Stolen from Gaf
Sony files three patents for Glove Controller for use with PlayStation VR #1
Through September 30, 2014 and October 17, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. filed in the US via the USPTO three patent applications describing a glove controller for use with a head-mounted display (HMD). They were published yesterday, on February 25, 2016. The applications are as following:
Appl. No. / Title
14/517733 | Thumb Controller
14/517741 | Glove Interface Object
14/503275 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO A USER WHILE INTERACTING WITH CONTENT
These applications are quite similar though with different inventors, so I'll be focusing on the one called Glove Interface Object. As always, a patent is not a confirmation or denial of a product or service being developed. To begin with, here's the abstract, interestings parts bolded:
Abstract
A glove interface object is provided, comprising: at least one flex sensor configured to generate flex sensor data identifying a flex of at least one finger portion of the glove interface object; at least one contact sensor configured to generate contact sensor data identifying a contact between a first portion of the glove interface object and a second portion of the glove interface object; a communications module configured to transmit the flex sensor data and the contact sensor data to a computing device for processing to determine a finger position pose of the glove interface object, the finger position pose being applied for rendering a virtual hand in a view of a virtual environment on a head-mounted display (HMD), the virtual hand being rendered based on the identified finger position pose.
Claims (excerpts)
1. A glove interface object, comprising: at least one flex sensor configured to generate flex sensor data identifying a flex of at least one finger portion of the glove interface object; at least one contact sensor configured to generate contact sensor data identifying a contact between a first portion of the glove interface object and a second portion of the glove interface object; a communications module configured to transmit the flex sensor data and the contact sensor data to a computing device for processing to determine a finger position pose of the glove interface object, the finger position pose being applied for rendering a virtual hand in a view of a virtual environment on a head-mounted display (HMD), the virtual hand being rendered based on the identified finger position pose.
5. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: a trackable object that is configured to be illuminated during interactivity, the trackable object configured to be identified from captured image data by the computing device to enable tracking of a location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment; wherein the virtual hand is rendered at a location in the virtual environment that is substantially defined by the location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment.
6. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: at least one inertial sensor for generating inertial sensor data; wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the inertial sensor data to the computing device for processing to identify and track a location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment; wherein the virtual hand is rendered at a location in the virtual environment that is substantially defined by the location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment.
7. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the communications module is configured to receive haptic feedback data from the computing device; the glove interface object further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism that is configured to generate haptic feedback based on the haptic feedback data.
8. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: at least one pressure sensor configured to generate pressure sensor data identifying a pressure applied to at least a portion of the glove interface object; wherein the communications module is configured to send the pressure sensor data to the computing device for processing to determine the finger position pose.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a glove interface object and associated methods and systems.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] The video game industry has seen many changes over the years. As computing power has expanded, developers of video games have likewise created game software that takes advantage of these increases in computing power. To this end, video game developers have been coding games that incorporate sophisticated operations and mathematics to produce a very realistic game experience.
[0006] Example gaming platforms, may be the Sony Playstation.RTM., Sony Playstation2.RTM. (PS2), Sony Playstation3.RTM. (PS3), and Sony Playstation4.RTM. (PS4), each of which is sold in the form of a game console. As is well known, the game console is designed to connect to a monitor (usually a television) and enable user interaction through handheld controllers. The game console is designed with specialized processing hardware, including a CPU, a graphics synthesizer for processing intensive graphics operations, a vector unit for performing geometry transformations, and other glue hardware, firmware, and software. The game console is further designed with an optical disc tray for receiving game compact discs for local play through the game console. Online gaming is also possible, where a user can interactively play against or with other users over the Internet. As game complexity continues to intrigue players, game and hardware manufacturers have continued to innovate to enable additional interactivity and computer programs.
[0007] A growing trend in the computer gaming industry is to develop games that increase the interaction between the user and the gaming system. One way of accomplishing a richer interactive experience is to use wireless game controllers whose movement is tracked by the gaming system in order to track the player's movements and use these movements as inputs for the game. Generally speaking, gesture input refers to having an electronic device such as a computing system, video game console, smart appliance, etc., react to some gesture made by the player and captured by the electronic device.
[0008] Another way of accomplishing a more immersive interactive experience is to use a head-mounted display. A head-mounted display is worn by the user and can be configured to present various graphics, such as a view of a virtual space. The graphics presented on a head-mounted display can cover a large portion or even all of a user's field of view. Hence, a head-mounted display can provide a visually immersive experience to the user.
[0009] Another growing trend in the industry involves the development of cloud-based gaming systems. Such systems may include a remote processing server that executes a game application, and communicates with a local thin client that can be configured to receive input from users and render video on a display.
[0010] It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.
Summary
[0012] In accordance with embodiments of the invention, a glove interface object is provided for enabling a user to interact with an interactive application, such as a video game. The glove interface object can incorporate various types of devices to facilitate various types of functionality. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes flex sensors which are capable of detecting the amount of flexing of the user's fingers. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes pressure sensors, mounted to various locations such as the fingertips and/or the palm, which are capable of detecting when pressure is applied to such areas, and the magnitude of such pressure. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes touch switches, which are configured to detect contact between one portion of the user's hand and another portion of the same hand or the user's other hand. For example, touch switches may detect when a user's thumb touches any of the other fingers on the same hand, and/or when any of those other fingers touches the palm of the user's hand. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes an index-thumb touchpad, that is configured to detect contact between the user's thumb and the side of the index finger, and define variable input based on the location along the side of the index finger that is being contacted by the thumb.
[0013] As used herein, a glove interface object may be utilized as a glove controller for a video game. However, it should be understood that the glove interface object does not necessarily have to be a controller utilized for playing games, but may be used for interfacing with virtual objects on a display screen viewable by a user, and for any other suitable purpose for which input defined from the glove interface object may be applied. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, such as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device or a method on a computer readable medium. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
There is a bounty of embodiments described. These are omitted from this post as the images provide some good examples (with explaining text)
Sony files three patents for Glove Controller for use with PlayStation VR
Sony files three patents for Glove Controller for use with PlayStation VR #1
Through September 30, 2014 and October 17, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. filed in the US via the USPTO three patent applications describing a glove controller for use with a head-mounted display (HMD). They were published yesterday, on February 25, 2016. The applications are as following:
Appl. No. / Title
14/517733 | Thumb Controller
14/517741 | Glove Interface Object
14/503275 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING FEEDBACK TO A USER WHILE INTERACTING WITH CONTENT
These applications are quite similar though with different inventors, so I'll be focusing on the one called Glove Interface Object. As always, a patent is not a confirmation or denial of a product or service being developed. To begin with, here's the abstract, interestings parts bolded:
Abstract
A glove interface object is provided, comprising: at least one flex sensor configured to generate flex sensor data identifying a flex of at least one finger portion of the glove interface object; at least one contact sensor configured to generate contact sensor data identifying a contact between a first portion of the glove interface object and a second portion of the glove interface object; a communications module configured to transmit the flex sensor data and the contact sensor data to a computing device for processing to determine a finger position pose of the glove interface object, the finger position pose being applied for rendering a virtual hand in a view of a virtual environment on a head-mounted display (HMD), the virtual hand being rendered based on the identified finger position pose.
Claims (excerpts)
1. A glove interface object, comprising: at least one flex sensor configured to generate flex sensor data identifying a flex of at least one finger portion of the glove interface object; at least one contact sensor configured to generate contact sensor data identifying a contact between a first portion of the glove interface object and a second portion of the glove interface object; a communications module configured to transmit the flex sensor data and the contact sensor data to a computing device for processing to determine a finger position pose of the glove interface object, the finger position pose being applied for rendering a virtual hand in a view of a virtual environment on a head-mounted display (HMD), the virtual hand being rendered based on the identified finger position pose.
5. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: a trackable object that is configured to be illuminated during interactivity, the trackable object configured to be identified from captured image data by the computing device to enable tracking of a location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment; wherein the virtual hand is rendered at a location in the virtual environment that is substantially defined by the location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment.
6. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: at least one inertial sensor for generating inertial sensor data; wherein the communications module is configured to transmit the inertial sensor data to the computing device for processing to identify and track a location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment; wherein the virtual hand is rendered at a location in the virtual environment that is substantially defined by the location of the glove interface object in the interactive environment.
7. The glove interface object of claim 1, wherein the communications module is configured to receive haptic feedback data from the computing device; the glove interface object further comprising a haptic feedback mechanism that is configured to generate haptic feedback based on the haptic feedback data.
8. The glove interface object of claim 1, further comprising: at least one pressure sensor configured to generate pressure sensor data identifying a pressure applied to at least a portion of the glove interface object; wherein the communications module is configured to send the pressure sensor data to the computing device for processing to determine the finger position pose.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a glove interface object and associated methods and systems.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] The video game industry has seen many changes over the years. As computing power has expanded, developers of video games have likewise created game software that takes advantage of these increases in computing power. To this end, video game developers have been coding games that incorporate sophisticated operations and mathematics to produce a very realistic game experience.
[0006] Example gaming platforms, may be the Sony Playstation.RTM., Sony Playstation2.RTM. (PS2), Sony Playstation3.RTM. (PS3), and Sony Playstation4.RTM. (PS4), each of which is sold in the form of a game console. As is well known, the game console is designed to connect to a monitor (usually a television) and enable user interaction through handheld controllers. The game console is designed with specialized processing hardware, including a CPU, a graphics synthesizer for processing intensive graphics operations, a vector unit for performing geometry transformations, and other glue hardware, firmware, and software. The game console is further designed with an optical disc tray for receiving game compact discs for local play through the game console. Online gaming is also possible, where a user can interactively play against or with other users over the Internet. As game complexity continues to intrigue players, game and hardware manufacturers have continued to innovate to enable additional interactivity and computer programs.
[0007] A growing trend in the computer gaming industry is to develop games that increase the interaction between the user and the gaming system. One way of accomplishing a richer interactive experience is to use wireless game controllers whose movement is tracked by the gaming system in order to track the player's movements and use these movements as inputs for the game. Generally speaking, gesture input refers to having an electronic device such as a computing system, video game console, smart appliance, etc., react to some gesture made by the player and captured by the electronic device.
[0008] Another way of accomplishing a more immersive interactive experience is to use a head-mounted display. A head-mounted display is worn by the user and can be configured to present various graphics, such as a view of a virtual space. The graphics presented on a head-mounted display can cover a large portion or even all of a user's field of view. Hence, a head-mounted display can provide a visually immersive experience to the user.
[0009] Another growing trend in the industry involves the development of cloud-based gaming systems. Such systems may include a remote processing server that executes a game application, and communicates with a local thin client that can be configured to receive input from users and render video on a display.
[0010] It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.
Summary
[0012] In accordance with embodiments of the invention, a glove interface object is provided for enabling a user to interact with an interactive application, such as a video game. The glove interface object can incorporate various types of devices to facilitate various types of functionality. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes flex sensors which are capable of detecting the amount of flexing of the user's fingers. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes pressure sensors, mounted to various locations such as the fingertips and/or the palm, which are capable of detecting when pressure is applied to such areas, and the magnitude of such pressure. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes touch switches, which are configured to detect contact between one portion of the user's hand and another portion of the same hand or the user's other hand. For example, touch switches may detect when a user's thumb touches any of the other fingers on the same hand, and/or when any of those other fingers touches the palm of the user's hand. In some implementations, the glove interface object includes an index-thumb touchpad, that is configured to detect contact between the user's thumb and the side of the index finger, and define variable input based on the location along the side of the index finger that is being contacted by the thumb.
[0013] As used herein, a glove interface object may be utilized as a glove controller for a video game. However, it should be understood that the glove interface object does not necessarily have to be a controller utilized for playing games, but may be used for interfacing with virtual objects on a display screen viewable by a user, and for any other suitable purpose for which input defined from the glove interface object may be applied. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, such as a process, an apparatus, a system, a device or a method on a computer readable medium. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below.
There is a bounty of embodiments described. These are omitted from this post as the images provide some good examples (with explaining text)
Sony files three patents for Glove Controller for use with PlayStation VR
