CAMERA BASED SENSING IN HANDHELD, MOBILE, GAMING, OR OTHER DEVICES

• US 20130215014A1
• Filed: 03/26/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gesture Technology Partners, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gesture Technology Partners, LLC
• Inventors: Pryor, Timothy R.
• Application Number:
  US13/850,602
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215014A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• 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 13/428 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 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2435 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 : Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 : using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 : using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 : Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 : Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 : Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 : using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 : from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 : Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed to enable rapid TV camera and computer based sensing in many practical applications, including, but not limited to, handheld devices, cars, and video games. Several unique forms of social video games are disclosed.

Claims

1. An interactive system for first and second persons remote from each other, the interactive system comprising:

a first display screen viewable by the first person and a first camera having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of the first person;

a second display screen viewable by the second person and a second camera having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of the second person; and

a processing unit adapted to determine a gesture performed by the first person in the first camera field of view and, in response to the determined gesture, control the image displayed on the second display screen viewable by the second person.

2. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is further adapted to transmit audio data between the first and second persons across an internet connection.

3. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the processing unit is further adapted to transmit video data between the first and second persons across an internet connection.

4. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes a facial expression.

5. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes a hand motion.

6. The interactive system of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes a body motion.

7. A computer implemented method comprising:

providing first and second display screens viewable by first and second persons remote from each other;

providing first and second cameras including a field of view encompassing respective first and second persons;

detecting, using one of the first and second cameras, a gesture performed in a camera field of view;

controlling an image displayed on the first display screen in response to the detected gesture being performed in the first camera field of view; and

controlling an image displayed on the second display screen in response to the detected gesture being performed in the second camera field of view.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the detected gesture includes a facial expression.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the detected gesture includes a hand motion.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the detected gesture includes a body motion.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first and second display screens are operatively coupled to each other over an internet connection.

12. The method according to claim 11 further including transmitting audio data from the first person to the second person across the internet connection.

13. The method according to claim 7 wherein the first display includes a virtual representation of the second person, and wherein the second display includes a virtual representation of the first person.

14. A system comprising:

first and second display screens viewable by respective first and second persons remote from each other;

first and second cameras including a field of view encompassing the respective first and second persons, the first and second cameras each providing an output;

a processing unit operable to receive each camera output, wherein the processing unit controls an image displayed on the first display screen in response to a detected gesture being performed in the second camera field of view and wherein the processing unit controls an image displayed on the second display screen in response to a detected gesture being performed in the first camera field of view.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the first and second display screens are operatively coupled to each other over an internet connection.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing unit is further adapted to transmit audio data between the first and second persons across the internet connection.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the processing unit is further adapted to transmit video data between the first and second persons across the internet connection.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the detected gesture includes a facial expression.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the detected gesture includes a hand motion.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the detected gesture includes a body motion.