Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system – Display driving control circuitry – Controlling the condition of display elements
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-14
2003-03-18
Bayerl, Raymond J. (Department: 2173)
Computer graphics processing and selective visual display system
Display driving control circuitry
Controlling the condition of display elements
C345S215000, C345S638000, C345S583000, C345S428000, C345S427000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06535232
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling quality of moving image reproduction in a three-dimensional virtual space.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, control of reproduction quality such as a frame rate or image quality of a moving image in reproduction of the same, is performed mainly for data on a transmission line, and the moving image transmitted therethrough is the one reproduced according to the frame rate or the image quality set when transmitted.
By the way, in recent years, multimedia data such as the moving image, audio, and three-dimensional computer graphics have been provided through the use of Internet, CD-ROM, DVD, and the like, and contents which comprise the moving image and the three-dimensional computer graphics, fused with each other, and the moving image of which is reproduced in the three-dimensional virtual space, have been created.
When the moving image is reproduced at a spot distant from a view point of a viewer in this three-dimensional virtual space, its display size in a display projection plane is small. In general, when the display size is small, degradation of the moving image reproduction quality is hardly recognized. Hence, when the display size is small, it is not necessary to keep reproduction quality as high as that of the moving image of a large display size. That is, if the frame rate or the image quality is reduced according to the distance from the view point, the viewer can see the image on the display projection plane without any problem.
However, in a conventional moving image reproduction method, since reproduction of the moving image in the three-dimensional virtual space is not taken into account, it is required that the image be reproduced according to the set frame rate or image quality even when the display size is small as described above. The requirement that the same amount of operation be performed regardless of the display size is problematic.
The present invention is directed to solving the above problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for controlling reproduction quality of the moving image reproduced in the three-dimensional virtual space according to the distance from the view point.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling the reproduction quality of a moving image which is reproduced from a fusion of the moving image and three-dimensional computer in a three-dimensional virtual space. In this embodiment, the apparatus comprises: an object veneration means that receives three-dimensional object data relating to an object to which the moving image is to be mapped as an external input, and places the object in the three-dimensional virtual space to generate the object based on the three-dimensional object data; object position determination means that receives data relating to the object placed in the three-dimensional virtual space as an input, moves the object according to an external user input and thereby determines the object position in the three-dimensional virtual space; view point position determination means that receives the determined object position as an input, moves a view point in the three-dimensional virtual space according to an external user input, and thereby determines a view point position according to correlation between the object position and the view point position; distance calculation means that receives the object position and the view point position as inputs and calculates a distance from the view point to the object, frame rate determination means that receives the calculated distance as an input, and determines a frame rate corresponding to the input distance on the basis of a preset table or formula showing a relationship between distances from the view point to the object and frame rates of the moving image to be mapped to the object; frame rate control means that receives the determined frame rate as an input and performs control so that a frame of the moving image to be mapped to the object is reproduced at the determined frame rate; moving image generation means that receives moving image data input externally, and reproduces a necessary frame of the moving image from the moving image data in accordance with the control; and perspective projection display means that receives the object position, the view point position, and the frame of the reproduced moving image as inputs, projects the object on a two-dimensional display projection plane based on the object position and the view point position, maps the frame of the moving image to a projection plane of the object, and displays the resulting image.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, further to the apparatus for controlling moving image reproduction quality of the first embodiment, the distance calculation means further receives coordinates on the display projection plane in the three-dimensional virtual space as an input, and finds an inclination angle of the object with respect to the display projection plane based on the object position, the view point position, and the coordinates on the display projection plane in the three-dimensional virtual space, and the frame rate determination means updates the frame rate determined according to the distance into a frame rate corresponding to the distance and the inclination angle, on the basis of a preset table or formula showing a relationship between inclination angles and frame rates of the moving image to be mapped to the object.
According to a third embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling reproduction quality of a moving image which is reproduced from a fusion of the moving image and three-dimensional computer graphics in a three-dimensional virtual space. The apparatus of this embodiment comprises: object generation means that receives three-dimensional object data relating to an object to which the moving image is to be mapped as an external input, and places the object in the three-dimensional virtual space to generate the object based on the three-dimensional object data; object position determination means that receives data relating to the object placed in the three-dimensional virtual space as an input from the object generation means, moves the object according to an external user input, and thereby determine the object position in the three-dimensional virtual space; view point position determination means that receives the determined object position as an input, moves a view point in the three-dimensional virtual space according to an external user input, and thereby determines a view point position according to correlation between the object position and the view point position; perspective projection means that receives the object position and the view point position as inputs and projects the object on a two-dimensional display projection plane corresponding to the object position and the view point position; area calculation means that receives data relating to a projection plane of the perspectively projected object, and calculates an area of the projection plane; frame rate determination means that receives the calculated area as an input, and determines a frame rate corresponding to the input area with reference to a preset table or formula showing a relationship between areas of the projection plane of the object and frame rates of the moving image to be mapped to the projection plane; frame rate control means that receives the determined frame rate as an input and performs control so that a frame of the moving image to be mapped to the object is reproduced at the determined frame rate; moving image generation means that receives moving image data input externally, and reproduces a necessary frame of the moving image from the moving image data in accordance with the control; and display means that maps the frame of the moving image input from the moving image generation means to the two-dimensional display projection plan
Imamura Tetsuya
Inagaki Satoru
Miki Takayasu
Nakano Hironori
Nakase Yoshimori
Bayerl Raymond J.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Wenderoth , Lind & Ponack, L.L.P.
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