Patent ID: 8207909

Claim:
An image processing method for using one console device, which is used for manipulating a virtual object on a viewpoint of an image sensing device and is selected from a plurality of the console devices, the method comprising: an image acquisition step of acquiring an image of captured one of the plurality of console devices, which is used for manipulation of a virtual object by inputting a user instruction for manipulating the console device, captured by an image sensing device that senses a physical space; a first acquisition step of acquiring an image-sensing-device-ID used to identify the image sensing device; a second acquisition step of acquiring a console-device-ID used to identify the captured console device by reading an image feature attached on the captured console device from the image which is acquired in the image acquisition step; an update step of updating a state of the captured console device from unusable state to usable state for manipulating the virtual object from a viewpoint regarding to a position and orientation of the image sensing device which is identified by the image-sensing-device-ID which acquired in the first acquisition step, by registering, into a memory, an association information which indicates an association between the image-sensing-device-ID which is acquired in the first acquisition step and the console-device-ID which is acquired in the second acquisition step; a processing step of manipulating the virtual object in response to input of the instruction for manipulation of the captured console device identified by the console-device-ID which was associated with the image-sensing-device-ID in the update step; a generation step of generating, on the basis of a position and orientation of the image sensing device identified by the image-sensing-device-ID which was associated with the console-device-ID in the update step, an image of the virtual space including the virtual object manipulated in the processing step; and an output step of outputting the image generated in the generation step to a display attached to the image sensing device being identified by the image-sensing-device-ID which was associated with the managed console-device-ID in the update step, for displaying on the display the generated image including the virtual object manipulated by inputting the instruction for manipulation of the captured console device.