Multi-input game control mixer

• US 7,918,733 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2006
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Marks, Richard L., Zalewski, Gary M., Mao, Xiadong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hotaling; John M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jones; Marcus D
• Application Number:
  US11/382,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20060264258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,795 Days
• Field of Search: 463 36- 39, 725/133, 725/141
• US Class Current: 463/39
• 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 13/215 comprising means for detecting acoustic signals, e.g. using a microphone
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/424 involving acoustic input signals, e.g. by using the results of pitch or rhythm extraction or voice recognition
• 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 2300/1006 having additional degrees of freedom
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1081 Input via voice recognition
• 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: 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 2300/6072 of an input signal, e.g. pitch and rhythm extraction, voice recognition
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

Systems, methods and for analyzing game control input data are disclosed. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon instructions for analyzing game control input data is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system for analyzing game control input data, comprising:

a first analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a first input device;

a second analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a second input device,

wherein the first and second input devices are two different types of input devices selected from the group of an image capture device, an acoustic receiver, and an inertial sensor;

and

a mixer configured to receive analyzed input data from the second analyzer and the first analyzer and generate tracking information based on information received from the first analyzer and/or the second analyzer and dynamically assign one or more distribution values to the information received by the mixer from the second analyzer and/or the first analyzer based on conditions in a game or conditions in an environment in which the first input device and the second input device operate, wherein each distribution value defines a weight to apply to a tracking information parameter from an input channel associated with one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer when mixing that parameter with the same parameter from an input channel associated with a different one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer, and wherein the mixer is configured to dynamically assign the one or more distribution values to the parameters and mix the resulting weighted parameter values for each input channel to produce a refined parameter value, wherein the mixer is configured to assign the distribution value based on whether input data for one or more of the input devices is in a desired range.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gesture recognizer, the gesture recognizer configured to associate at least one action in a game environment with one or more user actions based on the tracking information.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a game controller, wherein the game controller includes at least one inertial sensor operable coupled to an inertial analyzer and/or one or more light sources configured to provide one or more light signals and/or one or more acoustic signal generators.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the at least one inertial sensor includes at least one of an accelerometer or a gyroscope.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an image capture unit coupled to the image analyzer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the image capture device includes a camera.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the tracking information includes position and/or orientation information of a user-manipulable object.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the position and/or orientation information includes information indicative of at least one of pitch, yaw and roll of the user-manipulable object.

9. The system of claim 7 wherein the position and/or orientation information includes information indicative of a position with respect to one or more coordinates.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein the position and/or orientation information includes information indicative of a velocity with respect to one or more coordinates.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the position and/or orientation information includes information indicative of an acceleration with respect to one or more coordinates.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the user manipulable object is a controller for a video game system.

13. A method for analyzing game control input data, comprising:

receiving input control data from a first analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a first input device and a second analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a second input device, wherein the input data is associated with one or more user actions, wherein the first and second input devices are two different types of input devices selected from the group of an image capture device, an acoustic receiver, and an inertial sensor;

dynamically assigning first and second distribution values to the input control data received from the first analyzer and the second analyzer, respectively, wherein each distribution value defines a weight to apply to a tracking information parameter from an input channel associated with corresponding one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer when mixing that parameter with the same parameter from an input channel associated with a different one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer; and

wherein the distribution values are assigned based on whether input data for one or more of the input devices is in a desired range;

identifying at least one action in a game environment associated with the one or more user actions based on the distribution value assigned to the received input data; and

executing the at least one action in the game environment.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having embodied thereon instructions for analyzing game control input data, the instructions comprising:

receiving input control data from a first analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a first input device and a second analyzer configured to receive and analyze input data from a second input device, wherein, the input control data is associated with one or more user actions, wherein the first and second input devices are two different types of input devices selected from the group of an image capture device, an acoustic receiver, and an inertial sensor;

dynamically assigning first and second distribution values to the input control data received from the first analyzer and the second analyzer, respectively, wherein each distribution value defines a weight to apply to a tracking information parameter from an input channel associated with a corresponding one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer when mixing that parameter with the same parameter from an input channel associated with a different one of the second analyzer and the first analyzer; and

wherein the distribution values are assigned based on whether input data for one or more of the input devices is in a desired range;

identifying at least one action in a game environment associated with the one or more user actions based on the distribution value assigned to the received input control data;

and

executing the at least one action in the game environment.