Multi-image interactive gaming device

• US 10,315,105 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2017
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mikhailov, Anton, Marks, Richard, Larsen, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Myhr, Justin L
• Application Number:
  US15/671,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20170333786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• 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 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• 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 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• 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 13/5252 using two or more virtual cameras concurrently or sequentially, e.g. automatically switching between fixed virtual cameras when a character changes room or displaying a rear-mirror view in a car-driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/843 involving concurrently two or more players on the same game device, e.g. requiring the use of a plurality of controllers or of a specific view of game data for each player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10152 Varying illumination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/90 Dynamic range modification of images or parts thereof

Abstract

An image capture device, including: a housing; a first camera defined along a front surface of the housing; a first camera controller configured to control the first camera to capture images of an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting, the captured images from the first camera being analyzed to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and to track a user; a second camera defined along the front surface of the housing; a second camera controller configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being lower than the first exposure setting and configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, the captured images from the second camera being analyzed to track an illuminated object.

Claims

1. An image capture device for providing input to an interactive application, comprising:

a housing;

a first camera defined along a front surface of the housing;

a first camera controller configured to control the first camera to capture images of an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting, the captured images from the first camera being analyzed to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and to track a user;

a second camera defined along the front surface of the housing;

a second camera controller configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being lower than the first exposure setting and configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, the captured images from the second camera being analyzed to track an illuminated object in the interactive environment that is among the objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment.

2. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the second exposure setting is configured to exclude capture of objects that are not the brightest objects in the interactive environment.

3. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein tracking the user includes tracking a face of the user.

4. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the first camera and the second camera are horizontally aligned along the front surface of the housing.

5. The image capture device of claim 1, further comprising a microphone array for capturing sound from the interactive environment.

6. The image capture device of claim 5, wherein the microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that are horizontally aligned along the front surface of the housing.

7. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the first camera controller is configured to control the first camera to capture images of the interactive environment prior to the user interactivity, the images captured prior to the user interactivity being analyzed to determine the first exposure setting.

8. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the second camera controller is configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment prior to the user interactivity, the images captured prior to the user interactivity being analyzed to determine the second exposure setting.

9. A system for facilitating interactivity with an interactive application, comprising:

a controller device having an illuminated object;

an image capture device, the image capture device including a first camera, a second camera, a first camera controller configured to control the first camera to capture images of an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting, and a second camera controller configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting lower than the first exposure setting;

a computing device connected to the image capture device,

the computing device configured to execute the interactive application,

the computing device configured to analyze the captured images from the first camera to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and determine the second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment,

the computing device configured to analyze the captured images from the first camera to track a user in the interactive environment, wherein the captured images from the first camera are not analyzed to track the illuminated object,

the computing device configured to analyze the captured images from the second camera to track the illuminated object in the interactive environment, the illuminated object being one of the objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, wherein the captured images from the second camera are not analyzed to track the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the second exposure setting is configured to exclude capture of objects that are not the brightest objects in the interactive environment.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein tracking the user includes tracking a face of the user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first camera and the second camera are horizontally aligned along the front surface of the housing.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a microphone array for capturing sound from the interactive environment.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that are horizontally aligned along the front surface of the housing.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the first camera controller is configured to control the first camera to capture images of the interactive environment prior to the user interactivity, the images captured prior to the user interactivity being analyzed to determine the first exposure setting.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the second camera controller is configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment prior to the user interactivity, the images captured prior to the user interactivity being analyzed to determine the second exposure setting.

17. A method for interactivity with an interactive application, comprising:

capturing images from an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting;

analyzing the images captured at the first exposure setting to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and to track a user;

simultaneous with the capturing images at the first exposure setting, capturing images from the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being lower than the first exposure setting and configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, wherein the second exposure setting is configured to exclude capture of objects that are not the brightest objects in the interactive environment;

analyzing the images captured at the second exposure setting to track an illuminated object in the interactive environment that is among the objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, wherein the images captured at the second exposure setting are not analyzed to track the user.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein tracking the user includes tracking a face of the user.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising, analyzing the images captured at the first exposure setting to identify and track an AR tag.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising, capturing sound from the interactive environment.