Interactive video based games using objects sensed by TV cameras

• US 8,847,887 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: PSTP Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: PSTP Technologies, LLC
• Inventors: Pryor, Timothy R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDULSELAM, ABBAS I
• Application Number:
  US13/714,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 655 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/204, 463/37, 701/36
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1012 involving biosensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat, limb activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0331 Finger worn pointing device
• 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 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/20 Movements or behaviour, e.g. gesture recognition recognition of facial expressions G06V40/16

Abstract

A method and apparatus for interactive TV camera based games in which position or orientation of points on a player or of an object held by a player are determined and used to control a video display. Both single camera and stereo camera pair based embodiments are disclosed, preferably using stereo photogrammetry where multi-degree of freedom information is desired. Large video displays, preferably life-size may be used where utmost realism of the game experience is desired.

Claims

1. A control interface for a vehicle comprising:

an electro-optical sensor including a sensor field of view within a vehicle interior, the electro-optical sensor including an output; and

a processing unit operatively coupled to the sensor output and adapted to detect a hand or finger gesture performed by a user in the sensor field of view, the processing unit being further adapted to correlate the detected gesture with a vehicle control function, wherein the vehicle control function is controlled by the gesture performed in the vehicle interior.

2. The control interface of claim 1 wherein the sensor field of view encompasses at least a portion of a steering wheel.

3. The control interface of claim 1 wherein the sensor field of view encompasses at least a portion of a shifter.

4. The control interface of claim 1 wherein the vehicle control function includes at least one of heating control, lighting control, radio control, and windshield wiper control.

5. The control interface of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes a pinching gesture.

6. The control interface of claim 1 wherein the detected gesture includes a finger motion.

7. A computer implemented method comprising:

providing an electro-optical sensor including a sensor field of view encompassing a portion of a vehicle interior;

detecting, using the electro-optical sensor, a hand or finger gesture performed by an occupant of the vehicle interior; and

correlating the detected gesture with a vehicle control function, wherein the vehicle control function is controlled by the gesture performed in the vehicle interior.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein detecting the gesture includes comparing successive outputs of the electro-optical sensor.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the vehicle control function includes at least one of heating control, lighting control, radio control, and windshield wiper control.

10. The method according to claim 7 further including outputting the vehicle control function to a vehicle computer.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the sensor field of view encompasses at least a portion of a steering wheel or a shifter.

12. The method according to claim 7 wherein the detected gesture includes at least one of a pinching gesture and a finger motion.

13. A gesture-based control interface for a vehicle occupant, the control interface comprising:

a camera having a field of view encompassing at least a portion of the vehicle occupant, the camera having an output;

a camera processing unit operatively coupled to the camera output and adapted to detect a hand or finger gesture performed by the vehicle occupant in the camera field of view; and

a vehicle controller operatively coupled to the camera processing unit, wherein the vehicle controller is adapted to control a vehicle function in response to the gesture being detected by the camera processing unit.

14. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the camera processing unit is further adapted to correlate the detected gesture with a vehicle function.

15. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the detected gesture includes a finger motion.

16. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the detected gesture is a pinching motion.

17. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the camera processing unit is adapted to compare successive outputs of the camera to detect the gesture.

18. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the vehicle function includes at least one of heating control, lighting control, radio control, and windshield wiper control.

19. The control interface of claim 13 further including a light source for illuminating at least a portion of the camera field of view.

20. The control interface of claim 13 wherein the camera is a first camera and further including a second camera, the first and second cameras being a stereo camera pair.