Augmented reality and physical games

• US 9,717,981 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2012
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Westerinen, William J., Hanson, Lisa M., Son, Sung Ho, Wattles, Richard J., Robbins, Steven John
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERCE, DAMON JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US13/440,165
• Publication Number:
  US 20130267309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,944 Days
• Field of Search: 463 14, 463 30, 463 31, 463 32, 463 33, 463 36, 345633
• 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 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/52 involving aspects of the displayed game scene
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/537 using indicators, e.g. showing the condition of a game character on screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5375 for graphically or textually suggesting an action, e.g. by displaying an arrow indicating a turn in a driving game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0615 transparent
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/0619 with an opaque part
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2435 using a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2442 Sensors or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2250/307 stereoscopic
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/00643 Electric board games; Electric features of board games electric word or number games A63F3/0421; computer chess G06F; electric raffle games A63F3/081
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32

Abstract

Augmented reality and physical game techniques are described. In one or more implementations, an indication is received by a computing device of a location of a physical gaming piece of a game. An augmentation is computed based on the indication by the computing device to be displayed as part of the game. The augmentation is displayed by the computing device on a display device that is at least partially transparent such that a physical portion of the game is viewable through the display device concurrently with the augmentation.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication by a computing device of a location of a physical gaming piece of a physical game, the physical gaming piece configured to be moved during game play;

computing an augmentation specific to a player based on the indication by the computing device to be displayed as visually augmenting part of the physical game; and

displaying the augmentation by the computing device on a display device, the display device comprising a light engine optically coupled to a light guide which is at least partially transparent such that a physical portion of the physical game is viewable through the light guide concurrently with the augmentation of the physical game provided by light from the light engine and light guide, wherein displaying the augmentation comprises causing the light engine to output the augmentation for display by the light guide.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the indication is received from a camera that is communicatively coupled to the computing device.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the indication is received from an input device with which a user manually interacts to input the location.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the augmentation is computed to be displayed such that at least a portion of the physical gaming piece is not viewable through the display device.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the augmentation is animated.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the augmentation describes a status of the physical game.

7. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising recognizing a gesture made by a user, and where the computing of the augmentation is based at least in part on the recognized gesture.

8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the computing includes use of a known size of the physical gaming piece.

9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured as a tablet, mobile phone, or wearable device.

10. A method comprising:

recognizing a gesture, by a computing device, that was made by a user to interact with one or more physical game pieces of a physical game;

computing an augmentation by the computing device based on the gesture; and

displaying the augmentation by the computing device on a display device, the display device comprising a light engine optically coupled to a light guide which is at least partially transparent such that a physical portion of the physical game is viewable through the light guide concurrently with the augmentation of the physical game provided by light from the light engine and light guide, wherein displaying the augmentation comprises causing the light engine to output the augmentation for display by the light guide.

11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the gesture is detected using a camera or touchscreen functionality of the display device.

12. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the gesture involves moving a physical game piece of the physical game.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a housing configured in a hand-held form factor;

a light guide, supported by the housing, that is at least partially transparent such that at least a portion of a physical surroundings of the apparatus are viewable through the light guide;

a light engine disposed within the housing and optically coupled to the light guide; and

one or more modules disposed within the housing and implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to detect a presence of a physical game in the physical surroundings, compute a visual augmentation specific to a particular user based on a current state of play of the physical game and on a known size of one or more physical game pieces, and cause the light engine to output the visual augmentation of a physical game for display by the light guide to be viewable concurrently with at least a portion of the physical game in the physical surroundings through the light guide.

14. An apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the one or more modules are configured to recognize one or more gestures from one or more inputs detected from one or more touch sensors.

15. An apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the one or more modules are configured to receive data communicated from another apparatus that is involved with the physical game regarding the current state of the play of the physical game being played, the data usable to compute the visual augmentation.

16. An apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the light guide is configured to output the visual augmentation to be viewable in three dimensions using auto-stereoscopic techniques.

17. An apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the housing is configured as a tablet or mobile phone.

18. An apparatus as described in claim 13, wherein the one or more modules are configured to recognize a gesture made by a user and wherein the computing of the visual augmentation is based at least in part on the recognized gesture.