Image processing program and image processing device for moving display area

• US 9,592,447 B2
• Filed: 09/19/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Iwamoto, Daiki, Nitta, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Peter
• Application Number:
  US14/491,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20150002512A1
• Time in Patent Office: 907 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5258 by dynamically adapting the position of the virtual camera to keep a game object or game character in its viewing frustum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• 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 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6661 for changing the position of the virtual camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6684 by dynamically adapting its position to keep a game object in its viewing frustrum, e.g. for tracking a character or a ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

A video game device calculates a difference vector extending from a predetermined reference position on the screen to an input position. Moreover, the video game device calculates movement parameter data used for moving, with respect to a fixed point in the virtual space uniquely determined based on a position of the controlled object, the point of sight to a position that is determined by a direction in the virtual space based on a direction of the difference vector and a distance in the virtual space based on a magnitude of the difference vector. The point of sight is moved based on the movement parameter data. The video game device produces an image based on a virtual camera, which has been moved according to the movement of the point of sight, and displays the image on the screen of a display device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein an image processing program to be executed by a computer of an image processing device, the image processing device comprising a pointing device capable of specifying a coordinate on a screen of a display device and configured to display on the screen a predetermined display area in a virtual space including a predetermined object, the display area comprising a portion of the virtual space to be displayed on the screen, the image processing program comprising instructions causing the computer to perform:

determining whether coordinate specification by the pointing device has been performed; and

switching setting of the display area by executing, upon determining that the coordinate specification has been performed, a first setting in which the display area is set based on a position of the object and an input coordinate specified in the coordinate specification, and by executing, upon determining that the coordinate specification has not been performed, a second setting in which the display area is set based on the position of the object and the display area gradually moves automatically over a number of display frames toward the display area setting based on the position of the object.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

in the first setting, the display area is set such that more of an area in a direction from the position of the object toward a position of the input coordinate is displayed compared with that before the coordinate specification has been performed.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the determining of coordinate specification and the switching of setting of the display area are continuously performed and the switching of setting of the display area is performed instantaneously in accordance with a change in presence/absence of the coordinate specification performed by a user.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the image processing program comprises further instructions causing the computer to further perform:

executing a first control in which in accordance with the display area set in the first setting, the displayed display area gradually move toward the set display area.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

in the first setting, the display area is set so that the object will not be outside the display area.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

in the second setting, the display area is set so that the object will not be outside the display area.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, wherein

the pointing device is a touch panel.

8. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the display area gradually moving automatically comprises incrementally moving the display area along a movement vector calculated based on the current position of a point of sight and the position of a game character in the virtual space.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the gradually moving automatically comprises incrementally moving the display area along a movement vector calculated based on the current position of a point of sight and the position of a game character in the virtual space.

10. An image processing device configured to display, on a screen of a display device, a predetermined display area in a virtual space including a predetermined object, the display area comprising a portion of the virtual space to be displayed on the screen, the image processing device comprising:

a pointing device capable of specifying a coordinate on a screen of the display device; and

coordinate specification determining circuitry configured to determine whether coordinate specification by the pointing device has been performed; and

display area switching circuitry configured to switch setting of the display area by setting, when the coordinate specification determining circuitry has determined that the coordinate specification has been performed, a display area based on a position of the object and an input coordinate specified in the coordinate specification, and by setting, when the coordinate specification determining circuitry has determined that the coordinate specification has not been performed, the display area based on the position of the object and gradually moving the display area automatically over a number of display frames toward the display area setting based on the position of the object.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the gradually moving automatically comprises incrementally moving the display area along a movement vector calculated based on the current position of a point of sight and the position of a game character in the virtual space.

12. An image processing system configured to display, on a screen of a display device, a predetermined display area in a virtual space including a predetermined object, the display area comprising a portion of the virtual space to be displayed on the screen, the image processing system comprising:

a pointing device capable of specifying a coordinate on a screen of the display device,

the image processing system configured to;

determine whether coordinate specification by the pointing device has been performed; and

switch setting of the display area by setting, upon determining that the coordinate specification has been performed, a display area based on a position of the object and an input coordinate specified in the coordinate specification, and by setting, upon determining that the coordinate specification has not been performed, the display area based on the position of the object and by gradually moving the display area automatically over a number of display frames toward the display area setting based on the position of the object.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the gradually moving automatically comprises incrementally moving the display area along a movement vector calculated based on the current position of a point of sight and the position of a game character in the virtual space.

14. An image processing method executed by a computer of an image processing device, the image processing device comprising a pointing device capable of specifying a coordinate on a screen of a display device and configured to display on the screen a predetermined display area in a virtual space including a predetermined object, the display area comprising a portion of the virtual space to be displayed on the screen, the image processing method comprising:

determining whether coordinate specification by the pointing device has been performed; and

switching setting of the display area by executing, upon determining that the coordinate specification has been performed, a first setting in which a display area is set based on a position of the object and an input coordinate specified in the coordinate specification, and by executing, upon determining that the coordinate specification has not been performed, a second setting in which the display area is set based on the position of the object and is gradually moved automatically over a number of display frames toward the display area setting based on the position of the object.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the gradually moving automatically comprises incrementally moving the display area along a movement vector calculated based on the current position of a point of sight and the position of a game character in the virtual space.