Orientation device and method for coordinate generation employed thereby

• US 20060258465A1
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Published: 11/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Lee, Hsuan-Hsien, Chao, Tzu-Yi, Chen, Hsin-Chia, Tsai, Chang-Che, Lee, Yi-Fang, Lin, Chih-Hsin
• Granted Patent: US 7,857,703 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/49
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• 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 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting

Abstract

A method for coordinate generation to be implemented using an orientation device includes the steps of: providing at least three reference marks on a target; aiming the orientation device at an initial point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains at least one of the reference marks; correlating a coordinate space of the orientation device with a coordinate space of the target; aiming the orientation device at a target point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains the reference marks; and determining relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the established coordinate space relation and the captured image. An orientation device that performs the method is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for coordinate generation to be implemented using an orientation device that is provided with a sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

A) providing at least three reference marks on a target;

B) aiming the orientation device at an initial point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains at least one of the reference marks;

C) from the image captured in step B), correlating a coordinate space of the orientation device with a coordinate space of the target;

D) aiming the orientation device at a target point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains the reference marks; and

E) determining relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the coordinate space relation established in step C), and the image captured in step D).

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

one of the reference marks serves as the initial point on the target in step B), and

an axis correction value associated with mapping of the initial point onto the coordinate space of the orientation device is determined in step C).

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein step E) includes:

E1) determining coordinates of the reference marks in the image captured in step D);

E2) performing planar projective transformation calculations upon the coordinates of the reference marks determined in sub-step E1) to obtain a transformation matrix;

E3) correcting an image capturing axis of the orientation device based on the transformation matrix obtained in sub-step E2) and the axis correction value obtained in step C); and

E4) determining the relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the corrected image capturing axis.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target has four corners, each of which has a respective coordinate distinct from those of the reference marks, said method further comprising the steps, between steps C) and D), of:

F) aiming the orientation device at an arbitrary point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains the reference marks; and

G) aiming the orientation device at each of the corners of the target in sequence, and operating the orientation device in said sequence such that the sensor is able to capture four images of the target that contain the reference marks and that correspond to the aimed corners, respectively;

wherein, in step E), the relative coordinates of the target point are determined with further reference to the image captured in step F) and the four images captured in step G).

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein step E) includes:

Ea) determining coordinates of the reference marks in the image captured in step F);

Eb) performing planar projective transformation calculations upon the coordinates of the reference marks determined in sub-step Ea) to obtain a transformation matrix;

Ec) determining coordinates of the reference marks in each of the four images captured in step G); and

Ed) performing planar projective transformation calculations upon the coordinates of the reference marks determined in sub-step Ec) to obtain four transformation matrices.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein step E) further includes:

Ee) determining coordinates of the reference marks in the image captured in step D);

Ef) performing planar projective transformation calculations upon the coordinates of the reference marks determined in sub-step Ee) to obtain a transformation matrix;

Eg) correcting an image capturing axis of the orientation device based on the transformation matrix obtained in sub-step Eb, the transformation matrices obtained in sub-step Ed, the transformation matrix obtained in sub-step Ef), and the axis correction value obtained in step C); and

Eh) determining the relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the corrected image capturing axis.

7. A method for coordinate generation to be implemented using an orientation device that is provided with a sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

A) providing at least three reference marks on a target;

B) aiming the orientation device at a target point on the target, and operating the orientation device such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the target that contains the reference marks; and

C) determining relative coordinates of the target point with reference to a pre-established coordinate space relation between the target and the orientation device and the image captured in step B).

8. A method for coordinate generation to be implemented using a light gun that is provided with a sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

A) providing at least three reference marks on a display;

B) aiming the light gun at an initial point on the display, and operating the light gun such that the sensor S is able to capture an image of the display that contains at least one of the reference marks;

C) from the image captured in step B), correlating a coordinate space of the light gun with a coordinate space of the display;

D) aiming the light gun at a target point on the display, and operating the light gun such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the display that contains the reference marks; and

E) determining relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the coordinate space relation established in step C), and the image captured in step D).

9. A method for coordinate generation to be implemented using a light gun that is provided with a sensor, said method comprising the steps of:

A) providing at least three reference marks on a display;

B) aiming the light gun at a target point on the display, and operating the light gun such that the sensor is able to capture an image of the display that contains the reference marks; and

C) determining relative coordinates of the target point with reference to a pre-established coordinate space relation between the target and the orientation device, and the image captured in step B).

10. A system, comprising:

a target defining a coordinate space;

at least three reference marks provided on said target;

an orientation device defining a coordinate space correlated with the coordinate space of said target, and including

a sensor that is able to capture an image of said target that contains said reference marks when said orientation device is operated while aiming at a target point on said target, and

a processor that is coupled to said sensor, and that is operable to determine relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the coordinate space relation between said target and said orientation device and the image captured by said sensor.

11. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said reference marks is a light source.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11, wherein said light source is a light-emitting diode.

13. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said reference marks is a reflector.

14. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of said reference marks is a colored pattern.

15. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said target is a screen of a display.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said display is one of a liquid crystal display, a plasma display panel, a cathode-ray tube, and a projection display.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a controller coupled to said display and said orientation device, said controller controlling images presented on said screen of said display in response to the relative coordinates of the target point determined by said processor of said orientation device.

18. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said orientation device is a light gun.

19. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sensor is a Complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device.

20. The system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said sensor is a charge coupled device (CCD).

21. An orientation device for a system that includes a target provided with at least three reference marks, said orientation device defining a coordinate space that is correlated with a coordinate space of the target, and comprising:

a sensor adapted to capture an image of the target that contains the reference marks when said orientation device is operated while aiming at a target point on the target; and

a processor coupled to said sensor, and operable so as to determine relative coordinates of the target point with reference to the coordinate space relation between the target and said orientation device and the image captured by said sensor.