Controller lighting activation by proximity and motion

• US 8,355,003 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2008
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pope, Jeremiah M
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US12/139,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20090312101A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,677 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 178/18.01, 178/18.02, 178/18.03, 463/36, 463/37
• US Class Current: 345/170
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00133 Drive units for endoscopic tools inserted through or with the endoscope
• 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 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• 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 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light

Abstract

Mechanisms for controlling lighting activation by taking into account proximity and motion data are disclosed. Controllers can have cosmetic and/or functional lighting that can be controlled by proximity detectors and/or motion detectors, and such lighting can vary in color, intensity, and/or pattern. Proximity detectors can use capacitance, lighting, and/or sound data to determine the proximity of objects to the controllers, and motion detectors can use accelerometers and/or gyroscopes to determine the motion of such controllers. Additionally, controllers can start radio frequency communications with gaming consoles based on proximity and/or motion data. One benefit of such proximity and/or motion light control is battery conservation.

Claims

1. A system for controlling lighting activation on controller devices configured to communicate with gaming consoles, comprising:

a proximity detector configured to detect the presence of individuals substantially around or touching a controller device, the proximity of an individual to said controller device is detected based on a predetermined standard;

a motion detector configured to detect the motion of said controller device, the motion is determined from the output from at least one of an accelerometer device or a gyroscope device;

a manager component configured to receive input data from said proximity detector and input data from said motion detector;

said manager component is configured to determine whether said individual is moving through a range of distances from the controller device based on changes in said input data from said proximity detector, the range of distance comprising at least a first distance, a second distance, and touching the controller device, and said manager component configured to determine the distance in the range of distances where the individual is;

said manager component is configured to determine whether and how said controller device is being moved by said individual based on said input data from said motion detector;

said manager component is configured to control the lighting level of at least one light of a plurality of lights on said controller device based on said input data from said proximity detector and said motion detector; and

said manager component is configured to control said at least one light of said plurality of lights based on movement of at least one object in a game.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein said lighting level can be set to at least one of a maximum setting, an off setting, and a range of dimmed settings in between said maximum setting and said off setting.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein whether said individual is holding said controller device is based on a first capacitance level and whether said individual is moving though a range of distances to said controller device is based on a changing capacitance level.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein whether said controller device is being moved by said individual is based on an acceleration data or gyroscope data level and how said controller device is being moved by said individual is based on a changing acceleration data or gyroscope data.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein lighting intensity of said at least one light of said plurality of lights is controlled via pulse width modulation.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said manager component is configured to control said at least one light of said plurality of lights by controlling color, intensity, and pattern of said at least one light over a period of time depending on said input data from said proximity detector and said motion detector.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said manager component is configured to control said at least one light of said plurality of lights based on motion of said individual.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein said system resides in one of said controller device, a gaming console, and at least partly in said controller device and at least partly in said gaming console.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein said manager component starts radio frequency communications between a gaming console and said controller device based on data from said proximity detector.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein said predetermined standard is at least one of capacitance, light, including visible light or infrared light, and ultrasonic sound.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein said controller device is at least one of (a) a traditional gaming controller, (b) a joystick, (c) a steering wheel, (d) a microphone, (e) a music device, and (f) a gesture input device.

12. A method for controlling lighting activation on a controller device configured to communicate with a remote gaming console, comprising:

detecting with a proximity detector a predetermined unit of measurement about said controller device;

forwarding results from said proximity detector to a manager component;

detecting with a motion detector movement of said controller device;

forwarding results from said motion detector to said manager component;

receiving from the remote gaming console, information indicative of movement of at least one object in a game;

processing said results from said proximity detector, said information indicative of movement of at least one object in said game from the remote gaming console, and said results from said motion detector in order to set a light from a plurality of lights on said controller device; and

setting said light to a first level based on determining, from said input data from said proximity detector, whether an individual is at a first distance in a range of distances to said controller device, the range of distances comprising the first distance, a second distance, and holding said controller device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said first level is at least one of (a) a maximum light level, (b) a minimum light level, and (c) a intermediate light level between said maximum light level and said minimum light level.

14. The method according to claim 12, further comprising initiating communications between said controller device and a gaming console after processing at least one of said results from said proximity detector and said results from said motion detector.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said communications are configured to initiate before a user touches said controller device.

16. A computer readable tangible storage medium storing thereon computer executable instructions for controlling at least part of the lighting on controller devices configured to communicate with computing devices, comprising:

a first set of instructions configured to initiate detection of objects by their proximity to a controller device;

a second set of instructions configured to initiate detection of motion of said controller device;

a third set of instructions configured to take results from said detection of objects by their proximity and said detection of motion of said controller device;

a fourth set of instructions configured to control the lighting on said controller device based on determining from the results from said third set of instructions whether an object is moving through a range of distances to said controller device based on detection from said first set of instructions, the range of distances comprising a first distance, a second distance, and touching the controller device;

a fifth set of instructions configured to control the lighting on said controller device based on output from said controller indicative of whether a user is holding said controller device based on detection from said first set of instructions; and

a sixth set of instructions configured to control the lighting on said controller device based on output from a gaming console, the output indicative of movement of at least one object in a game.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, wherein said fourth set of instructions further controls the level of lighting on said controller device that includes dimmed lighting.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising a fifth set of instructions that initiates communications between said controller device and a console based on results from at least one of said detection of objects by their proximity and said detection of motion of said controller device.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 16, further comprising a sixth set of instructions that controls said lighting on said controller device at least partly based on content in a game title running on a remote gaming console.