Camera based sensing in handheld, mobile, gaming, or other devices

• US 7,756,297 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 07/13/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Motion Games LLC
• Original Assignee: Timothy R. Pryor
• Inventors: Pryor, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu, Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US11/980,710
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 382/276, 382/289, 382/296
• US Class Current: 382/103
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/27 characterised by a large display in a public venue, e.g. in a movie theatre, stadium or game arena
• 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 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2435 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/66 for rendering three dimensional images
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8023 the game being played by multiple players at a common site, e.g. in an arena, theatre, shopping mall using a large public display
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• 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
• 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 3/0304 : Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 : using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 : using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10021 : Stereoscopic video; Stereoscopic image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 : Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 : Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 : using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 : from stereo images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 : using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/143 : Sensing or illuminating at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 : Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

Method and apparatus are disclosed to enable rapid TV camera and computer based sensing in many practical applications, including, but not limited to, handheld devices, cars, and video games. Several unique forms of social video games are disclosed.

Claims

1. Method of determining the orientation of a handheld electronic device with respect to a video display, comprising the steps of:

providing a TV camera within said handheld device to acquire an image of a plurality of discrete points proximate said video display, said video display being separate from said handheld device;

providing a computer to process images obtained with said TV camera;

obtaining an image of the points with said TV camera;

processing said TV camera image with said computer to determine information concerning said points;

with said determined information, determining the orientation of said handheld device with respect to said video display; and

controlling an image presented on said video display using said determined orientation of the handheld device.

2. A method according to claim 1 further including the step of communicating said orientation to another device.

3. A method according to claim 1, including the further step of determining the location of said display with respect to said handheld device.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information includes the location of a plurality of points in said image.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said processing step further includes the step of recognizing at least one of said discrete points by its shape.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said processing step further includes the step of recognizing at least one of said discrete points by its color.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said processing step further includes the step of recognizing at least one of said discrete points by its contrast.

8. A method according to claim 1, including the further step of identifying a virtual object on said screen being pointed at by a user of said handheld device.

9. A method according to claim 1, including the further step of determining a motion variable of said handheld device.

10. A method according to claim 1, further including the step of determining a pointing direction of said handheld device.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein said virtual object is a control icon.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein said handheld device is one of a cell phone, a computer or a remote control.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein said processing is performed in a computer contained within said handheld device.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein information concerning said camera image is communicated to a computer external to said handheld device.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein less than the total camera image is processed.

16. Method of controlling a video display by determining an orientation of a handheld electronic device, comprising the steps of:

providing a TV camera integral with said handheld device to acquire an image of a plurality of discrete points proximate said video display, said video display being separate from said handheld device;

providing a computer to process images obtained by said TV camera;

obtaining an image of said points with said TV camera;

processing said TV camera image with said computer to determine information concerning said points;

with said determined information, determining the orientation of said handheld device with respect to said video display; and

controlling said video display using said determined orientation of the handheld device.