Directional input for a video game

• US 8,888,593 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Larsen, Eric, Marks, Richard, Mikhailov, Anton
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdi, Amara
• Application Number:
  US13/333,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190448A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 463/36
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• 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 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/98 Accessories, i.e. detachable arrangements optional for the use of the video game device, e.g. grip supports of game controllers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• 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 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• 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
• 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 3/0346 : 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

Abstract

A method for providing directional input to a video game is provided. The method initiates with capturing an image of a first object and a second object, the first object and the second object being defined at a fixed distance from each other. A three-dimensional location of the first object is determined based on analysis of the captured image, and a two-dimensional location of the second object is determined based on analysis of the captured image. An input direction for a video game is determined based on the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object.

Claims

1. A method for providing directional input to a video game, comprising:

capturing, by a camera, an image of a first object and a second object disposed on a housing of an input device, the first object defined at an end of a length of the housing, the second object defined along the length of the housing, the first object and the second object being defined at a fixed distance from each other on the input device, the camera being located proximate to a display;

determining a three-dimensional location of the first object based on analysis of the captured image;

determining a two-dimensional location of the second object based on analysis of the captured image;

determining an input direction for a video game based on the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object, the input direction being towards the display and also the camera that is proximate to the display;

wherein each of the operations of the method is executed by a processor.

2. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1,

wherein determining the three-dimensional location of the first object includes determining a depth of the first object relative to an image capture device configured to capture the image of the first object and the second object;

and

wherein determining the two-dimensional location of the second object does not include determining a depth of the second object relative to the image capture device.

3. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1, further comprising,

determining, based on the input direction, one or more of the following:

a direction of a virtual object within the video game, a location on a display, a location within a virtual environment, a targeting direction, identifying a virtual object, identifying a menu selection.

4. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1, further comprising,

repeating the capturing of the image and the determining of the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object so as to track the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object;

repeating the determining of the input direction in accordance with the tracked three-dimensional location of the first object and two-dimensional location of the second object.

5. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1, further comprising,

illuminating the first object and the second object.

6. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1, further comprising,

determining a location of a virtual object in the video game based on the three-dimensional location of the first object.

7. The method for providing directional input to a video game according to claim 1,

wherein determining the three-dimensional location of the first object includes capturing and analyzing inertial data selected from the group consisting of accelerometer data, gyroscope data, and magnetometer data.

8. A method for providing directional input to a video game, comprising:

capturing, by an image capture device, an image of a first object and a second object, the first object defined at an end of a length of a housing of an input device, the second object defined along a length of the housing of the input device, the first object and the second object being defined at a fixed distance from each other and configured to be maintained at substantially different depths relative to the image capture device, the image capture device being located proximate to a display;

determining a three-dimensional location of the first object based on analysis of the captured image;

determining a two-dimensional location of the second object based on analysis of the captured image;

determining an input direction for a video game based on the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object, the input direction being towards the display and also towards the image capture device that is proximate to the display;

wherein each of the operations of the method is executed by a processor.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting connection of a motion controller to a receptacle defined at the end of the housing;

wherein the first object is connected to an end of the motion controller.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein determining the three-dimensional location of the first object includes analyzing inertial data detected by the motion controller, the inertial data being selected from the group consisting of accelerometer data, gyroscope data, and magnetometer data.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising,

determining, based on the input direction, one or more of the following:

a direction of a virtual object within the video game, a location on a display, a location within a virtual environment, a targeting direction, identifying a virtual object, identifying a menu selection.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

repeating the capturing of the image and the determining of the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object so as to track the three-dimensional location of the first object and the two-dimensional location of the second object;

repeating the determining of the input direction in accordance with the tracked three-dimensional location of the first object and two-dimensional location of the second object.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, illuminating the first object and the second object.

14. A method for providing directional input to a video game, comprising:

capturing, by an image capture device located proximate to a display, images of an input device, the input device including a housing having a length, the input device including a first object defined at an end of the length of the housing and a second object defined along the length of the housing, wherein the first object and the second object are separated from each other by a fixed distance and are configured to be maintained at substantially different depths relative to the image capture device;

processing the captured images to track a location of the first object and a location of the second object;

determining and tracking an input direction based on the tracked location of the first object and the tracked location of the second object.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein the location of the first object is defined by three-dimensional data including a depth of the first object relative to the image capture device;

wherein the location of the second object is defined by two-dimensional data defining a lateral position of the second object relative to the image capture device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the input direction is towards the display and the image capture device that is proximate to the display.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the input direction defines a direction of a virtual object in the video game.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the virtual object is a weapon.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first object is connected to a motion controller, the motion controller connected to a receptacle defined at the end of the housing.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

illuminating the first object and the second object;

wherein processing the captured images to track the location of the first object and the location of the second object includes identifying the illuminated first and second objects in the captured images.