Indication position calculation system, indicator for indication position calculation system, game system, and indication position calculation method

• US 8,754,846 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Namco Bandai Games Inc. (BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc.), Shang Hwang Industry Company Limited, Tatsuji Kumabayashi, Zeroplus Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kumabayashi, Tatsuji, Cheng, Chiu Hao, Tai, Shing Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisen, Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): MARINELLI, PATRICK
• Application Number:
  US12/068,820
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178 1801- 2004, 463/7, 463/37, 463/36, 463/39, 463/53, 463/54, 463/49, 463/50, 463/51, 382/106, 382/312, 382/313
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2633 using a TV type screen, e.g. a CRT, displaying a simulated target
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 3/2661 in which the light beam is sent from the target to the weapon F41G3/2638 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80

Abstract

An imaging section successively outputs light-reception information relating to each pixel from a starting pixel SP to an end pixel EP, the starting pixel SP being provided on one end of an image PC acquired by the imaging section and the end pixel EP being provided on the other end of the image PC. The imaging section is provided in an indicator so that the starting pixel SP is disposed on a lower side and the end pixel EP is disposed on an upper side when the indicator is held in a reference position.

Claims

1. An indication position calculation system calculating an indication position of an indicator, the indication position calculation system comprising:

a light-emitting section;

an imaging section which is provided in the indicator, acquires an image and successively outputs light-reception information of pixels of the acquired image, wherein one of the pixels having the light-reception information output primarily is disposed on a lower side of the image when the indicator is held in a reference position and another one of the pixels having the light-reception information output last is disposed on an upper side of the image when the indicator is held in a reference position;

a determination section which determines whether or not the pixels are effective pixels satisfying a given condition based on the light-reception information without determining whether the pixels are those corresponding to the light-emitting section; and

a calculation section which performs position calculations based on identification information of the effective pixels in order to obtain the indication position of the indicator when light received by the effective pixels is included in light emitted from the light-emitting section,

the calculation section performing the position calculations based on the identification information of a first effective pixel, the first effective pixel being a first one of the effective pixels determined to satisfy the given condition,

wherein the determination section determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies the given condition and then determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies a second condition; and

wherein the calculation section sets a predetermined area of the image, that is less than an entire area of the image, including the first effective pixel as a determination area, and performs the position calculations based on the identification information of part of the effective pixels included in the determination area,

the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area and satisfying the second condition being differently weighted from the effective pixels included in the determination area but not satisfying the second condition.

2. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1 comprising:

a plurality of the light-emitting sections having a predetermined positional relationship with each other,

wherein the calculation section sets a predetermined area of the image including the first effective pixel as a first determination area, sets another predetermined area of the image including a second effective pixel which has been primarily determined to satisfy the given condition among the pixels out of the first determination area as a second determination area, and then performs the position calculations based on the identification information of the effective pixels within the first determination area and the second determination area.

3. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1,

wherein the calculation section calculates a representative value of the determination area based on the identification information of the effective pixels and then performs the position calculations based on the representative value, while making weight on the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area and satisfying the second condition different from weight on the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area but not satisfying the second condition.

4. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1,

wherein the light-emitting section emits light in a predetermined wavelength band;

and

wherein the imaging section has a light reception sensitivity for light including the predetermined wavelength band.

5. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a shielding section provided in the light-emitting section and shielding part of light from the light-emitting section emitted downward in a predetermined degrees of angle or less from the horizontal.

6. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 5,

wherein the shielding section is disposed at a position enabling the shielding section to shield part of the light from the light-emitting section emitted downward from the horizontal so that no reflected light from lower space enters the imaging section when the light-emitting section and the imaging section have a given reference positional relationship.

7. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1,

wherein the light-emitting section is directed in a direction enabling to prevent light from the light-emitting section from being emitted downward from the horizontal so that no reflected light from lower space enters the imaging section when the light-emitting section and the imaging section have a given reference positional relationship.

8. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a filter which is provided in the indicator and through which light in the same wavelength band as light from the light-emitting section is allowed to pass toward the imaging section.

9. The indication position calculation system as defined in claim 1, comprising:

a plurality of the light-emitting sections having a predetermined positional relationship with each other,

wherein the calculation section performs the position calculations based on the identification information of the effective pixels corresponding to each of the light-emitting sections.

10. An indicator for an indication position calculation system, the indicator comprising:

an imaging section which acquires an image of a light-emitting section and successively outputs light-reception information of pixels of the acquired image,

a determination section which determines whether or not the pixels are effective pixels satisfying a given condition based on the light-reception information without determining whether the pixels are those corresponding to the light-emitting section; and

a calculation section which performs position calculations based on identification information of the effective pixels in order to obtain an indication position of the indicator when light received by the effective pixels is included in light emitted from the light-emitting section,

the calculation section performing the position calculations based on the identification information of a first effective pixel, the first effective pixel being a first one of the effective pixels determined to satisfy the given condition; and

the imaging section being provided in the indicator held in a reference position when one of the pixels having the light-reception information output primarily is disposed on a lower side of the image and another one of the pixels having the light-reception information output last is disposed on an upper side of the image,

wherein the determination section determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies the given condition and then determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies a second condition; and

wherein the calculation section sets a predetermined area of the image, that is less than an entire area of the image, including the first effective pixel as a determination area, and performs the position calculations based on the identification information of part of the effective pixels included in the determination area,

the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area and satisfying the second condition being differently weighted from the effective pixels included in the determination area but not satisfying the second condition.

11. A game system calculating an indication position of an indicator, the game system comprising:

a display section which displays an object;

a light-emitting section which has a given positional relationship with the display section;

an imaging section which is provided in the indicator, acquires an image and successively outputs light-reception information of pixels of the acquired image, wherein one of the pixels having the light-reception information output primarily is disposed on a lower side of the image when the indicator is held in a reference position and another one of the pixels having the light-reception information output last is disposed on an upper side of the image when the indicator is held in a reference position;

a determination section which determines whether or not the pixels are effective pixels satisfying a given condition based on the light-reception information without determining whether the pixels are those corresponding to the light-emitting section; and

a calculation section which performs position calculations based on identification information of the effective pixels in order to obtain the indication position of the indicator when light received by the effective pixels is included in light emitted from the light-emitting section,

the calculation section performing the position calculations based on the identification information of a first effective pixel, the first effective pixel being a first one of the effective pixels determined to satisfy the given condition,

wherein the determination section determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies the given condition and then determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies a second condition; and

wherein the calculation section sets a predetermined area of the image, that is less than an entire area of the image, including the first effective pixel as a determination area, and performs the position calculations based on the identification information of part of the effective pixels included in the determination area,

the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area and satisfying the second condition being differently weighted from the effective pixels included in the determination area but not satisfying the second condition.

12. An indication position calculation method comprising:

causing an imaging section provided in an indicator to acquire an image of a light-emitting section and successively output light-reception information of pixels of the acquired image;

causing a determination section to determine whether or not the pixels are effective pixels satisfying a given condition based on the light-reception information without determining whether the pixels are those corresponding to the light-emitting section; and

causing a calculation section to perform position calculations based on identification information of the effective pixels in order to obtain an indication position of the indicator when light received by the effective pixels is included in light emitted from the light-emitting section;

the calculation section performing the position calculations based on the identification information of a first effective pixel, the first effective pixel being a first one of the effective pixels determined to satisfy the given condition; and

the imaging section being provided in the indicator held in a reference position when one of the pixels having the light-reception information output primarily is disposed on a lower side of the image and another one of the pixels having the light-reception information output last is disposed on an upper side of the image,

wherein the determination section determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies the given condition and then determines whether or not each of the pixels satisfies a second condition; and

wherein the calculation section sets a predetermined area of the image, that is less than an entire area of the image, including the first effective pixel as a determination area, and performs the position calculations based on the identification information of part of the effective pixels included in the determination area,

the identification information of the effective pixels included in the determination area and satisfying the second condition being differently weighted from the effective pixels included in the determination area but not satisfying the second condition.