First person shooter control with virtual skeleton

• US 8,385,596 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Latta, Stephen, Bennett, Darren, Geisner, Kevin, Markovic, Relja, Tsunoda, Kudo, Snook, Greg, Willoughby, Christopher H., Sarrett, Peter, Osborn, Daniel Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): BHATNAGAR, ANAND P
• Application Number:
  US12/975,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/103, 382/106, 382/107, 382/258, 382/259, 382/181, 382/190, 382/195, 348169-172, 345/419, 345/661, 345/664, 345/676, 345/679, 711/203, 715/757
• 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 13/428 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 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5553 user representation in the game field, e.g. avatar
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• 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

Abstract

A virtual skeleton includes a plurality of joints and provides a machine readable representation of a human target observed with a three-dimensional depth camera. A relative position of a hand joint of the virtual skeleton is translated as a gestured aiming vector control, and a virtual weapon is aimed in proportion to the gestured aiming vector control.

Claims

1. A data holding device holding instructions executable by a logic subsystem to:

render a first person shooter game interface for display on a display device;

receive a virtual skeleton including a plurality of joints, the virtual skeleton providing a machine readable representation of a human target observed with a three-dimensional depth camera;

translate a relative position of a hand joint of the virtual skeleton as a gestured aiming vector control; and

aim a virtual weapon in proportion to the gestured aiming vector control.

2. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a posture of a hand modeled by the hand joint of the virtual skeleton into a gestured trigger control; and

fire the virtual weapon in response to the gestured trigger control.

3. The data holding device of claim 2 wherein the virtual weapon is fired responsive to a closing of the hand from an open hand posture.

4. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a movement of the hand joint behind a shoulder joint into a gestured weapon-change control; and

activate a different virtual weapon in response to the gestured weapon-change control.

5. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a throwing motion of the hand joint into a gestured grenade control; and

throw a virtual grenade in response to the gestured grenade control.

6. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a clapping of the hand joint with another hand joint into a gestured reload control; and

reload the virtual weapon in response to the gestured reload control.

7. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a raising of the arm of the virtual skeleton towards a head of the virtual skeleton as a gestured zoom control; and

zoom a virtual site of the virtual weapon in response to the gestured zoom control.

8. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a grabbing motion of another hand joint of the virtual skeleton as a gestured grab control; and

grab a virtual object in response to the gestured grab control.

9. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a rotation of shoulders of the virtual skeleton as a gestured turn control; and

change a viewing direction of the first person shooter game interface in response to the gestured turn control.

10. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to:

translate a position of a left foot joint of the virtual skeleton relative to a position of a right foot joint of the virtual skeleton into a gestured movement control; and

move a character in response to the gestured movement control.

11. The data holding device of claim 10, wherein a moved foot joint in front of a stationary foot joint is translated as continuous forward movement.

12. The data holding device of claim 10, wherein a moved foot joint behind a stationary foot joint is translated as continuous backwards movement.

13. The data holding device of claim 10, wherein movement of a right foot joint laterally away from the left foot joint is translated as continuous right shuffle movement and movement of the left foot joint laterally away from the right foot joint is translated as continuous left shuffle movement.

14. The data holding device of claim 1, further holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to infer a desired target and bias aim of the virtual weapon towards the desired target.

15. The data holding device of claim 14, wherein an amount of biasing is dynamically set according to one or more changeable game parameters.

16. A data holding device holding instructions executable by a logic subsystem to:

render a first person shooter game interface for display on a display device;

receive a virtual skeleton including a plurality of joints, the virtual skeleton providing a machine readable representation of a human target observed with a three-dimensional depth camera;

translate a rotation of the left shoulder joint and the right shoulder joint as a gestured turn control;

change a viewing direction of the first person game interface in response to the gestured turn control;

translate a position of the left foot joint of the virtual skeleton relative to a position of the right foot joint of the virtual skeleton into a gestured movement control; and

move a character in response to the gestured movement control.

17. The data holding device of claim 16, wherein a moved foot joint in front of a stationary foot joint is translated as continuous forward movement.

18. The data holding device of claim 16, wherein a moved foot joint behind a stationary foot joint is translated as continuous backwards movement.

19. The data holding device of claim 16, wherein movement of a right foot;

joint laterally away from the left foot joint is translated as continuous right shuffle movement and movement of the left foot joint laterally away from the right foot joint is translated as continuous left shuffle movement.

20. A data holding device holding instructions executable by a logic subsystem to:

render a first person shooter game interface for display on a display device;

receive a virtual skeleton including a plurality of joints, the virtual skeleton providing a machine readable representation of a human target observed with a three-dimensional depth camera;

translate a relative position of the hand joint as a gestured aiming vector control;

aim a virtual weapon in proportion to the gestured aiming vector control;

translate a rotation of the left shoulder joint and the right shoulder joint as a gestured turn control;

change a viewing direction of the first person shooter game interface in response to the gestured turn control;

translate a position of the left foot joint relative to a position of the right foot joint into a gestured movement control; and

move a character in response to the gestured movement control.