Providing a representation of orientation and movement of an item being moved in space

• US 9,958,903 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2015
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gustavsson, Jonas, Rodzevski, Aleksandar, Andreasson, Markus
• Primary Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US14/699,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20160320794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 345212-213, 345461, 345419, 345156
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/32 using local area network [LAN] connections
• 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: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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 3/017 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for providing a representation of orientation and movement of an item being moved in space by a user of the item. The user is wearing a wearable electronic device being physically separate from the item. The item comprises an item memory storing item defining data and a device communication unit. The wearable electronic device comprises an item communication unit, adapted to receive data from the device communication unit, and an orientation and movement detector. The method comprises retrieving, at the wearable electronic device, item defining data from the item; registering, at the wearable electronic device, orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device during user movement of the item; and computing, at a first processor, the representation of orientation and movement of the item based on the item defining data and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device.

Claims

1. Method for providing a representation of orientation and movement of an item being moved in space by a user of the item, the user wearing a wearable electronic device being physically separate from the item, the item comprising an item memory storing item defining data and a device communication unit, the electronic device comprising an item communication unit, adapted to receive data from the device communication unit, and an orientation and movement detector, the method comprising:

retrieving, by the wearable electronic device, the item defining data from the item;

determining, based on the item defining data, data defining physical properties of the item, wherein the physical properties of the item comprise one or more of size, weight, density distribution, center of gravity, inertia of mass, flexibility and visual appearance of the item,

registering, at the wearable electronic device, orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device during user movement of the item; and

computing, at a first processor, and independently of data from orientation or movement sensors of the item, the representation of orientation and movement of the item based on the data defining physical properties of the item and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising computing, at a second processor, a visual representation of the item moving according to the computed representation of orientation and movement of the item.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising displaying, at a display, the visual representation of the item moving.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the device communication unit is adapted to communicate with the item communication unit via a Body Area Network, BAN.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the item defining data stored in the item memory comprises the data defining physical properties of the item.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the item defining data stored in the item memory comprises an item ID, wherein the wearable electronic device further comprises a device memory comprising the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the item defining data stored in the item memory comprises an item ID, wherein the wearable electronic device is further arranged to retrieve the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID by communication, via a database communicator of the wearable electronic device, with an external database comprising the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program which when executed on a wearable electronic device having processing capabilities is arranged for implementing:

retrieving, via an item communication unit of the wearable electronic device, item defining data from a device communication unit of an item being physically separate from the wearable electronic device;

determining, based on the item defining data, data defining physical properties of the item, wherein the physical properties of the item comprise one or more of size, weight, density distribution, center of gravity, inertia of mass, flexibility and visual appearance of the item;

registering, via an orientation and movement detector of the wearable electronic device, orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device during user movement of the item; and

computing, via a processor of the wearable electronic device, and independently of data from orientation or movement sensors of the item, a representation of orientation and movement of the item based on the data defining physical properties of the item and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the device communication unit is adapted to communicate with the item communication unit via a Body Area Network, BAN, and wherein the program is further arranged for implementing:

detecting, via the BAN, that a user of the item is holding the item during user movement of the item.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the program is further arranged for implementing:

transmitting, via a console communicator of the wearable electronic device, the representation of orientation and movement of the item to a console.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the item defining data comprises the data defining physical properties of the item.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the item defining data comprises an item ID and wherein the determining the data defining physical properties of the item comprises:

retrieving, from a device memory of the wearable electronic device, the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 8, wherein the item defining data comprises an item ID and wherein the determining the data defining physical properties of the item comprises:

retrieving, from an external database comprising the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID and via a database communicator of the wearable electronic device, the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID.

14. A system comprising an item, a first processor, and a wearable electronic device, the wearable electronic device is adapted to be worn by a user and is physically separate from the item, the system is adapted to provide a representation of orientation and movement of the item being moved in space by the user,

wherein the item comprises:

an item memory storing item defining data, and

a device communication unit adapted to transmit the item defining data;

wherein the item does not include any orientation or movement sensors;

wherein the electronic device comprises;

an item communication unit adapted to receive the item defining data from the device communication unit, and

an orientation and movement detector adapted to register orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device during user movement of the item;

wherein the first processor is configured to determine, based on the item defining data, data defining physical properties of the item, wherein the physical properties of the item comprise at least one of size, weight, density distribution, center of gravity, inertia of mass, flexibility and visual appearance of the item; and

wherein the first processor is adapted to compute the representation of orientation and movement of the item based on the data defining physical properties of the item and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the device communication unit is adapted to communicate with the item communication unit via a Body Area Network, BAN.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the item defining data comprises the data defining physical properties of the item.

17. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the item defining data stored in the item memory comprises an item ID;

wherein the wearable electronic device further comprises a device memory comprising the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID.

18. The system according to claim 14,

wherein the item defining data stored in the item memory comprises an item ID;

wherein the system further comprises an external database comprising the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID;

wherein the wearable electronic device further comprises a database communicator adapted to retrieve the data defining physical properties of the item associated with the item ID from the external database.

19. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first processor is arranged in the wearable electronic device.

20. The system according to claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a console, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a console communicator arranged to transmit the representation of orientation and movement of the item to the console.

21. The system according to claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a console comprising the first processor, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a console communicator arranged to transmit the item defining data and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device to the console.

22. The system according to claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a second processor adapted to compute a visual representation of the item moving according to the computed representation of orientation and movement of the item.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein second processor is arranged in the wearable electronic device.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein the system further comprises a console comprising the first processor and the second processor, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a console communicator arranged to transmit the item defining data and the registered orientation and movement of the wearable electronic device to the console.

25. The system according to claim 14, wherein the system further comprises a display adapted to display the visual representation of the item moving.

26. The system according to claim 14, wherein the orientation and movement detector comprises at least one of an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a magnetometer.

27. The system according to claim 14, wherein the wearable electronic device comprises a smart watch, a wristband, ring and/or glove.