Image display system, image processing system, and video game system

• US 7,690,975 B2
• Filed: 10/04/2005
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yusuke, Yoshimura, Tukasa, Miyaki, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol; Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pierce; Damon J.
• Application Number:
  US11/243,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20060079324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 463/30, 463/1, 463/42, 463/43, 382/182, 382/184, 382/189, 382/276, 382/293, 382305-307, 345/581, 345/632, 345/633, 348/207.1
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/04 Card games combined with other games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/95 Storage media specially adapted for storing game information, e.g. video game cartridges
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2419 Optical
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/206 Game information storage, e.g. cartridges, CD ROM's, DVD's, smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5546 using player registration data, e.g. identification, account, preferences, game history
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/65 for computing the condition of a game character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8058 Virtual breeding, e.g. tamagotchi
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/254 involving subtraction of images

Abstract

According to a function 188 which stores in the first memory for difference, pickup image data from CCD camera 42 based on a predetermined timing, a function 190 which stores in the second memory for difference, pickup image data from CCD camera 42 based on another timing, a function 192 which obtains a difference between the pickup image data stored in the first memory for difference 24 and the pickup image data stored in the second memory for difference 26, a function 194 for specifying an image having moved based on the data as a difference, a function 196 which determines whether or not the image having moved is touching the character image, and a function 200 which increases a value of parameters such as experiential value, physical energy, and offensive power, when it is determined that the image having moved comes into contact with the character image, it is possible to expand a range of card game used to be played only in a real space up to a virtual space, and offer a new game which merges the card game and video game.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising,

a computer,

an image pickup means which is connected to said computer and picks up an actual image of a card to which an identification image is attached, and

a display device which is connected to said computer, wherein,

said system further comprising,

a pickup image display means which outputs to said display device, image data of a pickup image including said identification image of said card, from said image pickup means, and allows said display device to display said pickup image,

a finding means which finds image data of said identification image attached to said card, out of said image data of said pickup image,

an identification information detecting means which detects identification information of said card from said image data of said identification image which is found out by said finding means,

an object display control means which controls so that a virtual object image associated with said identification information of said card is displayed on said identification image of said card displayed on said display device, in such a manner as being superimposed on said identification image,

a difference calculating means which obtains a difference user image by determines calculating differences between first user image data picked up at a predetermined timing and different second user image data picked up at a timing different from said predetermined timing,

a contact determining means which determines whether or not said difference user image comes into contact with said virtual object image, based on a screen coordinate of said difference user image and a screen coordinate of said object image displayed on said display device, in such a manner as being superimposed on said identification image of said card, and

a parameter changing means which changes a parameter associated with said identification information, when it is determined that said difference user image comes into contact with said virtual object image.

2. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein,

said, contact determining means determines that, when a screen coordinate of said difference user image and a screen coordinate of said object image displayed on said display device, in such a manner as being superimposed on said identification image of said card are identical, said difference user image comes into contact with said object image.

3. The image display system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein,

while said system repeatedly conducts a series of procedures consisting of said difference calculating means and said contact determining means to be conducted in order, said parameter changing means changes a parameter associated with said identification information, when a number of times that said difference image comes into contact with said object image is determined to exceed over predetermined number.

4. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein, an image specifying means includes the image data of said actual image having moved as image data of a user'"'"'s hand image.

5. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein,

multiple identification information items are allocated to an identical virtual object, and

parameters regarding said identical virtual object are different in each of said multiple identification information items.

6. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein,

a storage medium connected to said computer and freely removable is provided, and

data associated with said identification information is managed by said storage medium.

7. The image display system according to claim 1, wherein,

said computer is connected to a network server via a network, and

data associated with said identification information is managed by said network server.

8. The image display system according to claim 1, further comprising, wherein a Z value of a Z buffering is set to a maximum value indicating a value furthermost from said image pickup means in an image pickup means coordinate system.