Three-dimensional imaging system, game device, method for same and recording medium

• US 6,278,418 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1996
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises
• Inventors: Doi, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): WU, XIAO MIN
• Application Number:
  US08/775,480
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/158, 345/145, 345/146, 345/7, 345/8, 463/34, 463/31, 463/44, 434/307, 395/326, 364/578
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• 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 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/002 to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

A three-dimensional imaging system provides an image display system, a method and a recording medium, whereby a three-dimensional display of virtual images causes an observer to perceive virtual images three-dimensionally at a part of the body, such as the hand, of the observer. The system includes, for example, a position detecting unit detecting unit detecting the position in real space of a prescribed part of the body of an observer viewing the virtual images, and outputs the spatial coordinates thereof. A display position determining unit determining unit determines the positions at which the observer is caused to perceive the virtual images, on the basis of ages, on the basis of the spatial coordinates output by the position detecting unit.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional imaging system causing an observer to perceive virtual images three-dimensionally, comprising:

a position detecting device detecting the position, in real space, of a prescribed part of the observer viewing said virtual images, and outputting spatial coordinates;

a display position determining device determining the positions at which the observer is caused to perceive said virtual images, on the basis of the spatial coordinates output by said position detecting device, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part; and

a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer can perceive the images displayed on the screen three-dimensionally.

2. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 1, wherein said virtual images include images of objects which are perceived by the observer to be fired from the position detected by said position detecting device.

3. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 1, further comprising an impact determining device determining, on the basis of spatial coordinates for a first virtual image and spatial coordinates for a second virtual image, whether an impact occurs between said first virtual image and said second virtual image.

4. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 2, further comprising an impact determining device determining, on the basis of spatial coordinates for a first virtual image and spatial coordinates for a second virtual image, whether an impact occurs between said first virtual image and said second virtual image.

5. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 3, wherein said impact determining device determines whether said impact occurs by calculating whether there is any overlapping between one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said first virtual image, and one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said second virtual image, on the basis of said radii.

6. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 4, wherein said impact determining device determines whether said impact occurs by calculating whether there is any overlapping between one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said first virtual image, and one ore more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said second virtual image, on the basis of said radii.

7. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 1, wherein said virtual images are formed by alternately displaying images corresponding to a left eye viewpoint, and images corresponding to a right eye viewpoint, and using electronic shutters which open and close in synchronization, images corresponding to said left eye viewpoint and images corresponding to said right eye viewpoint are supplied independently to the left and right eyes of the observer, causing the observer to perceive said virtual images.

8. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional system is a game device displaying said virtual images displaying as images for a game.

9. A three-dimensional imaging system which respectively supplies virtual images to the eyes of an observer, accounting for parallax therein, causing the observer to perceive the virtual images three-dimensionially, comprising:

a position detecting device detecting the position, in real space, of a prescribed part of the observer of said virtual images, and outputting spatial coordinates;

an image display device displaying said virtual images on the basis of the spatial coordinates output by said position detecting device, such that the virtual images are formed at positions corresponding to the spatial coordinates, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part; and

a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer can perceive the images displayed on the screen three-dimensionally.

10. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 9, wherein said virtual images include images of objects which are perceived by the observer to be fired from the position detected by said position detecting device.

11. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 9, further comprising an impact determining device determining, on the basis of spatial coordinates for a first virtual image and spatial coordinates for a second virtual image, whether an impact occurs between said first virtual image and said second virtual image.

12. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claims 10, further comprising an impact determining device determining, on the basis of spatial coordinates for a first virtual image and spatial coordinates for a second virtual image, whether an impact occurs between said first virtual image and said second virtual image.

13. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 11, wherein said impact determining device determines whether said impact occurs by calculating whether there is any overlapping between one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said first virtual image, and one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said second virtual image, on the basis of said radii.

14. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 12, wherein said impact determining device determines whether said impact occurs by calculating whether there is any overlapping between one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said first virtual image, and one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said second virtual image, on the basis of said radii.

15. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 9, wherein said virtual images are formed by alternately displaying images corresponding to a left eye viewpoint, and images corresponding to a right eye viewpoint, and using electronic shutters which open and close in synchronization, images corresponding to said left eye viewpoint and images corresponding to said right eye viewpoint are supplied independently to the left and right eyes of the observer, causing the observer to perceive said virtual images.

16. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 9, said image display device further comprises screens onto which images are provided on at least one of the walls surrounding the observation position of said images.

17. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 9, wherein the three-dimensional imaging system is a game device displaying said virtual images as images for a game.

18. A three-dimensional image display method for displaying virtual images three-dimensionally in real space, comprising:

detecting a position in real space of a prescribed part of an observer of said virtual images;

outputting spatial coordinates of the position;

determining, on the basis of said spatial coordinates, display positions in real space of said virtual images, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part; and

displaying the images on a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer perceives the images three-dimensionally.

19. The three-dimensional image display method according to claim 18, further comprising perceiving said virtual images to include images of objects to be fired from the detected position.

20. A three-dimensional imaging method which respectively supplies virtual images to the eyes of an observer, accounting for parallax therein, enabling the observer to perceive the virtual images three-dimensionally, comprising:

detecting a position in real space of a prescribed part of the observer of said virtual images;

outputting spatial coordinates of the position; and

displaying said virtual images, on the basis of said spatial coordinates, such that the virtual images are formed at positions corresponding to said spatial coordinates and the virtual images are displayed on a screen surrounding a games space such that the observer perceives the virtual images three-dimensionally, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part.

21. The three-dimensional image display method according to claim 20, further comprising perceiving said virtual images to include images of objects to be fired from the detected position.

22. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions performing the function of:

detecting a position in real space of a prescribed part of an observer of virtual images;

outputting spatial coordinates of the position;

determining, on the basis of said spatial coordinates, display positions in real space of said virtual images, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part; and

displaying the images on a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer perceives the images three-dimensionally.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, further performing the function of perceiving said virtual images to include images of objects to be fired from the detected position.

24. A computer-readable medium having instructions thereon, the instructions performing the function of:

detecting a position in real space of a prescribed part of the observer of virtual images;

outputting spatial coordinates of the position; and

displaying said virtual images, on the basis of said spatial coordinates, such that the virtual images are formed at positions corresponding to said spatial coordinates and the virtual images are displayed on a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer perceives the virtual images three-dimensionally, wherein the virtual images interact with and are controlled by the prescribed part.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further performing the function of perceiving said virtual images to include images of objects to be fired from the detected position.

26. A three-dimensional imaging system, comprising:

a sensor detecting the viewpoint and viewline of an observer;

a position device detecting the position, in real space, of a prescribed part of the body of said observer; and

an image display controlling device displaying a first virtual three-dimensional image, accounting for parallax in the eyes of said observer, in accordance with the viewpoint and viewline detected by said sensor, displaying a second virtual three-dimensional image, accounting for parallax in the eyes of the observer, in correspondence with the position of a part of the body of said observer detected by said position device, and displaying the virtual images on a screen surrounding a game space such that the observer perceives the virtual images three-dimensionally, wherein the first virtual three-dimensional image interacts with and is controlled by the prescribed part.

27. The three-dimensional image system according to claim 26 further comprising an impact detecting device detecting an impact occurring between said first virtual image and said second virtual image,

wherein said image display controlling device changes said first virtual image or said second virtual image when an impact is detected by said impact detecting device.

28. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 27, wherein said impact detecting device detects whether there is any overlapping between one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said first virtual image, and one or more spatial regions having a prescribed radius set by said second virtual image, on the basis of the position detected by said position detecting device and said radii.

29. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 26, wherein said image display controlling device alternately switches and displays in time divisions images corresponding to a left eye viewpoint, and images corresponding to a right eye viewpoint, and

said three-dimensional imaging system further comprising electronic shutters, provided in front of the eyes of said observer, opening and closing in synchronization with the switching of image displays of said image display controlling device.

30. The three-dimensional imaging system according to claim 26, wherein said image display controlling device forms a plurality of left eye images corresponding to left eye viewpoints of a plurality of observers, and a plurality of right eye images corresponding to right eye viewpoints of said plurality of observers, and alternately displays said plurality of left eye images in a series, then alternately displays said plurality of right eye images in a series, and

said three-dimensional imaging system further comprising a plurality of electric shutters, provided in front of the eyes of said plurality of observers, opening and closing in accordance with the switching of plurality of images of said image display controlling device.