Motion-controlled video entertainment system

• US 5,616,078 A
• Filed: 12/27/1994
• Issued: 04/01/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konami Digital Entertainment Company Limited (Konami Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Konami Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Ketsu
• Primary Examiner(s): Grieb, William H.
• Application Number:
  US08/364,897
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 273/433, 273/434, 273/435, 273/436, 273/437, 273/438, 273/148 B, 463/8, 463/39
• US Class Current: 463/8
• 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 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• 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 13/48 Starting a game, e.g. activating a game device or waiting for other players to join a multiplayer session
• 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 13/812 Ball games, e.g. soccer or baseball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/636 involving process of starting or resuming a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/64 for computing dynamical parameters of game objects, e.g. motion determination or computation of frictional forces for a virtual car
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8011 Ball
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• 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

Abstract

A motion-controlled video entertainment system includes markers to be attached at a specified position on a player; a detector operable to detect threo-dimensional positions of the markers; a calculator operable to calculate posture parameters of the player based on the detected three-dimensional positions of the markers; a game processor operable to generate a game image in accordance with a predetermined game program and the calculated posture parameters of the player; and a display device operable to display a generated game image. The motion of a particular game character displayed on the display device is controlled in accordance with the motion of the player'"'"'s body, thereby enabling realization of a more real atmosphere.

Claims

1. A motion-controlled video entertainment system controlled by body motions of a player, the entertainment system comprising:

markers to be attached to the player at predetermined locations on the player;

a detector means for detecting three dimensional positions of respective ones of said markers in a three dimensional coordinate system;

a calculator means for calculating posture parameters of the player based on the detected positions of the markers;

a game processor means for generating a game image in accordance with a predetermined game program and the calculated posture parameters of the player; and

a display means for displaying a generated game image generated by said game processor means.

2. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 1, wherein the game image includes a particular game character movable on the display means in accordance with a motion of the player.

3. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 2, wherein the game processor means includes:

a memory for storing a plurality of object images respectively representing different posture parameters of the particular game character; and

a designator means for determining a select one of said plurality of object images which corresponds to the calculated posture parameters of the player.

4. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 3, wherein the game image further includes a game character which is controlled by the game processor means to act as an opponent of the particular game character.

5. motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 2, further comprising:

a camera operable to photograph the player in different posture parameters;

an object image producer operable to produce a plurality of object images respectively representing different posture parameters of the particular game character based on photographed images of the player in different posture parameters;

the game processor including a memory operable to store the plurality of object images of the particular game character and a designator means for determining a select one of said object images which corresponds to the calculated posture parameters of the player.

6. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 1, wherein the detector means includes:

a reference sheet over which the player performs; and

a camera for photographing the player on the reference sheet, said camera having a field of view held in a fixed positional relationship to the reference sheet; and

the calculator means includes means for calculating posture parameters of the player based on a relative positioning of said markers on said player in a first photograph image to the reference sheet in a second photograph image, said first and second photograph images being captured by said camera.

7. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 6, wherein the camera executes the photography at specified intervals.

8. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 6, wherein the camera is a CCD camera.

10. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 1, wherein the game image includes a particular game character changing posture on the display means in accordance with the calculated posture parameters of the player.

11. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 1, wherein the game image includes a particular game character changing posture on the display means in accordance with a motion of the player in any arbitrary chosen direction in the three dimensional coordinate system.

9. A motion-controlled video entertainment system controlled by body motions of a plurality of player, the entertainment system comprising:

markers to be attached at predetermined locations on each of said plurality of players;

a plurality of detector means for detecting three dimensional positions of the markers of the plurality of players respectively in a three-dimensional coordinate system;

a calculator means for calculating posture parameters of each of the plurality of players based on the detected positions of the markers on each of said plurality of players respectively;

a game processor means for generating a plurality of game images corresponding to the plurality of players in accordance with a predetermined game program and the respective calculated posture parameters of the plurality of players; and

a plurality of display means for displaying generated game images, produced by said game processor means.

12. A motion-controlled video entertainment system comprising:

a plurality of markers to be attached at specified different positions of a player;

a detector means for detecting positions of the plurality of markers;

a calculator means for calculating relative positions of the markers relative to each other based on the detected positions of the markers in a three dimensional coordinate system;

a game processor means for generating a game image including a game character changing posture in accordance with a predetermined game program and the calculated relative positions of the markers on the player; and

a display means for displaying a generated game image.

13. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 12, wherein:

the detector means includes;

a reference sheet over which the player performs; and

a camera for photographing the player on the reference sheet, said camera having a field of view held in a fixed positional relationship to the reference sheet; and

the calculator means includes means for calculating posture parameters of the player based on a relative positioning of said markers on said player in a first photograph image to the reference sheet in a second photograph image, said first and second photograph images being captured by said camera.

14. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 13, wherein:

the detector means further includes a second camera for photographing the player on the reference sheet, said camera having a field of view held in a fixed positional relationship to the reference sheet, the field of view of said second camera being different from that of said first camera; and

the calculator means includes means for calculating posture parameters of the player based on;

said first relative positioning of said markers on said player in said first photograph image to the reference sheet in said second photograph image; and

a second relative positioning of said markers on said player in a third photograph image to the reference sheet in a fourth photograph image, said third and fourth photograph images being captured by said second camera;

wherein said first and second relative positionings of said markers resulting from said first and second fields of view are used to determine positions of said markers in said three dimensional coordinate system.

15. A motion-controlled video entertainment system as defined in claim 12, further comprising:

the game image including a particular game character movable on the display means in accordance with a motion of the player;

a camera operable to photograph the player in different postures to obtain different posture parameters;

an object image producer operable to produce a plurality of object images respectively representing different posture parameters of the particular game character based on photographed images of the player in different posture parameters to generate an image of the particular game character having an appearance of the player;

the game processor including a memory operable to store the plurality of object images of the particular game character and a designator means for determining a select one of said object images which corresponds to the calculated posture parameters of the player.

16. A video system for generating images controlled by body motion of a player, the video system comprising:

markers affixed to the player at predetermined positions indicative of a posture of the player;

a reference sheet upon which the player executes body motions, said reference sheet defining a three dimensional coordinate system;

a first detector means for detecting first superimposed positions of said markers on said reference sheet from a first viewpoint;

a second detector means for detecting second superimposed positions of said markers on said reference sheet from a second viewpoint differing from said first viewpoint;

calculating means for calculating positions of each of said markers in said three dimensional coordinate system based on said first and second superimposed positions;

posture parameter generating means for generating posture parameters based upon said positions of said markers relative to each other; and

image generating means for generating a game character image having a posture defined by said posture parameters to mimic a posture of said player.

17. The video system according to claim 16 wherein said calculating means includes means for transforming coordinates of said positions of said markers in said three dimensional coordinate system defined by said reference sheet to relative coordinates relative to a center marker included among said markers, said center marker defining an origin of a center of gravity based coordinate system wherein the origin represents a center of gravity of said game character image.