User input system for immersive interaction

• US 9,519,344 B1
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Position Imaging, Inc.
• Inventors: Hill, Edward L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Polo, Gustavo
• Application Number:
  US13/967,058
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• 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: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• 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 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• 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 3/0346 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 system and method for providing immersive interaction between users and interactive software programs comprise receiving radio frequency (RF) signals, transmitted by an RF-transmitting device, at three or more spatially separated antennas. Time of arrival information is acquired from the RF signals. A position of the RF-transmitting device is computed from the time of arrival information acquired from the RF signals. The position of the RF-transmitting device is registered within a virtual environment produced by an interactive software program (which can execute on a mobile device). The virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, is transmitted to a display apparatus for display.

Claims

1. A position tracking system for providing immersive interaction between users and interactive software programs, comprising:

a network of three or more spatially separated antennas fixed at different locations, the three or more antennas receiving radio signals sent from an RF-transmitting device operated by a user to interact with an interactive software program that produces a virtual environment; and

a user input system in communication with the network of antennas to acquire therefrom time of arrival information of the radio signals received by each of the antennas, the user input system including a first interface in communication with the interactive software program that produces the virtual environment and a second interface in communication with a device having a display screen on which the virtual environment produced by the interactive software program is displayed, the user input system further including a processor programmed to calculate a position of the RF-transmitting device from the time of arrival information acquired from each of the antennas and to register the position of the RF-transmitting device within the interactive software program as user input by which the user interacts with and navigates the virtual environment produced by the interactive software program and displayed on the display screen.

2. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the processor of the user input system is further programmed to run the interactive software program.

3. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the interactive software program executes on a mobile device.

4. The position tracking system in claim 3, wherein the mobile device comprises the RF-transmitting device whose position is calculated and registered by the user input system.

5. The position tracking system in claim 3, wherein the first interface of the user input system is in wireless communication with the mobile device.

6. The position tracking system in claim 3, wherein the first interface of the user input system includes a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection to the mobile device.

7. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the user input system is in wireless communication with the three or more antennas in the network.

8. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the user input system is incorporated in the device having the display screen.

9. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the second interface of the user input system comprises a USB connection to the device having the display screen through which the user input system receives power.

10. The position tracking system of claim 1, wherein the second interface of the user input system comprises a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection to the device having the display screen through which the user input system sends the virtual environment as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device.

11. A method for providing immersive interaction between users and interactive software programs, the method comprising:

receiving radio-frequency (RF) signals, transmitted by an RF-transmitting device operated by a user to interact with an interactive software program that produces a virtual environment, at three or more spatially separated antennas;

acquiring time of arrival information from the RF signals;

computing a position of the RF-transmitting device from the time of arrival information acquired from the RF signals; and

registering the computed position of the RF-transmitting device within the interactive software program as user input by which the user interacts with and navigates the virtual environment produced by the interactive software program; and

transmitting the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, to a display apparatus for display.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, over a wireless communication link from a mobile device running the interactive software program before transmitting the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, to the display apparatus for display.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, over a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection from a mobile device running the interactive software program before transmitting the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, to the display apparatus for display.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the virtual environment, as affected by the registered position of the RF-transmitting device, to the display apparatus for display occurs over an HDMI connection.