Sega Enterprises, Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Sega Enterprises

Sega Corporation

Keisuke Yasui

Seisuke Morioka

Jun Okubo

Hiroshi Yagi

Yusuke Shimizu

Junichi Naoi

Yuki Yamanaka

Noriaki Ueda

Kenya Kitamura

Teruo Okabe

Mio Kanie

Yoichi Tanaami

Shinich Furuhashi

Kazuyoshi Kasai

Kazunori Nishisaka

A collective system for billing management of each game machine installed in shops or the like via communication network. A limit is set to the usable number, while the game machine is ensured continuous use as long as it is properly used and the billing is carried out regularly during the continuous use on a pay-per-use basis. The play count is counted up every time one game is played, and when the play count has reached or exceeded a count limit, the use of the game machine is restricted. The game machine is connected to a billing server via a communication network. The billing server includes a count limit renewing unit which renews the count limit of the game machine that has transmitted billing information, and transmits the new count limit back to the game machine every time the billing server receives the billing information from the game machine.

Billing management system for game machine

A computer graphic system wherein image element data can be processed efficiently at a high speed, and images of higher quality are produced at a lower cost than conventional. An image processor for dividing a screen into regions (fragments) of predetermined sizes and processing data on every divided region (fragment), wherein pieces of information on image constituting elements are rearranged in a direction vertical to a scanning line (ST1), the pieces of information on the image constituting elements are rearranged in a direction parallel to the scanning line (ST2), and image processing for opaque polygons, polygons with transparent pixels, and semitransparent polygons is performed in the order of mention on the basis of the rearranged pieces of information (ST3 to ST6).

Image processor and image processing method

According to the image processing method, when the number of shadow polygons existing between a depth position of pixels of ordinary polygons subject to shadowing and an infinite position is counted and that number is an odd number, those pixels are unconditionally judged to be positioned inside a region of shadow volume. Therefore, regions to undergo shadowing can be efficiently detected by judging whether the number is an odd number or an even number at all pixel positions.

Image processing device and image processing method

A table is used in forming spotlight characteristics that impart illumination effects to polygon images displayed by an image processing system, and the number of light sources that can be used in an image scene is increased above the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously. In order to realize this, a method of forming spotlight effect characteristics attached to pixels configuring polygons is proposed wherein a plurality of characteristic values corresponding to a prescribed spotlight characteristic curve is held in a table, and said spotlight characteristic curve is formed from characteristic values read out from the table and from interpolated values found by interpolating between adjacent characteristic values. Inner products are found between spot light axis vectors and light vectors extending toward pixels, these values of inner products so found are used as addresses, and characteristic values are read out from appropriate addresses of the table. Also comprised are a buffer for preserving data on light sources exceeding the number of light sources that can be used simultaneously by the image processing system, means for attaching light source identifier symbols in a number equal to the number of light sources affecting each polygon, means for reading out light source information from the buffer according to the light source identifier symbol, and means for performing shading according to the light source information.

Spotlight characteristic forming method and image processor using the same

Disclosed are an image processing apparatus and an image processing method, which can efficiently execute a hidden-surface process, a blending process on translucent polygons and a shading process by a light source all in a rendering process. An image processing method for generating image data for displaying a plurality of polygons comprises: a mask generation step of receiving polygon data including position data of the polygons in the display screen, generating first mask data indicating effective pixel areas of the polygons in a display screen and Z values indicating depths in the display screen for respective effective pixels from the polygon data, generating second mask data having, as an effective pixel area, a pixel area having a Z value in the foreground of a Z value of another processed polygon among the effective pixel areas of the first mask data, executing an exclusion operation to delete the effective pixel area of the generated second mask data from the effective pixel area of generated second mask data of another polygon to thereby generate trans mask data, and performing generation of the trans mask data polygon by polygon; and a rendering step of implementing a rendering process on each of the polygons with respect to the effective pixel area, indicated by trans mask data generated in the mask generation step.

Image processing apparatus

The present invention conducts rendering processing according to a prescribed priority relating to each polygon attribute. For example, rendering for semi-transparent polygons is conducted after rendering for opaque polygons. By this means, it is possible to carry out rendering for semi-transparent polygons reliably. Furthermore, rendering for polygons containing transparent portions is conducted after rendering for polygons not containing transparent portions. By this means, it is possible to reduce rendering processing for polygons containing transparent portions, as far as possible. Moreover, rendering processing is carried out for all background polygons together. Thereby, it is possible to carry out suitable depth cue processing for polygons positioned in the far distance of the screen.

Image processing device, image processing method and storage medium for storing image processing programs

An image processing method and device corrects an empty dot between Polygons on a video screen at high speed without unnecessarily deforming a shape of the Polygons. Three latches,are provided, and a pattern detecting and correcting circuit,is inserted between the latches,Data of a dot is inputted from the latch,and shifted to the right in synchronization with clocks. The pattern detecting and correcting circuit,checks a pattern of presence of image data of the continuous four dots along a scan line, based on fill data of the dot data D,, D,, D,, D,, and corrects the inputted dot data D,to dot data D,&prime; as required to output the corrected dot data D,&prime; to the latch

Image processing method and device

The present invention relates to an image processing device comprising a rendering processing section for generating color data for pixels which are to be displayed from polygon data including at least a polygon ID, positional co-ordinates data and parameters for generating color data attributed thereto. The image processing device includes a polygon buffer memory for storing color data for pixels in a flame. The rendering processing section includes a first processing section (,) for generating Z values of pixels in respective polygons in the frame and for storing Z values for pixels to be displayed on the screen and the polygon ID corresponding thereto in a Z value buffer memory. The rendering processing section includes a second processing section (,) for generating color data from the parameters attributed to the polygon IDs stored in the Z buffer memory for each pixels in the frame and for storing the color data in the frame buffer memory.

Image processing device, image processing method, and storage medium for storing image processing programs

A memory device in which a plurality of data can be read out by giving one address and a plurality of data can be read out without adding more address lines is provided, and therefore, the circuit integration is not degraded. The memory device includes: m memory array banks, each including row and column address decoders; a first circuit for receiving one address and generating m row addresses and n column addresses by shifting the one address by a predetermined value for each of the m row and n column addresses; and a second circuit for inputting each of the generated m row and n column addresses to the corresponding row and column address decoders of the m memory array banks.

Memory device and video image processing apparatus using the same

Methods and systems consistent with the present invention provide an arithmetic unit, which uses a high speed yet small circuit, using a highly precise method for numerical interpolation that uses Newton-Raphson method. A table for referencing sampling values and operation results is stored successively and alternately in two simultaneously accessible memories 422, 423. A table reference address determining portion 4211 takes the table reference address from the input B. The access control circuit 4212 prepares an address for accessing each memory from the table reference address and reads table values. The interpolation operating portion 4213 interpolates the table value at a precision of half the final precision. The Newton-Raphson operation 4214 performs the Newton-Raphson operation once with the primary interpolated numerical value as the initial value and attains the calculation results with the final precision by precise square convergence.

Arithmetic unit and operating method

By fixing the area of interpolation or by enlarging it at a ratio smaller than the magnification ratio of texture cells in relation to pixels, to provide an image-processing device and method of image-processing whereby the display image is not subject to excessive fuzziness. CPU 1 determines the display position of objects including texture on the display image. A texture calculator 3 calculates and determines the coordinates of the pixels on the actual display image which correspond to each texture cell. On the basis of these coordinates, a texture interpolator 5 extracts texture data from a texture memory 4, and determines the value of each pixel on the actual display image in accordance with this data. The texture interpolator 5 employs a box filter to determine the interpolation area, but since the size of the box filter is fixed at the same size as that of the pixels which constitute the display image, it does not create any excessive fuzziness on the display image.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Keisuke Yasui