Tracking groups of users in motion capture system

• US 8,933,884 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Markovic, Relja, Latta, Stephen G., Geisner, Kevin A., Hill, David, Bennett, Darren A., Murphy, Brian S., Wright, Shawn C., Haley, David C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRIS, DOROTHY H
• Application Number:
  US12/688,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 345157-162, 463 1- 47
• US Class Current: 345/158
• 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 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• 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 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• 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 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8017 Driving on land or water; Flying
• 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: 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 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

In a motion capture system, a unitary input is provided to an application based on detected movement and/or location of a group of people. Audio information from the group can also be used as an input. The application can provide real-time feedback to the person or group via a display and audio output. The group can control the movement of an avatar in a virtual space based on the movement of each person in the group, such as in a steering or balancing game. To avoid a discontinuous or confusing output by the application, missing data can be generated for a person who is occluded or partially out of the field of view. A wait time can be set for activating a new person and deactivating a currently-active person. The wait time can be adaptive based on a first detected position or a last detected position of the person.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method in a motion capture system, the method comprising:

based on frames of image data of a field of view of a depth camera system, tracking a person'"'"'s body in the field of view, the tracking provides results for use by an application in providing an avatar in a virtual space on a display, such that the avatar represents the person'"'"'s body and is controlled by movement of the person'"'"'s body, the tracking comprises detecting the person'"'"'s body at a last detected location in the field of view before determining that the person'"'"'s body is no longer detected in the field of view, the last detected location is in a central region of the field of view, relatively far from edges of the field of view; and

imposing a wait time before the application concludes that the person no longer intends to interact with the application, where the wait time is a function of a distance of the last detected location from one of the edges of the field of view, and the wait time is longer when the distance is greater.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the person'"'"'s body is no longer detected in the field of view due to the tracking failing to detect the person'"'"'s body in the field of view while the person is interacting with the application.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the application deactivates the avatar in the virtual space to represent that the person is no longer interacting with the application, upon completion of the wait time.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the tracking comprises determining a representative point location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view; and

the distance is a distance between the representative point location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view and the one of the edges of the field of view.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the representative point location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view is determined from a skeletal model of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 4, wherein:

the representative point location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view is determined from a bounding shape which encompasses the person'"'"'s body.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 6, wherein:

the representative point location of the person'"'"'s body in the field of view is a central point of the bounding shape.

8. A motion capture system, comprising:

a display;

a storage device comprising instructions, the instructions to;

based on frames of image data of a field of view of a depth camera system, detect a new person'"'"'s body in the field of view at a first detected location in the field of view, the first detected location is in a central region of the field of view, relatively far from edges of the field of view;

impose a wait time before an application concludes that the new person is interacting with the application, where the wait time is a function of a distance of the first detected location from one of the edges of the field of view, and the wait time is longer when the distance is greater; and

upon completion of the wait time, allow the new person to interact with the application by providing an avatar in a virtual space on the display, such that the avatar represents the new person'"'"'s body and is controlled by movement of the new person'"'"'s body; and

a processor operable to execute the instructions.

9. The motion capture system of claim 8, wherein:

the new person'"'"'s body is detected in the field of view at the first detected location while one or more other people are currently interacting with the application; and

an interruption to the one or more other people currently interacting with the application is avoided during the wait time.

10. The motion capture system of claim 8, wherein:

the new person'"'"'s body is detected in the field of view at the first detected location while the application is in an inactive mode and no other people are currently interacting with the application; and

an activation of the application is avoided during the wait time.

11. The motion capture system of claim 8, wherein:

the new person'"'"'s body is no longer detected in the field of view due to a failure to detect the new person'"'"'s body in the field of view while the new person is interacting with the application.

12. The motion capture system of claim 8, wherein:

the distance is a distance between a representative point location of the new person'"'"'s body in the field of view and the one of the edges of the field of view; and

the representative point location of the new person'"'"'s body in the field of view is determined from a skeletal model of the new person'"'"'s body in the field of view or from a bounding shape which encompasses the new person'"'"'s body.