Systems for controlling a movable object

• US 9,934,613 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Florida International University Board of Trustees (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: The Florida International University Board of Trustees (State University System of Florida)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Hoon, Prabakar, Nagarajan, Iyengar, S. S., Castillo, Lorenzo, Carvajal, Jon, Almario, Eliana, Vietri, Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Demeter, Hilina K
• Application Number:
  US14/699,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310671A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 23/08 Cartesian or other divers
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 23/16 Aquatic toy installations; Harbour arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 30/04 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

An augmented reality system is described that comprises a movable object comprising an object hardware component; a control hardware component for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals via a communication link to the object hardware component; and a software component stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium and in operable communication with the control hardware component. An application user interface is provided for enabling a user to provide command input for controlling the movement of the movable object via the object hardware component.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a movable physical object comprising an object hardware component, the object hardware component comprising a weighted mechanism providing a movable weight to change a center of mass of the movable physical object;

a server for wirelessly communicating with the movable physical object via a communication link in operable communication with the server;

a mobile computing device for wirelessly communicating with the server, the mobile computing device comprising a display; and

a software application stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium of the mobile computing device, the software application comprising a user interface for enabling a user to view on the display of the mobile computing device a list of virtual food options obtained from the server and to purchase and place a virtual food on a map displayed on the display of the mobile computing device,

the software application further enabling the user to control movement of the movable physical object via the object hardware component during an allotted time, after the movable physical object has virtually eaten the virtual food on the map displayed on the display, using the mobile computing device, and

the system being configured such that user control of movement of the movable physical object during the allotted time comprises an ability for the user to control, using the mobile computing device, the movable weight to change the center of mass of the movable physical object.

2. The system of claim 1, the user interface further providing visual data received from the object hardware component via the display.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a positioning component in operable communication with the object hardware component, the positioning component for providing spatial data relative to the object'"'"'s surroundings.

4. The system of claim 3, the spatial data being is-utilized for avoiding surrounding objects during movement of the movable physical object.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a video camera on the movable physical object in communication with the object hardware component, the video camera for streaming video to the display of the mobile computing device via the server.

6. The system of claim 1, the mobile computing device being a smartphone or a tablet computing device.

7. The system of claim 1, the movable physical object being an aerial object.

8. The system of claim 7, the aerial object being a robotic fish.

9. The system of claim 1, the movable physical object comprising an advertisement on an exterior thereof.

10. A system, comprising:

a movable physical object comprising an object hardware component, the object hardware component comprising a weighted mechanism providing a movable weight to change a center of mass of the movable physical object;

a computing device for wirelessly transmitting and receiving signals via a communication link to the object hardware component, the computing device comprising a display;

a video camera on the movable physical object in communication with the object hardware component, the video camera for streaming video to the display of the computing device via the communication link;

a positioning component in operable communication with the object hardware component, the positioning component for providing spatial data relative to the movable physical object'"'"'s surroundings; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium in operable communication with the computing device, the non-transitory computer-readable medium having a software application stored thereon, the software application comprising a user interface for enabling a user to view on the display of the computing device a list of virtual food options and to purchase and place a virtual food on a map displayed on the display of the computing device,

the software application further obtaining position coordinates of the virtual food from the positioning component, providing the position coordinates of the virtual food to the movable physical object, and providing commands to the movable physical object that is close to the position coordinates of the virtual food such that the moveable physical object moves physically to the position coordinates of the virtual food and virtually eats the virtual food,

the software application further enabling the user to control movement of the movable physical object via the object hardware component during an allotted time, after the purchase of the virtual food and after the movable physical object has virtually eaten the virtual food, using the computing device, and

the system being configured such that user control of movement of the movable physical object during the allotted time comprises an ability for the user to control, using the computing device, the movable weight to change the center of mass of the movable physical object.

11. The system of claim 10, the software application further providing visual data received from the object hardware component to the display of the computing device.

12. The system of claim 10, the spatial data being utilized for avoiding surrounding objects during movement of the movable physical object to the position coordinates of the virtual food.

13. The system of claim 10, the movable physical object being an aerial object.

14. The system of claim 13, the aerial object being a robotic fish.

15. The system of claim 10, the communication link being in operable communication with a server that wirelessly communicates with the movable physical object and the computing device via the communication link.

16. The system of claim 10, the computing device being a mobile computing device.

17. The system of claim 16, the mobile computing device being a smartphone or a tablet computing device.

18. The system of claim 10, the movable physical object comprising an advertisement on an exterior thereof.