Video actuated interactive environment
First Claim
1. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
- a interaction surface;
at least one participant;
at least one energy source capable of generating electromagnetic energy in a relatively limited wavelength range, wherein the at least one energy source is positioned such that the energy from the at least one energy source strikes at least a portion of the interaction surface;
at least one electromagnetic imaging device, wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is capable of detecting electromagnetic energy in at least the relatively limited wavelength range generated by the at least one energy source and converting the detected energy into an output signal, and wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is positioned such that the at least one electromagnetic imaging device can detect the electromagnetic energy from at least a portion of the interaction surface;
at least one visible light projector having at least one input, wherein the at least one projector is capable of projecting visible light onto the interaction surface;
at least one computer; and
at least one computer program process operating on the at least one computer, capable of receiving the output signal from the electromagnetic imaging device, detecting blobs of infrared energy within the output signal, reporting information about the blobs, processing the blob information, and generating an input to the at least one visible light projector based on the processed blob information.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A surface-based interactive environment that utilizes low cost equipment to create a highly interactive environment for participants. The game can include electronic versions of traditional games, such as air hockey, football, soccer, and the like. The game can also include one or more electronically generated characters with whom the participants can interact. The system utilizes a high-mounted projector to create the game environment and/or generate the characters. A remotely mounted infrared light source and infrared camera are used to detect the participants as they move around within the interaction area of the game.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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a interaction surface;
at least one participant;
at least one energy source capable of generating electromagnetic energy in a relatively limited wavelength range, wherein the at least one energy source is positioned such that the energy from the at least one energy source strikes at least a portion of the interaction surface;
at least one electromagnetic imaging device, wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is capable of detecting electromagnetic energy in at least the relatively limited wavelength range generated by the at least one energy source and converting the detected energy into an output signal, and wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is positioned such that the at least one electromagnetic imaging device can detect the electromagnetic energy from at least a portion of the interaction surface;
at least one visible light projector having at least one input, wherein the at least one projector is capable of projecting visible light onto the interaction surface;
at least one computer; and
at least one computer program process operating on the at least one computer, capable of receiving the output signal from the electromagnetic imaging device, detecting blobs of infrared energy within the output signal, reporting information about the blobs, processing the blob information, and generating an input to the at least one visible light projector based on the processed blob information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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a interaction surface, comprised of a floor;
at least one participant, wherein at least one retro-reflective target is associated with the at least one participant;
an infrared energy source, wherein the infrared energy source is positioned substantially above the interaction surface and capable of projecting infrared energy onto the interaction surface;
at least one grayscale CCD camera, wherein the camera is capable of detecting the infrared energy generated by the infrared energy source and converting the detected energy into an output signal, and wherein the at least one camera is positioned substantially above the interaction surface;
at least one visible light projector having at least one input, wherein the at least one projector is capable of projecting visible light onto the interaction surface;
at least one relatively narrow wavelength pass filter, wherein the at least one pass filter allows infrared energy from the energy source to pass through effectively unattenuated while attenuating electromagnetic energy at other wavelengths, and wherein the at least one pass filter is positioned substantially between the at least one camera and the interaction surface, such that substantially all electromagnetic energy entering the at least one camera passes through at least one pass filter;
at least one relatively narrow wavelength stop filter, wherein the at least one stop filter attenuates infrared energy of a wavelength substantially equivalent to that generated by the electromagnetic energy source while allowing other electromagnetic wavelengths to pass through effectively unattenuated, and wherein the at least one stop filters are positioned substantially between the at least one visible light projector and the interaction surface, such that substantially all light from the at least one visible light projector passes through the at least one stop filter;
at least one computer; and
at least one computer program process operating on the at least one computer, capable of receiving the output signal from the camera, detecting blobs of infrared energy within the output signal, reporting information about the blobs, processing blob information, and generating an input to the at least one visible light projector based on the processed blob information. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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a interaction surface;
a participant;
at least one imaging device, for generating an output signal representative of at least a portion of the interaction surface;
a visible light projector having at least one input, wherein the projector is capable of projecting visible light onto only a subset of the interaction surface;
a pan and tilt mirror system placed in the optical path of the projector, wherein the pan and tilt mirror system is capable of directing the output from the visible light projector to a desired position;
at least one computer;
at least one computer program process operating on the at least one computer, capable of receiving the output signal from the camera, detecting the position of the participant within the interaction surface, generating a signal for projecting a character in the proximity of the at least one participant, providing the signal to the input of the visible light projector, and providing approximately the detected position of the participant to the pan and tilt mirror system. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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46. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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a plurality of interaction surfaces;
at least one participant;
at least one energy source capable of generating electromagnetic energy in a relatively limited wavelength range, wherein the at least one energy source is positioned such that the energy from the at least one energy source strikes at least a portion of the interaction surface;
at least one electromagnetic imaging device, wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is capable of detecting electromagnetic energy in at least the relatively limited wavelength range generated by the at least one energy source and converting the detected energy into an output signal, and wherein the at least one electromagnetic imaging device is positioned such that the at least one electromagnetic imaging device can detect the electromagnetic energy from at least a portion of the interaction surface;
a plurality of visible light projectors, wherein each of the plurality of visible light projectors has at least one input, and wherein each of the at least one projectors is capable of projecting visible light onto at least one of the plurality of interaction surfaces;
a plurality of computers; and
at least one computer program process operating on the plurality of computers, capable of receiving the output signal from at least one of the at least one electromagnetic imaging device;
detecting blobs of infrared energy within the output signal;
determining the position of the at least one participant in the plurality of interaction surfaces;
processing the determined participant position; and
generating an input to at least one of the plurality of visible light projectors based on the determined participant position. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48)
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49. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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a plurality of interaction surfaces;
a participant;
at least one imaging device, wherein the at least one imaging device is capable of generating an output indicative of at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of interaction surfaces;
a plurality of visible light projectors, wherein each of the plurality of visible light projectors has at least one input, and wherein each of the at least one projectors is capable of projecting visible light onto at least one of the plurality of interaction surfaces;
a plurality of computers;
at least one computer program process operating on the plurality of computers, capable of receiving the output signal from at least one of the at least one imaging devices;
determining the position of the participant based on the output signal;
processing the determined participant position;
generating an input to at least one of the plurality of visible light projectors based on the determined participant position such that the at least one visible light projector projects a character near the determined participant position. - View Dependent Claims (50)
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51. A video-actuated system for creating an interactive environment, comprising:
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an interactive surface;
a participant;
an energy source capable of generating electromagnetic energy in a relatively limited wavelength range, wherein the energy source is positioned such that the energy from the energy source strikes at least a portion of the interaction surface;
an electromagnetic imaging device, wherein the electromagnetic imaging device is capable of detecting electromagnetic energy in at least the relatively limited wavelength range generated by the energy source and converting the detected energy into an output signal, and wherein the electromagnetic imaging device is positioned such that the electromagnetic imaging device can detect the electromagnetic energy from at least a portion of the interaction surface;
a visible light projector having an input, wherein the visible light projector is capable of projecting visible light onto the interaction surface;
a video inverter, having an input connected to the output of the electromagnetic imaging device and an output connected to the input to the visible light projector, wherein the video inverter causes the visible light projector to project a visible light negative of the electromagnetic energy imaged by the electromagnetic imaging device. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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Specification