera has a viewing direction being perpendicular to the second direction and with an angle of depression of less than 90°

with respect to the predetermined plane;

the third direction is parallel to a direction of a straight line displayed on the screen extending in the first direction through the point of sight; and

the space vector calculation step includes a second correction step of correcting at least one of the difference vector and the space vector so that a proportion of the component of the space vector in the second direction with respect to the component of the space vector in the first direction is greater than a proportion of the component of the difference vector in the fourth direction with respect to the component of the difference vector in the third direction.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing an image processing program to be executed by a computer of an image processing device, the image processing device comprising an input device for outputting an input position specified by a user on a screen of a display device, and the image processing device displaying an image of a virtual space within a display area that is determined so as to include a controlled object, which can be controlled by the user, the image processing program instructing the computer to perform:

a position obtaining step of obtaining an input position outputted from the input device;

a first calculation step of calculating a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to the input position;

a second calculation step of calculating movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the display area to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector;

a movement control step of moving the display area based on the movement parameter data; and

a display control step of displaying, on the display device, an image of the virtual space within the display area, which has been moved.

10. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein:

in the second calculation step, position data representing a target point in the virtual space is calculated as the movement parameter data, the target point being determined, with respect to the fixed point, by a direction in the virtual space based on the direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on the magnitude of the difference vector; and

in the movement control step, the display area is moved so that a predetermined point in the display area coincides with the target point.

11. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein in the movement control step, the display area is moved so that the predetermined point in the display area gradually approaches the target point.

12. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein in the second calculation step, the movement parameter data is calculated so that the controlled object will not be outside the screen after the display area is moved to the target point.

13. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein in the second calculation step, the movement parameter data is calculated so that the controlled object will not be outside the screen after the display area is moved to the target point.

14. The storage medium according to claim 9, wherein:

the computer is instructed to further perform a detection step of detecting whether there is no longer an input to the input device; and

in the second calculation step, the movement parameter data used for moving the display area so that the fixed point is displayed at the reference position is calculated when it is detected in the detection step that there is no longer an input.

15. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein:

the second calculation step includes;

a space vector calculation step of calculating a space vector, being a vector in the virtual space, based on the difference vector; and

a target point setting step of setting the target point at a position of an end point of the space vector with respect to the fixed point; and

the space vector calculation step further includes a first correction step of correcting at least one of the difference vector and the space vector so that a magnitude of the space vector is less than or equal to a predetermined upper limit value.

16. The storage medium according to claim 10, wherein:

the second calculation step includes;

a space vector calculation step of calculating a space vector, being a vector in the virtual space, based on the difference vector; and

a target point setting step of setting the target point at a position of an end point of the space vector with respect to the fixed point; and

in the space vector calculation step, a component of the space vector with respect to a first direction in the virtual space is calculated based on a component of the difference vector with respect to a third direction on the screen, and a component of the space vector with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is calculated based on a component of the difference vector with respect to a fourth direction perpendicular to the third direction.

17. The storage medium according to claim 16, wherein:

the virtual space has a predetermined plane on which the controlled object can be moved;

the virtual camera has a viewing direction being perpendicular to the second direction and with an angle of depression of less than 90°

with respect to the predetermined plane;

the third direction is parallel to a direction of a straight line displayed on the screen extending in the first direction through the point of sight; and

the space vector calculation step includes a second correction step of correcting at least one of the difference vector and the space vector so that a proportion of the component of the space vector in the second direction with respect to the component of the space vector in the first direction is greater than a proportion of the component of the difference vector in the fourth direction with respect to the component of the difference vector in the third direction.

18. An image processing device, comprising an input device for outputting an input position corresponding to a point on a screen of a display device specified by a user, and displaying an image of a three-dimensional virtual space including an image of a controlled object placed in the virtual space, which can be controlled by the user, by using a virtual camera whose position is determined based on a point of sight set in the virtual space, the image processing device comprising:

position obtaining means for obtaining an input position outputted from the input device;

first calculation means for calculating a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to the input position;

second calculation means for calculating movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the point of sight to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector;

movement control means for moving the point of sight based on the movement parameter data; and

display control means for producing an image based on the virtual camera, which has been moved according to the movement of the point of sight, and displaying the image on the screen of the display device.

19. An image processing device, comprising an input device for outputting an input position specified by a user on a screen of a display device, and displaying an image of a virtual space within a display area that is determined so as to include a controlled object, which can be controlled by the user, the image processing device comprising:

position obtaining means for obtaining an input position outputted from the input device;

first calculation means for calculating a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to the input position;

second calculation means for calculating movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the display area to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector;

movement control means for moving the display area based on the movement parameter data; and

display control means for displaying, on the display device, an image of the virtual space within the display area, which has been moved.