JP3371535B2 - Image control apparatus and image control method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image control apparatus and an image control method for controlling display of an image displayed on a display unit based on a specific color image extracted from a picked-up image.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various image control devices have been put into practical use, which control a moving image of an object image or generate a sound effect in accordance with an operation of an operation pad or the like. In addition,
The object image mentioned here refers to a “character” displayed on the game screen, and is moved and displayed on the background screen as a background. This type of device is called a video game or a TV game, and a shooting game that asks a player's reflexes, a game that simulates a virtual reality, and the like are known.

Such a video game is composed of an image processing section for generating a video signal corresponding to a game operation and a display for displaying the video signal supplied from the image processing section. The image processing unit is a CPU, RO
M and RAM etc., for example, sequentially read out the image information and control information stored in the ROM pack,
A background image serving as a screen background is displayed on the display, and a corresponding character (object image) is displayed as a moving image on the screen background in response to a game operation, and a sound effect corresponding to the movement is pronounced.

[0004]

In the above-described conventional image control device, in many cases, the position of the image (background image or object image) displayed in response to the operation of the operation pad (external switch) and The game is progressing while changing the form. In the input operation using the operation pad (external switch), for example, in the case of a game such as a sports game, the player himself / herself becomes a player of the game and causes the ball to strike or throw a ball in a simulated manner. Is not realistic because the player does not actually move his body.

Under such a background, therefore, what can be considered, for example, is that the player has a tool (bat, racket, etc.) used in the game, the movement of the tool is detected, and the object on the display screen is detected. It is a method to control the movement of the image (ball image or opponent image). As a method for detecting the movement or position of the tool, there is a chroma key detection (specific color image detection) method, but there is a problem in practical use. That is, when an object of the same color as the tool to be detected exists in the image captured by the image capturing means,
The point is that the object and the tool are indistinguishable. If the game is executed with such an object present in the captured image, it may inevitably cause a malfunction.

Therefore, for the purpose of avoiding such an adverse effect, there is a method of preventing a part of the object from being detected by the chroma key as a dead zone, but there are many objects of the same color as the tool to be detected or As the size increases, the dead zone itself may be a factor that hinders normal game operation. However, the conventional image control device has a problem in that it is not possible to notify in advance of a defect caused when an object other than the detection target is present in the captured image, such as a malfunction caused by the dead zone itself. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an image control device and an image control device capable of notifying in advance a defect caused when an object other than a detection target exists in a captured image.
An object is to provide an image control method .

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, in the invention described in claim 1, the color difference signal of the picked-up image is added.
Based on the extraction means for extracting the image region of the specific condition,
The area of the image area extracted by this extraction means is predetermined
Determination means for determining whether or not the value is less than or equal to the value, and this determination means
If it is determined to be less than or equal to a predetermined value by
And a first instructing means for instructing the output of a computer image including the image area .

Further, in the invention described in claim 2,
The area of the image area extracted by the determining means is
If it is determined that the value is greater than or equal to the fixed value, the warning output
It is characterized in that it further comprises the instruction means of 2 .

Further, according to the invention of claim 3,
A detection means for detecting the chroma key area of the captured image is further added.
Comprises the extraction means being detected by this detection means
The chroma key area is extracted as the image area of the specific condition . In addition, according to claim 4,
In the image control method, a special feature is calculated based on the color difference signal of the captured image.
Extraction step to extract image area of fixed condition and this extraction
If the area of the image area extracted in step is less than a predetermined value
A determination step for determining whether or not there is this determination step
If it is determined to be less than or equal to a predetermined value in
An instruction to output a computer image including the image area
It is characterized by consisting of steps .

[0010]

In the present invention , based on the color difference signal of the picked-up image,
The image area of the specified condition is extracted, and the extracted image area is extracted.
It is determined whether the area of the area is less than or equal to a predetermined value. And
If it is determined that it is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the extracted image
Instruct to output a computer image including a region. This makes it possible to notify in advance of a defect caused when an object other than the detection target is present in the captured image.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A. Outline of Embodiments FIG. 1 is an external view showing an overall configuration of an image control apparatus according to the present invention, and illustrates an example applied to a batting game. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is an image pickup unit including a solid-state image pickup device such as a CCD, and picks up an image of a player B held on a batter box (not shown). Here, the player B performs a batting operation using, for example, a bat BAT colored in blue for chroma key detection. Reference numeral 2 denotes an apparatus main body, which performs chroma key detection on the image pickup signal supplied from the image pickup unit 1 to determine the position of the bat BAT in the actual image. The actual image refers to an image captured by the image capturing unit 1. Further, the device body 2 includes a background image BG which is a background scene of the game, and an object image OB which is moved and displayed on the background image BG.
J and J are combined, and this is displayed on the display 3 as a computer graphic image (hereinafter referred to as a CG image). The CG image displayed on the display 3 is composed of, for example, a throwing motion image of a pitcher on a background scene and a flying image of a ball corresponding to the throwing motion.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2A, the apparatus main body 2 obtains the position of the center of gravity of the "ball" from the CG image, while chroma key detection is performed from the actual image as shown in FIG. The position of the center of gravity of the "bat BAT" image is calculated.
Then, it is determined at every predetermined timing whether the “ball” in the CG image and the “bat BAT” in the actual image collide with each other. Depending on the hit condition. For example, in FIG.
As shown in (c), if the positions of both centers of gravity match at the time of collision,
Perform a simulation close to reality as if it were a "home run" as just meat.

B. Configuration of Embodiments Next, the electrical configurations of the imaging unit 1 and the apparatus main body 2 will be described with reference to FIG. (1) Configuration of Image Capturing Unit 1 The image capturing unit 1 is composed of components 10 to 13.
An oscillating circuit 10 generates and outputs an 8 times oversampling signal 8f _SC . An image pickup signal processing unit 11 supplies the 8 × oversampling signal 8f _SC to the clock driver 12 in the next stage and converts the image pickup signal SS output from the CCD 13 into sampled image data D _S. The configuration of the image pickup signal processing unit 11 will be described later. The clock driver 12 generates various timing signals such as a horizontal drive signal, a vertical drive signal, a horizontal / vertical sync signal, and a blanking signal based on the 8 times oversampling signal 8f _SC supplied from the oscillator circuit 10. An image pickup drive signal corresponding to the horizontal drive signal and the vertical drive signal is generated and supplied to the CCD 13. CCD
13 generates an image pickup signal SS obtained by picking up an image of an object according to the image pickup drive signal.

The image pickup signal processing section 11 conditions the image pickup signal SS supplied from the CCD 13 and then A
The _S / D conversion is performed to generate the sampled image data D _S , and its schematic configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, 11a is a sampling circuit,
The image pickup signal SS is sampled and held according to the 4 × oversampling signal 4f _SC supplied from the clock driver 12 and output to the next stage. Reference numeral 11b is an AGC (automatic gain control) circuit for converting the sampled image pickup signal SS into a predetermined level and outputting it. Reference numeral 11c is a γ correction circuit which corrects the gamma characteristic of the image pickup signal SS to γ = 1 / 2.2 and outputs it. Reference numeral 11d denotes an A / D conversion circuit that converts the gamma-corrected image pickup signal SS into 8-bit length sampling image data D _S and outputs the sampled image data D _S. The sampling image data D _S is the video signal processing unit 2 described later.
Supplied to zero. Reference numeral 11e denotes D which converts the composite video signal D _CV supplied from the video signal processing unit 20 into an analog video signal S _V and supplies the analog video signal S _V to the display 3 described above.
A / A conversion circuit.

(2) Structure of Device Main Body 2 Next, the structure of the device main body 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. The apparatus main body 2 includes a video signal processing unit 20, an image processing unit 30, a position detection processing unit 40, and a control unit 50. Each of these units will be described in detail below. Configuration of Video Signal Processing Unit 20 The video signal processing unit 20 performs color difference conversion processing and chroma key detection processing on the sampled image data DS supplied from the image pickup unit 1, and the result is sent to a position detection processing unit 40 described later. Supply. Further, the processing unit 20 converts the image processing data D _SP supplied from the image processing unit 30 described later into a composite video signal D _CV and supplies the composite video signal D _CV to the above-mentioned D / A conversion circuit 11e (see FIG. 4). The image processing data D _SP is data that forms a CG image that combines the background image BG and the object image OBJ that is moved and displayed on the background image BG.

Here, the configuration of the video signal processing unit 20 which implements each of the above processes will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 20a denotes a color separation filter, which supplies the sampling image data D _S to the signal Ye (yellow) and the signal Cy.
(Cyan) and signal G (green) are color-separated and output to the next stage. Reference numeral 20b is a contour correction circuit that adjusts the image quality by performing brightness modulation before and after the change point in the video signal. 20c is a white balance circuit for each signal Y
e, Cy, and G are set to specified levels and output. 20d
Is a separation filter composed of a bandpass filter, which converts each signal Ye and Cy into a signal R (red) and a signal B.
(Blue) is sorted and output. Reference numeral 20e designates signals R, G and B representing the three primary colors, a luminance signal Y and a color difference signal B each having a length of 8 bits.
This is a matrix circuit for converting into -Y and RY.

Reference numeral 20f is a chroma key signal generating circuit,
When the color difference signals BY and RY reach a predetermined level, the "H" level chroma key detection signal CRO is generated.
That is, in this circuit 20f, as shown in FIG. 6, the maximum / minimum levels BY- _MAX and BY- _MIN of the color difference BY are obtained.
The maximum / minimum levels RY _MAX and R-Y _{MIN of the} color difference R-Y are predetermined, and when the color difference signals B-Y and R-Y fall within the color difference area E defined by these levels, An "H" level chroma key detection signal CRO indicating that a specific color has been detected is output. In this embodiment, the area E is "blue", and specifically, when the blue-colored bat BAT image held by the player P is detected, the "H" level chroma key detection signal CRO is detected. To generate.

Next, the configuration of the video signal processing section 20 will be described again with reference to FIG. 20g is VDP
31. Image processing data D supplied from 31 (described later)
_SP (RGB signal) is a luminance signal Y, color difference signals BY, R-
This is a matrix circuit for converting to Y. Reference numeral 20h is a selector, which is a selection signal S supplied from the position detection processing unit 40.
Depending on L, either the output of the matrix circuit 20e or the output of the matrix circuit 20h is selected and supplied to the next stage. 20i is a modulator. The modulator 20i supplies various synchronization signals (horizontal / horizontal / horizontal signal) to the luminance signal Y and the color difference signals BY and RY supplied via the selector 20h.
A digital composite video signal D _{CV on} which a vertical sync signal and a blanking signal) are superimposed is generated.

According to the above configuration, the video signal processing section 20
Is the sampling image data D supplied from the imaging unit 1.
Chroma key detection of a specific color is performed on _S , and the result is used as a chroma key detection signal CRO for the position detection processing unit 40.
Supply to the side (described later). Further, the processing unit 20
Image processing data D input from the image processing unit 30 side
Either _SP (RGB signal) or the sampling image data D _S supplied from the image pickup unit 1 is selected according to the selection signal SL, and the selected data is converted into a composite video signal D _CV and output. The selection signal SL is a signal supplied from the position detection processing unit 40 described later.

Structure of Image Processing Unit 30 Next, the structure of the image processing unit 30 will be described. The image processing unit 30 includes a video data processor (hereinafter abbreviated as VDP) 31 and a VRAM 32. This VD
The basic function of P31 is to read the background image data D _BG and the object image data D _OB stored in the VRAM 32 according to a control signal SC supplied from the control unit 50 (described later) side, and to read this one scanning line. The purpose is to generate image processing data D _SP representing each dot display color. Hereinafter, the configuration of each unit will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7.

In FIG. 7, reference numeral 31a denotes a CPU interface circuit, which is a constituent element 31b to 3 according to a control signal SC supplied via a bus of a CPU 51 (described later).
Various control instructions are given to 1d. The control signal SC is formed from various commands for displaying and controlling the background image BG and the object image OBJ, and the background image data D _BG and the object image data D _OB which are DMA-transferred to the VRAM 32. 31b is VRAM
A VRAM 3 which is a control circuit and corresponds to a control signal supplied from the components 31a, 31c and 31d.
Exchange data with 2.

That is, when the control signal SC indicating the DMA transfer is received from the CPU interface circuit 31a, the background image data D _BG or the object image data D _OB DMA-transferred via the circuit 31a is received. Store in a predetermined storage area. When an instruction to read the background image data D _BG is received from the background control circuit 31c, the corresponding data D _BG is read and returned to the circuit 31c side. Similarly, when an instruction to read the object image data D _OB is received from the object control circuit 31d, the corresponding data D _OB is read and returned to the circuit 31d side.

Background control circuit 31c
Specifies the display position for the background image data D _BG read via the VRAM control circuit 31b based on the background display control command given from the control unit 50 side via the circuit 31a, It is supplied to the color difference data processing circuit 31e.

The object control circuit 31d is
The object table data T _OB given from the control unit 50 side via the circuit 31a is stored in the object table RA.
Write to M31f. The object table data T _OB is the object image data D on the display screen.
_This is coordinate data that specifies the display position of the _OB . Further, the circuit 31d refers to the object table data T _OB for the object image data D _OB read from the VRAM 32 in response to the object display control command, obtains the display position, and the object for one scanning line is obtained. Image data D _OB line buffer RAM 31g
Temporarily store in. The object image data D _OB temporarily stored in the line buffer RAM 31g is updated every scan. The object image data D _OB read from the RAM 31g is supplied to the color difference data processing circuit 31e.

The color difference data processing circuit 31e outputs the 8-bit image data D _BG and D _OB supplied from the background control circuit 31c and the object control circuit 31d by referring to a known color lookup table RAM 31h. The image processing data D _SP formed from the R signal, G signal, and B signal of bit length is converted and output. Further, the color difference data processing circuit 31e generates a signal YSBG and a signal YSOBJ in addition to the image processing data D _SP (RGB signal). The signal YSBG and the signal YSOBJ are signals indicating whether the currently output image processing data D _SP corresponds to the background image data D _BG or the object image data D _OB. is there. For example, when the currently output image processing data D _SP corresponds to the background image data D _BG , the signal YSBG
Becomes "H" and the signal YSOBJ becomes "L". On the other hand, conversely to this, the image processing data D _SP
There long as corresponding to the object image data DO _B, signal YSBG becomes "L", signal YSOBJ becomes "H".

As described above, in the image processing unit 30, the background image data D _BG and the object image data D _OB DMA-transferred from the control unit 50 side are stored in the VRAM 3.
2 in accordance with the control signal SC (various display control commands) supplied from the CPU 51.
Reads the image data D _BG or the image data D _OB from 2, while generating the image processing data D _SP representing the dot display color of one scan line per this signal YSBG and YSOBJ representing the attributes of the image processing data D _SP Is output.

Configuration of Position Detection Processing Unit 40 The position detection processing unit 40 shown in FIG. 3 is composed of a gate array in which a plurality of logic elements are arranged, a line buffer and a work RAM, and a control unit 50 described later.
Of the chroma key image contained in the sampled image data D _S and the object image formed by the object image data D _OB , and the barycentric position of these images based on the predetermined logic. Logical operation. The line buffer (not shown) temporarily stores the chroma key detection signal CRO supplied from the video signal processing unit 20. The work RAM is adapted to temporarily store various calculation results obtained by logical calculation by the gate array.

The position detection processing section 40 is the same as the above-mentioned VD.
Based on the signals YSBG and YSOBJ supplied from P31, the above-mentioned selection signal SL is generated and given to the video signal processing unit 20, and the sampling image data D _S (actual image) and the image processing data D _SP (CG image) are generated. The degree of overlap, that is, the priority order (front-back relationship) of the images displayed on the screen is controlled. Further, the processing unit 40 supplies a register control signal S _REG to the above-mentioned imaging signal processing unit 11, video signal processing unit 20 and VDP 31 under the instruction of the control unit 50, and controls the data set / reset of each unit register. To do.

Next, referring to FIG. 8, the position detection processing unit 40
The storage area of the work RAM will be described. In this figure, E1 is an initial screen area for temporarily storing data of an initial screen formed of 96 dots in the horizontal direction (scanning line) and 96 lines in the vertical direction. The data of the initial screen refers to the chroma key detection result existing in the scene captured before the start of the game. If an object of a chroma key detection color (for example, blue) is present in the scene, it may be mistaken for a part of the bat BAT (see FIG. 1) described above. Therefore, the data temporarily stored in the initial screen area E1 is used when the dot position detected by the chroma key is not mistaken for the bat BAT (see FIG. 1) when the dot position is set to the dead zone.

E2 is 96 dots in the horizontal direction and 96 dots in the vertical direction.
This is a processing screen area formed by lines, and the bat BAT image in which the chroma key is detected in the actual image and the object image (ball image in this embodiment) in the CG image are updated and stored for each frame. E3 to E4 are bat BATs on the processing screen that are updated for each frame.
These are the upper end coordinate area and the lower end coordinate area for temporarily storing the upper end / lower end positions of the image. E5 to E6 are the left end of the bat BAT image on the processing screen updated for each frame /
The left end coordinate area and the right end coordinate area temporarily store the right end position. E7 is the first collision coordinate area. The first collision coordinate area E1 represents the intersection point in the scanning line where the overlap (collision) of the bat BAT image and the object image (ball image) is first detected as coordinates on the processing screen. . In addition, the second collision coordinate area E8
Represents the intersection point in the scanning line where the overlap between the bat BAT image and the object image (ball image) is finally detected as coordinates on the processing screen.

E9 is a barycentric coordinate area, in which the barycentric position calculated based on the area of the bat BAT image detected by the chroma key in the actual image is stored as the coordinate position on the processing screen. E10 is an area area in which the area of the bat BAT image subjected to chroma key detection in the actual image is stored. The area set in the area area E10 is represented by the number of blocks. The block referred to here is a 12-dot area consisting of 6 dots in the horizontal direction and 2 lines in the vertical direction on the processing screen. When chroma key detection of "6 dots" or more is detected in the block formed from the 12 dot area, the block is regarded as the area of the bat BAT image.

Structure of Control Unit 50 Next, the structure of the control unit 50 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 again. The control unit 50 is composed of components 51 to 57. The CPU 51 performs a key scan on various operators provided on the operation panel of the apparatus body 2 and controls each part of the apparatus according to the operator signal KS generated in response to the key scan. It will be described later. This CPU5
1 has an internal timer, and manages the game progress based on the game counter value counted by the timer. Further, the CPU 51 is provided with a well-known DMA controller and is configured to DMA-transfer various data (background image data D _BG and object image data D _OB ) necessary for game operation to the above-mentioned image processing unit 30. There is. Further, the CPU 51 generates a control signal SC necessary for image control according to the game operation and gives an operation instruction to each processing unit. 52 is a RAM, and the CPU 5
As a work area 1, various calculation results and flag values are temporarily stored. 53 is an OS that manages the operation of the CPU 51
(Operating system) R in which the program is stored
OM. A system clock circuit 54 generates a system clock that regulates the operation of the entire device under the control of the CPU 51.

Reference numeral 55 denotes a game cartridge which is removably attached to the apparatus main body 2 and includes a ROM 55a and a first cartridge.
The sound source circuit 55b. An application program loaded into the CPU 51 is stored in the ROM 55a. In this embodiment, as described above, the game program for simulating the batting practice is stored. 55b is a first tone generator circuit, which is a CPU
The game sound effect synchronized with the game operation is synthesized according to the musical sound control data supplied from the 51 side through the position detection processing unit 40, and this is output to the CPU 51 as a musical sound signal. 56 is a second tone generator circuit, and is the first tone generator circuit 55.
Similar to b, music corresponding to the progress of the game, for example, music such as opening and ending is synthesized and outputted in accordance with the music control data supplied from the CPU 51 side. Reference numeral 57 denotes a sound system, which filters the musical tone signals supplied from the first tone generator circuit 55b and the second tone generator circuit 56 such as noise removal, and then amplifies and outputs the amplified signals.

The above-mentioned first and second sound source circuits 5
The CPUs 51, 5b and 56 supply event information at predetermined timings to synthesize game sounds. Further, the CPU 51 side has a configuration in which the monitoring timer WT is reset every time a data request signal (described later) is supplied from the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56, and when the monitoring timer WT overflows. If the game cartridge 55 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 2, the operation is stopped. As a result, the game cartridge 55 requires the first tone generator circuit 55b that operates in cooperation with the CPU 51, and the game cartridge that does not have the circuit 55b does not perform the game operation.

C. Operation of Embodiment Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described.
Here, first, the operation of the position detection processing unit 40 described above will be described, and then the operation of the control unit 50 (CPU 51) will be described. (1) Operation of Position Detection Processing Unit 40 Here, the operation of the position detection processing unit 40 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 15. Under the instruction of the control unit 50, the processing unit 40 detects the bat BAT image included in the sampling image data DS based on the chroma key detection signal CRO, and forms the bat BAT image and the object image data D _OB . The position of the collision coordinates with the object image (ball image) and the position of the center of gravity of these images are set. The details of such operation will be described below.

Operation of Main Routine First, it is assumed that the apparatus main body 2 is powered on and a control signal SC representing a system reset is supplied from the CPU 51 side to the position detection processing section 40. Then, the position detection processing unit 40 executes the main routine shown in FIG. 9 based on the control signal SC, and advances the processing to step SA1.
First, in step SA1, while resetting its own internal register or performing initialization for setting an initial value, a register control signal S _REG for instructing register setting to the imaging signal processing unit 11, the video signal processing unit 20 and the VDP 31 is set. Supply and proceed to the next step SA2.

At step SA2, "initial screen map"
Is created. Where, for example,
When the "initial screen map" is not created, the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to the next step SA3. The "initial screen map" refers to whether or not there is an object of the same color other than the detection target BAT BAT (see FIG. 1) in the screen imaged by the imaging unit 1 prior to the start of the game. It is for confirmation. Then, when the processing proceeds to step SA3, the chroma key detection results for a plurality of frames are overlapped and stored in the initial screen area E1 (see FIG. 8) of the work RAM, and the chroma key detection blocks existing in the initial screen are "dead zone". Create an "initial screen map" that

When the "initial screen map" is created in this way, the position detection processing unit 40 proceeds to the next step S
The process proceeds to A4. If the “initial screen map” is prepared in advance, the result of the determination in step SA2 is “YES”, and the process proceeds to step SA9 described later. First, in step SA4, the chroma key detection area existing in the "initial screen map" is extracted and the total area S thereof is calculated. Subsequently, when the processing proceeds to step SA5, the processing unit 4
0 determines whether or not the calculated total area S is equal to or larger than a predetermined value. Here, if the total area S is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the determination result is “YES”, and the process proceeds to the next step SA6. At step SA6, the "initial screen map" created at step SA3 is cleared. And after this,
In step SA7, the warning flag stored in the register TF is set to "1", and the process returns to step SA2.

As described above, when the chroma key detection area having a predetermined area or more exists in the "initial screen map" created prior to the start of the game, an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT which is the detection object exists, and The warning screen is displayed on the basis of the operation of the CPU 51, which will be described later, by setting the warning flag to "1" while urging the creation of the "initial screen map" again on the assumption that the game operation may malfunction. The player is informed in advance that there is a risk of malfunction. As a result, malfunction of the game can be prevented.

On the other hand, if the total area S of the chroma key detection areas existing in the "initial screen map" is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the above-mentioned determination result of step SA5 becomes "NO", and the process proceeds to step SA8. In step SA8, the warning flag stored in the register TF is set to "0" because there is no possibility of malfunction, and the next step SA
The process proceeds to 9. At step SA9, register X,
Reset the Y value to zero. In addition, this register X, Y
, A value corresponding to the screen coordinates formed by 96 dots in the horizontal direction and 96 lines in the vertical direction is sequentially set according to the processing content.

Next, in step SA10, the position detection processing unit 40 performs chroma key detection for each block on the chroma key detection signal CRO temporarily stored in the line buffer. What is block-based chromakey detection?
Chroma key detection signal CR read from line buffer
O is divided into blocks each consisting of 6 dots in the horizontal direction and 2 lines in the vertical direction, and the "H" level chroma key detection signal C
When RO is present in “6 dots” or more per block, the attribute of the block is regarded as “with chroma key”. The result of such chroma key detection is stored as a block attribute in the processing screen area E2 (see FIG. 8) described above, and this becomes a "processing screen map".

Next, when the chroma key detection for each block unit is performed, the position detection processing unit 40 proceeds to the next step S.
Proceed to A11, and the bat B of the actual image with chroma key detection
Object image OBJ in AT image and CG image
The presence or absence of a collision with the (ball image) is detected, and in the case of a collision, the collision coordinates are obtained. Then, when the processing proceeds to step SA12, the processing unit 40 increments the value of the register X by 1, and subsequently, at step SA13, the value of the register X is "96", that is, whether or not the processing for one scanning line is completed. To judge. Here, the value of register X is "96".
If not, the judgment result is “NO”,
Until the processing for one scanning line is completed, the above step SA
Repeat 10 to SA12.

On the other hand, when the processing for one scanning line is completed, the judgment result here becomes "YES", and step S
The process proceeds to A14, the value of the register X is reset to zero again, and the value of the register Y is incremented by 1 to update the scan line in the vertical direction. And step S
When the process proceeds to A15, the processing unit 40 determines that the value of the register Y is "9.
6 ”is determined. Here, when the value of the register Y has not reached "96", the determination result is "N".
"O" and the above steps SA10 to SA14 are repeated. Then, when the scanning for one frame is completed, the determination result here becomes "YES", and step SA16
Proceed to.

In step SA16, the above step SA
Based on the blocks that were chroma key detected in 10,
The left edge / right edge coordinates and the upper edge / lower edge coordinates of the chroma key image are calculated, and these are stored in the storage areas E3 to E6 of the work RAM.
(See FIG. 8), the area of the chroma key image is calculated from the number of blocks detected by the chroma key. In this case, the chroma key image corresponds to the area of only the bat BAT image that is the detection target when the dead zone process described below is performed. The storage areas E3 to E4 temporarily store the upper and lower end positions of the chroma key image in the detection frame updated for each frame, and the storage areas E5 to E6 are stored.
Temporarily stores the left edge / right edge positions of the chroma key image within the detection frame updated for each frame. The area calculated from the number of blocks is stored in the storage area E10.

When the bat BAT image is chroma key detected from the real image in this way, the process proceeds to step SA17, the center of gravity of the bat BAT image is obtained, and then step SA1.
8, it is determined whether the interrupt flag CF is "1",
If it is "1", the process proceeds to step SA19 and the CPU 51
An interrupt signal is output to. After that, the position detection processing unit 40 returns the processing to step SA9, and repeats the above-described operation to obtain the correspondence relationship between the "bat" and the "ball" for each frame. The collision flag CF is “1” when the bat BAT image of the actual image and the object image (ball image) of the CG image are in a collision state, that is, when they overlap each other.

Operation of Initial Screen Map Creating Routine Next, the operation of the initial screen map creating routine will be described with reference to FIG. As described above, when the initial screen map is not created at the beginning of the game, the position detection processing unit 40 proceeds to step SA3, executes the initial screen map creation routine shown in FIG. 10, and executes step S3.
The process proceeds to B1. In step SB1, the sampling number n set in the internal register is read. The number of times of sampling n represents how many frames the chroma key detection signal CRO supplied from the imaging unit 1 is captured. Next, when proceeding to step SB2, the values of the registers X and Y are reset to zero, and then proceeding to the next step SB3. In step SB3, of the chroma key detection signals CRO written in the line buffer, the X direction (horizontal direction)
6 dots, 2 lines in the Y direction (vertical direction), that is, 1 block is read.

Next, at step SB4, it is judged whether or not there is a "H" level chroma key detection signal CRO of "6 dots" or more in this read one block. If "6 dots" or more does not exist, the determination result is "no chroma key" and the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SB5. In step SB5, the block attribute is set to "0" and the process proceeds to the next step SB7. On the other hand, if there are more than 6 dots,
It is determined that "chroma key is present", the determination result is "YES", and the process proceeds to step SB6. In step SB6, the block attribute is set to "1", and the next step SB
Processing proceeds to 7. In step SB7, it is determined whether or not it is the first frame. Here, if it is the first sampled frame, the determination result is "YES", and the process proceeds to step SB8.

In step SB8, the position detection processing unit 40 stores the determined block attribute in the initial screen area E1 according to the values of the current registers X and Y. Then, after that, the process proceeds to Step SB9, the value of the register X is incremented by 1, and the number of the designated block is incremented. Next, in step SB10, it is determined whether or not the number of the stepped designated block is "96", that is, one scanning (horizontal) line is completed. Here, if not completed, the determination result is “NO”, and step SB
Proceed to 11. In step SB11, it is determined whether the value of the register Y is "96", that is, whether one frame has been completed. Here, if the processing for one frame is not completed, the determination result is “NO”, and the process returns to step SB3 described above. As a result, steps SB3 to SB6 are repeated and the next block attribute is determined.

Then, for example, it is assumed that the determination of the block attribute for one scanning (horizontal) line is completed. Then, the determination result of step SB10 becomes "YES", and the processing unit 40 advances the process to step SB13. In step SB13, the register X is reset to zero, and the value of the register Y is incremented by 1 to update the scan line. Then, after this, again, step SB11
Block determination from step SB3 onward is performed via. Next, when the determination of the block attribute for one frame is completed, the above-mentioned determination result of step SB11 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step SB12. In step SB12, it is determined whether the sampling number n has reached the set number.

If the set number of times has not been reached, the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SB14. In step SB14, the number of times of sampling n is incremented, and the above-mentioned step SB2 and subsequent steps are executed again. In this way, the first initial screen map is created,
In the process of creating the initial screen map for the second time, step S
When proceeding to B7, the determination result here becomes "NO", and the routine proceeds to step SB15. In step SB15, the corresponding block attribute stored previously is read from the initial screen area E1 according to the values of the registers X and Y. Then, in step SB16, the logical sum of the previous block attribute and the currently determined block attribute is obtained. Then, in step SB8, this logical sum is stored as a new block attribute in the initial screen area E1 based on the values of the registers X and Y. Then, when the logical sum of a predetermined number of frames is generated, the determination result of step SB12 described above is "YES".
Then, this routine is ended, and the processing of the position detection processing unit 40 returns to the main routine described above.

Operation of Area Calculation Processing Routine When the initial screen map is created as described above, the position detection processing unit 40 executes the processing screen map creation routine shown in FIG. 11 via step SA4 and then executes step SH1.
Proceed to. In step SH1, registers X and Y
And the registers S are reset to zero and initialized. It should be noted that the register S stores the area where the chroma key detected blocks are accumulated. Next, step S
When proceeding to H2, the processing unit 40 determines that the block attribute read from the initial screen map is “1” according to the registers X and Y,
That is, it is determined whether or not the block is determined to have "chroma key". Here, the block attribute is "1"
If not, the determination result is “NO” and step SH
Go to 4. On the other hand, when the block attribute is "1", the determination result is "YES", and the process proceeds to the next step SH3.
In step SH3, the value of the register S is incremented by 1 and the number of blocks is accumulated.

Then, after that, in step SH4, it is determined whether or not the determination of the block attribute for one scanning (horizontal) line is completed. Here, when the value of the register X is less than "96" and the determination for one scanning (horizontal) line is not completed, the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SH5. In step SH5, register X
The value of is incremented by 1 and the designated block number is incremented. On the other hand, when the determination for one scanning (horizontal) line is completed, the determination result becomes “YES”, the process proceeds to step SH6, the register X is reset to zero, and the value of the register Y is incremented by 1 to scan line. To update.

Next, in step SH7, the processing unit 40 determines whether the value of the register Y is "96", that is, whether one frame has been completed. Here, if the processing for one frame is not completed, the determination result is "NO".
Then, the process returns to step SH2 described above. This allows
Steps SH2 to SH6 are repeated to determine the next block attribute. On the other hand, when the processing for one frame is completed, the determination result here is "YES", and this routine is ended and the process returns to the main routine. in this way,
In the area calculation processing routine, the block attributes in the initial screen map are sequentially read, the number of blocks having the block attribute of “1” is accumulated, and the total area S of the chroma key-detected regions in the initial screen map is calculated. Then, as described above, in the subsequent processing, if the calculated total area S is equal to or larger than the predetermined value, the game operation may malfunction due to the existence of an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT to be detected. Therefore, the warning screen is displayed on the display 3 so as to prompt the user to create the “initial screen map” again.

When the initial screen map is created in a state where there is no risk of malfunction of the processing screen map creation routine, the position detection processing unit 40 creates the processing screen map shown in FIG. 12 via step SA10 (see FIG. 9). The routine is executed and the process proceeds to step SC1. Step S
At C1, one block consisting of 6 dots in the X direction (horizontal direction) and 2 lines in the Y direction (vertical direction) is read from the chroma key detection signal CRO written in the line buffer. Next, in step SC2, it is determined whether or not there is a "H" level chromakey detection signal CRO of "6 dots" or more in the read one block. If "6 dots" or more does not exist, the determination result is "NO CHROMAKEY" and the result is "NO", and the step SC
Go to 3. In step SC3, the block attribute is set to "0" and the process proceeds to the next step SC4. In step SC4, the determined block attribute is processed screen area E2 based on the values of registers X and Y (see FIG. 8).
Store at.

On the other hand, when the determination result of the above-mentioned step SC2 is "YES", that is, when there is a "H" level chroma key detection signal CRO of "6 dots" or more in one block, the processing section 40 Step SC5
Proceed to. In step SC5, it is determined whether or not the reject switch SR has been turned on. The reject switch SR is a switch arranged on the operation panel of the apparatus main body 2, and is for setting whether or not to provide a "dead zone" according to the switch operation. Here, when the switch SR is turned on, the chroma key detection block stored in the initial screen map is regarded as a “dead zone”.

That is, in the above step SC5,
When the reject switch SR is set to ON, the determination result is "YES", and the next step SC6
Proceed to. At step SC6, the block attribute corresponding to the values of the registers X and Y is read from the initial screen area E1. Next, in step SC7, it is determined whether the block attribute read from the initial screen area E1 is "1". Here, when the block attribute is “1”, the determination result is “YES”, the process proceeds to step SC3 described above, and the block attribute is changed to “0”,
Then, the changed block attribute is written in the processing screen area E2 in accordance with the values of the registers X and Y via step SC4. As a result, the chroma key detection block stored in the initial screen map is set to the "dead zone".

When the reject switch SR is not set to ON, that is, when the "dead zone" is not set, the determination result of step SC5 is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SC8. In step SC8, the attribute of the corresponding block is set to "1" based on the result determined in step SC2 described above, and then the block attribute is set in accordance with the values of the registers X and Y through step SC4. Write in the processing screen area E2.

Operation of Collision Coordinate Detection Routine Next, the operation of the collision coordinate detection routine will be described with reference to FIG. When the processing screen map is created as described above, the position detection processing unit 40 executes the collision coordinate detection routine via step SA11 (see FIG. 9). In this routine, the bat BAT image of the real image detected by the chroma key and the object image OBJ in the CG image are
The presence or absence of a collision with the (ball image) is detected. First, when the routine is executed, the processing unit 40 advances the processing to step SD1 and reads the block attribute corresponding to the values of the registers X and Y from the processing screen area E2. Then, in step SD2, it is determined whether or not the read block attribute is "1", that is, the bat BAT image detected by the chroma key. Here, when the block attribute is not "1", the determination result is "NO", and it is determined that a collision cannot occur, and this routine is once terminated.

On the other hand, when the read block attribute is "1", the determination result is "YES" and the process proceeds to the next step SD3. At step SD3, the CG data written in the line buffer is read according to the values of the registers X and Y. The CG data mentioned here refers to the signal YSOBJ corresponding to the object image data D _OB in the CG image. The signal YSOBJ is
It is supplied from the VDP 31 (see FIG. 3) to the processing unit 40. Then, when proceeding to the next Step SD4, the processing unit 40 determines whether or not the read CG data is “1”. At this time, unless the CG data is "1", the register X, since the block read in accordance with the value of Y will not overlap with the object image data DO _B, result of determination as no collision "NO ", And this routine ends.

On the other hand, if the read CG data is "1", the determination result of step SD4 is "YES",
Go to step SD5. In step SD5, it is determined whether or not the collision flag CF is "0". Collision flag C
F is the bat BAT image of the actual image and the object image OB
It is "1" when J (ball image) overlaps. Here, when the flag CF is “0”,
That is, when the collision of both images is recognized for the first time, the determination result is “YES”, and the process proceeds to the next step SD6. In step SD6, the first detected first
The X coordinate of is stored in the collision coordinate area E7, and subsequently, in step SD7, the corresponding first Y coordinate is stored in the same area E7.

Then, in step SD8, the collision flag CF is set to "1". When the collision flag CF becomes "1" in this way, the processing unit 40 causes the CPU 5
An interrupt request is issued to the No. 1 side, and the CPU 51 executes a collision interrupt process (described later) in response to this.
On the other hand, the determination result of step SD5 is "NO".
In the case of, that is, in the state where the collision of both images has already been recognized, the process proceeds to step SD9, the second X coordinate detected at last is stored in the collision coordinate area E8, and subsequently, this is dealt with in step SD10. The second Y coordinate is stored in the same area E7.

Operation of Coordinate Detection Routine Next, the operation of the coordinate detection routine will be described with reference to FIG. By the collision coordinate detection routine described above,
When the collision coordinates of the bat BAT image of the real image subjected to the chroma key detection and the object image OBJ (ball image) in the CG image are detected, the position detection processing unit 40 detects the coordinates via step SA16 (see FIG. 9). The routine is executed and the process proceeds to step SE1. Step SE1
Then, the registers X and Y, the register S, and the registers X ′ and Y ′ are reset to zero and initialized. The register S stores the area of the bat BAT image obtained by accumulating the number of blocks.

Next, when proceeding to step SE2, the processing section 40 reads out the block attribute corresponding to the values of the registers X and Y from the processing screen area E2, and then step SE2.
The process proceeds to 3. In step SE3, it is determined whether or not the read block attribute is "1", that is, the chroma key detected bat BAT image. here,
When the block attribute is not "1", the determination result is "N
"O" and the process proceeds to step SE4. At step SE4, the value of the register X is incremented by 1 to advance. Then, in step SE5, it is determined whether or not the value of the register X is "96", that is, the block attribute for one horizontal (scanning) line is read. Here, if the reading for one horizontal line is not completed, the determination result is "NO", and the process is returned to the step SE2 again.

Then, for example, if the read block attribute is "1", the determination result of step SE3 is "YE."
S ”, and the process proceeds to step SE6. In step SE6, it is determined whether the value of register X is larger than the value of register X '. The previously detected X coordinate is set in the register X ', and the right end / left end coordinates are updated according to the result of comparison between this coordinate value and the present coordinate value. That is, when the determination result here is "NO", the flow proceeds to step SE7, the value of the register X is stored in the left end coordinate area E5 (see FIG. 8), and the bat BAT is stored.
Update the left edge coordinates of the image. On the other hand, when the determination result of step SE6 is "YES", the process proceeds to step SE8, the value of the register X is stored in the right end coordinate area E6 (see FIG. 8), and the right end coordinate of the bat BAT image is updated.

Next, in step SE9, the processing section 40 determines whether or not the value of the register Y is larger than the value of the register Y '. Here, in the register Y ', similarly to the register X', the previously detected Y coordinate is set, and the upper end / lower end coordinates are updated according to the result of comparison between this coordinate value and the present coordinate value. ing. That is, when the determination result is “NO”, the process proceeds to step SE10,
The value of the register Y is stored in the upper end coordinate area E3 (see FIG. 8) to update the upper end coordinate of the bat BAT image. on the other hand,
When the determination result of step SE9 is "YES", the process proceeds to step SE11, the value of the register Y is stored in the lower end coordinate area E4 (see FIG. 8), and the lower end coordinate of the bat BAT image is updated.

Then, at step SE12, the value of the register S is incremented by 1 to increase the area by 1 block. Then, in step SE13, the values of the registers X and Y are rewritten into the registers X'and Y ', respectively. Thus, the processing of steps SE2 to SE13 is 1
When the horizontal line is completed, the determination result of the above-mentioned step SE5 becomes "YES", and the process proceeds to step SE14,
The value of register X is reset to zero and register Y
Increments the value of. Next, in step SE15, it is determined whether or not the coordinates of one frame have been detected. When the coordinate detection for one frame is not completed, the above-mentioned step SE2 and subsequent steps are repeated,
On the other hand, when completed, the judgment result will be "YES",
This routine ends.

Operation of Center of Gravity Calculation Routine When the coordinate detection routine detects the left edge / right edge coordinates and the upper edge / lower edge coordinates of the bat BAT image detected by the chroma key, the position detection processing unit 40 causes the position detection processing unit 40 to perform the above-described step SA17 (FIG. 9). The center of gravity calculation routine shown in FIG. 15 is executed via (see) and the process proceeds to step SF1. First, in step SF1, the registers XG and YG are reset to zero. Registers XG and YG are bat BAs calculated based on the blocks detected by the chroma key.
The barycentric coordinates of the T image are stored. Next, in step SF2, the registers X and Y are initialized, and subsequently, in step SF3, the block attributes corresponding to the values of the registers X and Y are read from the processing screen area E2.

Next, in step SF4, the processing unit 4
0 determines whether or not the read block attribute is "1", that is, the bat BAT image subjected to the chroma key detection. Here, when the block attribute is not "1", the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SF5. At step SF5, the value of the register X is incremented by 1 to advance. Then, in step SF6, it is determined whether or not the value of the register X is "96", that is, the block attribute for one horizontal (scanning) line is read. Here, when the reading for one horizontal line is not completed, the determination result is “NO”, and the process is returned to the step SF3 again.

Then, for example, assume that the next read block attribute is "1". Then, step SF
The determination result of 4 is "YES", and the processing unit 40 advances the processing to step SF7. In step SF7, the block in which the chroma key is detected is regarded as a mass point, and the center of gravity is calculated by sequentially accumulating the ratio of the coordinates (X, Y) of this block and the area S. The area S is stored in the register S in the coordinate detection routine described above. Next, in step SF8, the barycentric coordinates are updated according to the barycentric calculation result in step SF7, and subsequently, in step SF5, the value of the register X is incremented.

Here, it is assumed that the reading for one horizontal line is completed. Then, the determination result of step SF6 becomes “YES”, the process proceeds to step SF9, and the register X
Is reset to zero and the value of the register Y is incremented by one. Next, in step SF10, it is determined whether or not the value of the register Y is "96", that is, whether the gravity center calculation for one frame has been performed. If the calculation of the center of gravity for one frame is not completed, the determination result is "N
"O", and the above-described processing from step SF3 is repeated. On the other hand, when the calculation of the center of gravity for one frame is completed, the result of the determination is "YES", and this routine is terminated and returns to the main routine (see FIG. 9).

As described above, in the position detection processing section 40,
Prior to the start of the game, an initial screen map is created by extracting a chroma key area of a specific color from the sampled image data D _S supplied from the imaging section 1 side, and a chroma key detection area having a predetermined area or more exists in this map. Determine whether to do. Then, when there is a chroma key detection area of a predetermined area or more, it is considered that there is an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT which is the detection target, and this may cause the game operation to malfunction, so that the “initial screen map” is again displayed. And the warning flag is set to “1” to give an instruction to display a warning screen on the display 3 based on the operation of the CPU 51 described later. on the other hand,
If there is no chroma key detection area of a predetermined area or more, a processing screen map with a block attribute corresponding to the bat BAT is created from the initial screen map, and the bat BAT is read according to the block attribute read from the map.
The collision coordinate position between the image and the object image (ball image), the left end / right end coordinates and the upper end / lower end coordinates of the bat BAT image on the processing screen are obtained, and the area and the center of gravity position are calculated.

(2) Operation of control unit 50 (CPU 51) Next, based on various data supplied from the position detection processing unit 40 described above, the image processing unit 30 and the first sound source circuit 55b.
The operation of the CPU 51 that controls the second sound source circuit 56 and manages the progress of the game will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, CP will be described as a general operation of the CPU 51.
After describing the U main routine, various interrupt processing routines will be described, and subsequently, the sound source processing routine performed in the first and second sound source circuits 55b and 56 will be described with reference to FIG.

Operation of Main Routine First, when the apparatus main body 2 is powered on, the CPU 51 reads and loads the operation system program stored in the ROM 53, and then executes the CPU main routine shown in FIG. 16, and step SG1 Proceed to. In step SG1, various registers secured in the RAM 52 are initialized, and a control signal SC for instructing the VDP 31 and the position detection processing unit 40 to initialize is also provided.
To supply. Next, when proceeding to step SG2, while supplying the control signal SC which gives the interrupt permission to each part, after canceling the interrupt mask of itself, the monitoring timer WT (described later) provided inside the CPU 51 is started, and the next step Proceed to SG3.

At step SG3, the application program is read out from the ROM 55a built in the game cartridge 55 and expanded in a predetermined storage area of the RAM 52. Next, when proceeding to step SG4, the CPU 5
1 determines whether or not the warning flag stored in the register TF is "0". Here, when the warning flag is set to "1", that is, based on the operation of the initial screen map creation routine described above, there is an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT in the initial screen map, and the game operation is If it is considered that a malfunction may occur, the judgment result is “NO”.
Then, the process proceeds to step SG5. Step SG
In step 5, the CPU 51 sets the transfer destination address and the transfer source address in the DMA controller to DMA transfer the background image data D _BG K forming the warning screen to the VDP 31. It should be noted that this warning screen is a screen that displays that there is an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT for the player, which may cause a malfunction. By doing so, it becomes possible to notify in advance of a defect caused when an object other than the detection target exists in the captured image.

On the other hand, when the warning flag is "0",
The determination result of step SG4 is “YES”, and the process proceeds to step SG6. The CPU 51 starts from step SG6.
An initial screen displayed at the beginning of the game is formed through step SG8. That is, in step SG6, the CPU 51 sets the transfer destination address and the transfer source address in the DMA controller in order to DMA transfer the background image data D _BG forming the initial screen background to the VDP 31. The DMA transfer is performed by transfer interrupt processing in synchronization with the vertical blanking period on the display 3 (see FIG. 1) side. DM with transfer command set
The A controller, under the instruction of the CPU 51, the ROM 55
a (see FIG. 3), the background image data D _BG corresponding to the transfer source address is read out, and VDP31 (VR
DMA transfer to AM 32). Such interrupt processing will be described later.

Next, when proceeding to step SG7, the CPU
The reference numeral 51 sets the transfer destination address and the transfer source address in the DMA controller in order to DMA transfer the object image data D _OB displayed on the background image BG to the VDP 31. Subsequently, in step SG8, the transfer destination address and the transfer source address of the object table data T _OB corresponding to the data D _OB are set to DM.
Set it on the A controller. The object table data T _OB specifies the display position of the object image data D _{OB on} the initial screen, and is stored in the object table RAM 31f (see FIG. 9).

When the DMA transfer set of various data forming the initial screen and the warning screen is completed in this way, the CPU 51
Advances the processing to step SG9, and sets the transfer flag F stored in the register ACKF to "1". The transfer flag F set in the register ACKF means DM
It indicates whether or not the data transferred and set in the A controller has been DMA-transferred. When the flag F is "0", it indicates that the DMA transfer is completed, and when it is "1", it indicates the untransferred state. . Then, step SG1
At 0, the process waits until the transfer flag F becomes "0", that is, until the DMA transfer is completed by the transfer interrupt processing routine described later.

When the DMA transfer is completed, the CPU
Step 51 advances the processing to step SG11, and judges whether or not a start event has occurred. The start event mentioned here is an event that occurs when a start switch provided on the operation panel of the apparatus body 2 is turned on. And for the player to start the game operation,
When the start switch is turned on, the above start event is generated. Therefore, the determination result here is "YE
S ”, and the process proceeds to step SG12. In step SG12, the register t is reset to zero, then the process proceeds to step SG13, and the register STF is set to "1".
Is set and the process proceeds to the next step SG14. On the other hand, when the start event is not generated, the determination result of step SG11 is “NO”, and the process proceeds to step SG14. A time count value for managing the progress of the game is set in the above-mentioned register t by an interrupt operation described later.

In step SG14, it is determined whether or not the value of the register STF is "1", that is, the start flag indicating whether or not the game has started is set to the game start state. Here, if "1" is not set, the determination result is "NO", and steps SG11 to SG13 described above are repeated until a start event is generated. Then, when the start event occurs, the determination result of step SG14 becomes “YES”, and the CPU 51 advances the process to step SG15 shown in FIG. In step SG15, it is determined whether or not the transfer flag F set in the register ACKF is "0". Where D
When the MA transfer is completed, the flag F is “0”, the determination result is “YES”, and the process proceeds to the next step SG16.

At step SG16, the value of the register t,
That is, the corresponding object table data T _OB is calculated based on the time count value according to the progress of the game. As a result, the display position of the object image data D _OB is determined. In this case, the object image data D
_{The OB} is formed from a character image that imitates a "pitcher" and a "ball image" that this character image has. Then, the process proceeds to step SG17, CPU 51 from among the plurality of object image data DO _B was DMA transferred to the pre VDP31 side, generating a control signal SC for specifying the image data D _OB corresponding to the time count value of the register t To do. As a result, the object image data D _OB corresponding to the time count value is displayed at the position designated by the table data T _OB on the game screen.

When the game screen is formed as described above, the CPU 51 proceeds to step SG18 and registers A
Set the transfer flag F stored in CKF to "1",
It proceeds to step SG19. Incidentally, the above-mentioned step SG
If the determination result in 15 is "NO", that is, if the object table data T _OB has already been DMA-transferred, the process proceeds to step SG19. Step S
At G19, it is determined whether a stop event has occurred. The stop event is an event that occurs when a stop switch provided on the operation panel of the apparatus body 2 is turned on. Then, when the player turns on the stop switch to stop the game,
The stop event is generated, the determination result here is “YES”, and the process proceeds to step SG20.

In step SG20, the start flag stored in the register STF is set to "0" to stop the game operation. After that, the CPU 51 returns the process to step SG11 described above, and steps SG11 to SG1.
The operation of 9 is repeated. On the other hand, if the stop switch is not turned on in step SG19,
The determination result is “NO”, and the process proceeds to step SG21. In step SG21, it is determined whether or not the time count value stored in the register t has reached the predetermined value T. Here, when the time count value has not reached the predetermined value T corresponding to the game end time, the determination result is “N
Then, the processing returns to step SG11 (see FIG. 16). On the other hand, when the time count value reaches the predetermined value T, the time count value stored in the register t is reset to zero via step SG22, and then the process is returned to step SG11.

Operation of Interrupt Processing Routine Next, the operation of various interrupt processing routines executed by the CPU 51 will be described with reference to FIGS. a. Operation of Transfer Interrupt Processing Routine The CPU 51 gives a transfer instruction to the DMA controller (not shown) each time a vertical blanking signal is supplied from the clock driver 12 (see FIG. 3), and executes the transfer interrupt processing routine shown in FIG. Run. First, in step SJ1, the transfer flag F stored in the register ACKF is "1", that is, whether or not the object table data T _OB set by the DMA transfer in step SG8 (see FIG. 16) described above is in the untransferred state. To judge.
Here, if the data T _OB has already been DMA-transferred, the transfer flag F is set to “0”, the determination result is “NO”, and this routine is once completed.

On the other hand, if the object table data T _OB is in the untransferred state, the result of the judgment is "YES", and C
The PU 51 advances the process to the next step SJ2. In step SJ2, it is determined whether or not the warning flag stored in the register TF is "0". Here, if the warning flag is set to "1", the determination result is "YE
S ”, and the process proceeds to step SJ3. In step SJ3, the background image data D _BG K forming the warning screen is DMed to the VDP 31 to the DMA controller.
A transfer is instructed, and then the transfer flag F stored in the register ACKF is set to “0” via step SJ4.
To end this routine. As a result, a warning screen is displayed on the display 3 indicating that a malfunction may occur, and the player is informed of the malfunction in advance.

On the other hand, when the warning flag stored in the register TF is "0", the determination result of the above step SJ2 is "NO", and the processing of the CPU 51 proceeds to step SJ5. In step SJ5, based on the time count value stored in the register t, it is determined whether or not the game has just started. Here, if it is immediately after the start, the determination result is "YES", and the next step S
Proceed to J6. In step SJ6, the background image data D _BG is sent to the VDP 31 to the DMA controller.
To DMA transfer to step SJ7.
On the other hand, in step SJ5, if not immediately after the start, the determination result is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SJ7.

[0086] At step SJ7, to the DMA controller, the object image data DO _B instructed to DMA transfer to VDP31 side, subsequent step SJ8 corresponding to the data D _OB object table data T
Instructs _OB DMA transfer. Next, the CPU 51 returns the transfer flag F stored in the register ACKF to "0" through step SJ4, and completes this routine.
As described above, in the transfer interrupt processing routine, DM is generated according to the transfer flag F set in the register ACKF.
A Transfer Instructs transfer of various data to be set.

B. Operation of Collision Interruption Processing Routine In the CPU 51, the object image data D _OB and the object table data T _OB forming the game screen are sequentially D based on the time count value according to the progress of the game.
MA transfer is controlled, and on the other hand, on the VDP 31 side, the object image OBJ corresponding to these data D _OB and T _OB and the background image BG are combined to generate a CG image that changes from moment to moment. At this time, in the position detection processing unit 40, the above-described collision coordinate detection processing routine (see FIG.
3)) "Bat image" and "Ball image"
The presence or absence of a collision with is detected at any time. When the position detection processing unit 40 detects a collision, the collision flag CF is set to "1".
By setting to, the CPU 51 executes the collision interruption processing routine shown in FIG. 19, and advances the processing to step SK1.

First, in step SK1, it is determined whether or not the time count value set in the register t is within the range of predetermined values T _{1 to} T ₂ . The time count value is
This value is counted immediately after the start of the game and manages the progress of the game. Further, the predetermined value T _{1 to} T _{2 referred} to here is
It refers to the effective period when the "bat image" and the "ball image" meet. That is, in this step SK1, it is determined whether or not the timing at which the “bat image” and the “ball image” collide is within the effective period of the meet. Here, for example, if the player swings the bat BAT early or delays the swing, the timing of the collision will fall outside the effective period of the meet, so the determination result is "NO", and this routine is completed. .

On the other hand, if the collision timing is within the valid period of the meet, the determination result is "YES",
The process proceeds to the next step SK2. In step SK2, the barycentric position of the “bat BAT image” detected by the chroma key, that is, the barycentric coordinate from the barycentric coordinate area E9 in the work RAM of the position detection processing unit 40 is fetched. Next, in step SK3, the correspondence between the center of gravity of the “ball image” formed from the object image data D _OB and the center of gravity of the “bat BAT image” detected by the chroma key is determined. Here, if the barycentric positions of both agree with each other, the process proceeds to step SK4, and a first image processing routine described later is executed. When the center of gravity of the “ball image” is located below the center of gravity of the “bat BAT image”, the process proceeds to step SK5 and the second image processing routine described later is executed. Further, when the center of gravity of the “ball image” is located above the center of gravity of the “bat BAT image”, the process proceeds to step SK6, and the third image processing routine described later is executed. Then, in step SK7, the collision flag CF is returned to "0", and the process returns to the main routine.

C. Operation of Image Processing Routine Next, the operation of the first to third image processing routines will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 is a flowchart in which the processing contents of these first to third image processing routines are shared. First, in step SL1, the display position of the object image data D _OB (“ball image”) is calculated based on the time count value stored in the register t. Then, in step SL2, the display position is determined according to the time count value. Object image data D _OB is designated.

Therefore, in the first image processing routine, the center of gravity of the "ball image" and the center of gravity of the "bat BAT image" are in agreement with each other. The “ball image” is displayed in the CG image so that Further, in the second image processing routine, as shown in FIG. 22, the center of gravity of the “ball image” is the batting located below the center of gravity of the “bat BAT image”, so that, for example, “goro” is set. The "ball image" is displayed in the CG image. Further, in the third image processing routine, as shown in FIG. 23, since the center of gravity of the “ball image” is the batting located above the center of gravity of the “bat BAT image”, for example, “fly” is set. The "ball image" is displayed in the CG image.

In this way, when the CG image is generated according to the correspondence relationship between the barycentric position of the "ball image" and the barycentric position of the "bat BAT image", the CPU 51 advances the process to step SL3. In step SL3, it is determined whether or not the time count value stored in the register t has reached the game end value END. Here, when the time count value reaches the game end value END, the determination result is “YE
S ”, the process proceeds to step SL4, the time count value is reset to zero, and this routine is completed.

On the other hand, the time count value is the game end value E.
If it is less than ND, the result of the determination in step SL3 is "NO", and the process proceeds to step SL5. In step SL5, it is determined whether or not a stop event has occurred. Here, if the stop event has not occurred, the determination result is “NO”, and the above-described step S
Repeat L1 to SL3. On the other hand, when a stop event occurs by turning on the stop switch,
When the result of the determination is "YES", the flow proceeds to step SL6, the start flag stored in the register STF is set to "0", the game is terminated, and this routine is completed.

D. Timer Interrupt Processing Routine Next, the operation of the timer interrupt processing routine for generating a time count value for managing the progress of the game will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to 0. The CPU 51, based on the system clock supplied from the system clock circuit 24,
This routine is started every predetermined period, step SM1 is executed, and the time count value stored in the register t is incremented by 1 to advance.

E. Operation of Monitor Timer Count Processing Routine Next, operation of the monitor timer count processing routine will be described with reference to FIG. This monitoring timer count processing is involved in sound source processing described later. CPU
The 51 is provided with a monitoring timer WT that regulates the operations of the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56 (see FIG. 3). C
The PU 51 executes this routine at regular intervals.
The process proceeds to step SN1 shown in. Step SN1
Then, the monitoring timer value is incremented, and subsequently, in step SN2, it is determined whether or not the timer value overflows. If no overflow has occurred, the determination result is "NO", and this routine is once completed. On the other hand, when an overflow occurs, the determination result is “YES”, and step SN3
And the overflow flag stored in the register OVF is set to "1" to complete this routine.

F. Operation of Overflow Interrupt Processing Routine Next, the operation of the overflow interrupt processing routine will be described with reference to FIG. The overflow interrupt process is started when the overflow flag stored in the register OVF becomes "1" in the above-mentioned monitoring timer count process, and executes step SO1 to execute the CPU
This routine is completed by setting the operation of 51 to the halt state.

G. Operation of Sound Source Request Interrupt Routine The operation of the sound source request interrupt processing routine will be described with reference to FIG. The CPU 51 executes this routine each time a data request signal is supplied from the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56, and advances the processing to step SP1.
In step SP1, the above-mentioned monitoring timer WT is reset, and subsequently in step SP2, the musical tone control data is transferred to the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56.
This tone control data is information that specifies the pitch, tone color, volume, etc. of a tone that should be generated corresponding to the progress of the game. When there is no musical tone to be generated, musical tone control data representing "no data" is supplied to the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56.

Operation of Sound Source Processing Routine Next, the operation of the first and second sound source circuits 55b and 56 for synthesizing the musical effect sound under the control of the CPU 51 will be described with reference to FIG. The first tone generator circuit 55b built in the game cartridge 55 is the CPU 51
Based on the tone control data supplied from the side, a game sound effect corresponding to the game operation is synthesized and output as a tone signal. On the other hand, the second sound source circuit 56 similarly has a CPU.
Based on the musical sound control data supplied from the 51 side, musical compositions corresponding to the progress of the game, for example, musical compositions such as opening and ending are synthesized and outputted.

These first and second tone generator circuits 55b, 5
When the power of the device body 2 is turned on, the step 6 is step SQ.
The process proceeds to 1 to initialize various registers, reset various registers, and set initial values. Then, step S
When proceeding to Q2, "1" is set in the register REQ.
As a result, the circuits 55b and 56 send a data request signal to the CPU 51. The CPU 51, which has received the data request signal, executes the above-described tone generator request interrupt routine to reset the monitoring timer WT and transfers the tone control data to the first and second tone generator circuits 55b and 56.

When the tone control data is received from the CPU 51 side in this way, the result of the determination in step SQ3 is "YES", and the process proceeds to the next step SQ4. Step S
In Q4, the process waits until the data to be transferred becomes stable, and when the data becomes stable, that is, when the reception of the musical tone control data is completed, the determination result here becomes "YES",
The process proceeds to step SQ5. And step SQ
At 5, the register REQ is set to "0" and the transmission of the data request signal is stopped. Next, in step SQ6, the content of the received musical tone control data is interpreted and converted into event data that specifies the pitch, tone color, volume, etc. of the musical tone to be generated in accordance with the progress of the game. Then, in step SQ7, a tone signal corresponding to this event data is created, and thereafter, step SQ2 and subsequent steps are repeated again.

However, according to the operation of this routine,
The first and second sound source circuits 55b and 56 are CPUs at any time.
A data request signal is sent to the 51 side, while the CPU
On the 51 side, musical tone control data is returned to the circuits 55b and 56 in response to the data request signal. Then, the circuits 55b and 56 which have received the tone control data synthesize the tone corresponding to the data. Therefore, for example, when the game operation is performed based on the game cartridge 55 that only has the ROM 55a in which the application program has been copied, the first cartridge that should be incorporated in the cartridge 55a
Since the tone generator circuit 55b does not exist, the data request signal is not sent from this circuit 55b to the CPU 51. Then, the CPU 51 does not execute the sound source request interrupt processing routine described above, and as a result, the monitoring timer WT is not reset and the tone control data is not sent to the sound source circuits 55b and 56. And the monitoring timer WT
If an overflow occurs without being reset, the above-mentioned overflow interrupt processing routine (see FIG. 25)
Based on the above, it stops itself (CPU 51).

As described above, in this embodiment, the warning screen is displayed when it is considered that the game operation may malfunction due to the existence of an object of a specific color other than the bat BAT in the initial screen map. Since it is displayed on the screen No. 3, it is possible to notify in advance of a defect caused when an object other than the detection target is present in the captured image.
As a result, it is possible to avoid in advance a problem that a malfunction occurs during the game operation.

In this embodiment, "batting" is used.
Although the image control device for simulating the operation is disclosed, the gist of the present invention is not limited to the device, and for example, various games such as "tennis" and "golf" that incorporate the exercise behavior of the player, Alternatively, it can be applied to a role playing game. Further, in the present embodiment, the warning screen is displayed uniquely when the area detected by the chroma key exceeds the predetermined value in the initial screen map. However, instead of this, for example, the movement of the area detected by the chroma key is displayed. Detection is performed, and the still area over multiple frames is regarded as a dead zone.When the area of other areas exceeds the specified value, there is a risk of malfunction, and a warning screen is displayed or a warning sound or warning content is output. It is also possible to notify by synthesis.

[0104]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Based on the color difference signal of the captured image, the image area of the specific condition
The area of the extracted image area is less than or equal to a predetermined value
It is determined whether or not. Then, it is determined that it is less than or equal to the predetermined value.
Then, a computer image including the extracted image area
Is output, it is possible to notify in advance of a defect caused when an object other than the detection target is present in the captured image. Therefore, the malfunction of the game can be avoided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view showing an overall configuration of an image control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the image control apparatus according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an image pickup signal processing unit 11 in the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a video signal processing unit 20 in the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a chroma key signal generation circuit 20 in the same embodiment.
It is a figure for demonstrating f.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a VDP 31 in the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a memory map for explaining the contents of the work RAM of the position detection processing unit 40 in the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an operation of a main routine in the position detection processing section 40.

10 is a flowchart showing the operation of an initial screen map creation routine in the position detection processing unit 40. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of an area calculation processing routine in the position detection processing section 40.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an operation of a processing screen map creation routine in the position detection processing unit 40.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an operation of a collision coordinate detection processing routine in the position detection processing section 40.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of a coordinate detection processing routine in the position detection processing section 40.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an operation of a gravity center calculation processing routine in the position detection processing section 40.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU main routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an operation of a CPU main routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the operation of a transfer interrupt processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of a collision interrupt processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the operation of a timer interrupt routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the operation of the n-th image processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the n-th image processing routine in CPU 51.

FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the n-th image processing routine in CPU 51.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the operation of a monitoring timer count processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing the operation of an overflow interrupt processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing the operation of a sound source request interrupt processing routine in the CPU 51.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing an operation of a sound source processing routine in the first and second sound source circuits 55b and 56.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Imaging unit (Chromakey detection means) 2 device body 3 display 20 Video signal processing unit (chroma key detection means) 30 image processing unit (image processing means) 40 Position detection processing section (area discrimination means) 50 control unit 51 CPU (image processing means)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A captured imageBased on the color difference signal of
Extraction means for extracting the image area of interest, The area of the image area extracted by this extraction means is predetermined
A determining means for determining whether or not the value is less than or equal to It is determined that the value is less than or equal to the predetermined value by this determination means.
And a computer image containing the extracted image area
Output A first instructing means for instructing
Image control device. 2. The image extracted by the discriminating means
If it is determined that the area size is greater than or equal to the specified value, a warning is issued.
The image control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second instruction unit for instructing a force . 3.Detection to detect the chroma key area of the captured image
Further equipped with a means of output, The extraction means is configured to detect the black detected by this detection means.
It is possible to extract a macky region as an image region of the specific condition.
When Characterized byClaim 1 or 2Image processing equipment
Place 4. A captured imageBased on the color difference signal of
An extraction step of extracting the image area of interest, The area of the image area extracted in this extraction step is predetermined
A determination step of determining whether or not the value is less than or equal to In this determination step, it is determined that the value is less than or equal to the predetermined value.
And a computer image containing the extracted image area
Instructing step to instruct output Characterized by consisting of
Image control method.