Projected, interactive environment

• US 10,359,888 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MEP Tech, Inc.
• Original Assignee: MEP Tech, Inc.
• Inventors: Davis, Mark L., Tabor, Timothy Alan, Hoole, Roger H., Taylor, Jeffrey, Black, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dulka, John P.
• Application Number:
  US15/980,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20180260078A1
• Time in Patent Office: 434 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 1/00 Card games aspects of games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions showing representations related to the game A63F13/00; card games played on a gaming machine 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 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2001/008 adapted for being playable on a screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2425 Scanners, e.g. for scanning regular characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2463 on a screen, e.g. using a video projector
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/30 with a three-dimensional image
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/04 Dice dice tops A63F5/04 D; Dice-boxes; Mechanical dice-throwing devices casino or betting games played on boards A63F3/00157
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/0468 Electronic dice; electronic dice simulators
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 : Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 : for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An interactive environment image may be projected onto one or more surfaces, and interaction with the projected environment image may be detected within a three-dimensional space over the one or more surfaces. The interactive environment image may be a three dimensional image, or it may be two dimensional. An image is projected onto a surface to provide a visual representation of a virtual space including one or more of the virtual objects, which may be spatially positioned. User interaction with the projected visualized representation of the virtual space may be detected and, in response to user interaction, the projected visualized representation may be changed.

Claims

1. A method for projecting an interactive environment image on at least one surface, the method comprising:

projecting an environment image, the environment image comprising a visualized representation of at least part of a virtual environment space, the visualized representation including a visualized representation of a plurality of virtual objects; and

detecting user interaction with at least one virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects of the visualized representation, including;

scanning a three-dimensional space adjacent to or coincident with the visualized representation; and

detecting interaction between a physical object and the at least one virtual object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the user interaction comprises detecting a physical movement or manipulation of the physical object within the three-dimensional space.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting user interaction further includes:

detecting extension of a physical object into the three-dimensional space from a location outside of the three-dimensional space.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein detecting user interaction comprises distinguishing between a plurality of physical objects simultaneously extending into the three-dimensional space from locations outside of the three-dimensional space.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the visualized representation in response to interaction between the physical object and the at least one virtual object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the visualized representation comprises affecting the at least one virtual object with which the physical object has interacted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein affecting the at least one virtual object comprises moving, manipulating, or changing the at least one virtual object.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the visualized representation comprises adding a new visualized object to the visualized representation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein projecting the environment image includes projecting at least a portion of the environment image on a surface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein projecting the environment image includes projecting portions of the environment image on differently oriented surfaces.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein projecting the environment image comprises projecting a prepared image tailored to a topography of the surface to ensure that features of the environment image are proportionately displayed on the surface.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein detecting user interaction includes detecting user interaction with a topography of the surface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment image includes three-dimensional information viewable by a user as a three-dimensional image.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein projecting the environment image comprises projecting a plurality of sub-images from a plurality of discrete locations, the method further comprising:

formulating data representing the plurality of sub-images prior to projecting the plurality of sub-images.

15. A computing system, comprising:

a projection element capable of projecting an environment image; and

a scanning mechanism capable of detecting a user interaction with an environment image, the environment image including a visual representation of at least part of a virtual environment space in which a plurality of virtual objects are spatially positioned, the act of detecting including;

scanning a three-dimensional space adjacent to or coincident with the visual representation; and

detecting interaction between a physical object and a spatial position of at least one virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the scanning mechanism is also capable of detecting a user interaction with the environment image by:

detecting extension of the physical object into the three-dimensional space from a location outside of the three-dimensional space.

17. The computing system of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one processing element programmed to change the visual representation in response to the user interaction with the visual representation.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the scanning mechanism comprises the at least one processing element and at least one camera.

19. A portable projection system, comprising:

at least one projector capable of projecting an environment image representing a plurality of virtual objects that are spatially positioned in a virtual environment space; and

a scanning mechanism capable of scanning an area adjacent to or coincident with the environment image to determine one or more spatial locations of interactivity, the scanning mechanism capable of;

scanning a three-dimensional space adjacent to or coincident with the environment image; and

detecting interaction between a physical object and at least one spatial location within the three-dimensional space that corresponds to a location of at least one virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects.

20. The portable projection system of claim 19, wherein the scanning mechanism is also capable of:

detecting extension of the physical object into the three-dimensional space from a location outside of the three-dimensional space.