Method and apparatus for preventing a collision between subjects

• US 10,130,873 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2015
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yun-jung
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhr, Justin
• Application Number:
  US14/659,948
• Publication Number:
  US 20150265920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/44 involving timing of operations, e.g. performing an action within a time slot
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/49 Saving the game status; Pausing or ending the game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/577 using determination of contact between game characters or objects, e.g. to avoid collision between virtual racing cars
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/643 by determining the impact between objects, e.g. collision detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/646 for calculating the trajectory of an object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/251 involving models

Abstract

An apparatus for executing a computer game are provided. The apparatus includes an output unit configured to transmit a first image generated based on a form of a first user participating in the computer game and a second image generated based on a form of a second user participating in the computer game to a display apparatus, and a control unit configured to predict a possibility of a collision between the first user and the second user, and to control transmitting warning information indicating the possibility of the collision to the display apparatus via the output unit, according to a result of the predicting.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a camera; and

at least one processor configured to;

capture an image using the camera based on a predetermined time interval,

determine a location of a first object and a second object and predict a movement to another location of at least one of the first object and the second object based on content of an application, the first object and the second object being included in the captured image,

predict a possibility of a collision between the first object and the second object based on the predicted movement,

in response to the predicting of the possibility of the collision while the application is executed, control to pause the execution of the application, and

in response to a predicting that the possibility of the collision is removed while the application is paused, control to resume the execution of the application.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control transmission of information indicating the execution state of the application to a display apparatus.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a first area, which includes a farthest point reachable by a part of the first object as the first object moves in a certain area, and

determine a second area, which includes a farthest point reachable by a part of the second object as the second object moves in the certain area.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to predict that there is a possibility of a collision between the first object and the second object if the first area and the second area overlap with each other.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to control transmission of warning information indicating the collision to a display apparatus based on the predicted possibility.

6. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine a location of at least one of the first object and the second object,

predict a movement to another location by the at least one of the first object and the second object, based on details of the application, and

determine at least one of the first area and the second area by further taking into account the predicted movement.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first object and the second object comprises a user participating in the application.

8. A method for executing an application, the method comprising:

capturing an image using a camera based on a predetermined time interval;

determining a location of a first object and a second object and predicting a movement to another location of at least one of the first object and the second object based on content of an application, the first object and the second object being included in the captured image;

predicting a possibility of a collision between the first object and the second object based on the predicted movement;

in response to the predicting of the possibility of the collision while the application is executed, controlling to pause the execution of the application; and

in response to a predicting that the possibility of the collision is removed while the application is paused, controlling to resume the execution of the application.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling transmission of information indicating the execution state of the application to a display apparatus.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a first area, which includes a farthest point reachable by a part of the first object as the first object moves in a certain area; and

determining a second area, which includes a farthest point reachable by a part of the second object as the second object moves in the certain area.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising predicting that there is a possibility of a collision between the first object and the second object if the first area and the second area overlap with each other.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising controlling transmission of warning information indicating the collision to a display apparatus based on the predicted possibility.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a location of at least one of the first object and the second object;

predicting a movement to another location by the at least one of the first object and the second object, based on details of the application; and

determining at least one of the first area and the second object by further taking into account the predicted movement.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first object and the second object comprises a user participating in the application.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a computer program for executing an application, wherein the program comprises instructions to:

capture an image using a camera based on a predetermined time interval;

determine a location of a first object and a second object and predict a movement to another location of at least one of the first object and the second object based on content of an application, the first object and the second object being included in the captured image;

predicting a possibility of a collision between the first object and the second object based on the predicted movement;

in response to the predicting of the possibility of the collision while the application is executed, control to pause the execution of the application; and

in response to a predicting that the possibility of the collision is removed while the application is paused, control to resume the execution of the application.