System and Method for Augmented Reality Gaming

• US 20130281206A1
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Lyons, Martin S., Ang, Roderick, Jackson, Brett, Hendrick, Joseph Randy
• Granted Patent: US 9,558,612 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/33
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/203 Image generating hardware
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• 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 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/405 using Z-buffer
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/10 Terrestrial scenes scenes under surveillance with static cameras G06V20/52; scenes perceived from the exterior of a vehicle G06V20/56; scenes perceived from the interior of a vehicle G06V20/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3206 Player sensing means, e.g. presence detection, biometrics
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3211 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions

Abstract

Disclosed is a method for enabling an augmented reality interaction system and a mobile device to overlay a virtual 3D component over a physical 3D component with which the virtual 3D component interacts. The method includes: enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a gaming machine cabinet via a camera on the mobile device; determining if there are image tags on the gaming machine cabinet in the live camera image; producing a virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet; determining virtual 3D components to be displayed over an image of a virtual gaming machine cabinet; comparing a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D components to a virtual depth rendering of the virtual gaming machine cabinet; and overlaying virtual 3D components without the subtracted elements onto a live camera image of the virtual gaming machine cabinet on a display of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method of enabling an augmented reality interaction system and a mobile device to overlay a virtual 3D component over a physical 3D component with which the virtual 3D component interacts, the method comprising:

controlling a camera on the mobile device using the augmented reality interaction system;

enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a gaming machine cabinet via the camera;

determining if there are image tags on the gaming machine cabinet in the live camera image;

in response to identifying images tags on the gaming machine cabinet, producing a virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet;

determining virtual 3D components to be displayed over an image of a virtual gaming machine cabinet, wherein the virtual 3D components include a plurality of elements each having a depth value and the virtual gaming machine cabinet includes a plurality of elements each having a depth value;

comparing a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D components to a virtual depth rendering of the virtual gaming machine cabinet;

in response to the comparison, subtracting the elements of the virtual 3D components that have a lower depth value than elements of the virtual gaming machine cabinet at corresponding spatial positions; and

overlaying virtual 3D components without the subtracted elements onto a live camera image of the virtual gaming machine cabinet on a display of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using a depth buffer to determine which elements of a 3D rendering are visible to a virtual camera.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining the z-value of each element is compared against an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, wherein if the existing z-value is greater, the pixel is drawn, and wherein if the existing z-value is less than an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, then the pixel is discarded.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

rendering the virtual gaming machine cabinet by mapping the image tag co-ordinates to the gaming machine cabinet co-ordinates using vector subtraction.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

combining the camera video image with the rendering of the additional virtual 3D component minus the virtual gaming machine cabinet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a CAD model having spatial parameters is associated with an image tag.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet is a virtual depth-only rendering of the gaming machine cabinet.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet extracts 2D information from the display of the gaming machine to produce a 3D image of the gaming machine.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

overlaying virtual graphics in a position within 3D space on a display of the mobile device that augment the display of the gaming machine with 3D to create complex augmented reality.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein an object recognition system of the augmented reality gaming assistance component establishes a communication channel between the augmented reality component and the gaming machine enabling additional elements of the game to be augmented on the mobile device, and elements of the game content to be influenced by the augmented state.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality translation system of the augmented reality assistance component extracts a first language from the display of the gaming machine and translates the first language into a second language that is visible to the user in place of the first language.

12. A method of enabling an augmented reality interaction system and a mobile device to overlay a virtual 3D component over a physical 3D component with which the virtual 3D component interacts, the method comprising:

enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a 3D object via a camera on the mobile device;

determining if there are image tags on the 3D object in the live camera image;

in response to identifying images tags on the 3D object, producing a virtual rendering of the 3D object;

determining virtual 3D components to be displayed over an image of a 3D object, wherein the virtual 3D components include a plurality of elements each having a depth value and the virtual 3D object includes a plurality of elements each having a depth value;

comparing a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D components to a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D object;

in response to the comparison, subtracting the elements of the virtual 3D components that have a lower depth value than elements of the virtual 3D object at corresponding spatial positions; and

overlaying virtual 3D components without the subtracted elements onto a live camera image of the virtual 3D object on a display of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

using a depth buffer to determine which elements of a 3D rendering are visible to a virtual camera.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining the z-value of each element is compared against an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, wherein if the existing z-value is greater, the pixel is drawn, and wherein if the existing z-value is less than an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, then the pixel is discarded.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

rendering the virtual 3D object by mapping the image tag co-ordinates to the 3D object co-ordinates using vector subtraction.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

combining the camera video image with the rendering of the additional virtual 3D component minus the virtual 3D object.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a CAD model having spatial parameters is associated with an image tag.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the virtual rendering of the 3D object is a virtual depth-only rendering of the 3D object.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein virtual rendering of the 3D object extracts 2D information from the display of the gaming machine to produce a 3D image of the gaming machine.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

overlaying virtual graphics in a position within 3D space on a display of the mobile device that augment the display of the gaming machine with 3D to create complex augmented reality.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein an object recognition system of the augmented reality gaming assistance component establishes a communication channel between the augmented reality component and the gaming machine enabling additional elements of the game to be augmented on the mobile device, and elements of the game content to be influenced by the augmented state.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the augmented reality translation system of the augmented reality assistance component extracts a first language from the display of the gaming machine and translates the first language into a second language that is visible to the user in place of the first language.