Motion transducer system

• US 6,659,773 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2001
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: D-Box Technology Inc.
• Original Assignee: D-Box Technology Inc.
• Inventors: Jacques, Michel, Roy, Philippe, Bérubé, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Sager, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): ASHBURN, STEVEN L
• Application Number:
  US09/754,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20010036868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 434/29, 434/30, 434/33-35, 434/46, 434/48, 434/55, 434/58-62, 434/67, 434/69, 434/307.R, 472/96, 472/97, 472/130, 463/30, 463/31, 463/35, 340/825.7, 340/825.71, 381/18, 381/150, 381/151, 381/300, 381/301, 381/333, 381/307, 345/701, 345/702
• US Class Current: 434/55
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 21/006 Oscillating, balancing or vibrating mechanisms connected to the bedstead for children's beds A47D9/02
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 3/02 Rocking chairs specially for children A47D13/10
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 7/72 Adaptations for incorporating lamps, radio sets, bars, telephones, ventilation, heating or cooling arrangements or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/16 creating illusions of travel
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 2005/002 moving the spectator's body
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

The system produces movements in a home entertainment chair. It has a motor controller and a plurality of movement generator units for generating small amplitude and low frequency movements in the viewers chair according to desired effects. A synchronization is achieved using an audio/video stream.

Claims

1. An apparatus for generating a synchronized motion effect for at least one actuator using an audio/video source stream signal, said apparatus comprising:

a track analyzer, receiving an audio/video source stream signal comprising a plurality of data packets and extracting a portion of interest in a data packet of the plurality of data packets;

a synchronization database comprising a plurality of time codes, each related to a specific sequence of data comprised in the portion of interest of a data packet;

a time code generator receiving and providing the extracted portion of interest of the data packet to the synchronization database, the time code generator further receiving a corresponding time code signal from the synchronization database; and

an effect generator receiving the time code signal from the time code generator and providing an effect signal, from a stored effect database, synchronized to that time code signal, to at least one actuator.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said audio/video source stream signal is a DTS or a AC3 frame.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the portion of interest comprises the CRC1 field, one byte located at ⅕

of the AC3 frame, one byte located at ⅖

of the AC3 frame, one byte located at ⅗

of the AC3 frame, one byte located at ⅘

of the AC3 frame and the CRC2 field located at the cud of the AC3 frame.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time code signal represents an elapsed time from an origin.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stored effect database comprises a plurality of effect signals, the stored effect database further comprising at least one file, the at least one file comprising raw effect data.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one part of said stored effect database is stored in Random Access Memory (RAM) or Random Access Memory (RAM) disk.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein raw effect data are .wav file format having a sampling frequency of about 400 Hz.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the time code generator comprises an interpolating unit receiving a current time code signal from the synchronization database and providing a time code signal using an internal clock.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the plurality of time codes are interspersed throughout the audio/visual stream signal.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the effect signal is provided to at least three actuators, the at least three actuators supporting a sofa.

11. A method for performing a synchronized effect using a time code in a datastream comprising a plurality of data packets, the method comprising the steps of:

defining a portion of interest in a data packet of a datastream;

creating a synchronization database comprising a plurality of time codes each related to a specific sequence of data comprised in the portion of interest of a packet of the datastream;

receiving a packet of the datastream;

extracting die portion of interest of the received packet of the datastream;

accessing the synchronization dathbase using at least the portion of interest of the received packet;

providing a corresponding time code related to the packet to a generator effect;

providing an effect related to said provided corresponding time code; and

actuating at least one actuator using the provided effect.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the portion of interest has a substantially large probability distribution.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of creating a synchronization database comprises verifying that each said specific sequence of data in said synchronization database is unique with respect to each portion of interest of the datastream, wherein only unique specific sequences of data are included in said synchronization database.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the datastream is an AC3 or DTS frame.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the providing of an effect related to said provided corresponding time code comprises the accessing of a database comprising a list of effects to be played with respect to a time code to retrieve an identification of an effect to be played, the method further comprising the step of accessing a raw data effect database using the identification of the effect to be played and retrieving the effect.

16. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of providing the effect comprises playing a .wav file.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the step of providing an effect comprises providing visual cue effect and vibration effect synchronized with the datastream.