Smart Playable Device and Charging Systems and Methods

• US 20180020089A1
• Filed: 10/18/2016
• Published: 01/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Play Impossible Corporation
• Original Assignee: Play Impossible Corporation
• Inventors: Monnin, Brian, Amit, Gadi, Langdon, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,876,889 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/00 Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body A63B22/00 takes precedence; force-resisting aspects A63B21/00; electric or electronic controls therefor A63B24/00; devices for exercising or strengthening of fingers, or arms in teaching operation of keyboards G09B15/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/235 using a wireless connection, e.g. infrared or piconet
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/79 involving player-related data, e.g. identities, accounts, preferences or play histories
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/62 of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/90 Determination of colour characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/24 : with receiving set
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 : with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/27 : Adaptation for use in or on movable bodies H01Q1/08, H01Q1/12, H01Q1/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 : formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 : with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 : using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 : including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 : using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup

Abstract

This disclosure is generally directed to a smart playable device and charging systems and methods. The playable device can include any device that is suitable for sports, games, or play, such as balls, discs, staffs, clubs, and the like. The playable device can include rapid charging circuits to receive power from a remote charger. The playable device may transmit sensor data including motion data to a computing device. Sensor data may be interpreted by the computing device as gestures of the playable device for interacting with the computing device. Sensor data can also be interpreted as motion data during gameplay and notifications can be provided to a user based on the gameplay. In some instances, the computing device can capture image data of the playable device and identify the playable device and annotate image data based on the sensor data from the playable device.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a smart playable device including;

one or more electrical connectors mounted on an external surface of the smart playable device, the one or more electrical connectors including a first input contact point and a second input contact point spaced a distance from the first input contact point; and

an electronics assembly fixed to an internal surface of the smart playable device, the electronics assembly including at least a printed circuit board electrically coupled to the one or more electrical connectors, the electronics assembly including at least;

a capacitor mounted to the printed circuit board configured to receive electrical power via the one or more electrical connectors and providing power to one or more components mounted on the printed circuit board;

one or more processors mounted on the printed circuit board;

a first accelerometer mounted on the printed circuit board;

a second accelerometer mounted on the printed circuit board;

a barometer mounted on the printed circuit board;

a wireless module mounted on the printed circuit board; and

an antenna coupled to the wireless module; and

a remote charger including;

a housing;

one or more batteries enclosed in the housing; and

a charging surface including at least a first supply contact point and a second supply contact point spaced the distance from the first supply contact point, the first supply contact point configured to provide a first contact connection with the first input contact point and the second supply contact point configured to provide a second contact connection with the second input contact point;

wherein the remote charger is configured to charge the smart playable device at a time in which the remote charger is electrically coupled with the smart playable device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, the charging surface of the remote charger further including:

a third supply contact point spaced the distance from the first supply contact point; and

a fourth supply contact point spaced the distance from the first supply contact point;

wherein the second supply contact point, the third supply contact point, and the fourth supply contact point are electrically coupled at a same voltage and arranged substantially symmetrically around the first supply contact point on the charging surface.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, the one or more processors of the smart playable device operable to:

receive a voltage of the capacitor via an analog-to-digital converter; and

cause the wireless module to transmit an indication of the voltage to a computing device in wireless communication with the wireless module during charging provided by the remote charger.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the capacitor is a primary storage of energy for the smart playable device.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, the smart playable device further including an air bladder, at least a portion of the air bladder surrounding the electronics assembly.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the smart playable device is a disc configured to fly.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, the smart playable device further including:

an input voltage regulator mounted to the printed circuit board to receive a first voltage from the one or more electrical connectors and to provide a second voltage to the capacitor; and

an output voltage regulator mounted to the printed circuit board to receive a third voltage from the capacitor and provide a fourth voltage to an electrical bus, the electrical bus providing power to the one or more components mounted on the printed circuit board.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the smart playable device is substantially symmetrical around a center of mass of the smart playable device;

the first accelerometer is mounted on the printed circuit board at a first distance from the center of mass; and

the second accelerometer is mounted on the printed circuit board at a second distance from the center of mass, the first distance different than the second distance.

9. The system as recited in claim 1, the one or more processors of the smart playable device operable to:

receive sensor data from at least one of the first accelerometer, the second accelerometer, or the barometer; and

cause the wireless module to transmit an indication of the sensor data to a computing device in wireless communication with the wireless module during gameplay associated with the smart playable device.

10. A smart playable device comprising:

one or more electrical connectors mounted on an external surface of the smart playable device; and

an electronics assembly mounted to the smart playable device, the electronics assembly including at least one or more components mounted on a printed circuit board, the one or more components including;

an energy module receiving electrical power via the one or more electrical connectors and providing power to at least a portion of the one or more components;

one or more processors;

one or more sensors; and

a wireless module; and

the one or more processors configured to;

initialize in response to receiving the power from the energy module and cause the wireless module to initiate a wireless connection with a computing device remote from the smart playable device;

monitor a voltage of the energy module during charging of the energy module via a remote charger; and

provide an indication of the voltage of the energy module during charging to the computing device.

11. The smart playable device as recited in claim 10, wherein the indication is a first indication, the one or more processors further configured to:

determine that the remote charger is disconnected from the smart playable device; and

cause the wireless module to provide a second indication to the computing device that the remote charger is disconnected from the smart playable device;

receive sensor data from the one or more sensors; and

provide the sensor data to the computing device to confirm the wireless connection with the computing device.

12. The smart playable device as recited in claim 10, further comprising a speaker to emit an ultrasonic sound to be received by the computing device for sound-based location determination.

13. The smart playable device as recited in claim 10, further comprising an air bladder at a first air pressure, wherein the electronics assembly is at a second air pressure, the first air pressure being higher than the second air pressure.

14. The smart playable device as recited in claim 13, wherein the second air pressure is an ambient atmospheric pressure and varies based at least in part on a height of the smart playable device.

15. The smart playable device as recited in claim 10, wherein the smart playable device is a disc.

16. A system comprising:

a smart playable device including;

one or more first electrical contact points mounted on an external surface of the smart playable device; and

an electronics assembly mounted to the smart playable device, the electronics assembly including at least one or more components mounted on a printed circuit board, the one or more components including;

a capacitor receiving electrical power via the one or more electrical contact points and providing power to at least a portion of the one or more components;

one or more processors;

sensors including one or more accelerometers and a barometer; and

a wireless module;

the one or more processors configured to;

initialize in response to receiving the power from the capacitor and cause the wireless module to initiate wireless communication with a computing device remote from the smart playable device;

monitor a voltage of the capacitor during charging of the capacitor via a remote charger; and

provide an indication of the voltage of the capacitor during charging to the computing device; and

the remote charger including;

one or more second electrical contact points, the one or more second electrical contact points configured to provide a contact connection with the one or more first electrical contact points and to provide the electrical power to the capacitor of the smart playable device.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the voltage is a first voltage, the one or more components further including:

an input voltage regulator to receive a second voltage from the one or more first electrical contact points and to provide a third voltage to the capacitor; and

an output voltage regulator to receive the first voltage from the capacitor and to provide a fourth voltage to an electrical bus on the printed circuit board.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the one or more second electrical contact points include:

a first supply contact point associated with a first voltage;

a second supply contact point associated with a second voltage;

a third supply contact point associated with the second voltage; and

a fourth supply contact point associated with the second voltage;

wherein the first supply contact point and one of the second supply contact point, the third supply contact point, or the fourth supply contact point are configured to provide the contact connection with the one or more first electrical contact points.

19. The system as recited in claim 18, wherein the contact connection does not include a latch connection or a friction connection.

20. The system as recited in claim 16, the one or more processors of the smart playable device further configured to:

receive sensor data from the sensors; and

cause the wireless module to transmit an indication of the sensor data to the computing device during gameplay associated with the smart playable device.