STORAGE MEDIUM HAVING STORED THEREIN DISPLAY CONTROL PROGRAM, DISPLAY CONTROL APPARATUS, DISPLAY CONTROL SYSTEM, AND DISPLAY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120218266A1
• Filed: 02/16/2012
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: MAETA, Kazushi, Nishikawa, Ryuji
• Granted Patent: US 9,491,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/422
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/111 Transformation of image signals corresponding to virtual viewpoints, e.g. spatial image interpolation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/261 with monoscopic-to-stereoscopic image conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/275 from 3D object models, e.g. computer-generated stereoscopic image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/003 Aspects relating to the "2D+depth" image format

Abstract

In a game apparatus, firstly, a depth value in accordance with a state of a virtual three-dimensional space is obtained. Then, an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by shifting a two-dimensional object that does not exist within the virtual three-dimensional space by a shift amount in accordance with the depth value are synthesized with an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by capturing the three-dimensional object by a virtual stereo camera, respectively, and the respective synthesized images are rendered, thereby a stereoscopic image is generated. The stereoscopic image obtained as above is outputted to an upper LCD.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a display control program to be executed by a computer of a display control apparatus which stereoscopically displays a predetermined two-dimensional object on a display device, the display control program causing the computer to execute:

obtaining a depth value in accordance with a state of a virtual three-dimensional space captured by a virtual stereo camera;

synthesizing an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by shifting the two-dimensional object, in order to generate parallax, by a shift amount in accordance with the obtained depth value, with an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by capturing a predetermined three-dimensional object positioned in the virtual three-dimensional space by the virtual stereo camera, respectively, and rendering the respective synthesized images, thereby generating a stereoscopic image; and

stereoscopically displaying the generated stereoscopic image on the display device.

2. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the program further causing the computer to execute setting a parameter, other than the depth value, relating to display of the predetermined two-dimensional object.

3. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 2, wherein the parameter is a parameter representing a size of the predetermined two-dimensional object.

4. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 3, wherein the parameter representing the size of the predetermined two-dimensional object is maintained constant.

5. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 2, wherein a parameter representing a display area of the predetermined two-dimensional object is set based on a display position of the predetermined three-dimensional object in a two-dimensional coordinate system on a screen of the display device.

6. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 5, wherein, when it is assumed that a virtual screen having a size corresponding to the screen of the display device is positioned between the virtual stereo camera and the predetermined three-dimensional object, the display area of the predetermined two-dimensional object is determined based on two-dimensional coordinates, on a plane including the virtual screen, at which a line segment that connects a viewpoint position of the virtual stereo camera and the predetermined three-dimensional object intersects with the plane.

7. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein a depth value is obtained in accordance with a distance between a viewpoint position of the virtual stereo camera and the predetermined three-dimensional object in the virtual three-dimensional space.

8. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 6, wherein

a camera-to-camera distance that is a distance between two virtual cameras which configure the virtual stereo camera is changed in accordance with an operation on the display control apparatus, and

a parameter representing a display area of the predetermined two-dimensional object is updated in accordance with the change in the camera-to-camera distance.

9. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, the program further causing the computer to execute

associating the obtained depth value with the predetermined two-dimensional object, wherein

the stereoscopic image is generated by using the associated depth value.

10. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 9, wherein images are synthesized while the depth value associated with the predetermined two-dimensional object is compared with the depth value of the predetermined three-dimensional object, by using a Z buffer.

11. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 10, wherein when a Z value of a target object to be rendered is smaller than the Z value of the two-dimensional object or the Z value of the three-dimensional object which are stored in the Z buffer, the target object is rendered.

12. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined two-dimensional object is a taken image representing a human face captured by an imaging section.

13. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined two-dimensional object is a taken image obtained by an imaging section in real time.

14. The computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the display control program according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined two-dimensional object is obtained by the display control apparatus communicating with an external apparatus.

15. A display control apparatus which stereoscopically displays a predetermined two-dimensional object on a display device, the display control apparatus comprising:

an obtaining unit which obtains a depth value in accordance with a state of a virtual three-dimensional space captured by a virtual stereo camera;

a generation unit which synthesizes an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by shifting the two-dimensional object, in order to generate parallax, by a shift amount in accordance with the depth value obtained by the obtaining unit, with an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by capturing a predetermined three-dimensional object positioned in the virtual three-dimensional space by the virtual stereo camera, respectively, and renders the respective synthesized images, thereby generating a stereoscopic image; and

a display control unit which stereoscopically displays the stereoscopic image generated by the generation unit on the display device.

16. A display control system which stereoscopically displays a predetermined two-dimensional object on a display device, the display control system comprising:

an obtaining unit which obtains a depth value in accordance with a state of a virtual three-dimensional space captured by a virtual stereo camera;

a generation unit which synthesizes an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by shifting the two-dimensional object, in order to generate parallax, by a shift amount in accordance with the depth value obtained by the obtaining unit, with an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by capturing a predetermined three-dimensional object positioned in the virtual three-dimensional space by the virtual stereo camera, respectively, and renders the respective synthesized images, thereby generating a stereoscopic image; and

a display control unit which stereoscopically displays the stereoscopic image generated by the generation unit on the display device.

17. A display control method of causing a display control apparatus to execute stereoscopically displaying a predetermined two-dimensional object on a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining a depth value in accordance with a state of a virtual three-dimensional space captured by a virtual stereo camera;

synthesizing an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by shifting the two-dimensional object, in order to generate parallax, by a shift amount in accordance with the obtained depth value, with an image for left eye and an image for right eye which are obtained by capturing a predetermined three-dimensional object positioned in the virtual three-dimensional space by the virtual stereo camera, respectively, and rendering the respective synthesized images, thereby generating a stereoscopic image; and

stereoscopically displaying the generated stereoscopic image on the display device.