DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT AND LOCATION BASED AUGMENTED REALITY (AR) SYSTEMS

• US 20140287806A1
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sulon Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sulon Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Balachandreswaran, Dhanushan
• Granted Patent: US 9,132,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/7
• 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 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/217 using environment-related information, i.e. information generated otherwise than by the player, e.g. ambient temperature or humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/285 Generating tactile feedback signals via the game input device, e.g. force feedback
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/323 between game devices with different hardware characteristics, e.g. hand-held game devices connectable to game consoles or arcade machines
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/327 using wireless networks, e.g. Wi-Fi® or piconet
• 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/825 Fostering virtual characters
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 : Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 : Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 : characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 : Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A multi dynamic environment and location based active augmented/mixed reality (AR) gaming system having means to utilize its surrounding environment and locations of other systems and devices in conjunction with computer based advanced calculation and graphics to dynamically change the gaming environment to any location and environment of a game play.

Claims

1. A dynamic environment and location based augmented reality (AR) system wherein one or more users enacting in a physical environment and communicating physically and virtually based on augmented reality, said AR system comprising:

a. a scanning system to scan and analyze said physical environment and to develop a map;

b. plurality of local positioning systems to identify the location of said users with respect to said physical environment, said users being in the same or different locations;

c. a central console having a processor to combine said map and the location of said users into a computer generated virtual environment;

d. a game play environment to be used to augment said virtual environment to generate an augmented environment;

e. multiplicity of interactive devices to allow said users to communicate with each other, said interactive devices comprising one or more visors, emitters and receivers;

f. said local positioning systems to identify the location of said interactive devices with respect to said physical environment;

g. dynamically collected data, said data comprising;

dynamic or static map of the physical environment;

locations of all users with respect to said physical environment;

locations of all visors, emitters and receivers; and

direction, orientation and speed of all users; and

h. an artificial intelligence and learning algorithms to allow communication between all users and the physical environment in the augmented environment and to dynamically change the game play environment, whereby said AR system allows for a real time adaptive game play in changing environments and locations.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiver comprising:

a. plurality of receiver modules comprising;

i. multiplicity of IR sensors to sense an IR beams that emit from said emitter,

ii. multiplicity of IR light sources to signal when said IR sensors sense said IR beams,

iii. means to react based on haptic feedback or when said IR sensors sense said IR beams,

iv. multiplicity of biometric sensors to react to the physiological changes of the user'"'"'s body, and

v. a microprocessor to process data collected by said receiver module;

b. a wireless positioning system to locate said receiver;

c. means to determine direction, orientation and speed of the receiver;

d. a battery management and supply unit to provide power to the receiver; and

e. an IR transceiver to operate when said receiver acts as said emitter.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said game play environment further having a computer program to identify all users that are in the same physical environment, and to combine the map, location, and speed of each said visor and said emitter, to locate all users in the same augmented environment for said game play.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein scanning system being dynamic or static to scan and analyze said physical environment and to develop said map.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said game play environment further having a computer program to superpose graphics, sounds, and haptic feedback to the augmented environment.

11. The system of claim 1, further having a computer program to adaptively and dynamically learn the physical environment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said scanning system having means to scan and generate a 2D or 3D virtual environment.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said central console processes data from said scanning system, creates logical arrangement for said local positioning system, recognizes and produces said game play environment, manages said interactive devices, performs a wide variety of central play calculations, algorithms, game management and generates said augmented environment of said physical environment.

whereby said users interact through said central console even if said users are at different locations and having different physical environment, and wherein said individual maps from each user being combined to make a central game environment.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said game play environment further comprising of walls, rooms, doors, trees, hallways, or other physical media in 2D or 3D, obstacles, characters added into the augmented environment, and means to create fog to limit the view of the user to a certain distance.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein said central console having means to receive and manage the global position of each user, solve time conflicts, positioning and mapping conflicts that occur between said users and interactive devices.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein said AR system having biometric sensors to measure human vitals to be used as inputs for gameplay, whereby human vitals, such as heart rate, are used to alter the emitter to mimic a real life situation, for example, if a user'"'"'s heart rate increases during a game of laser tag, the emitter may begin to vibrate so the user will lose accuracy.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein said game play environment being a laser tag game, said emitters being laser guns, and said receivers being vests worn by the users, said visor having a receiver to identify a head shot, said interactive devices having unique ID, wherein when a user is tagged, other devices receive the respective status update based on the projection of the unique serial ID of the device that is tagged, and wherein said visor having means to project a virtual damage to a receiver, further having means to allow a player being behind another player to see the augmented laser beam fired by the player from behind, whereby when a vest is hit by a gun, the area of the vest signals infrared (IR) LEDs to turn on, creating an input parameter for the visor to see, the visor can see IR sources through image processing and can then create effects such as blood, gore, explosions, smoke or other forms of special effects in and around the area of impact.

2. A visor comprising:

a. at least a camera system to scan and view the physical environment in 3D;

b. a scanning laser range finder to map out the physical environment in real time to render said map;

c. means to determine direction, orientation and speed of the visor in the physical environment;

d. a wireless positioning system to locate the visor;

e. a biometric sensor to add realism;

f. means to react based on haptic feedback;

g. a battery management and supply unit to provide power to the visor;

h. a display means further having means to increase the field of view of the user;

i. a sound system;

j. a microphone system; and

k. a visor processor to process collected data by the visor.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said means to determine direction, orientation and speed of said visor comprising:

a. a 3D compass sensor to measure the direction of said visor, said emitter and said receiver;

b. a 3D gyroscope sensor to measure the orientation of said visor, said emitter and said receiver; and

c. a 3D accelerometer sensor to measure the speed of said visor, said emitter and said receiver.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said wireless positioning system being selected from the group consisting of an ultrasonic positioning system, a radio frequency positioning system, a radio frequency identification positioning system, a Wi-Fi positioning system, a GPS positioning system, and electromagnetic positioning system.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein said display means to display said augmented environment is selected from the group consisting of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, and an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein said scanning laser range finder (SLRF) comprising:

a.

b. at least one electromechanical motor for scanning said physical environment;

c. a laser diode to send out a laser beam in the forward direction, said laser beam bouncing off an object and returning back to the scanner;

d. photodiodes or photo transistors to receive a bounced laser beam; and

e. a SLRF processor to process data obtained by a time-to-digital converter or phase shift measurement to determine lapsed times and to send it back to the LRF processor.

18. The system of claim 2, wherein said camera system comprising several cameras to detect the pattern of IR LEDs being emitted by any emitter or other IR LED to generate special graphics and effects.

3. An emitter comprising:

a. means to determine direction, orientation and speed of the emitter;

b. a wireless positioning system to locate said emitter;

c. means to generate an IR beam to communicate with a receiver;

d. a trigger switch to emit said IR beam;

e. a trigger light source to notify a user when said emitter is activated;

f. means to produce a recoil feedback;

g. a biometric sensor to add realism;

h. means to react based on haptic feedback;

i. a battery management and supply unit to provide power to the emitter;

j. a display to show emitter statistics; and

k. an emitter processor to process collected data by the emitter.

17. The system of claim 3, wherein said emitter emits modulated or non-modulated infrared (IR) frequency or any other forms of light emission onto said receiver.