Storage medium storing game image processing program, game image processing apparatus and game image processing method

• US 20070257940A1
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Published: 11/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Keizo
• Granted Patent: US 7,629,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• 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 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6692 using special effects, generally involving post-processing, e.g. blooming
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4007 based on interpolation, e.g. bilinear interpolation image demosaicing G06T3/4015; edge-driven or edge-based scaling G06T3/403
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/403 Edge-driven scaling; Edge-based scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/227 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats, resolution change between memory contents and display screen

Abstract

A video game apparatus functioning as a game image processing apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU converts a resolution of a game image according to a game image processing program. A GPU draws an original game image on a frame buffer according to an instruction by the CPU. This is stored in a main memory as an original texture, and the original texture enlarged into double is drawn on the frame buffer. Next, when two texels adjacent to each other in a lower right direction and in an upper right direction have a same color, a semi-transparent texel in this color is drawn. Namely, a jaggy interpolation processing is applied.

Claims

1. A storage medium storing a game image processing program executed by a computer of a game image processing apparatus that converts a resolution of a game image from a first resolution into a second resolution of n-times of the first resolution and outputs the game image after conversion, wherein

said game image processing program causes said computer to function as means such as:

a resolution converting means for generating a high resolution image obtained by converting a low resolution image of the first resolution into said second resolution, and storing the image after conversion in a storage means;

a comparing means for comparing pixel values of an arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to the arbitrary pixel in an oblique direction, for the arbitrary pixel in said low resolution image;

an interpolation means for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by a comparison by said comparison means, by m (1≦

m≦

n−

1) pixels along said oblique direction of the pixel of said high resolution image corresponding to the pixel at said second resolution, then superposing the pixel on the high resolution image in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating said high resolution image; and

an output means for outputting the high resolution image thus updated by said interpolation means.

2. A storage medium storing the game image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

said comparing means includes a first pixel value comparing means for comparing pixel values of said arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to said arbitrary pixel in a lower right side;

and a second pixel value comparing means for comparing the pixel values of said arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to said arbitrary pixel in an upper right side, and

said interpolation means includes a first pixel interpolation means for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by the comparison by said first pixel value comparing means, by said m-pixels in the lower right direction of the pixel of said high resolution image corresponding to the pixel at the second resolution, then superposing the pixel on the high resolution image in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating said high resolution image; and

a second pixel interpolation means for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by the comparison by said second pixel value comparing means, by said m-pixels in the upper right direction of the pixel of said high resolution corresponding to the pixel at the second resolution, then superposing the pixel on the high resolution image in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating said high resolution image.

3. A storage medium storing the game image processing program according to claim 1, wherein

said game image processing program causes said computer function as:

a third pixel value comparing means for comparing the pixel values of the pixels adjacent to each other in an upper side and a lower side, and the pixels adjacent to each other in a right side and a left side, respectively; and

a third pixel value interpolation means for superposing the pixel having the same pixel value in at least one of the upper and lower direction and the right and left direction, obtained by the comparison by said third pixel value comparing means, on said high resolution image corresponding to the pixel at said second resolution, in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating said high resolution image.

4. A game image processing apparatus that converts a resolution of a game image from a first resolution into a second resolution of n-times of the first resolution, comprising:

a converter for converting a low resolution image of the first resolution into a high resolution image of said second resolution;

a storage means for storing said high resolution image;

a comparing means for comparing pixel values of an arbitrary pixel in said low resolution image and the pixel adjacent to said pixel in an oblique direction;

an interpolation means for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by a comparison by said comparing means, by m (1≦

m≦

n−

1) pixels along said oblique direction of the pixel of said high resolution corresponding to the pixel at said second resolution, then superposing the pixel after conversion on the pixel of said second resolution in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating the high resolution image stored in said high resolution image storage means; and

an output means for outputting the high resolution image after being updated by said interpolation means.

5. A game image processing method of a game image processing apparatus that converts a resolution of a game image from a first resolution into a second resolution of n-times of the first resolution, comprising the steps of:

(a) generating a high resolution image obtained by converting a low resolution image of a first resolution into the high resolution image of said second resolution;

(b) comparing an arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to said arbitrary pixel in an oblique direction, for the arbitrary pixel in said low resolution image;

(c) shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by a comparison in said step (b), by m (1≦

m≦

n−

1) pixels along said oblique direction of the pixel of said high resolution image corresponding to the pixel at said second resolution, then superposing the pixel on the high resolution image in a semi-transparent state, thereby updating said high resolution image; and

(d) outputting the high resolution image updated by said step (c).