Image Producing Device, Acceleration Displaying Method, And Program

• US 20070209436A1
• Filed: 04/27/2005
• Published: 09/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Yutaka, Okubo, Takeshi, Yamada, Michio, Akita, Manabu
• Application Number:
  US11/587,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20070209436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/495
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/303 for displaying additional data, e.g. simulating a Head Up Display
• 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 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying

Abstract

An operation input reception unit (201) receives an operation input for a virtual vehicle. A running condition managing unit (203) manages the running conditions of the virtual vehicle based on the received operation input. An acceleration calculation unit (205) calculates an acceleration in a front or back direction caused by an inertia force in a case where a managed running condition is acceleration/deceleration, and calculates an acceleration in the left or right direction caused by a centrifugal force in a case where a managed running condition is turning. A meter producing unit (206) produces a meter image showing the direction and level of acceleration based on the acceleration calculated by the acceleration calculation unit (205). A display control unit (207) synthesizes a view field image produced by an image producing unit (204) and the meter image produced by the meter producing unit (206), and displays the image on an external monitor or the like.

Claims

1. An image producing device, comprising:

an operation input reception unit (201) which receives an operation input for a virtual moving object to be moved in a virtual space;

a moving condition managing unit (203) which manages a moving condition of the moving object based on the received operation input;

an acceleration calculation unit (205) which calculates an acceleration of the moving object based on the managed moving condition;

a meter image producing unit (206) which produces a meter image which shows at least a direction and a level of acceleration, based on the calculated acceleration; and

a display unit (207) which displays the produced meter image.

4. The image producing device according to claim 1,

wherein said meter image producing unit (206) produces a meter image which shows at least an acceleration in a left or right direction.

2. An image producing device, comprising:

an image information storage unit (202) which stores image information which defines a scenery image to be laid out in a virtual space;

an operation input reception unit (201) which receives an operation input for a virtual moving object to be moved in the virtual space;

a moving condition managing unit (203) which manages a moving condition of the moving object, based on the received operation input;

an acceleration calculation unit (205) which calculates an acceleration of the moving object, based on the managed moving condition;

a meter image producing unit (206) which produces a meter image which shows at least a direction and a level of acceleration, based on the calculated acceleration;

a view field image producing unit (204) which produces a view field image seen from a viewpoint of the moving object, based on the stored image information and the managed moving condition; and

a display unit (207) which synthesizes the produced meter image with the produced view field image, and displays the synthesized image.

3. The image producing device according to claim 2, further comprising

a load calculation unit (401) and a display control unit (404),

wherein:

said load calculation unit (401) calculates a load to be imposed on a virtual driver, based on the managed moving condition; and

said display control unit (404) changes a display manner of the produced view field image, based on the calculated load.

5. An acceleration displaying method comprising an operation input receiving step (S302), a moving condition managing step (S302), an acceleration calculating step (S304), a meter image producing step (S305), and a displaying step (S306),

wherein:

at said operation input receiving step (S302), an operation input for a virtual moving object to be moved in a virtual space is received;

at said moving condition managing step (S302), a moving condition of the moving object is managed based on the received operation input;

at said acceleration calculating step (S304), an acceleration of the moving object is calculated based on the managed moving condition;

at said meter image producing step (S305), a meter image showing at least a direction and a level of acceleration is produced based on the calculated acceleration; and

at said displaying step (S306), the produced meter image is displayed on a predetermined display unit.

6. A computer-readable information recording medium which stores a program for controlling a computer to function as an operation input reception unit (201), a moving condition managing unit (203), an acceleration calculation unit (205), a meter image producing unit (206), and a display unit (207),

wherein:

said operation input reception unit (201) receives an operation input for a virtual moving object to be moved in a virtual space;

said moving condition managing unit (203) manages a moving condition of the moving object based on the received operation input;

said acceleration calculation unit (205) calculates an acceleration of the moving object based on the managed moving condition;

said meter image producing unit (206) produces a meter image which shows at least a direction and a level of acceleration, based on the calculated acceleration; and

said display unit (207) displays the produced meter image.

7. A program for controlling a computer to function as an operation input reception unit (201), a moving condition managing unit (203), an acceleration calculation unit (205), a meter image producing unit (206), and a display unit (207),

wherein:

said operation input reception unit (201) receives an operation input for a virtual moving object to be moved in a virtual space;

said moving condition managing unit (203) manages a moving condition of the moving object based on the received operation input;

said acceleration calculation unit (205) calculates an acceleration of the moving object based on the managed moving condition;

said meter image producing unit (206) produces a meter image which shows at least a direction and a level of acceleration, based on the calculated acceleration; and

said display unit (207) displays the produced meter image.