Computer readable recording medium recording image processing program and image processing apparatus

• US 8,284,158 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohta, Keizo
• Primary Examiner(s): SIMPSON, LIXI CHOW
• Application Number:
  US13/350,183
• Publication Number:
  US 20120113004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 270 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/02 Affine transformations for image registration G06T3/147; for image mosaicing G06T3/4038

Abstract

Displayed region size data indicating a size of a screen of a display device, or a size of a region in which an image of a virtual space is displayed on the screen, is obtained. Distance data indicating a distance between a user and the display device is obtained. A position and an angle of view of the virtual camera in the virtual space are set based on the displayed region size data and the distance data.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing an image processing program executable by a processing system of an image processing apparatus for outputting an image of a virtual space captured by a virtual camera to a display device, the program comprising instructions that are configured to:

obtain distance data indicating a distance between the display device and an input device configured to be held by one hand of a user; and

set display range of the virtual camera in the virtual space based on a display region size and the distance data.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

obtain the display region size in which the image of the virtual space is displayed on the screen, the display region size including data indicating a first width in a first direction and a second width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;

set a horizontal angle of view and a vertical angle of view of the virtual camera based on the first width and the second width.

3. The medium of claim 2, wherein the horizontal angle of view and/or the vertical angle of view of the virtual camera is set to increase as the first width and/or the second width increase.

4. The medium of claim 2, wherein the horizontal angle of view and/or the vertical angle of view is set to be smaller as the distance indicated by the distance data increases.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

obtain the display region size in which the image of the virtual space is displayed on the screen, the display region size including data indicating a width in a first direction and a width in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of the display region; and

set a horizontal angle of view and a vertical angle of view of the virtual camera, based on the width in the first direction or the width in the second direction.

6. The medium of claim 5, wherein the horizontal angle of view and/or the vertical angle of view of the virtual camera is set to increase as the width in the first direction and/or width in the second direction increase.

7. The medium of claim 5, wherein the horizontal angle of view and/or the vertical angle of view is set to be smaller as the distance indicated by the distance data increases.

8. The medium of claim 1, wherein the display range of the virtual camera is set to be larger as the display region size in which the image of the virtual space is displayed on the screen increases.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein the display range of the virtual camera is set to be smaller as the distance indicated by the distance data increases.

10. The medium of claim 1, wherein the input device includes an imager that is configured to capture an image of at least one imaging subject proximate to the display device, the instructions are further configured to:

obtain captured image data output the input device based on the captured image; and

calculate a distance between the input device and the imaging subject as a distance between the user and the display device based on the imaging subject shown in the captured image indicated by the captured image data.

11. The medium of claim 10, wherein the distance is calculated based on a size of the imaging subject shown in the captured image.

12. The medium of claim 11, wherein the calculated distance between the input device and the imaging subject decreases as the size of the imaging subject shown in the captured image increases.

13. The medium of claim 10, wherein the distance between the input device and the imaging subject is calculated based on a distance between a plurality of imaging subjects shown in the captured image.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the calculated distance between the input device and the imaging subject decreases as a distance between a plurality of imaging subjects increases.

15. The computer readable recording medium according to claim 1, wherein the display range of the virtual camera is further based on a position of an object that exists in the virtual space.

16. The medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

when a plurality of objects exist in a space to be displayed on the display device, determine the display range of the virtual camera with reference to a position of an object closest to the virtual camera.

17. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

the display range is set to decrease as the distance indicated by the distance data increases, and

the display range is set to increase as the distance indicated by the distance data decreases.

18. An image processing apparatus for outputting an image of a virtual space captured by a virtual camera to a display device, comprising:

a processing system that includes at least one processor, the processing system configured to;

obtain distance data indicating a distance between an input device configured to be held by one hand of a user and the display device; and

set a display range of the virtual camera in the virtual space based on a region size associated with the display device and the distance data.

19. An image processing system that is configured to output an image of a virtual space to a display device, the system comprising:

at least one processor that is configured to;

obtain distance data that relates to a distance between a handheld user input device and the display device; and

set a display range a virtual camera in the virtual space based on a display region size that is associated with the display device and the distance data.

20. A computer implemented method for outputting an image of a virtual space to a display device, the method comprising:

obtaining distance data that relates to a distance between a handheld user input device and the display device; and

setting a display range a virtual camera, via a processing system, that exists in the virtual space based on the distance data and a display region size that is associated with the display device.