INTERACTIVE GAME APPARATUS AND TOY CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM

• US 20170189797A1
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Original Assignee: Lego A/S (Kirkbi A/S)
• Inventors: MUTHYALA, Siddharth, JENSEN, Mikkel Holm, SDERBERG, Jesper, PEDERSEN, Ditte Bruun, BRORSON, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 10,583,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 13/57 Simulating properties, behaviour or motion of objects in the game world, e.g. computing tyre load in a car race game A63F13/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/63 by the player, e.g. authoring using a level editor
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 2200/00 Computerized interactive toys, e.g. dolls
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/042 Mechanical, electrical, optical, pneumatic or hydraulic arrangements; Motors
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/086 with primary projections fitting by friction in complementary spaces between secondary projections, e.g. sidewalls

Abstract

A toy construction system comprising: a plurality of toy construction elements, each comprising one or more coupling members configured for releasably interconnecting the toy construction elements with each other; an image capturing device operable to capture one or more images of a toy construction model constructed from one or more of said toy construction elements; and a processor configured to extract a two-dimensional view of the toy construction model from the captured image; to create a virtual object in a virtual environment; and to create a three-dimensional graphical representation of the virtual object from the extracted two-dimensional view, wherein the created three-dimensional representation has a first view, seen along a first direction, defined by the extracted two-dimensional view, and a size along the first direction determined from a size of the extracted two-dimensional view.

Claims

1. A toy construction system comprising:

a plurality of toy construction elements, each comprising one or more coupling members configured for releasably interconnecting the toy construction elements with each other;

an image capturing device operable to capture one or more images of a toy construction model constructed from one or more of said toy construction elements; and

a processor configured

to extract a two-dimensional view of the toy construction model from the captured image;

to create a virtual object in a virtual environment; and

to create a three-dimensional graphical representation of the virtual object from the extracted two-dimensional view, wherein the created three-dimensional representation has a first view, seen along a first direction, defined by the extracted two-dimensional view, and a size along the first direction determined from a size of the extracted two-dimensional view.

2. A Toy construction system according to claim 1, wherein creating the three-dimensional graphical representation comprises creating the three-dimensional graphical representation with a cross sectional shape having a periphery defined by a periphery of the extracted two-dimensional view.

3. A Toy construction system according to claim 2, wherein creating the three-dimensional graphical representation comprises creating the three-dimensional graphical representation with a circumferential surface, defined by peripheries of respective cross-sections of the three-dimensional graphical representations, the circumferential surface having one or more colours and/or one or more textures defined by corresponding one or more colours and/or one or more textures of the extracted two-dimensional view at respective positions along a periphery of the extracted two-dimensional view.

4. A Toy construction system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said size of the extracted two-dimensional view is a measure of a linear extent of the extracted two-dimensional view along a second direction within a plane defined by the two-dimensional view.

5. A Toy construction system according to claim 4, wherein said size of the extracted two-dimensional view is a measure of a linear extent of the extracted two-dimensional view along a second direction within a plane defined by the two-dimensional view;

wherein the linear extent along the second direction is measured at a predetermined position along a third direction in said plane, the third direction being normal to the second direction.

6. A Toy construction system according to claim 5, wherein said predetermined position is a position where the two-dimensional view has a maximum linear extent along the second direction.

7. A Toy construction system according to claim 5, wherein the linear extent along the second direction is measured along an edge of the two-dimensional view.

8. A Toy construction system according to any one of claims 4 through 7, wherein creating comprises:

detecting a first linear extent of the extracted two-dimensional view, the first linear extent being measured along the second direction and at a first position along a third direction in said plane, the third direction being normal to the second direction;

detecting a second linear extent of the extracted two-dimensional view, the second linear extent being measured along the second direction and at a second position along a third direction; and

creating the three-dimensional graphical representation to have a first size along the first direction at the first position along the third direction; and

to have a second size along the first direction at the second position along the third direction.

9. A toy construction system according to any one of the preceding claims;

wherein the processor is further configured to;

determine, from the captured one or more images, one or more visual attribute parameters, each indicative of a respective visual attribute derivable from one or more of a color, a shape and a size of the toy construction model;

to create a virtual object in a computer-generated virtual environment; and

to control the virtual object in the computer-generated virtual environment to have a behaviour based on the determined one or more visual attribute parameters.

25. A toy construction system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is configured to detect a colour of the toy construction model and to create the virtual object to have a colour based on the detected colour.

26. A toy construction system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the processor is configured to create a data structure comprising a surface representation of the virtual object for drawing the virtual object and/or a data structure representing a skeleton of bones for animating the virtual object.

27. A toy construction system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising toy construction elements having a top surface, a bottom surface, and coupling members placed on at least one of the top and the bottom surface.

10. A toy construction system comprising:

a plurality of toy construction elements, each comprising one or more coupling members configured for releasably interconnecting the toy construction elements with each other;

an image capturing device operable to capture one or more images of a toy construction model constructed from one or more of said toy construction elements; and

a processor configured to

determine, from the captured one or more images, one or more visual attribute parameters, each indicative of a respective visual attribute derivable from one or more of a color, a shape and a size of the toy construction model;

to create a virtual object in a computer-generated virtual environment; and

to control the virtual object in the computer-generated virtual environment to have a behaviour based on the determined one or more visual attribute parameters.

11. A Toy construction system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein each visual attribute is a property of the toy construction model that can be attained by sight and be derived from a colour and/or a shape and/or a size of the toy construction model.

12. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 9 through 11;

wherein the processor is configured to extract a view of the toy construction model within the captured image and to determine the visual attribute parameter as a visual attribute parameter of the extracted view of the toy construction model.

13. A toy construction system according to claim 12;

wherein the processor is configured to compute a geometric property of the extracted view of the toy construction model indicative of a size and/or a shape of the detected view of the toy construction model;

wherein the processor is further configured to compute at least one of the one or more visual attribute parameters from one or more of the computed geometric properties.

14. A toy construction system according to claim 13;

wherein the geometric property is chosen from;

a length of a perimeter delimiting the extracted view of the toy construction model against a background,

an area of the extracted view of the toy construction model within the captured image,

one or more sizes of the extracted view of the toy construction model along respective axes,

one or more angles relative to detected edges or planes.

15. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 12 through 14;

wherein one of the one or more visual attribute parameters is chosen from

an aspect ratio;

a ratio between an area and a perimeter of the extracted view of the toy construction model;

a measure of connectedness of different parts of the extracted view.

16. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 12 through 15;

wherein the processor is configured to detect one or more colours of the extracted view of the toy construction model and to compute one of the one or more visual attribute parameters from said detected one or more colours.

17. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 6 through 16;

wherein the processor is configured to set one or more virtual attributes of the created virtual object, each virtual attribute being associated with a behavioural characteristic of the virtual object; and

to set a value of the virtual attribute based on the one or more determined visual attribute parameters.

18. A toy construction system according to claim 17, wherein one of the one or more virtual attributes is indicative of one of:

a speed of movement of the virtual object in the virtual environment;

a behavioural pattern of an at least partly autonomous virtual object;

a need or preference of an at least partly autonomous virtual object.

19. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 9 through 18, wherein the processor is configured to detect a shape of the toy construction model and to create the virtual object to have a shape based on the detected shape.

20. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 9 through 19, wherein the processor is further configured to create a further virtual object in the virtual environment;

and to control the virtual object in the virtual environment to interact with the further virtual object based on the determined one or more visual attribute parameters.

21. A toy construction system according to claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to detect a shape of the toy construction model and to create the further virtual object to have a shape based on the detected shape.

22. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 20 through 21, wherein the processor is configured to detect a colour of the toy construction model and to create the further virtual object to have a colour based on the detected colour.

23. A toy construction system according to any one of claims 20 through 22;

wherein the processor is configured to set one or more virtual attributes of the created further virtual object, each virtual attribute being associated with an attribute of the further virtual object in the virtual environment;

to set a value of the virtual attribute based on the one or more determined visual attribute parameters; and

to control the virtual object in the virtual environment to interact with the further virtual object based on the value of the virtual attribute.

24. A toy construction system according to any one claims 9 through 23, wherein the processor is configured to detect, in addition to the one or more visual attribute parameters, a presence of one or more visual features of the toy construction model.

28. A computer-implemented method of creating a virtual object in a computer-generated virtual environment, the method comprising:

receiving a digital representation of a toy construction model constructed from one or more toy construction elements, each comprising coupling members configured for releasably interconnecting the toy construction elements with each other;

extracting a two-dimensional view of the toy construction model from the received digital representation;

creating a virtual object in a virtual environment; and

creating a three-dimensional graphical representation of the virtual object from the extracted two-dimensional view, wherein the created three-dimensional representation has a first view, seen along a first direction, defined by the extracted two-dimensional view, and a size along the first direction determined from a size of the extracted two-dimensional view.

32. A data processing system comprising computer program code configured to cause, when the computer program code is executed by the data processing system, the data processing system to perform the steps of the method defined in any one of claims 28 through 31.

33. A computer program product comprising computer program code configured to cause, when executed by a data processing system, the data processing system to perform the steps of the method defined in any one of claims 28 through 31.

29. A method of controlling a virtual character in a virtual environment, the method comprising:

receiving a digital representation of a toy construction model constructed from one or more toy construction elements, each comprising coupling members configured for releasably interconnecting the toy construction elements with each other;

determining, from the received digital representation, one or more visual attribute parameters, each indicative of a respective visual attribute derivable from one or more of a colour, a shape and a size of the toy construction model;

creating a virtual object in the virtual environment; and

controlling the virtual object in the virtual environment to have a behaviour based on the determined one or more visual attribute parameters.

30. A computer-implemented method of manipulating a three-dimensional virtual construction model assembled from a plurality of virtual construction elements, the method comprising:

displaying a representation of a virtual construction model;

displaying a plurality of virtual construction elements as a simulated heap of arbitrarily positioned virtual construction elements; and

allowing a user to select one or more virtual construction elements and to add the selected virtual construction element to the virtual construction model;

wherein allowing a user to select one or more virtual construction elements comprises allowing a user to select a virtual construction element from the simulated heap and to reposition the selected construction element within the selection area.

31. A computer-implemented method of manipulating a three-dimensional virtual construction model assembled from a plurality of virtual construction elements, the method comprising:

displaying a representation of a virtual construction model;

displaying a plurality of virtual construction elements and allowing a user to select one or more virtual construction elements and to add the selected virtual construction element to the virtual construction model;

computing a virtual attribute of a virtual object represented by the virtual construction model; and

responsive to adding a virtual construction element to the virtual construction model, dynamically re-computing the virtual attribute.