Method and apparatus for use in determining an activity level of a user in relation to a system

• US 20070015558A1
• Filed: 05/08/2006
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mao, Xiadong, Marks, Richard, Zalewski, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,782,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/424 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 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition

Abstract

Methods and techniques for use in the operation of a game apparatus or other system for determining an activity level of a user in relation to the game apparatus or other system. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon instructions for performing such methods and techniques is also included, as well as an example system for implementation.

Claims

1. A method for use in operation of a game apparatus for determining a lack of user activity in relation to the game apparatus, comprising the steps of:

obtaining a time series of samples containing information usable to determine an activity level of a user of the game apparatus;

processing the time series to determine whether the user is currently inactive; and

when the step of processing the time series determines that the user is currently inactive, providing a first signal to the game apparatus for use in controlling the operation of the game apparatus.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of processing the time series determines that the user is currently inactive so long as the activity of the user does not exceed a threshold.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising modifying the threshold during the step of processing the time series.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising acting upon the first signal by the game apparatus to suspend execution of a game.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of processing the time series of samples is performed with respect to the activity of individual ones of a plurality of users to identify one or more individual users of the plurality of users who is currently inactive, and the step of providing the first signal includes identifying a particular user of the plurality of users who is currently inactive.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising a step of providing a second signal to the game apparatus when the step of processing determines that all of a predetermined set of the plurality of users are currently inactive.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time series of samples includes information relating to at least one of a movement of at least a portion of the user'"'"'s body, a position of the user'"'"'s body, an orientation of at least a portion of the user'"'"'s body, or an acoustic level in a vicinity of a screen upon which a progress of a game is displayable by the game apparatus.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes obtaining information from an image capture device in a vicinity of a screen upon which a progress of a game is displayable by the game apparatus.

9. The method as claimed in any one of claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes obtaining information representative of a position of the at least one photonically detectable (“

PD”

) element within an image captured by the image capture device, the PD element being included in an article worn by the user, the PD element being distinctive by at least one of brightness, color, texture, pattern, reflectivity or illumination intensity, and the step of processing determines that the user is currently inactive when a change in the position of the at least one PD element over an interval of time fails to exceed a predetermined threshold.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one PD element includes a light source.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the at least one PD element includes a light emitting diode (“

LED”

).

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the article includes at least two PD elements, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes capturing an orientation of the article relative to an x-axis of a plane of the image and a y-axis of the plane of the image.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the article includes three PD elements defining a triangle, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes capturing an orientation of the game controller further in relation to a z-axis, the z-axis being perpendicular to the plane of the image.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the article includes at least four PD elements defining a rectangle, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes capturing an orientation of the game controller further in relation to a z-axis, the z-axis being perpendicular to the plane of the image.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 or claim 14, wherein the step of processing further includes determining an orientation of the article including orientation data relating to at least one of pitch, yaw or roll and comparing the orientation data to predetermined orientation data to determine whether the user is currently active.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the orientation data relates to pitch, yaw and roll of the article.

17. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 through 5, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes sampling information obtained by an inertial sensor incorporated in an article worn by the user and the step of processing the time series includes processing the time series to determine that a movement of the predetermined object does not exceed a threshold within a predetermined interval of time.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the inertial sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope or a laser gyroscope.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes obtaining information usable to determine acceleration of the article and the step of processing the time series includes determining an acceleration of the article.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the step of processing the time series includes determining a velocity of the article by integrating acceleration values obtained from the time series over an interval of time, and determining that the user is currently inactive when the velocity determined by the processing does not exceed a threshold velocity value.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of processing the time series includes determining a displacement of the article by first integrating acceleration values obtained from the time series over an interval of time and integrating the result of the first integrating over the interval of time, and determining that the user is currently inactive when the displacement determined by the processing does not exceed a threshold displacement value.

22. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2, 3 or 5, wherein the step of obtaining the time series includes sampling information obtained by an acoustic transducer in the vicinity of the user and the step of processing the time series includes determining that a user is currently inactive when the information obtained by the acoustic transducer does not satisfy a predetermined criterion.

23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further comprising displaying a progress of a game upon a screen, wherein the acoustic information is obtained by an acoustic transducer located in a vicinity of the screen.

24. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising displaying a progress of a game upon a screen, wherein the acoustic information is obtained by an acoustic transducer located in a vicinity of the screen, and the step of processing the time series includes determining that a particular user of the plurality of users is currently inactive when the information obtained by the acoustic transducer does not satisfy a predetermined criterion specific to the particular user.

25. The method as claimed in claim 23, 24, or 24, wherein the predetermined criterion includes at least one criterion selected from the group consisting of pitch, audio pulse frequency, audio pulse shape, audio pulse duty cycle, beat frequency, spectral signature including a spectral content characteristic of a distinctive sound, spectral signature characteristic of a particular user'"'"'s voice, a time-varying signature characteristic of a string of one or more phonemes concatenated together and recognizable through speech recognition.