RFID based positioning system
The position of a mobile gaming object within a video gaming environment is determined using radio frequency identification (RFID) signals transmitted between RFID devices, at least one of which is positioned on a gaming element. Based on signal information regarding the RFID signals, the distances between the gaming element and various RFID devices can be determined. The position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment is then determined based on the distances.
Latest BROADCOM CORPORATION Patents:
This patent application is claiming priority under 35 USC §119 to a provisionally filed patent application entitled POSITION AND MOTION TRACKING OF AN OBJECT, having a provisional filing date of Jun. 22, 2007, and a provisional Ser. No. 60/936,724.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENTNOT APPLICABLE
INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISCNOT APPLICABLE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless systems and more particularly to determining position within a wireless system and/or tracking motion within the wireless system.
2. Description of Related Art
Communication systems are known to support wireless and wire lined communications between wireless and/or wire lined communication devices. Such communication systems range from national and/or international cellular telephone systems to the Internet to point-to-point in-home wireless networks to radio frequency identification (RFID) systems. Each type of communication system is constructed, and hence operates, in accordance with one or more communication standards. For instance, radio frequency (RF) wireless communication systems may operate in accordance with one or more standards including, but not limited to, RFID, IEEE 802.11, Bluetooth, advanced mobile phone services (AMPS), digital AMPS, global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), local multi-point distribution systems (LMDS), multi-channel-multi-point distribution systems (MMDS), and/or variations thereof. As another example, infrared (IR) communication systems may operate in accordance with one or more standards including, but not limited to, IrDA (Infrared Data Association).
IR communications are commonly used video games to detect the direction in which a game controller is pointed. As an example, an IR sensor is placed near the game display, where the IR sensor to detect the IR signal transmitted by the game controller. If the game controller is too far away, too close, or angled away from the IR sensor, the IR communication will fail.
Further advances in video gaming include three accelerometers in the game controller to detect motion by way of acceleration. The motion data is transmitted to the game console via a Bluetooth wireless link. The Bluetooth wireless link may also transmit the IR direction data to the game console and/or convey other data between the game controller and the game console.
While the above technologies allow video gaming to include motion sensing, it does so with limitations. As mentioned, the IR communication has a limited area in which a player can be for the IR communication to work properly. Further, the accelerometer only measures acceleration such that true one-to-one detection of motion is not achieved. Thus, the gaming motion is limited to a handful of directions (e.g., horizontal, vertical, and a few diagonal directions.
Therefore, a need exists for motion tracking and positioning determination for video gaming and other applications that overcome the above limitations.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention is directed to apparatus and methods of operation that are further described in the following Brief Description of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the claims. Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention made with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The mobile gaming object 40 may be a wireless game controller and/or any object used or worn by the player to facilitate play of a video game. For example, the mobile gaming object 40 may be a simulated sword, a simulated gun, a helmet, a vest, a hat, shoes, socks, pants, shorts, gloves, etc. The mobile gaming object 40 is able to move within a position and motion tracking area 50 of the gaming environment 20. For example, motion of the mobile gaming object 40 may be achieved through user manipulation of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20.
The game console device 30 operates to determine the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20 using one or more positioning techniques, as subsequently discussed. Once the mobile gaming object's 40 position is determined, the game console device 30 tracks the motion of the mobile gaming object 40 to facilitate video game play. For example, the game console device 30 may determine the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within a positioning tolerance (e.g., within a meter) at a positioning update rate (e.g., once every second or once every few seconds) and track the motion within a motion tracking tolerance (e.g., within a few millimeters) at a motion tracking update rate (e.g., once every 10-100 milliseconds).
In operation, the game console device 30 operates to determine the environment parameters of the gaming environment 20 corresponding to the physical area in which the gaming object 40 moves. The environmental parameters include, but are not limited to, height, width, and depth of the localized physical area, objects in the physical area, differing materials in the physical area, multiple path effects, interferers, etc. The game console device 30 then maps the environment parameters to a particular coordinate system. As an example, if the physical area is a room, a point in the room is selected as the origin and the coordinate system is applied to at least a portion of the room. In addition, objects in the room (e.g., a couch, a chair, etc.) may be mapped to the coordinate system based on their physical location in the room.
Based on the mapped coordinate system, the game console device 30, in conjunction with the mobile gaming object 40, is able to determine the coordinates of the gaming object's 40 initial position in the gaming environment 20 using the one or more positioning techniques described below. It should be noted that the position of the mobile gaming object 40 may be used to determine the position of the player(s) if the mobile gaming object 40 is something worn by the player or is in close proximity to the player. In addition, the game console device 30, in conjunction with the mobile gaming object 40, is able to update the coordinates of the mobile gaming object's 40 position to track its motion.
In this system, the RFID reader 60 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) communicates with the RFID tag 70 to determine distances between the RFID reader 60 and the player and/or gaming object within the gaming environment 20. In one embodiment, the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 communicate using a backscatter technique in which the RFID reader 60 transmits an RFID outbound radio frequency (RF) signal that is received by the RFID tag 70 and retransmitted (i.e., backscattered) by the RFID tag 70 towards the RFID reader 60 as an RFID inbound RF signal. For example, the RFID reader 60 can request data (e.g., a tag 70 identifier) from the RFID tag 70 via the RFID outbound RF signal, and the RFID tag 70 can respond with the requested data by modulating and backscattering the RFID outbound RF signal provided by the RFID reader 60. Typically, the RFID tag 70 provides the requested data to the RFID reader 60 on the same RF carrier frequency as the RFID outbound RF signal. By noting the difference in time between the initial time that the RFID outbound RF signal is transmitted by the RFID reader 60 and the time that the backscattered RFID inbound RF signal is received by the RFID reader 60, the distance between the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 can be measured.
In an exemplary operation involving a passive RFID tag 70, the RFID reader 60 first transmits an unmodulated, continuous wave (CW) RF signal to activate and provide power to the passive RFID tag 70. After a period of time sufficient to power the RFID tag 70, the RFID reader 60 generates and transmits an amplitude modulated RF interrogation signal to the RFID tag 70, requesting data (e.g., a tag 70 identifier) from the RFID tag 70. After the RF interrogation signal has been transmitted for a predetermined length of time, the RFID reader 60 begins transmitting the CW signal again to provide additional power to the tag 70 and to allow backscattering of the signal by the tag 70 with the requested data.
In another embodiment, the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 communicate using frequency modulation. In this embodiment, the RFID reader 60 transmits a frequency modulated RFID outbound RF signal. Upon receiving the RFID outbound RF signal, the RFID tag 70 retransmits the frequency modulated RFID outbound RF signal as an RFID inbound RF signal that is received by the RFID reader 60. By determining the phase shift of the envelope of the received frequency modulated RFID inbound RF signal, the distance between the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 can be measured.
In yet another embodiment, the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 communicate using a continuous wave radar technique. In this embodiment, the RFID reader 60 frequency modulates a “carrier” RF signal in a predictable way over a fixed period of time, typically by varying up and down with a sine wave or sawtooth pattern at audio frequencies or other desired frequency, to produce an RFID outbound RF signal. The RFID outbound RF signal is then transmitted by the RFID reader 60 towards the RFID tag 70. Upon receiving the RFID outbound RF signal, the RFID tag 70 retransmits the RFID outbound RF signal as an RFID inbound RF signal that is received at the RFID reader 60. The RFID outbound signal is typically sent out from one antenna on the RFID reader 60, while the RFID inbound RF signal is received on another antenna of the RFID reader 60. Since the signal frequency is changing, by the time the RFID inbound RF signal returns to the RFID reader 60, the RFID outbound RF signal has shifted to some other frequency. The amount of frequency shift is greater over longer periods of time. As such, greater frequency differences translate into greater distances between the RFID reader 60 and the RFID tag 70. The amount of frequency shift can therefore be used to directly measure the distance between the RFID reader 60 and the RFID tag 70.
The measured distance between the RFID reader 60 and RFID tag 70 can be used to determine an initial position of the mobile gaming object 40 and/or the player within the gaming environment 40, as described below. Once the player's and/or mobile gaming object's 40 position is determined, the RFID reader 60 may be adjusted to focus on the player and/or mobile gaming object 40 movement. For example, subsequently determined distances can be processed using a two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional algorithm to determine the motion of the mobile gaming object 40 and/or of the player.
In embodiments in which at least some of the RFID readers 60a-60c are positioned outside of the game console device, the RFID readers 60a-60c may be stand-alone devices that are physically distributed throughout the gaming environment 20 or may be included within device(s) that are already positioned within the gaming environment 20. For example, the RFID readers 60a-60c may be included in access points of a WLAN, smoke detectors, motion detectors of a security system, speakers of an intercom system, light fixtures, light bulbs, electronic equipment (e.g., computers, TVs, radios, clocks, etc.), and/or any device or object found or used in a localized physical area. Typically, once the RFID readers 60a-60c are positioned within the gaming environment 20, a calibration of the RFID readers 60a-60c is performed to determine the fixed three-dimensional locations of the RFID readers 60a-60c within the gaming environment 20.
Each of the RFID readers 60a-60c periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) communicates with the RFID tag 70 to determine the respective distances between the RFID readers and the RFID tag 70. For example, each RFID reader 60a-60c can request data (e.g., a tag identifier) from the RFID tag 70 by sending a respective RFID outbound RF signal toward the RFID tag 70, and the RFID tag 70 can respond with the requested data by separately modulating and backscattering each of the RFID outbound RF signals provided by the RFID readers 60a-60c as respective RFID inbound RF signals. Each RFID reader 60a-60c receives a respective RFID inbound RF signal that was modulated and backscattered in response to the RFID outbound RF signal transmitted by that RFID reader 60a-60c. The RFID readers 60a-60c analyze the received RFID inbound RF signals to determine signal properties of the received RFID inbound RF signals. These signal properties are used to determine the respective distances between the RFID readers 60a-60c and the RFID tag 70, as described above.
Each RFID reader 60a-60c may operate with the same frequency or different frequencies using a frequency sharing protocol. In the former situation where the same frequencies are used, the RFID readers 60a-60c may transmit their RFID outbound RF signals in a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) or round-robin manner so as to avoid interference between the RFID outbound RF signals. In the latter situation where different frequencies may be used for each RFID outbound RF signal, the RFID readers 60a-60c may transmit their RFID outbound RF signals in a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) manner.
By obtaining multiple distances from multiple RFID readers 60a-60c, and with knowledge of the fixed locations of the RFID readers 60a-60c, the position and/or motion of the RFID tag 70 (mobile gaming object 40) can be determined using a triangulation technique. For example, with the known position of a particular RFID reader, e.g., RFID reader 60b, and the measured distance between the that RFID reader 60b and the mobile gaming object 40, the mobile gaming object 40's location can be determined to be somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere (shown as a circle in two-dimensions) centered on that RFID reader 60b, and whose radius is the distance to it. When the distance to at least three RFID readers 60a-60c is known, the intersection of the three imaginary spheres reveals the position of the mobile gaming object 40. To determine the position of the mobile gaming object 40 in three-dimensions, the distance to four or more RFID readers may be preferred.
In one embodiment, the RFID readers 60a-60c calculate their respective distances to the RFID tag 70 and provide the distances to the game console for use in calculating the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20. In another embodiment, the RFID readers 60a-60c provide the signal properties of the received RFID inbound RF signals to the game console, and the game console calculates the respective distances between the RFID tag 70 and the RFID readers 60a-60c and the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20 based on these signal properties.
In embodiments in which the RFID tags 70a-70c are positioned outside of the game console device, the RFID tags 70a-70c may be stand-alone RFID devices that are physically distributed throughout the gaming environment 20 or may be included within device(s) that are already positioned within the gaming environment 20. For example, the RFID tags 70a-70c may be included in access points of a WLAN, smoke detectors, motion detectors of a security system, speakers of an intercom system, light fixtures, light bulbs, electronic equipment (e.g., computers, TVs, radios, clocks, etc.), and/or any device or object found or used in a localized physical area. Typically, once the RFID tags 70a-70c are positioned within the gaming environment 20, a calibration of the RFID tags 70a-70c is performed to determine the fixed three-dimensional locations of the RFID tags 70a-70c within the gaming environment 20.
The RFID reader 60 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) communicates with the RFID tags 70a-70c to determine the respective distances between the RFID reader 60 and each of the RFID tags 70a-70c. For example, the RFID reader 60 can request data (e.g., a tag identifier) from each RFID tag 70a-70c by sending an RFID outbound RF signal toward each RFID tag 70a-70c. In one embodiment, the RFID reader 60 generates a single RFID outbound RF signal that is received and responded to by all RFID tags 70a-70c. For example, each RFID tag can respond to the RFID outbound RF signal with the requested data by modulating and backscattering the received RFID outbound RF signal to produce a respective RFID inbound RF signal. In another embodiment, multiple RFID outbound RF signals can be sent. For example, each RFID outbound signal can include a tag identifier of a particular one of the RFID tags, e.g., RFID tag 70b. Upon receipt of the RFID outbound signal at one of the RFID tags, e.g., RFID tag 70b, that RFID tag 70b compares the tag identifier included in the received RFID outbound RF signal with its internally stored tag identifier to determine whether to respond to the received RFID outbound RF signal. If the tag identifiers match, the RFID tag 70b responds with the requested data by modulating and backscattering the received RFID outbound RF signal to produce an RFID inbound RF signal.
The RFID reader 60 receives the RFID inbound RF signals from all of the RFID tags 70a-70c and determines signal properties of each of the RFID inbound RF signals. The signal properties of the RFID inbound RF signals are used to determine the respective distances between the RFID reader 60 and the RFID tags 70a-70c. By obtaining multiple distances from multiple RFID tags 70a-70c, and with knowledge of the fixed locations of the RFID tags 70a-70c, the position and/or motion of the RFID reader 60 can be determined, as described above. In one embodiment, the RFID reader 60/mobile gaming object 40 calculates the respective distances to the RFID tags 70a-70c and provides the distances to the game console device for use in calculating the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20. In another embodiment, the RFID reader 60/mobile gaming object 40 provides the signal properties of the received RFID inbound RF signals to the game console device, and the game console device calculates the respective distances between the RFID tags 70a-70c and the RFID reader 60 and the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20 based on these signal properties.
In an exemplary operation, each RFID reader 60a and 60b generates and transmits a respective RFID outbound RF signal 80 toward each of the RFID tags 70a-70c. Each RFID outbound RF signal 80 includes a tag identifier (TAG ID) 82 identifying the particular RFID tag 70a-70c that the RFID outbound RF signal is directed to, along with a command 84 instructing that RFID tag 70a-70c to echo back with its TAG ID. Upon receiving an RFID outbound RF signal at an RFID tag, e.g., RFID tag 70b, to which the RFID outbound RF signal is directed (as indicated by the TAG ID therein), that RFID tag 70b responds with its TAG ID by modulating and backscattering the received RFID outbound RF signal to produce an RFID inbound RF signal. The RFID readers 60a and 60b receive the RFID inbound RF signals from all of the RFID tags 70a-70c and determine signal properties of each of the RFID inbound RF signals. The signal properties of the RFID inbound RF signals are used to determine the respective distances between the RIFD readers 60a and 60b and the RFID tags 70a-70c.
For example, in one embodiment, the signal properties include the total time of travel of the combination of the RFID outbound RF signal and the RFID inbound RF signal. The total amount of time that it takes for the RFID outbound RF signal to travel from an RFID reader, e.g., RFID reader 60a, to an RFID tag, e.g., RFID tag 70a, and return to that RFID reader 60a as an RFID inbound RF signal is equal to:
tTOT=2td+tTAG, (Equation 1)
where td is the time of travel between the RFID reader 60a and the RFID tag 70a and tTAG is the internal processing time of the RFID tag 70a. The internal processing time of the RFID tag 70a is known (based on data sheets, a calibration of the RFID tag or other measurement process). In addition, the total travel time (tTOT) can be determined by calculating the difference between the time that the RIFD outbound RF signal is transmitted by the RFID reader 60a and the time that the responsive RFID inbound RF signal is received at the RFID reader 60a. Therefore, Equation 1 can be used to calculate the time of travel between the RFID reader 60a and the RFID tag 70a (td).
Once the time of travel (td) is determined, the distance between the RFID reader 60a and RFID tag 70a (d) can be calculated as:
d=c*td, (Equation 2)
where c is the speed of light. With knowledge of the distances between each of the RFID readers 60a and 60b and each of the RFID tags 70a-70c, and since the RFID tags 70a-70c are separated by known distances, d12 and d23, and the two RFID readers 60a and 60b are separated by a known distance dr12, the position of the mobile gaming object 40 within the gaming environment 20 can be determined. With three or more RFID readers 60a and 60b, the position of the mobile gaming object 40 can be determined without knowledge of the distances between the RFID tags 70a-70c.
As described above, the communication between the RFID reader(s) 60 and RFID tags 70 may be done in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, a broadcast transmission and a collision detection and avoidance response scheme, in a round robin manner, in a TDMA manner or in an ad hoc manner based on a desired updating rate for a given RFID tag (e.g., a slow moving tag may need to be updated less often than a fast moving tag).
The protocol processing module 102 is operable to prepare data for encoding in accordance with a particular RFID standardized protocol. In an exemplary embodiment, the protocol processing module 102 is programmed with multiple RFID standardized protocols to enable the RFID reader 60 to communicate with any RFID tag, regardless of the particular protocol associated with the tag. In this embodiment, the protocol processing module 102 operates to program filters and other components of the encoding module 104, decoding module 116, pre-decoding module 114 and RF front end 108 in accordance with the particular RFID standardized protocol of the tag(s) currently communicating with the RFID reader 60.
In operation, once the particular RFID standardized protocol has been selected for communication with one or more RFID tags, the protocol processing module 102 generates and provides digital data to be communicated to the RFID tag to the encoding module 104 for encoding in accordance with the selected RFID standardized protocol. By way of example, but not limitation, the RFID protocols may include one or more line encoding schemes, such as Manchester encoding, FM0 encoding, FM1 encoding, etc. Thereafter, the digitally encoded data is provided to the digital-to-analog converter 106 which converts the digitally encoded data into an analog signal. The RF front-end 108 modulates the analog signal to produce an RFID outbound RF signal at a particular carrier frequency that is transmitted via antenna 110 to one or more RFID tags.
The RF front-end 108 further includes transmit blocking capabilities such that the energy of the transmitted RF signal does not substantially interfere with the receiving of a back-scattered or other RF signal received from one or more RFID tags via the antenna 110. Upon receiving an RFID inbound RF signal from one or more RFID tags, the RF front-end 108 converts the received RFID inbound RF signal into a baseband signal. The digitization module 112, which may be a limiting module or an analog-to-digital converter, converts the received baseband signal into a digital signal. The pre-decoding module 114 converts the digital signal into an encoded signal in accordance with the particular RFID protocol being utilized. The encoded data is provided to the decoding module 116, which recaptures data therefrom in accordance with the particular encoding scheme of the selected RFID protocol. The protocol processing module 102 processes the recovered data associated with the RFID tag(s) to determine properties of the RFID inbound RF signal and/or provides the recovered data to the game console device for further processing.
The protocol processing module 102, along with all other processing modules herein, may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices. Such a processing device may be a microprocessor, micro-controller, digital signal processor, microcomputer, central processing unit, field programmable gate array, programmable logic device, state machine, logic circuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard coding of the circuitry and/or operational instructions. The processing module may have an associated memory element, which may be a single memory device, a plurality of memory devices, and/or embedded circuitry of the processing module. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any device that stores digital information. Note that when the protocol processing module 102 implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory element storing the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Further note that, the memory element stores, and the protocol processing module 102 executes, hard coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in
Referring now to
In operation, the power generating circuit 120 generates a supply voltage (VDD) from an RFID outbound RF signal that is received via an antenna 132. The power generating circuit 120 stores the supply voltage VDD in capacitor C1 and provides it to modules 122-130. When the supply voltage VDD is present, the envelope detection module 122 determines an envelope of the RFID outbound RF signal. In one embodiment, the RFID outbound RF signal is an amplitude modulation signal, where the envelope of the RFID outbound RF signal includes transmitted data. The envelope detection module 122 provides an envelope signal to the comparator 124. The comparator 124 compares the envelope signal with a threshold to produce a stream of recovered data.
The oscillation module 126, which may be a ring oscillator, crystal oscillator, or timing circuit, generates one or more clock signals that have a rate corresponding to the rate of the RFID outbound RF signal in accordance with an oscillation feedback signal. For instance, if the RFID outbound RF signal is a 900 MHz signal, the rate of the clock signals will be n*900 MHz, where “n” is equal to or greater than 1.
The oscillation calibration module 128 produces the oscillation feedback signal from a clock signal of the one or more clock signals and the stream of recovered data. In general, the oscillation calibration module 128 compares the rate of the clock signal with the rate of the stream of recovered data. Based on this comparison, the oscillation calibration module 128 generates the oscillation feedback to indicate to the oscillation module 126 to maintain the current rate, speed up the current rate, or slow down the current rate.
The processing module 130 receives the stream of recovered data and a clock signal of the one or more clock signals. The processing module 130 interprets the stream of recovered data to determine a command or commands contained therein. The command may be to store data, update data, reply with stored data, verify command compliance, acknowledgement, etc. If the command(s) requires a response, the processing module 130 provides a signal to the transistor T1 at a rate corresponding to the RFID outbound RF signal. The signal toggles transistor T1 on and off to generate a response RFID inbound RF signal that is transmitted via the antenna 132. In one embodiment, the RFID tag 70 utilizes a back-scattering RF communication.
The method continues at step 206 with the RFID reader transmitting a command (e.g., an RFID outbound RF signal) at time t0, where the command requests a response to be sent at a specific time after receipt of the command. In response to the command, at step 208, an RFID tag provides the response (e.g., an RFID inbound RF signal). The method continues at step 210 with the RFID reader recording the time and the tag ID. The reader then determines at step 212 the distance to the RFID tag based on the stored time, time t0, and the specific time delay.
The method continues at step 214 by determining whether all or a desired number of tags have provided a response. If not, the process loops as shown. If yes, the method continues at step 218 by determining the general position of the player and/or mobile gaming object based on the distances. As an alternative, at step 216, the general position of each of the tags may be determined from their respective distances. Note that at least three, and preferably four, distances need to be accumulated from different sources (e.g., multiple RFID readers, an RFID reader with multiple physically separated transmitters or multiple RFID tags) to triangulate the player and/or mobile gaming object position.
The gaming object transceiver 42 is coupled to transmit and receive RF signals to and from the game console device. For example, in one embodiment, the gaming object transceiver 42 can transmit signal information (i.e., signal properties, distances and/or positions) associated with RFID signals for use in determining the position and/or motion of the mobile gaming object 40. In another embodiment, the gaming object transceiver 42 can transmit and/or receive control information or other information, such as video game control information, to/from the game console device.
The RFID device 60 or 70 may use a different frequency than the gaming object transceiver 42 for RF communications or it may use the same, or nearly the same, frequency. In the latter case, the frequency spectrum may be shared using a TDMA, FDMA, or some other sharing protocol. If the RFID device 60 or 70 and the gaming object transceiver 42 share the frequency spectrum, they may share the antenna structures. Note that the antenna structures may be configurable as discussed in patent application entitled, “INTEGRATED CIRCUIT ANTENNA STRUCTURE”, having a Ser. No. 11/648,826, and a filing date of Dec. 29, 2006, patent application entitled, “MULTIPLE BAND ANTENNA STRUCTURE, having a Ser. No. 11/527,959, and a filing date of Sep. 27, 2006, and/or patent application entitled, “MULTIPLE FREQUENCY ANTENNA ARRAY FOR USE WITH AN RF TRANSMITTER OR TRANSCEIVER”, having a Ser. No. 11/529,058, and a filing date of Sep. 28, 2006, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The processing module 44 is operable to process RF signals that are transmitted and/or received via the RF transceiver 42. In embodiments in which the RFID device is an RFID reader 60, the processing module 44 may further be operable to process the RFID inbound RF signals to produce signal information representative of properties of the received RFID inbound RF signals and to provide this signal information, via the gaming object transceiver 42, to the game console device. In addition, although not shown, the processing module 44 may further couple to an input device (e.g., one or more navigation or selection buttons) and an output device (e.g., a speaker or display) on the mobile gaming device 40.
The game console transceiver 32 is coupled to transmit and receive RF signals to and from the mobile gaming object and/or other RFID readers. For example, in one embodiment, the game console transceiver 32 can receive signal information (i.e., signal properties and/or distances) from other RFID readers for use in determining the position and/or motion of the mobile gaming object. In another embodiment, the game console transceiver 32 can transmit and/or receive control information or other information, such as video game control information, to/from the mobile gaming object.
The RFID device 60 or 70 may use a different frequency than the game console transceiver 32 for RF communications or it may use the same, or nearly the same, frequency. In the latter case, the frequency spectrum may be shared using a TDMA, FDMA, or some other sharing protocol. If the RFID device 60 or 70 and the game console transceiver 32 share the frequency spectrum, they may share the antenna structures. Note that the antenna structures may be configurable as discussed in patent application entitled, “INTEGRATED CIRCUIT ANTENNA STRUCTURE”, having a Ser. No. 11/648,826, and a filing date of Dec. 29, 2006, patent application entitled, “MULTIPLE BAND ANTENNA STRUCTURE, having a Ser. No. 11/527,959, and a filing date of Sep. 27, 2006, and/or patent application entitled, “MULTIPLE FREQUENCY ANTENNA ARRAY FOR USE WITH AN RF TRANSMITTER OR TRANSCEIVER”, having a Ser. No. 11/529,058, and a filing date of Sep. 28, 2006, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The processing module 34 is operable to process RF signals received from the mobile gaming object and/or other RFID readers via the gaming transceiver 32, to determine the position of the mobile gaming object and/or player and to provide data for transmission to the mobile gaming object via the game console transceiver 32. The processing module 34 is further operable to run software providing a plurality of video game functions for playing a video game and to process one or more of the video game functions in accordance with the position of the mobile gaming object and/or player. In embodiments in which the RFID device is an RFID reader 60, the processing module 34 is further operable to process the RFID inbound RF signals to produce signal information representative of properties of the received RFID inbound RF signals and to use this signal information in the determination of the position of the mobile gaming object and/or player.
The MAC controller 380 triggers position and/or tracking data collection, formatting of the data, processing of the data, and/or controlling position and/or tracking data communications and/or control interface communications. The position and/or tracking data may include, for example, the received combined RF signals and/or the signal information representing signal properties of the received combined RF signals. The position and/or tracking RF section 320 includes circuitry to transmit/receive one or more RF signals associated with the position and/or tracking data. The control interface RF section 340 includes circuitry to transmit/receive control information related to gaming functionality and/or the collection and/or processing of the position and/or tracking data.
When operating as a game console device 30, the MAC controller 380 further operates to determine the environment parameters of the gaming environment corresponding to the physical area in which the gaming object moves, and to map the environment parameters to a particular coordinate system. In addition, the MAC controller 380 operates to determine the coordinates of the mobile gaming object's or players' position in the gaming environment based on distance information provided by one or more RFID readers and to facilitate video game play in accordance with the mobile gaming object's or player's coordinates.
While
At interval 1, at least some of the reference points on the corresponding body parts are sampled. Note that each body part may include one or more reference points. Since the arms are anticipated to move the most and/or over the greatest distances, the reference point(s) associated with the arms are sampled once every third interval (e.g., interval 1, 4, 7). For intervals 2 and 3, the motion of the reference points is estimated based on the samples of intervals 1 and 4 (and may be more samples at different intervals), the motion pattern of the arm, human bio-mechanics, and/or a combination thereof. The estimation may be a linear estimation, a most likely estimation, and/or any other mathematical technique for estimating data points between two or more samples. A similar estimation is made for intervals 5 and 6.
The legs have a data rate of sampling once every four intervals (e.g., intervals 1, 5, 9, etc.). The motion data for the intervening intervals is estimated in a similar manner as the motion data of the arms was estimated. The torso has a data rate of sampling once every five samples (e.g., interval 1, 6, 11, etc.). The head has a data rate of sampling once every six samples (e.g., interval 1, 7, 13, etc.). Note that the initial sampling does not need to be done during the same interval for all of the reference points.
The method continues at step 508 by determining coordinates of other non-referenced body parts and/or parts of the mobile gaming object based on the coordinates of the reference points. This may be done by a linear interpolation, by a most likely motion algorithm, by a look up table, and/or any other method for estimated data points from surrounding data points. The method continues at steps 510 and 512 by tracking motion of the reference points and predicting motion of the non-referenced body parts and/or parts of the mobile gaming object based on the motion of the reference points. This may also be done by a linear interpolation, by a most likely motion algorithm, by a look up table, and/or any other method for estimated data points from surrounding data points.
The method continues at step 606 by determining whether the position and orientation of the mobile gaming object is within the gaming display area. If yes, the method continues at step 608 by providing a display icon corresponding to the position and orientation. For example, the icon may be cross hairs of a gun to correspond to the aiming of the video game gun. The method continues at steps 610 and 612 by tracking the motion of the mobile gaming object and mapping the motion to the gaming display area.
The method continues at step 614 by determining whether an action has been received. For example, has the trigger of the gun been pulled? If not, the process repeats as shown. If yes, the process continues at step 616 by processing the action. For example, the processing may include mapping the shooting of the gun in accordance with the aiming of the gun.
As may be used herein, the term(s) “coupled to” and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item includes, but is not limited to, a component, an element, a circuit, and/or a module) where, for indirect coupling, the intervening item does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As may further be used herein, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items in the same manner as “coupled to”. As may even further be used herein, the term “operable to” indicates that an item includes one or more of power connections, input(s), output(s), etc., to perform one or more its corresponding functions and may further include inferred coupling to one or more other items. As may still further be used herein, the term “associated with”, includes direct and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or one item being embedded within another item.
The present invention has also been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.
The present invention has been described above with the aid of functional building blocks illustrating the performance of certain significant functions. The boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be defined as long as the certain significant functions are appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certain significant functionality. To the extent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and still perform the certain significant functionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. One of average skill in the art will also recognize that the functional building blocks, and other illustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be implemented as illustrated or by discrete components, application specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software and the like or any combination thereof.
Claims
1. A system comprises:
- a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader associated with a video gaming environment including: a radio frequency (RF) front end operable to transmit an RFID outbound Radio Frequency (RF) signal and receive an RFID inbound RF signal; and a processing module operable to produce signal information regarding the received RFID inbound RF signal;
- a gaming element associated with the video gaming environment and operable to facilitate a video game function of a video game, the gaming element including: an RFID tag coupled to receive the RFID outbound RF signal and operable to produce the RFID inbound RF signal responsive to the RFID outbound RF signal; and
- a controller coupled to receive the signal information from the RFID reader and operable to: determine a distance between the gaming element and the RFID reader based on the signal information.
2. The system of claim 1 further comprises:
- a plurality of radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, each including: a radio frequency (RF) front end operable to transmit a respective one of a plurality of RFID outbound Radio Frequency (RF) signals and receive a respective one of a plurality of RFID inbound RF signals; and a processing module operable to produce respective signal information regarding the respective received RFID inbound RF signal;
- wherein the RFID tag is further coupled to receive the plurality of RFID outbound RF signals and operable to produce the plurality of RFID inbound RF signals responsive to the plurality of RFID outbound RF signals; and
- wherein the controller is further coupled to receive the signal information from the plurality of RFID readers and is operable to: determine respective distances between the gaming element and the plurality of RFID readers based on the signal information; and determine a position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment based on the distances.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further operable to:
- process the video game function in accordance with the position of the gaming element.
4. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is further operable to map the position to a coordinate system, and wherein the coordinate system is applied to a given physical area defined by the video gaming environment.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the gaming element further comprises a plurality of RFID tags, and wherein the system further comprises:
- two or more radio frequency identification (RFID) readers, each including: a radio frequency (RF) front end operable to transmit a respective RFID outbound Radio Frequency (RF) signal to each of at least some of the plurality of RFID tags and receive respective RFID inbound RF signals from the at least some of the plurality of RFID tags; and a processing module operable to produce respective signal information regarding the respective received RFID inbound RF signals;
- wherein the controller is further coupled to receive the signal information from the two or more RFID readers and is operable to: determine respective distances between the gaming element and the plurality of RFID readers based on the respective signal information; and determine a position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment based on the distances.
6. The system of claim 5, wherein the RFID tags are physically attached to the gaming element at reference points thereof.
7. The system of claim 6, wherein the video game function includes a video game image corresponding to the gaming element, and wherein the controller is further operable to:
- determine object dimensions of the gaming element;
- determine a respective position for each of the reference points on the gaming element using respective signal information associated with respective RFID inbound RF signals produced by respective ones of the plurality of RFID tags;
- map each of the positions to a coordinate system to produce coordinates for each of the reference points; and
- map the coordinates of the reference points to the video game image of the gaming element based on the object dimensions.
8. The system of claim 7, wherein the controller is further operable to:
- determine coordinates of other points on the gaming element based on the coordinates of the reference points using linear interpolation; and
- map the coordinates of the other points to the video game image of the gaming element based on the object dimensions.
9. The system of claim 1 further comprises:
- a game console device that comprises the RFID reader and at least a portion of the controller, the game console device operable to perform the video game function.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming element further comprises:
- a gaming object transceiver coupled to communicate with a game console device operating the video game using transceiver radio frequency (RF) signals; and
- a processing module coupled to the gaming object transceiver and the RFID tag to coordinate communications between the gaming object transceiver and the RFID tag.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the transceiver RF signals are at one or more carrier frequencies that are different from frequencies of the RFID outbound RF signals and the RFID inbound RF signals.
12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing module is operable to coordinate communications between the gaming object transceiver and the RFID tag using a frequency sharing protocol.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the gaming element comprises an apparatus worn or held by a human video game player.
14. The system of claim 1, wherein the RFID tag is operable to produce the RFID inbound RF signal using at least one of:
- a backscatter technique;
- a frequency modulation technique; and
- a continuous wave radar technique.
15. The system of claim 1, further comprises:
- a plurality of gaming elements, each including a respective one of a plurality of RFID tags operable to produce a respective one of a plurality of RFID inbound RF signals responsive to a respective one of a plurality of RFID outbound signals; and
- a mobile gaming object including the RFID reader, the RFID reader operable to transmit the plurality of RFID outbound RF signals, receive the plurality of RFID inbound RF signals and produce respective signal information representative of properties of the respective received RFID inbound RF signals;
- wherein the controller is further coupled to receive the signal information from the RFID reader and is operable to: determine respective distances between the RFID tags and the mobile gaming object based on the signal information; and determine a position of the mobile gaming object within the video gaming environment based on the distances.
16. A game console device including:
- a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader associated with a video gaming environment, the RFID reader including: a radio frequency (RF) front end coupled to transmit at least one of a plurality of RFID outbound Radio Frequency (RF) signals and to receive at least one of a plurality of RFID inbound RF signals produced responsive to the respective RFID outbound RF signals by at least one RFID tag associated with a gaming element within the video gaming environment; and a processing module operable to produce signal information regarding the at least one received RFID inbound RF signal; and
- a controller coupled to receive the signal information and operable to determine a position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment based on the signal information.
17. The game console device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operable to map the position to a coordinate system, and wherein the coordinate system is applied to a given physical area defined by the video gaming environment.
18. The game console device of claim 17, wherein the controller is further operable to:
- determine object dimensions of the gaming element;
- determine a respective position for each of a plurality of reference points on the gaming element using respective signal information associated with respective RFID inbound RF signals produced by respective RFID tags attached to each of the reference points;
- map each of the positions to the coordinate system to produce coordinates for each of the reference points; and
- map the coordinates of the reference points to a corresponding image of the gaming element based on the object dimensions to produce the image thereof.
19. The game console device of claim 18, wherein the controller is further operable to:
- determine coordinates of other points on the gaming element based on the coordinates of the reference points using linear interpolation; and
- map the coordinates of the other points to a corresponding image of the gaming element based on the object dimensions to produce the image thereof.
20. The game console device of claim 16, wherein other ones of the plurality of RFID outbound RF signals and the plurality of RFID inbound RF signals are transmitted and received by other RFID readers coupled to the game console device, and wherein the controller is further operable to:
- receive respective signal information regarding each of the other ones of the plurality of RF inbound signals from the other RFID readers;
- determine respective distances between the at least one RFID tag and the other RFID readers based on the respective signal information; and
- determine the position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment based on the distances.
21. The game console device of claim 16, wherein the RFID reader includes:
- a plurality of transmitters coupled to transmit the plurality of RFID outbound RF signals; and
- a plurality of receivers coupled to receive the plurality of RFID inbound RF signals;
- wherein pairs of the plurality of transmitters and the plurality of receivers are physically separated from each other.
22. The game console device of claim 21, wherein the controller is further operable to:
- determine respective distances between the at least one RFID tag and the plurality of transmitters based on the signal information; and
- determine the position of the gaming element within the video gaming environment based on the distances.
23. The game console device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operable to process a video game function in accordance with the position of the gaming element.
24. The game console device of claim 16, wherein the plurality of RFID inbound RF signals are produced using one of:
- a backscatter technique;
- a frequency modulation technique; and
- a continuous wave radar technique.
25. The game console device of claim 16, wherein the controller is further operable to track the position of the gaming element by determining subsequent positions of the gaming element within the video gaming environment.
Type: Application
Filed: Jun 19, 2008
Publication Date: Dec 25, 2008
Applicant: BROADCOM CORPORATION (Irvine, CA)
Inventors: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran (Newport Coast, CA), Maryam Rofougaran (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA)
Application Number: 12/142,064