Controlling actions in a video game unit

• US 8,947,347 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mao, Xiaodong, Marks, Richard L., Zalewski, Gary M.
• Primary Examiner(s): MANDEVILLE, JASON M
• Application Number:
  US11/381,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20060239471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,197 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-158, 345/161, 273/148
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/401 2D or 3D arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/403 Linear arrays of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/23 Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/005 Microphone arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Sound processing methods and apparatus are provided. A sound capture unit is configured to identify one or more sound sources. The sound capture unit generates data capable of being analyzed to determine a listening zone at which to process sound to the substantial exclusion of sounds outside the listening zone. Sound captured and processed for the listening zone may be used for interactivity with the computer program. The listening zone may be adjusted based on the location of a sound source. One or more listening zones may be pre-calibrated. The apparatus may optionally include an image capture unit configured to capture one or more image frames. The listening zone may be adjusted based on the image. A video game unit may be controlled by generating inertial, optical and/or acoustic signals with a controller and tracking a position and/or orientation of the controller using the inertial, acoustic and/or optical signal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling actions in a video game unit having a hand held controller configured for three-dimensional movement, the method comprising configuring a processor for:

receiving an inertial signal from an inertial sensor on the controller;

receiving an optical signal generated with one or more light sources on the controller;

determining a current position of the controller using the inertial signal, the current position determined using the inertial signal being subject to drift that accumulates over time, the drift being a discrepancy between the determined current position of the controller and an actual position of the controller;

receiving one or more images of the light sources obtained with a single camera;

separately determining a reference position of the controller from the one or more images; and

correcting for the drift that accumulates over time by re-setting the current position of the controller to the reference position separately determined from the one or more images.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inertial signal is generated with an accelerometer or gyroscope mounted to the controller.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising tracking a position and/or orientation of the controller by receiving one or more images including the optical signal and tracking the motion of the light sources from the one or more images.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the inertial signal is generated with an accelerometer or gyroscope mounted to the controller, the method further comprising generating an optical signal with one or more light sources mounted to the controller.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein both the inertial signal and the optical signal are used as inputs to the game unit.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the inertial signal provides part of a tracking information input to the game unit and the optical signal provides another part of the tracking information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising compensating for spurious data in the inertial signal.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising decoding a telemetry signal from the optical signal and executing a game command in response to the decoded telemetry signal.

9. An apparatus for controlling actions in a video game, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a controller coupled to the processor, the controller having an inertial sensor and one or more light sources;

a single camera coupled to the processor; and

one or more processor executable instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to;

determine a current position of the controller using an inertial signal from the inertial sensor, the current position determined using the inertial signal being subject to drift that accumulates over time, the drift being a discrepancy between the determined current position of the controller and an actual position of the controller;

obtain one or more images of the one or more light sources with a single camera;

separately determine a reference position of the controller from the one or more images; and

correct for the drift that accumulates over time by re-setting the current position of the controller to the reference position separately determined from the one or more images.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the inertial sensor is an accelerometer or gyroscope mounted to the controller.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein light source includes one or more light-emitting diodes mounted to the controller.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more processor executable instructions include one or more instructions which, when executed cause the single camera to capture one or more images of the light sources and one or more instructions which, when executed track the motion of the light sources from the one or more images.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the inertial sensor is an accelerometer mounted to the controller and wherein light source includes one or more light-emitting diodes mounted to the controller.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein both an inertial signal from the accelerometer and an optical signal from the light-emitting diodes are used as inputs to the video game unit.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the inertial signal provides part of a tracking information input to the game unit and the one or more images provides another part of the tracking information.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the processor executable instructions include one or more instructions which, when executed compensate for spurious data in the inertial signal.

17. A method for controlling actions in a video game unit having a controller, the method comprising:

receiving one or more optical signals generated with one or more light sources mounted to the controller;

determining a current position of the controller with an inertial signal received from an inertial sensor on the controller, the current position determined using the inertial signal being subject to drift that accumulates over time, the drift being a discrepancy between the determined current position of the controller and an actual position of the controller;

obtaining one or more images of the light sources from a single image capture unit;

separately determining a reference position of the controller from the one or more images; and

correcting for the drift that accumulates over time by re-setting the current position determined using the inertial signal to the reference position separately determined from the one or more images;

decoding one or more telemetry signals encoded into the one or more optical signals; and

executing one or more game instructions in response to the position and orientation of the controller; and

executing one or more game instructions in response to the one or more telemetry signals encoded in the one or more optical signals.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the light sources include two or more light sources in a linear array.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the light sources include rectangular or arcuate configuration of a plurality of light sources.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the one or more light sources are disposed on two or more different sides of the controller to facilitate viewing of the light sources by the single image capture unit.

21. An apparatus for controlling actions in a video game, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor;

a controller coupled to the processor, the controller having one or more light sources and an inertial sensor mounted to the controller;

one or more processor executable instructions stored in the memory, which, when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to;

generate one or more optical signals with the one or more light sources;

determine a current position of the controller with one or more signals from the inertial sensor, the current position determined with the one or more signals from the inertial sensor being subject to drift that accumulates over time, the drift being a discrepancy between the determined current position of the controller and an actual position of the controller;

separately determine a reference position of the controller from the one or more images of the light sources obtained with a single camera; and

correct for the drift that accumulates over time by re-setting the current position determined with the one or more inertial sensor signals to the reference position separately determined from the one or more images.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the one or more light sources include two or more light sources in a linear array.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the one or more light sources include a rectangular or arcuate configuration of a plurality of light sources.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the one or more light sources are disposed on two or more different sides of the controller to facilitate viewing of the light sources by the image capture unit.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the re-setting is triggered by a user command input to the controller.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the re-setting is triggered automatically at regular intervals.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the re-setting is triggered in response to game play.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current position of the controller using the inertial signal includes integrating an acceleration signal corresponding to the inertial signal received from the inertial sensor to obtain a change in velocity signal with time, and subsequently integrating the change in velocity signal to obtain a change in position signal with time and using a known initial position and a known initial velocity of the controller and the determined change in position signal and change in velocity signal to determine the current position of the controller.