Patent ID: 6795068
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: A63F,G06F,G06T

Abstract:
A method for controlling a game program comprising the steps of:manipulating a physical object within a field of view of a single video camera connected to a processing unit having a memory area and a display wherein said physical object comprises a cylinder having a solid color; supplying two-dimensional pixel information picked up by said video camera to said processing unit; extracting at least one pixel group from said two-dimensional pixel information which corresponds to the physical object; determining a set of parameters from said at least one pixel group which define a two-dimensional geometric shape wherein said geometric shape defined by said extracted pixel group is a four-sided polygon; executing a predetermined algorithm on said set of parameters to map the definition of said two-dimensional geometric shape to a three-dimensional definition of a geometric volume, thereby providing a description of said geometric volume in three dimensions which corresponds to the position and orientation of the said manipulated physical object wherein said predetermined algorithm comprises the steps of: determining a length l of said pixel group; determining at least two widths w1 and w2 of said pixel group at different lengths along said pixel group; determining an inclination &thgr; of the object in the X-Y plane of the image between the Y axis and said length l; determining an inclination &PHgr; of the object in the Y-Z plane based on a ratio w1:w2 of said two widths; and determining a depth Z of the object based on a phi-weighted length l&phgr; of the pixel group or a phi-weighted number N&phgr; of the total number of pixels making up the pixel group; storing said three-dimensional definition in said memory; and using said description of said geometric volume to control action shown on said display.