METHOD OF DEFINING A COMMON FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR A VIDEO GAME SYSTEM

• US 20100062817A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Parrot SA
• Original Assignee: Parrot SA
• Inventors: Seydoux, Henri
• Application Number:
  US12/446,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20100062817A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/405 being a wireless ad hoc network, e.g. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Pico net
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5573 player location
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6018 where the game content is authored by the player, e.g. level editor or by game device at runtime, e.g. level is created from music data on CD
• 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 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of defining a common frame of reference for a video game system. The system comprises at least two remotely-controlled vehicles (1), a first vehicle and a second vehicle, each comprising a video sensor (19), and a reference element (69) with recognizable zones (71). The method comprises the following steps: positioning the first vehicle relative to the reference element (69) in such a manner that the recognizable zones (71) are in the field of view of the video sensor (19) of the first vehicle; processing the image delivered by the video sensor (19) of the positioned first vehicle in order to identify the recognizable zones (71) in the image; deducing the position of the first vehicle relative to the reference element (69) by identifying the recognizable zones (71); and transmitting the position of the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A method of defining a common frame of reference for a video game system (1, 3), the system comprising:

at least two remotely-controlled vehicles (1), a first vehicle and a second vehicle, each having a video sensor (19); and

a reference element (69) with recognizable zones (71);

the method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps;

positioning the first vehicle relative to the reference element (69) in such a manner that the recognizable zones (71) are in the field of view of the video sensor (19) of the first vehicle;

processing the image delivered by the video sensor (19) of the positioned first vehicle in order to identify the recognizable zones (71) in the image;

deducing the position of the first vehicle relative to the reference element (69) by identifying the recognizable zones (71); and

transmitting the position of the first vehicle to the second vehicle.

2. A method according to claim 1, the reference element (69) being a real object that is distinct from and independent of the two vehicles, in particular a bridge or a pylon, and serving to define a starting point for a race game between the two vehicles.

3. A method according to claim 1, the reference element (69) being incorporated in the second vehicle in the form of an arrangement of optical elements.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the recognizable zones (71) comprise optical elements, in particular LEDs flashing at known frequencies, or reflective targets.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the position of the first vehicle relative to the reference element (69) is deduced by triangulation.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the video game system (1, 3) further comprises at least two electronic entities (3), in particular two portable consoles, each serving to control a respective one of the two vehicles (1) remotely.

7. A method according to claim 1, the two remotely-controlled vehicles being land vehicles, in particular racing cars or tanks, or aerial vehicles, in particular quadricopters.

8. A method according to claim 6, communication between the electronic entities (3) and the remotely-controlled vehicles (1), and communication between the vehicles themselves, being performed by short-range radio transmission (5), in particular using Bluetooth or WiFi protocol.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the remotely-controlled vehicles (1) have means for estimating their movements and/or their positions.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the movement and/or position estimating means comprise the video sensor (19).

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise an inertial unit made up of one or more accelerometers and/or one or more gyros.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise analog-to-digital electronic converters measuring the electricity consumption of electric motors of the remotely-controlled vehicles (1) in order to estimate their speeds.

13. A method according to claim 9, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise pressure sensors, in particular Pitot tubes.

14. A method according to claim 9, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise a GPS sensor.

15. A method according to claims 9, wherein each remotely-controlled vehicle (1) has a computer provided with data filtering and merging algorithms so as to enable the most likely magnitudes to be estimated from the data coming from all of the sensors.

16. A method according to claim 18, wherein radio transmission takes place in real time to enable all of the other remotely-controlled vehicles (1) to estimate their movements and/or positions.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the radio transmission comprises updating movement and/or position estimates at the same frequency as video image encoding, in particular 25 times per second.

18. A method according to claim 8, wherein the remotely-controlled vehicles (1) have means for estimating their movements and/or their positions.

19. A method according to claim 10, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise an inertial unit made up of one or more accelerometers and/or one or more gyros.

20. A method according to claim 10, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise analog-to-digital electronic converters measuring the electricity consumption of electric motors of the remotely-controlled vehicles (1) in order to estimate their speeds.

21. A method according to claim 11, wherein the movement and/or position estimation means comprise analog-to-digital electronic converters measuring the electricity consumption of electric motors of the remotely-controlled vehicles (1) in order to estimate their speeds.