POSITION AND MOTION TRACKING OF AN OBJECT
A video gaming system a gaming console device and a gaming object. The game console device is coupled to: determine a gaming environment; map the gaming environment to a coordinate system; determine position of at least one of a player and a gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system; track motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object; receive a gaming object response regarding a video game function; and integrate the gaming object response and the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with the video game function. The gaming object is coupled to provide the gaming object response.
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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.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENTSNot Applicable
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).
Depending on the type of RF wireless communication system, a wireless communication device, such as a cellular telephone, two-way radio, personal digital assistant (PDA), personal computer (PC), laptop computer, home entertainment equipment, RFID reader, RFID tag, et cetera communicates directly or indirectly with other wireless communication devices. For direct communications (also known as point-to-point communications), the participating wireless communication devices tune their receivers and transmitters to the same channel or channels (e.g., one of the plurality of radio frequency (RF) carriers of the wireless communication system) and communicate over that channel(s). For indirect wireless communications, each wireless communication device communicates directly with an associated base station (e.g., for cellular services) and/or an associated access point (e.g., for an in-home or in-building wireless network) via an assigned channel. To complete a communication connection between the wireless communication devices, the associated base stations and/or associated access points communicate with each other directly, via a system controller, via the public switch telephone network, via the Internet, and/or via some other wide area network.
For each RF wireless communication device to participate in wireless communications, it includes a built-in radio transceiver (i.e., receiver and transmitter) or is coupled to an associated radio transceiver (e.g., a station for in-home and/or in-building wireless communication networks, RF modem, etc.). As is known, the receiver is coupled to the antenna and includes a low noise amplifier, one or more intermediate frequency stages, a filtering stage, and a data recovery stage. The low noise amplifier receives inbound RF signals via the antenna and amplifies then. The one or more intermediate frequency stages mix the amplified RF signals with one or more local oscillations to convert the amplified RF signal into baseband signals or intermediate frequency (IF) signals. The filtering stage filters the baseband signals or the IF signals to attenuate unwanted out of band signals to produce filtered signals. The data recovery stage recovers raw data from the filtered signals in accordance with the particular wireless communication standard.
As is also known, the transmitter includes a data modulation stage, one or more intermediate frequency stages, and a power amplifier. The data modulation stage converts raw data into baseband signals in accordance with a particular wireless communication standard. The one or more intermediate frequency stages mix the baseband signals with one or more local oscillations to produce RF signals. The power amplifier amplifies the RF signals prior to transmission via an antenna.
In most applications, radio transceivers are implemented in one or more integrated circuits (ICs), which are inter-coupled via traces on a printed circuit board (PCB). The radio transceivers operate within licensed or unlicensed frequency spectrums. For example, wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers communicate data within the unlicensed Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) frequency spectrum of 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, and 5 GHz. While the ISM frequency spectrum is unlicensed there are restrictions on power, modulation techniques, and antenna gain.
In IR communication systems, an IR device includes a transmitter, a light emitting diode, a receiver, and a silicon photo diode. In operation, the transmitter modulates a signal, which drives the LED to emit infrared radiation which is focused by a lens into a narrow beam. The receiver, via the silicon photo diode, receives the narrow beam infrared radiation and converts it into an electric signal.
IR communications are used in 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 detects 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 improved motion tracking and positioning determination for video gaming and other applications.
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.
In operation, the game console device 12 (embodiments of which will be described in greater detail with reference to
The determination of the gaming environment 22 continues with the gaming console device 12 measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects. The game console device 12 then identifies different objects based on the measured signal effects (e.g., inanimate objects have different reflective, absorption, pass through, and/or refractive properties of the one or more signals than animate beings).
The game console device 12 then determines distance of the different objects with respect to itself. From this data, the game console device 12 generates a three-dimensional topographic map of the area in which the video gaming system 10 resides to produce the gaming environment 22. In this example, the gaming environment 22 includes the player 16, the gaming object 14, a couch, a chair, a desk, the four encircling walls, the floor, and the ceiling.
Having determined the gaming environment, the game console device 12 maps the gaming environment 22 to a coordinate system (e.g., a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system [x, y, x], a spherical coordinate system [p, (ρ, φ, θ], etc.). The game console device 12 then determines the position 18 of the player 16 and/or the gaming object 14 within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system.
Once the gaming object's position is determined, the game console device 12 tracks the motion 20 of the player 16 and/or the gaming object 14. For example, the game console device 12 may determine the position 18 of the gaming object 14 and/or the player 16 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 tracks the motion 20 within a motion tracking tolerance (e.g., within a few millimeters) at a motion tracking update rate (e.g., once every 10-100 milliseconds).
During play of a video game, the game console device 12 receives a gaming object response regarding a video game function from the gaming object 14. The gaming object 14 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 gaming object 14 may be a simulated sword, a simulated gun, a helmet, a vest, a hat, shoes, socks, pants, shorts, gloves, etc.
The game console device 12 integrates the gaming object response and the motion 20 of the player and/or the gaming object 14 with the video game function. For example, if the video game function corresponds to a video tennis lesson (e.g., a ball machine feeding balls), the game console device 12 tracks the motion of the player 16 and the associated gaming object 14 (e.g., a simulated tennis racket) and maps the motion 20 with the feeding balls to emulate a real tennis lesson. The motion 20, which includes direction and velocity, enables the game console device 12 to determine how the tennis ball is being struck. Based on how it is being struck, the game console device 12 determines the ball's path and provides a video representation thereof.
In operation, the transceiver 32 generates the one or more signals within one or more frequency bands for sweeping the area to facilitate the determination of the gaming environment. In addition, the transceiver 32 generates signals during video game play to facilitate the determination of the gaming objects' and/or the player's position 18 and generates signals to facilitate the determination of the gaming object's and/or the player's motion 20. For example, the transceiver 32 may utilize a first technique, which provides a first tolerance, (e.g., accuracy within a meter as may be obtained by a 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz localized positioning system as will be discussed with reference to
The transceiver 32 receives responses (e.g., reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, a response to the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects), converts the responses to one or more digital signals, and provides the one or more digital signals to the processing module 30.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 may be an ultrasound transceiver that transmits one or more ultrasound signals within an ultrasound frequency band. The ultrasound transceiver receives at least one inbound ultrasound signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, echo, etc.) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 may be a radio frequency (RF) transceiver that transmits one or more signals within a radio frequency band. The RF transceiver receives at least one inbound RF signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, response, backscatter, etc.) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is a microwave transceiver that transmits the one or more signals within a microwave frequency band. The microwave transceiver receives at least one inbound microwave signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, response, backscatter, etc.) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is an infrared transceiver that transmits the one or more signals within an infrared frequency band. The infrared transceiver receives at least one inbound infrared signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, angle of incidence, response, backscatter, etc.) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is a laser transceiver that transmits the one or more signals within a visible light frequency band. The laser transceiver, which may use fiber optics, receives at least one inbound visible light signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, response, backscatter, etc.) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is a digital camera that utilizes ambient light as the one or more signals within the visible light frequency band. The digital camera receives the at least one inbound visible light signal (e.g., reflection and/or refraction of light off the gaming environment, the player, and the gaming object) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is an ultraviolet transceiver that transmits the one or more signals within an ultraviolet radiation frequency band. The ultraviolet transceiver receives at least one inbound ultraviolet radiation signal (e.g., reflection, absorption, and/or refraction of UV light off the gaming environment, the player, and the gaming object) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is an X-ray transceiver that transmits the one or more signals within an X-ray frequency band. The X-ray transceiver receives at least one inbound X-ray signal (e.g., reflection, absorption, and/or refraction of UV light off the player and/or the gaming object) that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 is a magnetic source that transmits the one or more signals as one or more magnetic signals. The magnetic source receives at least one inbound magnetic field that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects. For instance, the magnetic source may include three coils to generate magnetic gradients in the x, y and z directions of the magnetic source. The coils may be powered by amplifiers that enable rapid and precise adjustments of the coil's field strength and direction.
In an embodiment, the transceiver 32 may include one or more of the ultrasound transceiver, the RF transceiver, the microwave transceiver, the infrared transceiver, the laser transceiver, the digital camera, the ultraviolet transceiver, the X-ray transceiver, and the magnetic source transceiver.
The processing module 30 receives the one or more digital signals from the transceiver 32 and processes them to determine the gaming environment 22, the position 18 of the player 16 and/or the gaming objects 14-15, and the motion 20 of the player 16 and/or the gaming object 14. Such processing includes one or more of determining reflection of the one or more signals, determining the absorption of the one or more signals, determining refraction of the one or more signals, determining the pass through of the one or more signals, determining the angle of incident of the one or more signals, interpreting the backscattering of the one or more signals, interpreting a signal response, and determining the magnetization induced by the one or more signals. The process further includes identifying objects, players, and gaming objects based on the preceding determinations and/or interpretations.
The one or more peripheral sensors 36-40, which may be a ultrasound transceiver, the RF transceiver, the microwave transceiver, the infrared transceiver, the laser transceiver, the digital camera, the ultraviolet transceiver, the X-ray transceiver, the magnetic source transceiver, an access point, a local positioning system transmitter, a local positioning system receiver, etc., transmits one or more signals and receives responses thereto that facilitate the determination of the player's and/or gaming object's position 18 and/or motion 20. The peripheral sensors 36-40 may be enabled at the same time using different frequencies, different time slots, time-space encoding, frequency-spacing encoding or may enabled at different times in a round robin, poling, or token passing manner.
In the example of
The game console device 12 receives a first gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first associated gaming object 14 and a second gaming object response regarding the video game function from the second associated gaming object 15. The game console device 12 integrates the first gaming object response, the second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function.
While the preceding discussion has focused on a video game system, the concepts of position and motion tracking are applicable for a wide variety of applications. For example, the a position and motion tracking apparatus may be used for home security, baby monitoring, store security, shop-lifting detection, concealed weapon detection, etc. Such an apparatus includes a transceiver section and a processing module. The transceiver section transmits one or more signals within one or more frequency bands in a given area. The one or more signals may be in the ultrasound frequency band of 20 KHz to 200 MHz, the radio frequency band of 30 HZ to 3 GHz, the microwave frequency band of 3 GHz to 300 GHz, the infrared (IR) frequency band of 300 GHz to 428 THz, the visible light frequency band of 428 THz to 750 THz (n×1012), the ultraviolet radiation frequency band of 750 THz to 30 PHz (n×1015), and/or the X-Ray frequency band of 30 PHz to 30 EHz (n×1018).
The transceiver section determines a response to the one or more signals (e.g., an inbound ultrasound signal, an inbound RF signal, an inbound microwave signal, an inbound IR signal, an inbound visible light signal, an inbound ultraviolet light signal, an inbound X-ray signal, and/or an inbound magnetic field). The transceiver section converts the response into a digital response signal.
The processing module processes the digital response signal to determine a measure of at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects. The apparatus then identifies different objects based on the measured signal effects (e.g., inanimate objects have different reflective, absorption, pass through, and/or refractive properties of the one or more signals than animate beings).
The processing module then determines distance of the different objects with respect to itself. From this data, the apparatus generates a three-dimensional topographic map of the area to produce a digital representation of the environment. The apparatus then maps the environment to a coordinate system (e.g., a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system [x, y, x], a spherical coordinate system [p, (ρ, φ, θ], etc.) and determines the position of an object or person within the environment in accordance with the coordinate system.
Once the position is determined, the processing module tracks the motion of the object or person. For motion tracking, the transceiver section receives responses that provide millimeter accuracy of the object and or person (e.g., 60 GHz signals, light, etc.) and converts the responses to digital signals. The processing module processes the digital signals with respect to the environment and the object or person to track motion.
As another example, the gaming objects 14-15 may include a game controller that is held by the player and may further include a helmet, a shirt, pants, gloves, and/or socks, which are worn by the player. Each of the gaming objects 14-15 includes one or more sensing tags 44, which facilitate the determining of the position 18 and/or motion 20. An example of a gaming system 10 using RFID tags will be discussed with reference to
The game console device 12 separately tracks the motion 20 of the first player 16, the motion 20 of the first associated gaming object 14, the motion 56 of the second player 50, and the motion 56 of the second associated gaming object 52. While tracking the motion of the players and/or gaming objects, the game console may receive a gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first and/or the second associated gaming object 14, 52.
The game console device 12 integrates the first and/or second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function. While the present example shows two players and associated gaming objects, more than two players and associated gaming objects could be in the gaming environment. In this instance, the game console device 12 separately determines the position and the motion of the players and the associated gaming objects as previously discussed and integrates their play in the video gaming graphics being displayed.
Each LPS transmitter 60-64 includes an accurate clock (e.g., an atomic clock) or is coupled to an accurate clock source (e.g., has a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) to provide an accurate time standard available for synchronization at any point in the physical area. Each LPS transmitter 60-64 transmits a spread spectrum signal containing a BPSK (Bi-Phase Switched keyed) signal in which 1's & 0's are represented by reversal of the phase of the carrier. This message is transmitted at a specific frequency at a “chipping rate” of x bits per second (e.g., 50 bits per millisecond). The message may repeat every 30 milliseconds (or more frequently) and may be referred as a local C/A signal (Coarse Acquisition signal). This message contains information regarding the entire LPS and information regarding the LPS transmitter sending the local C/A signal.
The LPS receiver 66 utilizes the local C/A signals to determine its position within a given coordinate system (See
The LPS receiver 66 then calculates the position of the corresponding plurality of LPS transmitters based on the local C/A signals. For example, the LPS receiver 66 uses the position data of the local C/A signals to calculate the LPS transmitter's position. The LPS receiver then determines its location based on the distance of the corresponding plurality of LPS transmitters and the position of the corresponding plurality of LPS transmitters 60-64. For instance, by knowing the position and the distance of an LPS transmitter, the LPS receiver can determine it's location to be somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere centered on that LPS transmitter and whose radius is the distance to it. When four LPS transmitters 60-64 are measured simultaneously, the intersection of the four imaginary spheres reveals the location of the receiver. Often, these spheres will overlap slightly instead of meeting at one point, so the receiver will yield a mathematically most-probable position (and often indicate the uncertainty).
The LPS receiver 66, via the gaming object 14, transmits its position within the coordinate system to the game console device 12. Alternatively, the LPS receiver 66, via the gaming object 14, may provide the LPS transmitter distances (e.g., d1, d2, and d3) to the game console device 12 such that the game console device 12 can determine the position of the gaming object within the gaming environment. Depending on the frequency of transmitting the C/A signals, the accuracy of the clocks, and carrier frequency of the signals, the accuracy of the gaming object's position may be within a few millimeters to about a meter. If the accuracy is the former, then this arrangement may also be used to track the motion of the player and/or gaming object. If the accuracy is the latter, then this arrangement may be used to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and another scheme would be used to track their motion.
The LPS transmitter 74 includes an accurate clock and transmits a narrow pulse (e.g., pulse width less than 1 nano second) at a desired rate (e.g., once every milli second to once every few seconds). The narrow pulse signal includes a time stamp of when it is transmitted.
The LPS receivers 68-72 receive the narrow pulse signal and determine their respective distances (e.g., d1, d2, and d3) to the LPS transmitter 74. In particular, an LPS receiver 68-72 determines the distance to the LPS transmitter 74 based on the time stamp and the time at which the LPS receiver received the signal. Since the narrow pulse travels at the speed of light, the distance can be readily determined.
The plurality of distances between the LPS receivers 68-72 and the LPS transmitter 74 are then processed (e.g., by the game console device 12 or by a master LOS receiver) to determine the position of the LPS transmitter 74 within the local physical area in accordance with the known positioning of the LPS receivers 68-72. For instance, with the known position of an LPS receiver and its distance to the LPS transmitter 74, the LPS receiver (the game console device or a master LPS receiver) can determine the LPS transmitter's location to be somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere centered on the LPS receiver and whose radius is the distance to it. When the distance to four LPS receivers is known, the intersection of the four imaginary spheres reveals the location of the LPS transmitter 74.
The processing of the LPS receiver to transmitter distances may be performed by a master LPS receiver, by the game console device 12, by a motion tracking processing module, and/or by an LPS computer coupled to the plurality of LPS receivers. The motion tracking processing module 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 and/or 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 processing module implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or 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 processing module executes, hard coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in
Depending on the frequency of transmitting the pulse signals, the accuracy of the clocks, and carrier frequency of the signals, the accuracy of the gaming object's position may be within a few millimeters to about a meter. If the accuracy is the former, then this arrangement may also be used to track the motion of the player and/or gaming object. If the accuracy is the latter, then this arrangement may be used to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and another scheme would be used to track their motion.
With respect to
For example, a point (e.g., ρ1, φ1, θ1) on the player is used to identify its position in the gaming environment and a point (e.g., ρ2, φ2, θ2) on the gaming object 14 is used to identify its position in the gaming environment. As the player and/or gaming object move, its new position is identified within the gaming environment and the relation between the old point and the new point is used to determine three-dimensional motion. While
The method continues at step 86 where the game console device tracks the motion of the player and/or the gaming object. In a system that includes two or more players, the game console device separately determines the players' position and separately tracks their motion. In a system where a player has two or more gaming objects, the game console device separately determines the gaming objects' position and separately tracks their motion. In a system that includes multiple players and at least one player has multiple gaming objects, the game console device separately determines the players' position, separately tracks their motion, separately determines the gaming objects' position and separately tracks the gaming objects' motion. With respect to motion tracking, an object moving at 200 miles per hour (mph) moves 0.1 millimeters per millisecond; thus determining a new position every 10 milliseconds (mS) provides about 1 millimeter accuracy for objects moving at 200 mph. As such, the game console device may determine the new position of the player and/or gaming object every 10 mS and use the old and new positions to determine the motion of the player and/or gaming object.
The method continues at step 88 where the game console device receives a gaming object response regarding a video game function from a gaming object. The method continues at step 90 where the game console device integrates the gaming object response and the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with the video game function. If the system includes multiple players and/or multiple gaming objects, the game console device 12 integrates their motion into the video game graphics being displayed. If the game console device receives multiple gaming object responses, the game console device integrates them into the video game graphics being displayed.
The other branch begins at step 102 where the coordinates of the gaming object's initial position are determined using one or more of a plurality of position determining techniques as described herein. This branch continues at step 104 by updating the gaming object's position to track the gaming object's motion using one or more of a plurality of motion tracking techniques as described herein. Note that the rate of tracking the motion of the player and/or gaming object may be done at a rate based on the video gaming being played and the expected speed of motion. Further note that a tracking rate of 1 millisecond provides 0.1 mm accuracy in motion tracking.
The other branch begins at step 112 by determining a vector with respect to the reference point for the gaming object to establish its initial position, which may be done by using one or more of a plurality of position determining techniques as described herein. This branch continues at step 114 by updating the gaming object's position to track the gaming object's motion using one or more of a plurality of motion tracking techniques as described herein. Note that the rate of tracking the motion of the player and/or gaming object may be done at a rate based on the video gaming being played and the expected speed of motion. Further note that a tracking rate of 1 millisecond provides 0.1 mm accuracy in motion tracking.
The positioning and motion tracking of the player (i.e., one or more points on the player) and/or gaming object (i.e., one or more points on the gaming object) may be done with respect to the origin or with respect to each other. For instance, the gaming object's position and motion may be determined with reference to the origin and the position and motion of the player may be determined with reference to the position and motion of the gaming object. Alternatively, the player's position and motion may be determined with reference to the origin and the position motion of the gaming object may be determined with reference to the player's position and motion.
The positioning and motion tracking of the player (i.e., one or more points on the player) and/or gaming object (i.e., one or more points on the gaming object) may be done with respect to the origin of the spherical coordinate system or with respect to each other. For instance, the gaming object's position and motion may be determined with reference to the origin and the position and motion of the player may be determined with reference to the position and motion of the gaming object. Alternatively, the player's position and motion may be determined with reference to the origin and the position motion of the gaming object may be determined with reference to the player's position and motion.
The method continues at step 122 by mapping the environment parameters to a coordinate system (e.g., one of the systems shown in
The method continues at step 124 by determining the coordinates of the player's, or players', position in the physical area. The method continues at step 126 by determining the coordinates of a gaming object's initial position. Note that the positioning of the gaming object may be used to determine the position of the player(s) if the gaming object is something worn by the player or is in close proximity to the player. Alternatively, the initial position of the player may be used to determine the initial position of the gaming object. Note that one or more of the plurality of positioning techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The method continues at step 128 by updating the coordinates of the player's, or players', position in the physical area to track the player's, or players', motion. The method continues at step 130 by updating the coordinates of a gaming object's position to track its motion. Note that the motion of the gaming object may be used to determine the motion of the player(s) if the gaming object is something worn by the player or is in close proximity to the player. Alternatively, the motion of the player may be used to determine the motion of the gaming object. Note that one or more of the plurality of motion techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
In another embodiment, the method of
The method continues at step 144 by determining a vector of a gaming object's initial position. Note that the positioning of the gaming object may be used to determine the position of the player(s) if the gaming object is something worn by the player or is close proximity to the player. Alternatively, the initial position of the player may be used to determine the initial position of the gaming object. Note that one or more of the plurality of positioning techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The method continues at step 146 by updating the vector of the player's, or players', position in the physical area to track the player's motion. The method continues at step 148 by updating the vector of the gaming object's position to track its motion. Note that the motion of the gaming object may be used to determine the motion of the player(s) if the gaming object is something worn by the player or is close proximity to the player. Alternatively, the motion of the player may be used to determine the motion of the gaming object. Note that one or more of the plurality of motion techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The method continues at step 152 by mapping the environment parameters to a coordinate system (e.g., one of the systems shown in
The method continues at step 154 by determining the coordinates of the gaming object's initial position in the physical area. The method continues at step 156 by determining the coordinates of the player's initial position with respect to the gaming object's initial position. Note that one or more of the plurality of positioning techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The method continues at step 156 by updating the coordinates of the gaming object's position in the physical area to track its motion. The method continues at step 158 by updating the coordinates of the player's position to track the player's motion with respect to the gaming object. Note that one or more of the plurality of motion techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
In another embodiment, the method of
The method continues with the game console device determining the motion of the gaming object, with respect to the origin, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object. The method continues with the game console device determining the motion of the player, with respect to the gaming object, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the player and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the player.
The method continues at step 166 by determining a vector of the player's initial position with respect to the gaming object's initial position. Note that one or more of the plurality of positioning techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The method continues at step 168 by updating the vector of the gaming object's position in the physical area to track its motion. The method continues at step 70 by updating the vector of the player's position with respect to the gaming object's motion to track the player's motion. Note that one or more of the plurality of motion techniques described herein may be used to determine the position of the player and/or of the gaming object.
The access points 180-184 are positioned throughout a given area to provide a seamless WLAN for the given area (e.g., a house, an apartment building, an office building, etc.). The device 186 may be any wireless communication device that includes circuitry to communicate with a WLAN. For example, the device may be a cell phone, a computer, a laptop, a PDA, a cordless phone, etc.
In addition, each access point 180-184 includes an accurate clock (e.g., an atomic clock) or is coupled to an accurate clock source to provide an accurate time standard for synchronization at any point in the physical area. Each AP transmits a spread spectrum signal (s1) containing a BPSK (Bi-Phase Switched keyed) signal in which 1's & 0's are represented by reversal of the phase of the carrier or a signal having some other format (e.g., FM, AM, QAM, QPSK, ASK, FSK, MSK). This message is transmitted at a specific frequency at a “chipping rate” of x bits per second (e.g., 50 bits per second). The signal may repeat every 10-30 millisecond (or longer duration) and it contains information regarding the entire LPS and information regarding the AP transmitting the signal. Alternatively, the signal may be a very narrow pulse (e.g., less than 1 nanosecond), repeated at a desired rate (e.g., 1-100 KHz).
The LPS receiver 66 utilizes the signals to determine its position within a given coordinate system (See
The LPS receiver 66 then determines the position of the corresponding plurality of APs based on the signals. For example, the LPS receiver 66 uses the position data of the signals to determine the APs' position. The LPS receiver 66 then determines its location based on the distance to the APs and the position of the APs. For instance, by knowing the position and the distance of an AP, the LPS receiver 66 can determine it's location to be somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere centered on that AP and whose radius is the distance to it. When four APs are measured simultaneously, the intersection of the four imaginary spheres reveals the location of the receiver. Often, these spheres will overlap slightly instead of meeting at one point, so the receiver will yield a mathematically most-probable position (and often indicate the uncertainty).
Depending on the frequency of transmitting the signal (s1), the accuracy of the APs' clocks, and the carrier frequency of the signal, the accuracy of the gaming object's position may be within a few millimeters to about a meter. If the accuracy is the former, then this arrangement may be used to determine the relative position and to track the motion of the player and/or gaming object. If the accuracy is the latter, then this arrangement may be used to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and another scheme would be used to track their motion.
The LPS transmitter 74 includes an accurate clock and transmits a narrow pulse (e.g., pulse width less than 1 nano second) at a desired rate (e.g., once every milli second to once every few seconds). The narrow pulse signal includes a time stamp of when it is transmitted.
The APs 180-184 receive the narrow pulse signal and determine their respective distances to the LPS transmitter 74. In particular, an AP determines the distance to the LPS transmitter 74 based on the time stamp and the time at which the AP received the signal. Since the narrow pulse travels at the speed of light, the distance can be readily determined.
The plurality of distances between the APs 180-184 and the LPS transmitter 74 are then processed to determine the position of the LPS transmitter 74 within the local physical area in accordance with the known positioning of the APs. For instance, with the known position and the distance of an AP to the LPS transmitter 74, an AP can determine the LPS transmitter's location to be somewhere on the surface of an imaginary sphere centered on that AP and whose radius is the distance to it. When the distance to four APs is known, the intersection of the four imaginary spheres reveals the location of the LPS transmitter.
The processing of the AP to transmitter 74 distances may be performed by a master AP, by the game console device 12, by a motion tracking processing module, and/or by an LPS computer coupled to the plurality of APs 180-184. The motion tracking processing module 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 and/or 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 processing module implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or 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 processing module executes, hard coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in
Depending on the frequency of transmitting the signal (s1), the accuracy of the APs' clocks, and the carrier frequency of the signal, the accuracy of the gaming object's position may be within a few millimeters to about a meter. If the accuracy is the former, then this arrangement may be used to determine the relative position and to track the motion of the player and/or gaming object. If the accuracy is the latter, then this arrangement may be used to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and another scheme would be used to track their motion.
In another embodiment, the LPS modules 198-202 include an LPS receiver 68-72 and the LPS personal module 205 includes an LPS transmitter 74. Note that the WAN coupling device 190 may be a cable modem, a DSL modem, a satellite receiver, a cable receiver, and/or any other device that provides a WAN connection 206 to a WAN network (e.g., the internet, a public phone system, a private network, etc.).
In this manner, a three dimension image of the physical area is obtained. Further analysis of the reflected, pass through, and/or refracted signals yields the distance to the transceiver 32. From the distance for a plurality of beamformed signals, the position of the objects (including the player and the gaming object) may be determined. Note that more than one transceiver may be used to determine the three-dimensional image of the physical area and/or to determine positioning and/or motion tracking within the physical area. A paper entitled, “Public Security Screening for Metallic Objects with Millimeter Wave Images”, Imaging for Crime Detection and Prevention, 2005. ICDP 2005. The IEE International Symposium on Page(s): 1-4, 7-8 Jun. 2005, discusses basic elements of MMW imaging, which is incorporated herein by reference. Beamforming is discussed in a patent application entitled, “BEAMFORMING AND/OR MIMO RF FRONT-END AND APPLICATIONS THEREOF:, having a Ser. No. 11/527,961, and a filing date of Sep. 27, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference.
In addition to determining position of objects, the transceiver 32 using MMW signaling can track the motion of the player and/or gaming object. With WWM signaling, the wavelength of a 60 GHz signal is approximately 5 millimeters. Thus, a ninety degree phase shift of the signal corresponds to a 1.25 millimeter movement. Accordingly, by transmitting the signals at a motion tracking rate (e.g., once every 10-30 mS), the motion of the player and/or gaming object can be tracked with millimeter accuracy.
The processing module 220 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 and/or 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 processing module implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or 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 processing module executes, hard coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in
In operation, the oscillator 228 provides an oscillation at a desired frequency (e.g., within the ISM band, within the licensed and/or unlicensed RF communication bands of 450 MHz up to 29 MHz, 60 MHz, between microwave and IR frequency bands, etc.). The power amplifiers 230-232 amplify the oscillation to produce outbound signals. The beamforming module 226 adjusts phase and/or amplitude of at least one of the outbound signals to produce an in-air beamformed signal 212. The selection of the phase and/or amplitude focuses the energy of the beamformed signal 212 in a particular direction. As such, by adjusting the phase and/or amplitude of one or more outbound signals, a beamformed signal 212 can be directed in any two or three dimensional direction within the physical area. In addition, the desired frequency of the oscillation may be adjusted to provide a frequency spectrum sweep of the physical area.
The one or more image intensity sensors 222 measure the temperature of the objects, which is a function of the reflectivity, emissivity, and transmissivity of the surface of the physical area. Emissivity is the ratio of the radiation intensity of a nonblack body to the radiation intensity of a blackbody. This ratio, which is usually designated by the Greek letter ε, is always less than or just equal to one. The emissivity characterizes the radiation or absorption quality of nonblack bodies. Published values are available for most substances. Emissivities vary with temperature and also vary throughout the spectrum. Transmissivity is the ratio of the transmitted radiation to the radiation arriving perpendicular to the boundary between two mediums.
For a given beamformed signal, the one or more image sensors provide the temperature of the object(s) to the processing module 220. The processing module 220 accumulates temperatures of the object(s) for various beamformed signals 212 and/or for various frequencies and processes the temperatures in accordance with an image intensity processing algorithm to provide a three dimensional image of the physical area and the objects in it. The image intensity processing algorithm may further include a positioning and/or motion tracking sub routine to establish the positioning and/or motion tracking of a player and/or gaming object within the physical area. Note that the gaming object may be made of one or more materials that makes it readily distinguishable from other objects that may be found in the physical area. For example, it may be made of a combination of metals and plastics in a particular shape.
When all of the beamformed signals have been transmitted, the method continues at step 250 by compiling materials and distances to establish an initial model of the physical environment. The method continues at step 252 by identifying the player or players in the physical environment based on the materials. This step may further include identifying a gaming object. The method continues at step 254 by determining the one or more player's position based on the corresponding distances. This step may further include determining the position of a gaming object. Note that this method may be continually performed to track motion of the player and/or gaming object.
The method continues at step 264 by transmitting one of the beamforming signals and at step 266 by receiving one or more image intensity signals in response to the focused beamformed signal. The method then continues at step 268 by determining a distance to the object based on the received one or more image intensity signals. If all of the beamforming signals have not been transmitting as determined at step 270, the method repeats at step 264 by transmitting the next beamforming signal.
When all of the beamformed signals have been transmitted for this interval, the method continues at step 272 by compiling distances to establish the player's and/or gaming objects motion. The method continues at step 274 by determine whether it is time to update the position of the player and/or gaming object. In an embodiment, the motion tracking processing may be repeated every 10-100 mSec and the positioning may be updated once every 1-10 seconds. In general, the positioning may be updated to keep the player and/or gaming object within a desired processing region. For example, with reference to
Returning to the discussion of
Returning to the discussion of
In this manner, as the characteristics of the respective signals changes, the movement of the gaming object 14 may be determined. Note that in another embodiment, the game console device 12 may transmit the signals and the gaming object 14 determines the signal characteristics.
With reference to
To enhance the positioning and/or motion tracking the attenuation curves of
An antenna assembly of the gaming object and/or player receives the signals and, based on the constructive and destructive patterns, the distance may be determined. Obtaining multiple distances from multiple sources and knowing the source locations, the position and/or motion of the object can be determined. Such a process may be augmented by using the attenuation properties of a signal in air and/or by using multiple different frequency signals.
In this system 10, the plurality of digital imaging sensors 290-294 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) captures of an image of the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 within the physical area based on the position of the player and/or gaming object. Note that the digital imaging sensors 290-294 may be continually repositioned to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and/or to track the motion of the gaming object and/or player.
The captured images are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the digital image sensors may be positioned and/or adjusted to focus on the player's and/or gaming object's movement. The images captured by the digital image sensors are then processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or the player. Note that the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 may include sensors (e.g., blue screen patches, etc.) thereon to facilitate the position and/or motion tracking processing.
In this system 10, the plurality of heat sensors 300-304 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) captures a heat image of the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 within the physical area based on the position of the player and/or gaming object. Note that the heat sensors 300-304 may be continually repositioned to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and/or to track the motion of the gaming object and/or player.
The captured heat images are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the heat sensors may be positioned and/or adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. The heat images captured by the heat sensors are then processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or the player. Note that the player and/or gaming object may include sensors thereon to facilitate the position and/or motion tracking processing.
In this system, the plurality of electromagnetic sensors 310-314 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) captures of an electromagnetic image of the player and/or gaming object within the physical area based on the position of the player and/or gaming object. Note that the electromagnetic sensors 310-314 may be continually repositioned to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and/or to track the motion of the gaming object and/or player.
The captured electromagnetic images are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the electromagnetic sensors may be positioned and/or adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. The electromagnetic images captured by the electromagnetic sensors are then processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or the player. Note that the player and/or gaming object may include sensors thereon to facilitate the position and/or motion tracking processing.
In this system, the plurality of laser sensors 320-324 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) captures laser based relative distances of the player and/or gaming object within the physical area based on the position of the player and/or gaming object. Note that the laser sensors 320-324 may be continually repositioned to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and/or to track the motion of the gaming object and/or player.
The relative distances are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object 14 and/or the player 16. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the laser sensors may be positioned and/or adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. Subsequent relative distances are processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or the player. Note that the player and/or gaming object may include sensors thereon to facilitate the position and/or motion tracking processing.
The method continues at steps 336 and 338 by determining the motion of the player and/or gaming object using two or more motion tracking techniques. Note that in many instances the same technique may be used for positioning as for motion tracking, where the motion tracking is done with greater resolution and at a greater rate than the positioning. The method continues at step 340 by combining the two motion tracking values to produce the current motion of the player and/or gaming object. Note that the two or more motion tracking techniques may be weighted based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, accuracy, availability, speed of movement, interference, distance, user preference, etc. Further note that the motion of a player and/or gaming object may be enhanced by including a positioning and/or motion tracking sensor on the player and/or gaming object.
The method continues at step 342 by determining whether the position needs to be updated (e.g., change focus of motion tracking processing). If yes, the method repeats at steps 330 and 332. If not, the method repeats at steps 336 and 338.
The method continues at step 354 by determining the position of the player and/or gaming object using the one or more positioning techniques. The method continues at step 356 by selecting one or more of motion tracking techniques to determine the motion of the player and/or gaming object based on the environment and/or the position of the player and/or gaming object. The method continues at step 358 by determining the motion of the player and/or gaming object using the selected motion tracking technique(s). The method continues at step 360 by determining whether the position of the player and/or gaming object needs to be updated and repeats as shown.
In this system, the RFID reader 370 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) communicates with the RFID tags 372 to determine distances of the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 within the physical area. This may be done by using the RFID system (e.g., the reader and the tags) as an RF radar system. For example, the RFID system may use a backscatter technique to determine distances between the RFID reader and the RFID tags. In another example, the RFID system may use frequency modulation to compare the frequency of two or more signals, which is generally more accurate than timing the signal. By changing the frequency of the returned signal and comparing that with the original, the difference can be easily measured.
As another example, the RFID system may use a continuous wave radar technique. In this instance, a “carrier” radar signal is frequency modulated in a predictable way, typically varying up and down with a sine wave or sawtooth pattern at audio frequencies or other desired frequency. The signal is then sent out from one antenna and received on another and the signal can be continuously compared. Since the signal frequency is changing, by the time the signal returns to the source the broadcast has shifted to some other frequency. The amount of that shift is greater over longer times, so greater frequency differences mean a longer distance. The amount of shift is therefore directly related to the distance traveled, and can be readily determined. This signal processing is similar to that used in speed detecting Doppler radar.
The distances are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the RFID system may be adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. Subsequently determined distances are processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or of the player.
In this system, one or more of the RFID readers 370 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) communicates with one or more of the RFID tags 372 to determine the distances of the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 within the physical area. This may be done by using the RFID system (e.g., the readers and the tags) as an RF radar system. For example, the RFID system may use a backscatter technique to determine distances between the RFID reader and the RFID tags. In another example, the RFID system may use frequency modulation to compare the frequency of two or more signals, which is generally more accurate than timing the signal. By changing the frequency of the returned signal and comparing that with the original, the difference can be easily measured.
As another example, the RFID system may use a continuous wave radar technique. In this instance, a “carrier” radar signal is frequency modulated in a predictable way, typically varying up and down with a sine wave or sawtooth pattern at audio frequencies or other desired frequency. The signal is then sent out from one antenna and received on another and the signal can be continuously compared. Since the signal frequency is changing, by the time the signal returns to the source the broadcast has shifted to some other frequency. The amount of that shift is greater over longer times, so greater frequency differences mean a longer distance. The amount of shift is therefore directly related to the distance traveled, and can be readily determined. This signal processing is similar to that used in speed detecting Doppler radar.
The distances are initially used to determine the position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the RFID system may be adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. Subsequently determined distances are processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or of the player.
In this illustration, the player 16 and the gaming object 14 are within the determined relative position 378. To track the player's and gaming object's motion with the relative position 378, the one or more RFID readers 370 transmits an RFID reader transmission 374, which may be in accordance with an RF radar transmission as discussed above. Alternatively, the RFID reader transmission 374 may be request for at least one of the RFID tags 372 to provide a response regarding information to determine its position or distance with reference to a particular point.
The RFID tags provide an RFID tag response 376, which may be in accordance with the RF radar transmissions discussed above. Alternatively, the RFID tags may provide a response regarding information to determine its position or its distance to a reference point. The communication between the RFID reader(s) and RFID tags 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 an ad hoc manner based on a desired updating rate for a given RFID tag (e.g., a slow moving tag needs to be updated less often than a fast moving tag), etc.
The method continues at step 414 with the RFID reader transmitting a command 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, an RFID tag provides the response and, at step 416, the reader receives it. The method continues at step 418 with the RFID reader recording the time and the tag ID. The method continues at step 420 with the reader determining the distance to the RFID tag based on the stored time, time t0, and the specific time delay.
The method continues at step 422 by determining whether all or a desired number of tags have provided a response. If not, the method loops as shown. If yes, the method continues at step 424 by determining the general position of the player and gaming object based on the distances. As an alternative, the general position of each of the tags may be determined from their respective distances at step 426. Note that at least three, and preferably four, distances need to be accumulated from different sources (e.g., multiple RFID readers or an RFID reader with multiple physically separated transmitters) to triangulate the RFID tag's position.
The RFID tag is coupled to one or more antenna assemblies and the gaming object transceiver is also coupled to one or more antenna assemblies. In this instance, the RFID tag may communicate with an RFID reader using one or more carrier frequencies to facilitate positioning and/or tracking as described above. In addition to, or in the alternative, the RFID tag may provide the communication path for data generated by the RSSI module, the servo motor, the pressure sensor, the accelerometer, the gyrator, the LPS receiver, and/or the LPS transmitter. Details of including a gyrator or pressure sensor on an IC is provided in patent application entitled GAME DEVICES WITH INTEGRATED GYRATORS AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH, having a Ser. No. 11/731,318, and a filing date of Mar. 29, 2007 and patent application entitled RF INTEGRATED CIRCUIT HAVING AN ON-CHIP PRESSURE SENSING CIRCUIT, having a Ser. No. 11/805,585, and a filing date of May 23, 2007. Both patent applications are incorporated herein by reference.
The RFID tag may use a different frequency than the gaming object transceiver 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 tag and the gaming object transceiver 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 method continues at step 366 by transmitting another RF signal at time tn+1. The method continues at step 368 with the 3D antenna structure receiving the RF signal. The method continues at step 370 by determining a 3D vector of the received RF signal. An example of this is shown in
In this system, the plurality of directional microphones 380-382 periodically (e.g., in the range of once every 1 millisecond to once every 10 seconds) captures audible, near audible, and/or ultrasound signals of the player 16 and/or gaming object 14 within the physical area. Note that the directional microphones 380-382 may be continually repositioned to determine the player's and/or gaming object's position and/or to track the motion of the gaming object and/or player.
The captured audible, near audible, and/or ultrasound signals are used to determine the initial position of the gaming object and/or the player. Once the player's and/or gaming object's position is determined, the directional microphones 380-382 may be positioned and/or adjusted to focus on the player and/or gaming object movement. The captured signals are then processed using a two-dimension and/or three-dimension algorithm to determine the motion of the gaming object and/or the player. Note that the player and/or gaming object may include near audible and/or ultrasound signal generators thereon to facilitate the position and/or motion tracking processing.
As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding term and/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to fifty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such relativity between items ranges from a difference of a few percent to magnitude differences. As may also be used herein, the term(s) “coupled to” and/or “coupling” and/or 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. As may be used herein, the term “compares favorably”, indicates that a comparison between two or more items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may be achieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2 or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1.
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 video gaming system comprises:
- a game console device coupled to: determine a gaming environment; map the gaming environment to a coordinate system; determine position of at least one of a player and a gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system; track motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object; receive a gaming object response regarding a video game function; and integrate the gaming object response and the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with the video game function; and
- a gaming object coupled to provide the gaming object response.
2. The video gaming system of claim 1 further comprises:
- a sensing tag proximal to the player, wherein the sensing tag provides information that the game console device utilizes to determine at least one of the position of the player and the motion of the player.
3. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the coordinate system comprises at least one of:
- a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system; and
- a spherical coordinate system.
4. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device further functions to:
- determine first position of a first player and a first associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- determine second position of a second player and a second associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- track motion of the first player;
- track motion of the first associated gaming object;
- track motion of the second player;
- track motion of the second associated gaming object;
- receive a first gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first associated gaming object;
- receive a second gaming object response regarding the video game function from the second associated gaming object; and
- integrate the first gaming object response, the second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function.
5. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device further functions to:
- determine position of a player, a first associated gaming object, and a second associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- track motion of the first player;
- track motion of the first associated gaming object;
- track motion of the second associated gaming object;
- receive a first gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first associated gaming object;
- receive a second gaming object response regarding the video game function from the second associated gaming object; and
- integrate the first gaming object response, the second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function.
6. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device determines the gaming environment by:
- sweeping an area with one or more signals within one or more frequency bands;
- measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identifying different objects based on the measured signal effects; and
- determining distance of the different objects with respect to the game console device.
7. The video gaming system of claim 6, wherein the game console device maps the gaming environment to the coordinate system by:
- establishing an origin for the coordinate system; and
- determining at least one position coordinate for each of the different objects based on the distance of the different objects with respect to the gaming console device and the origin.
8. The video gaming system of claim 6, wherein the game console device comprises at least one of:
- an ultrasound transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultrasound frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultrasound signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a radio frequency band; receive at least one inbound RF signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a microwave transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a microwave frequency band; receive at least one inbound microwave signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an infrared transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an infrared frequency band; receive at least one inbound infrared signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a laser transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a visible light frequency band; receive at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a digital camera coupled to: receive the at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an ultraviolet transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultraviolet radiation frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultraviolet radiation signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an X-ray transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an X-ray frequency band; receive at least one inbound X-ray signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects; and
- a magnetic source coupled to: transmit the one or more signals as one or more magnetic signals; receive at least one inbound magnetic field that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
9. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device determines position of the at least one of the player and the gaming object by:
- providing one or more signals within one or more frequency bands;
- measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, a response to the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identifying the at least one of the player and the gaming object based on the measured signal effects;
- determining distance of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with respect to the game console device; and
- determining at least one position coordinate for the at least one of the player and the gaming object based on the distance of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with respect to the gaming console device and an origin of the coordinate system.
10. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device tracks the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object by:
- determining at least one position coordinate for the at least one of the player and the gaming object;
- determining, at a subsequent time, at least one next position coordinate for the at least one of the player and the gaming object; and
- determining the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object based on the at least one position coordinate and the at least one next position coordinate.
11. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device tracks the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object by:
- determining at least one positioning coordinate for the player with respect to an origin of the coordinate system;
- determining at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object with respect to the at least one positioning coordinate for the player;
- determining at least one next positioning coordinate for the player with respect to the origin;
- determining at least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object with respect to the at least one next positioning coordinate for the player;
- determining the motion of the player, with respect to the origin, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the player and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the player; and
- determining the motion of the gaming object, with respect to the player, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object.
12. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device tracks the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object by:
- determining at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object with respect to an origin of the coordinate system;
- determining at least one positioning coordinate for the player with respect to the at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object;
- determining at least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object with respect to the origin;
- determining at least one next positioning coordinate for the player with respect to the at least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object;
- determining the motion of the gaming object, with respect to the origin, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the gaming object and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the gaming object; and
- determining the motion of the player, with respect to the gaming object, based on the at least one positioning coordinate for the player and the at the least one next positioning coordinate for the player.
13. The video gaming system of claim 1, wherein the game console device further functions to:
- update the position of the at least one of a player and a gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with a positioning coordinate grid and a positioning update interval; and
- update the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object in accordance with a motion tracking coordinate grid and a motion tracking update interval.
14. An apparatus comprises:
- a transceiver section coupled to: transmit one or more signals within one or more frequency bands; determining a response to the one or more signals; and converting the response into a digital response signal;
- a processing module coupled to: determine environment of an area based on the digital response signal; map the environment to a coordinate system; determine position of at least one object within the environment in accordance with the coordinate system; and track motion of the at least one object.
15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to:
- measure at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identify different objects based on the measured signal effects, wherein the different objects includes the at least one object; and
- determining distance of the different objects with respect to the game console device to establish the environment.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processing module maps the environment to the coordinate system by:
- establishing an origin for the coordinate system; and
- determining at least one position coordinate for each of the different objects based on the distance of the different objects with respect to the gaming console device and the origin.
17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the transceiver section comprises at least one of:
- an ultrasound transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultrasound frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultrasound signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a radio frequency band; receive at least one inbound RF signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a microwave transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a microwave frequency band; receive at least one inbound microwave signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an infrared transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an infrared frequency band; receive at least one inbound infrared signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a laser transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a visible light frequency band; receive at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a digital camera coupled to: receive the at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an ultraviolet transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultraviolet radiation frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultraviolet radiation signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an X-ray transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an X-ray frequency band; receive at least one inbound X-ray signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects; and
- a magnetic source coupled to: transmit the one or more signals as one or more magnetic signals; receive at least one inbound magnetic field that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to determine the position of the at least one object by:
- providing one or more signals within one or more frequency bands;
- measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, a response to the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identifying the object based on the measured signal effects;
- determining distance of the at least one object with respect to the apparatus; and
- determining at least one position coordinate for the at least one object based on the distance of the at least one object with respect to the apparatus and an origin of the coordinate system.
19. The apparatus of claim 14 further functions to track the motion of the at least one gaming object by:
- determining at least one position coordinate for the at least one object;
- determining, at a subsequent time, at least one next position coordinate for the at least object; and
- determining the motion of the at least one object based on the at least one position coordinate and the at least one next position coordinate.
20. A game console device comprises:
- a transceiver section; and
- a processing module coupled to the transceiver section, wherein at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section function to: determine a gaming environment; map the gaming environment to a coordinate system; determine position of at least one of a player and a gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system; track motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object; receive a gaming object response regarding a video game function; and integrate the gaming object response and the motion of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with the video game function.
21. The game console device of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to:
- determine first position of a first player and a first associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- determine second position of a second player and a second associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- track motion of the first player;
- track motion of the first associated gaming object;
- track motion of the second player;
- track motion of the second associated gaming object;
- receive a first gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first associated gaming object;
- receive a second gaming object response regarding the video game function from the second associated gaming object; and
- integrate the first gaming object response, the second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function.
22. The game console device of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to:
- determine position of a player, a first associated gaming object, and a second associated gaming object within the gaming environment in accordance with the coordinate system;
- track motion of the first player;
- track motion of the first associated gaming object;
- track motion of the second associated gaming object;
- receive a first gaming object response regarding the video game function from the first associated gaming object;
- receive a second gaming object response regarding the video game function from the second associated gaming object; and
- integrate the first gaming object response, the second gaming object response, the motion of the first player, the motion of the second player, the motion of the first associated gaming object, and the motion of the second associated gaming object with the video game function.
23. The game console device of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to determine the gaming environment by:
- sweeping an area with one or more signals within one or more frequency bands;
- measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identifying different objects based on the measured signal effects; and
- determining distance of the different objects with respect to the game console device.
24. The game console device of claim 23, wherein the transceiver section comprises at least one of:
- an ultrasound transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultrasound frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultrasound signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a radio frequency (RF) transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a radio frequency band; receive at least one inbound RF signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a microwave transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a microwave frequency band; receive at least one inbound microwave signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an infrared transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an infrared frequency band; receive at least one inbound infrared signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a laser transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within a visible light frequency band; receive at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- a digital camera coupled to: receive the at least one inbound visible light signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an ultraviolet transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an ultraviolet radiation frequency band; receive at least one inbound ultraviolet radiation signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- an X-ray transceiver coupled to: transmit the one or more signals within an X-ray frequency band; receive at least one inbound X-ray signal that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects; and
- a magnetic source coupled to: transmit the one or more signals as one or more magnetic signals; receive at least one inbound magnetic field that facilitates the measuring of the at least one of: the reflection of the one or more signals, the absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, the pass through of the one or more signals, the angle of incident of the one or more signals, the backscattering of the one or more signals, and the magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects.
25. The game console device of claim 20, wherein the at least one of the processing module and the transceiver section further function to determine the position of the at least one of the player and the gaming object by:
- providing one or more signals within one or more frequency bands;
- measuring at least one of: reflection of the one or more signals, absorption of the one or more signals, refraction of the one or more signals, pass through of the one or more signals, angle of incident of the one or more signals, backscattering of the one or more signals, a response to the one or more signals, and magnetization induced by the one or more signals to produce measured signal effects;
- identifying the at least one of the player and the gaming object based on the measured signal effects;
- determining distance of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with respect to the game console device; and
- determining at least one position coordinate for the at least one of the player and the gaming object based on the distance of the at least one of the player and the gaming object with respect to the gaming console device and an origin of the coordinate system.
Type: Application
Filed: May 22, 2008
Publication Date: Jan 15, 2009
Applicant: Broadcom Corporation (Irvine, CA)
Inventors: Ahmadreza (Reza) Rofougaran (Newport Coast, CA), Maryam Rofougaran (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA), Nambirajan Seshadri (Irvine, CA)
Application Number: 12/125,154
International Classification: A63F 9/24 (20060101);
