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

• US 7,629,974 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Phu K
• Application Number:
  US11/606,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 345/428, 345/611, 345/613
• US Class Current: 345/428
• 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 perform:

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;

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;

shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by comparing pixel values of an arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to the arbitrary pixel, 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

outputting the high resolution image thus updated by the pixel shifting.

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

said comparing includes a first pixel value comparison 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 comparison for comparing the pixel values of said arbitrary pixel and the pixel adjacent to said arbitrary pixel in an upper right side, and

the pixel shifting includes shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by the first pixel value comparison 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 for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by the comparison by said second pixel value comparison, 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 to perform:

a third pixel value comparison 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 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 third pixel value comparison, 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 for storing said high resolution image;

a comparing programmed logic circuitry 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 programmed logic circuitry for shifting the pixel having the same pixel value obtained by a comparison by said comparing programmed logic circuitry, 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; and

an output for outputting the high resolution image after being updated by said interpolation programmed logic circuitry.

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:

(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 (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 (c).