Computer-readable storage medium, image processing apparatus, image processing system, and image processing method

• US 8,571,266 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nintendo Company Limited
• Inventors: Osako, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatnagar, Anand
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARK, SOO JIN
• Application Number:
  US13/196,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20120219179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 382/103, 382/107, 345648-688
• US Class Current: 382/107
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6676 by dedicated player input
• 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: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

A position of a predetermined object or design is sequentially detected from images. Then, an amount of movement of the predetermined object or design is calculated on the basis of: a position, in a first image, of the predetermined object or design detected from the first image; and a position, in a second image, of the predetermined object or design detected from the second image acquired before the first image. Then, when the amount of movement is less than a first threshold, the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or design detected from the first image is corrected to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting: the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or design detected from the first image; to the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or design detected from the second image.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon an image processing program causing a computer of an information processing apparatus to provide functionality comprising:

an image acquisition for sequentially acquiring images;

a detection for sequentially detecting a position of a predetermined object or a predetermined design from the images;

an amount-of-movement calculation for calculating an amount of movement of the predetermined object or the predetermined design on the basis of;

a position, in a first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image acquired by the image acquisition; and

a position, in a second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image acquired before the first image;

a comparison for comparing the amount of movement with a first threshold;

a correction for, when the amount of movement is less than the first threshold, correcting the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image, to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting;

the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image;

to the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image;

a virtual camera setting for, on the basis of the position corrected by the correction, setting a virtual camera placed in a virtual space; and

a display control for displaying on a display device a virtual space image obtained by capturing the virtual space with the virtual camera.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, the image processing program further causing the computer to provide further functionality comprising:

a size calculation for calculating a size of the predetermined object or the predetermined design in the first image or the second image; and

a threshold correction for correcting the first threshold on the basis of the size calculated by the size calculation.

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

the threshold correction sets the first threshold such that the smaller the size calculated by the size calculation, the smaller the first threshold.

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

when the amount of movement is equal to or greater than the first threshold, the virtual camera setting sets the virtual camera on the basis of the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 1, the image processing program further causing the computer to function as:

a motion vector calculation for sequentially calculating motion vectors from the images, the motion vectors each indicating a moving direction of the predetermined object or the predetermined design; and

a ratio change for changing the predetermined ratio on the basis of the motion vectors.

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

the ratio change includes determination for, on the basis of the plurality of motion vectors, determining whether or not the predetermined object or the predetermined design is continuously moving in a constant direction, and changes the predetermined ratio in accordance with a determination result of the determination.

7. An image processing apparatus comprising:

an image acquisition unit configured to sequentially acquire images;

a detection unit configured to sequentially detect a position of a predetermined object or a predetermined design from the images;

an amount-of-movement calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of movement of the predetermined object or the predetermined design on the basis of;

a position, in a first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image acquired by the image acquisition unit; and

a position, in a second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image acquired before the first image;

a comparison unit configured to compare the amount of movement with a first threshold;

a correction unit configured to correct the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image, when the amount of movement is less than the first threshold, to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting;

the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image;

to the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image;

a virtual camera setting unit configured to set a virtual camera placed in a virtual space on the basis of the position corrected by the correction unit; and

a display control unit configured to display on a display device a virtual space image obtained by capturing the virtual space with the virtual camera.

8. An image processing method comprising:

sequentially acquiring images;

sequentially detecting a position of a predetermined object or a predetermined design from the images;

calculating an amount of movement of the predetermined object or the predetermined design on the basis of;

a position, in a first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image; and

a position, in a second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image acquired before the first image;

comparing the amount of movement with a first threshold;

correcting the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image, when the amount of movement is less that the first threshold, to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting;

the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image;

to the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image;

setting a virtual camera placed in a virtual space on the basis of the correct position; and

displaying on a display device a virtual space image obtained by capturing the virtual space with the virtual camera.

9. A processing system, comprising at least a computer processor, the processing system being configured to:

sequentially acquire images;

sequentially detect a position of a predetermined object or a predetermined design from the images;

calculate an amount of movement of the predetermined object or the predetermined design on the basis of;

a position, in a first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first acquired image; and

a position, in a second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image acquired before the first image;

compare the amount of movement with a first threshold;

correct the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image, when the amount of movement is less than the first threshold, to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting;

the position, in the first image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the first image;

to the position, in the second image, of the predetermined object or the predetermined design detected from the second image;

set a virtual camera placed in a virtual space on the basis of the corrected position; and

display on a display device a virtual space image obtained by capturing the virtual space with the virtual camera.

10. An image processing system including an image processing apparatus and a marker in which a design is drawn, the image processing apparatus comprising:

a capturing unit configured to capture the marker;

an image acquisition unit configured to sequentially acquire images from the capturing unit;

a detection unit configured to sequentially detect a position of a marker or a design from the images;

an amount-of-movement calculation unit configured to calculate an amount of movement of the marker or the design on the basis of;

a position, in a first image, of the marker or the design detected from the first image acquired by the image acquisition unit; and

a position, in a second image, of the marker or the design detected from the second image acquired before the first image;

a comparison unit configured to compare for comparing the amount of movement with a first threshold;

a correction unit configured to correct the position, in the first image, of the marker or the design detected from the first image, when the amount of movement is less that the first threshold, to a position internally dividing, in a predetermined ratio, line segments connecting;

the position, in the first image, of the marker or the design detected from the first image;

to the position, in the second image, of the marker or the design detected from the second image;

a virtual camera setting unit configured to, on the basis of the position corrected by the correction unit, set a virtual camera placed in a virtual space; and

a display control unit configured to display on a display device a virtual space image obtained by capturing the virtual space with the virtual camera.