COMPUTER-READABLE MEDIUM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20140125701A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: HAYAKAWA, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,691,179 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

In an example system, a computer is caused to function as: a feature detection unit which detects a feature arranged in a real space; an image generation unit which generates an image of a virtual space including a virtual object arranged based on the feature; a display control unit which causes a display apparatus to display an image in such a manner that a user perceives the image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space; a processing specification unit which specifies processing that can be executed in relation to the virtual space, based on the feature; and a menu output unit which outputs a menu for a user to instruct the processing specified by the processing specification unit, in such a manner that the menu can be operated by the user.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing an information processing program for causing a computer to function as:

a feature detection unit which detects a feature arranged in a real space;

an image generation unit which generates an image of a virtual space including a virtual object arranged based on the feature;

a display control unit which causes a display apparatus to display an image in such a manner that a user perceives the image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space;

a processing specification unit which specifies processing that can be executed in relation to the virtual space, based on the feature; and

a menu output unit which outputs a menu for a user to instruct the processing specified by the processing specification unit, in such a manner that the menu can be operated by the user.

2. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1,

wherein the feature detection unit detects a feature by which at least one of a type of the feature, a position and a posture thereof in the real space can be identified, and

the processing specification unit specifies the processing by using at least one of the type of the feature, the position and the posture thereof in the real space, as identified based on the feature detected by the feature detection unit.

3. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 2, wherein the processing specification unit specifies the processing in accordance with at least one of the type of the feature, the position and the posture thereof as detected by the feature detection unit.

4. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 3, wherein the processing specification unit specifies the processing in accordance with at least one of a relationship between types of a plurality of features, a relationship between positions thereof and a relationship between postures between thereof, the plurality of features having been detected by the feature detection unit.

5. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 4,

wherein when there is one feature detected by the feature detection unit, the processing specification unit specifies the processing based on the feature, and

when there is a plurality of features detected by the feature detection unit, the processing specification unit specifies the processing based on a relationship between the plurality of features.

6. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as:

an operation receiving unit which receives an operation by a user with respect to the menu; and

a processing execution unit which executes processing in accordance with the operation by the user received by the operation receiving unit.

7. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein the processing is at least one of processing with respect to the virtual object, processing relating to actions of the virtual object, and processing with respect to the virtual space including the virtual object.

8. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, wherein when there is a plurality of combinations of features detected by the feature detection unit, the processing specification unit specifies the processing in accordance with the combinations.

9. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as:

a captured image acquisition unit which acquires a captured image captured by an imaging apparatus,

wherein the feature detection unit detects a feature in the real space captured in the captured image, based on the captured image.

10. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 9, wherein the display control unit enables a user to perceive an image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space, by causing the display apparatus to display a composite image in which the image of the virtual space is superimposed on the captured image.

11. The computer-readable medium storing an information processing program according to claim 1,

wherein the display apparatus has a first display region and a second display region,

the display control unit causes the image of the virtual space to be displayed in the first display region, and

the menu output unit outputs the menu so as to be displayed in the second display region.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a feature detection unit which detects a feature arranged in a real space;

an image generation unit which generates an image of a virtual space including a virtual object arranged based on the feature;

a display control unit which causes a display apparatus to display an image in such a manner that a user perceives the image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space;

a processing specification unit which specifies processing that can be executed in relation to the virtual space, based on the feature; and

a menu output unit which outputs a menu for a user to instruct the processing specified by the processing specification unit, in such a manner that the menu can be operated by the user.

13. An information processing system comprising:

a component to which a feature is attached, a position and a posture of the feature with respect to an imaging apparatus being identifiable when an image of the feature is captured by the imaging apparatus; and

an information processing apparatus,

wherein the information processing apparatus includes;

a feature detection unit which detects a feature arranged in a real space;

an image generation unit which generates an image of a virtual space including a virtual object arranged based on the feature;

a display control unit which causes a display apparatus to display an image in such a manner that a user perceives the image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space;

a processing specification unit which specifies processing that can be executed in relation to the virtual space, based on the feature; and

a menu output unit which outputs a menu for a user to instruct the processing specified by the processing specification unit, in such a manner that the menu can be operated by the user.

14. An information processing method for causing a computer to execute:

detecting a feature arranged in a real space;

generating an image of a virtual space including a virtual object arranged based on the feature;

causing a display apparatus to display an image in such a manner that a user perceives the image of the virtual space superimposed on the real space;

specifying processing that can be executed in relation to the virtual space, based on the feature; and

outputting a menu for a user to instruct the processing specified in the specifying, in such a manner that the menu can be operated by the user.