BIOMETRIC INTERFACE FOR A HANDHELD DEVICE

• US 20110260830A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Weising, George
• Granted Patent: US 9,557,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.52
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/20 Input arrangements for video game devices
• 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 13/60 Generating or modifying game content before or while executing the game program, e.g. authoring tools specially adapted for game development or game-integrated level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3204 Player-machine interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics

Abstract

Methods and systems for applying biometric data to an interactive program executed by a portable device are provided. According to embodiments of the invention, raw bio-signal data is captured and filtered so as to determine the bio-signal of the user of the interactive program. The bio-signal is analyzed so as to determine biometrics of the user, which are applied as input to the interactive program. A setting or state of the interactive program is modified based on the biometrics. An updated state of the interactive program is rendered to the user, reflecting the modification of the setting or state of the interactive program.

Claims

1. A method for processing biometric data to affect interactivity during execution of an interactive program, comprising,

(a) displaying an interactive program on a handheld device, the handheld device including one or more selectable inputs, each of the selectable inputs being for a specific action to be executed by the interactive program;

(b) detecting the presence of human skin by at least a first sensor and a second sensor of the handheld device;

(c) reading biometric data obtained from the human skin of the user using the first and second sensors;

(d) processing the biometric data to determine a bio-input characteristic; and

(e) analyzing the bio-input characteristic during execution of the interactive program; and

(f) modifying a state of the interactive program using the bio-input characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reading of the biometric data includes,

receiving raw signal data from the first and second sensors;

filtering the raw signal data to determine bio-signal data; and

analyzing the bio-signal data to determine the biometric data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bio-signal data is selected from the group consisting of galvanic skin response signal data, electromuscular signal data, or electrocardio signal data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein method operations (c), (d) and (e) are continuously repeated;

and

wherein the bio-input characteristic changes continuously over time, during execution of the interactive program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzing the bio-input characteristic includes,

determining a relationship between the bio-input characteristic and one or more settings governing the state of the interactive program;

and

adjusting the one or more settings according to the relationship so as to cause the modification of the state of the interactive program.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more settings are selected from one or more of the following:

audio attributes, including volume, visual attributes, including brightness, zoom, steadiness, and color, an attribute of a character in the interactive program, including appearance, color, countenance, and respiration intensity and rate, an attribute of an action performed by a character in the interactive program, including force of an attack action, accuracy of an attack action, and speed of movement, a level of difficulty.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable inputs define mechanisms for receiving intentional input from the user, the selectable inputs being selected from the group consisting of button input, touchscreen input, gesture input, motion input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the modifying the state of the interactive program includes,

determining a current stage of the interactive program;

associating a modification parameter with the current stage, the modification parameter determining the applicability of the bio-input characteristic to a current state of the interactive program.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the modification parameter determines when the bio-input characteristic is applied to modify the state of the interactive program.

10. The method of claim 1,

wherein analyzing the bio-input characteristic includes predicting a future value of the bio-input characteristic;

and

wherein modifying the state of the interactive program includes modification based on the predicted future value of the bio-input characteristic.

11. A method for affecting interactivity between a user and an interactive application, comprising,

initiating interactivity between a user and an interactive application displayed on a handheld device;

monitoring one or more physiological attributes of the user during the interactivity;

adjusting a state of the interactive application based on the monitored physiological attribute of the user.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein monitoring the physiological attribute includes,

detecting data which describes the physiological attribute from one or more sensors coupled to the handheld device;

processing the detected data to determine a value of the physiological attribute.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein monitoring the physiological attribute further includes,

recording the value of the physiological attribute;

and

tracking changes in the value of the physiological attribute.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting a state of the interactive application includes,

determining a relationship between the value of the physiological attribute and the state of the interactive program;

and

adjusting the state of the interactive application according to the value of the physiological attribute based on the relationship between the value of the physiological attribute and the state of the interactive program.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the state of the interactive application further includes,

determining a stage of the interactivity between the user and the interactive application;

adjusting the state of the interactive application based on the stage of the interactivity between the user and the interactive application.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein adjusting the state of the interactive application provokes a predetermined change in the physiological attribute of the user.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein adjusting the state of the interactive application includes,

predicting a future value of the physiological attribute;

adjusting the state of the interactive application based on the predicted future value of the physiological attribute.

18. A handheld device for applying biometric input to an interactive application module, comprising,

a processor;

at least one input mechanism for receiving intentional input from a user;

at least one biometric sensor for detecting biometric data of the user;

a biometric processing module executed by the processor, the biometric processing module receiving the biometric data from the biometric sensor and processing the biometric data to determine a bio-input characteristic;

an interactive application module executed by the processor, the interactive application module receiving the bio-input characteristic and adjusting a state of the interactive application module based on the bio-input characteristic;

a display for displaying the interactive application module to a user.

19. The handheld device of claim 18, wherein the interactive application module determines a relationship between the bio-input characteristic and the state of the interactive application module, and adjusts the state of the interactive application module according to the relationship between the bio-input characteristic and the state of the interactive application module.

20. The handheld device of claim 18, wherein the at least one input mechanism includes one or more of a button, joystick, directional pad, touch-sensitive device, trackball, motion-sensing device.

21. The handheld device of claim 18, wherein the bio-input characteristic defines a current value of a physiological attribute of the user.

22. The handheld device of claim 18, wherein the bio-input characteristic defines a predicted future value of a physiological attribute of the user.

23. A system for applying biometric input to an interactive application module, comprising,

a computer, the computer configured to execute an interactive application module and provide output to a display;

a controller, the controller configured to communicate with the computer, the controller including at least one input mechanism for receiving intentional input from a user, and at least one biometric sensor for detecting biometric data of the user;

the computer further including a biometric processing module, the biometric processing module receiving the biometric data from the biometric sensor and processing the biometric data to determine a bio-input characteristic;

the interactive application module receiving the bio-input characteristic and adjusting a state of the interactive application module based on the bio-input characteristic.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the interactive application module determines a relationship between the bio-input characteristic and the state of the interactive application module, and adjusts the state of the interactive application module according to the relationship between the bio-input characteristic and the state of the interactive application module.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one input mechanism includes one or more of a button, joystick, directional pad, touch-sensitive device, trackball, motion-sensing device.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the bio-input characteristic defines a current value of a physiological attribute of the user.

27. The handheld device of claim 23, wherein the bio-input characteristic defines a predicted future value of a physiological attribute of the user.