User Selection and Navigation Based on Looped Motions

• US 20120052942A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Esaki, Chris, Yano, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,613,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• 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 13/42 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 13/428 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: A63F 13/46 Computing the game score
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• 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 13/814 Musical performances, e.g. by evaluating the player's ability to follow a notation
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/305 for providing a graphical or textual hint to the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• 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

Abstract

A system for performing user selection of an option is provided. A user interface displays one or more options. Each option is associated with a sequence of a looped motion. In response, a user will perform one of the displayed sequences of looped motion. User motion data is received from one or more sensors connected to the computing device. The user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion is determined based on the user motion data matching one or more looped motion criteria associated with the performed looped motion. The user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion is displayed to the user. A selection of the option associated with the performed looped motion is automatically triggered in response to determining that the user has completed the sequence of looped motion.

Claims

1. A method for performing user selection of an option, comprising:

prompting a user to perform a sequence of a looped motion via a user interface of a computing device, the user interface displaying an option, the sequence of the looped motion associated with the option;

receiving user motion data from a sensor connected to the computing device;

determining if the user is performing the looped motion based on the received user motion data;

if the user is performing the looped motion, determining if the user motion data matches one or more looped motion criteria;

determining the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion based on the user motion data matching the one or more looped motion criteria;

displaying the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion;

determining that the user has completed the sequence of looped motion based on the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion; and

automatically triggering a selection of the option displayed in response to determining that the user has completed the sequence of looped motion and performing a function associated with the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more looped motion criteria comprise at least one of:

a musical beat sequence associated with performing the sequence of the looped motion;

the energy produced through a movement of a body part involved in performing the sequence of the looped motion; and

a match threshold value associated with the sequence of the looped motion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining if the user motion data matches the one or more looped motion criteria further comprises:

determining if a movement of a body part in the user motion data is aligned with the musical beat sequence associated with the looped motion.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining if the user motion data matches the one or more looped motion criteria further comprises:

determining if the energy produced through the movement of a body part in the user motion data matches the energy of a corresponding moving point in the looped motion, wherein the energy is derived as a function of the mass of the body part and the speed of movement of the body part.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein determining if the user motion data matches the one or more looped motion criteria further comprises:

determining if a movement of a body part in the user motion data matches the match threshold value associated with the looped motion, wherein the match threshold value is a measure of correlation of the user motion data with the looped motion.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the looped motion comprises a repeatable motion performed by the user, the repeatable motion comprising at least one of an exercise routine or a dance move in an application executing in the computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion further comprises:

displaying a progression tracking bar to the user, wherein a filled fraction of the progression tracking bar indicates a percentage of completion of the sequence of the looped motion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the option depicts an on-screen representation of a character performing the sequence of the looped motion to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting a user to perform a sequence of a looped motion further comprises:

presenting the user with guided text instructing the user to perform the sequence of the looped motion displayed in the option.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the displaying the option includes presenting the user with multiple skill-based options via the user interface in the computing device;

each skill-based option is associated with a different sequence of looped motion; and

the option is one of the skill-based options.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the prompting the user comprises presenting the user with guided text instructing the user to perform the sequence of the looped motion displayed in the option;

the displaying the option comprises depicting an on-screen representation of a character performing the sequence of the looped motion;

the determining if the user is performing the looped motion comprises determining if the user motion data matches one or more pre-defined looped motions;

the determining if the user motion data matches one or more looped motion criteria comprises determining if a movement of a body part in the user motion data is aligned with the musical beat sequence associated with the looped motion, determining if the energy produced through a movement of a body part in the user motion data matches the energy of a corresponding moving point in the looped motion and determining if a movement of a body part in the user motion data matches the match threshold value associated with the looped motion; and

the displaying the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion comprises displaying a progression tracking bar to the user, wherein a filled fraction of the progression tracking bar indicates a percentage of completion of the sequence of the looped motion.

12. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said one or more processor readable storage devices, the processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

presenting a user with multiple skill-based options via a user interface in a computing device, each skill-based option is associated with a different sequence of a looped motion;

displaying the different sequences of the looped motion, the different sequences of the looped motion each having different skill levels to performing the associated sequence of the looped motion;

receiving user motion data from a sensor connected to the computing device;

determining if the user is performing one of the looped motions depicted by the multiple skill-based options, based on the received user motion data;

if the user is performing one of the looped motions, determining if the user motion data matches one or more looped motion criteria for the performed loop motion;

determining user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion based on the user motion data matching the one or more looped motion criteria;

displaying the user'"'"'s progress performing the sequence of the looped motion;

determining that the user has completed the sequence of looped motion based on the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion; and

automatically triggering a selection of one of the multiple skill-based options in response to determining that the user has completed the sequence of the looped motion.

13. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 12, wherein:

the multiple skill-based options comprise at least one of a beginner level, an intermediate level and an advanced level corresponding to performing the one or more looped motions.

14. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 12, wherein the one or more looped motion criteria comprises at least one of:

a musical beat sequence associated with performing the sequence of the looped motion;

the energy produced through a movement of a body part involved in performing the sequence of the looped motion; and

a match threshold value associated with the sequence of the looped motion.

15. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 12, wherein displaying the user'"'"'s progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion further comprises:

displaying a progression tracking bar to the user, wherein a filled fraction of the progression tracking bar indicates a percentage of completion of the sequence of the looped motion.

16. An apparatus to perform user selection of an option, comprising:

a depth camera to track one or more users in a field of view of the capture device;

a computing device connected to the depth camera to receive user motion data of the one or more tracked users from the capture device, the computing device determines if the one or more tracked users are performing a sequence of a looped motion, if the one or more tracked users are performing the sequence of the looped motion the computing device determines the number of the one or more tracked users that are performing the sequence of looped motion, the computing device enters at least one of a single-player mode or a multi-player mode in response to and based on determining the number of the one or more tracked users that are performing the sequence of looped motion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 further comprising:

a display device connected to the computing device, the display device prompts the one or more tracked users to perform the sequence of the looped motion, the sequence of the looped motion displayed in an option via a user interface of the display device.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the display device displays the one or more tracked users'"'"' progress of performing the sequence of the looped motion via the user interface.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the display device displays a progression tracking bar to the one or more tracked users, wherein a filled fraction of the progression tracking bar indicates a percentage of completion of the sequence of the looped motion by the one of more tracked users.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the computing device automatically triggers a selection of at least one of the single-player mode or the multi-player mode for an option displayed via a user interface in the computing device, in response to determining the number of the one or more tracked users that are performing the sequence of looped motion.