Abstract:
A method for interfacing with a video game is provided, including: rendering display data on a main display, the display data defining a scene rendered by the video game, the display data being configured to include a visual cue; capturing the display data by an image capture device incorporated into a portable device; analyzing the captured display data to identify the visual cue; in response to identification of the visual cue, determining additional information that is in addition to the scene of the video game that is displayed on the main display, the additional information defining graphics or text to be added to the scene of the video game; presenting the additional information on a personal display incorporated into the portable device, the presentation of the additional information being synchronized to the rendering of the display data on the main display.

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation of and claims priority from U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/922,514 filed on Aug. 19, 2004 and entitled “PORTABLE AUGMENTED REALITY DEVICE AND METHOD”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to augmented reality applications and more particularly to combining image recognition features with augmented reality applications in order to enrich the augmented reality applications. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    Augmented reality (AR) attempts to enrich a user&#39;s real environment by adding spatially aligned virtual objects (3D models, 2D textures, textual annotations, etc.) to the user&#39;s environment. The goal is to create the impression that the virtual object is a part of the real environment. The users of the AR system experience the augmented environment through special display devices that are typically worn on the body, e.g., head mounts. 
         [0006]    Current augmented reality systems suffer from issues with general registration problems, i.e., getting the computer graphics to stick to a real-world scene. For example, due to the use of multiple sensors, artifacts, such as miss-movement of the computer graphics with the real-world scene may occur. These artifacts are due to the multiple sensors having different speeds. Additionally, delays between the head tracking system and the camera used to capture the real-world scene along with the need to merge the computer graphics into the real-world scene, cause misalignment/registration problems. These registration problems may even become serious enough to cause a user to become uncomfortable when viewing the image. Additionally, the augmented reality systems tend to be complex systems that are not portable. Accordingly, there are no viable consumer applications for these augmented reality systems. 
         [0007]    As a result, there is a need to solve the problems of the prior art to provide a method and apparatus for providing a portable device capable of providing an augmented reality experience. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Broadly speaking, the present invention fills these needs by providing a method and device for providing an enhanced shopping experience using a portable device. It should be appreciated that the present invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, a system, computer readable media or a device. Several inventive embodiments of the present invention are described below. 
         [0009]    In one embodiment, a portable device configured to provide enhanced shopping information is included. The portable device has a display screen and an image capture device and the portable device is configured to access databases through a wireless network. The portable device includes image recognition logic that is configured to perform analysis of an image of an object that includes a bar code associated with a product. The analysis determines if the graphics found on the object corresponds to a bar code and a portion of the image with the bar code is communicated through the wireless network to databases to identify the product. The portable device further includes image generation logic that is configured to obtain product information for the identified product from the databases and present the product information on the display screen of the portable device. 
         [0010]    In another embodiment, a method for obtaining product information through a portable device is provided. An image of an object including a bar code associated with a product is captured using an image capture device. The captured image is analyzed to determine if graphics found on the object correspond to a bar code. A portion of the image with the bar code is transmitted to databases through a wireless network and the product associated with the bar code is identified. Product information from the databases is obtained and presented through image generation logic incorporated into the portable device. The presented product information defines multimedia data in a graphical user interface that includes one of an image or text information about the product. 
         [0011]    Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]    The present invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and like reference numerals designate like structural elements. 
           [0013]      FIG. 1  is a simplified schematic diagram of a device having image capture capability, which may be used in an augmented reality application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0014]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are side views of the portable device illustrated in  FIGS. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a simplified schematic diagram of an image capture device being utilized in an augmented reality application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating yet another application of the incorporation of computer graphics into a real world scene in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a simplified schematic diagram showing the plurality of users viewing a display monitor with a handheld device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0018]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show yet another application of the use of a portable device capable of recognizing graphical data in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the use of a portable device and a card game application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating the method operations for augmenting display data presented to a viewer in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating the method operations for providing information in a portable environment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
           [0022]      FIG. 10  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the modules within the portable device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0023]    An invention is described for a system, device and method that provide an enhanced augmented reality environment. It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process operations have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention. 
         [0024]    The embodiments of the present invention provide a system and method for enabling a low cost consumer application related to augmented reality for entertainment and informational purposes. In one embodiment, a portable device with a display, a camera and software configured to execute the functionality described below is provided. One exemplary illustration of the portable device is the PLAYSTATION PORTABLE (PSP) entertainment product combined with a universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 camera attachment and application software delivered on a universal media disk (UMD) or some other suitable optical disc media. However, the invention could also apply to cell phones with cameras or PDAs with cameras. In another embodiment, the portable device can be further augmented through use of wireless networking which is a standard option on the PSP. One skilled in the art will appreciate that Augmented Reality (AR) is a general term for when computer graphics are mixed with real video in such a way as the computer graphics adds extra information to the real scene. 
         [0025]    In one aspect of the invention a user points the portable device having a display and a camera at a real world scene. The camera shows the scene on the portable device such that it seems that the user is seeing the world through the device. Software stored on the device or accessed through wireless network displays the real world image, and uses image processing techniques to recognize certain objects in the camera&#39;s field of vision. Based on this recognition, the portable device constructs appropriate computer graphics and overlays these graphics on the display device on top of the real world image. 
         [0026]    As the device is a portable hand held device with limited computing resources, certain objects may be used so that the image recognition software can recognize the object with relative ease, i.e., in manner suitable for the limited processing capabilities of the portable device. Some exemplary objects are listed below. It should be appreciated that this list is not exhaustive and other objects that are recognizable may be used with the embodiments described herein. 
         [0027]    Collectable or regular playing cards are one suitable object. In one embodiment, the playing cards have a fixed colored design in high contrast. The design graphics are easy for the device to recognize through the image recognition software. In addition, the graphics may be chosen so that the device can easily determine the orientation of the card. The portable device can then take the real image, remove the special recognized graphic and replace it with a computer-generated image and then show the resulting combination of real and computer graphics to the user on the display. As the card or the camera moves, the computer graphics move in the same way. In one embodiment, an animating character could be superimposed on the card. Alternatively, a book could be used. Similar to the cards, a clear design is used and then the portable device overlays registered computer graphics before displaying the scene to the user. 
         [0028]    In another embodiment, the clear graphic images can be displayed on a television (TV) either from a computer game, the Internet or broadcast TV. Depending upon the software application on the device, the user would see different superimposed computer graphics on the portable display as described further below. 
         [0029]    In yet another embodiment, a user with the device can get additional product information by analyzing the standard bar code with the camera attachment. The additional product information may include price, size, color, quantity in stock, or any other suitable physical or merchandise attribute. Alternatively, by using a special graphic design recognized by the portable device, graphics can be superimposed on the retail packaging as seen by the portable device. In addition, through a wireless network of the store in which the merchandise is located, catalogue information may be obtained about the merchandise. In one embodiment, the image data captured by the portable device is used to search for a match of the product through a library of data accessed through the wireless network. It should be appreciated that the embodiments described herein enable a user to obtain the information from a bar code without the use of special purpose laser scanning equipment. The user would also own the device and could take it from store to store. This would enable the user to do comparison-shopping more easily. Also, the device would be capable of much richer graphics than bar code scanners available in-store. In one embodiment, retailers or manufacturers could provide optical disc media with catalogues of product information. The user would put the disc in the device and then point the camera at a bar code and they would see detailed product information. 
         [0030]    With respect to music and video, the bar code would enable the portable device to access a sample of the music and play so the user can effectively listen to a part of the CD simply by capturing an image of the bar code. Similarly, for DVD and VHS videos, a trailer can be stored in the product catalogue on the removable media of the device. This trailer can be played back to the user after they capture the bar code and the portable device processes the captured image and matches it to the corresponding trailer associated with the bar code. Likewise, a demo of a video game could be played for video game products. It should be appreciated that there are other possible uses including product reviews, cross promotions, etc. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the portable device is not scanning the bar code as conventional scanners. The portable device performs image processing on a captured image of the bar code and matches it with a corresponding image to access the relevant data. Furthermore, with an in-store wireless networked and a portable device like the PSP (which is wireless network enabled), there is no need for a special removable disc media catalogue. Here, the catalogue can be provided directly by the in-store wireless network. 
         [0031]    In another embodiment, the portable device may be used as a secondary personal display in conjunction with a main display that is shared by several users. For example, several people may play a video game on a single TV and use the portable devices for additional information that is unique for each player. Likewise, for broadcast TV (e.g. game show) where several people in the home watch a single broadcast, but see different personal information on their portable device depending upon their preferences. The portable device may be used to obtain additional information from the main display. For example, with respect to a sports game, additional player information or statistics may be displayed for a selected player. It may be necessary to synchronize the graphics on the main display with those on the portable display. One approach is to use a wireless network or broadcast and to send information to each display using this network. An alternative method is to use visual cues from the main display to drive the synchronization with the portable display. As such no additional expensive network connections are required. 
         [0032]      FIG. 1  is a simplified schematic diagram of a device having image capture capability, which may be used in an augmented reality application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Portable device  100  includes navigation buttons  104  and display screen  102 . Device  100  is capable of accepting memory card  106  and image capture device  108 . Image capture device  108  may include a charge couple device (CCD) in order to capture an image of a real-world scene. Alternatively, the camera functionality may be provided by a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor chip that uses an active pixel architecture to perform camera functions on-chip. In one embodiment, device  100  is a PSP device having image capture capability. 
         [0033]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  are side views of the portable device illustrated in  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 2A  shows device  100  with memory card slot  110  and display panel  102 . Image capture device  108  is located on a top surface of device  100 . It should be appreciated that image capture device  108  may be a pluggable device or may be hard-wired into device  100 .  FIG. 2B  illustrates an alternative embodiment of device  100  of  FIG. 1 . Here, image capture device  108  is located on a backside of device  100 . Therefore, a user viewing the display screen  102  may have the same viewing angle as image capture device  108 . As illustrated, device  100  of  FIG. 2B  also includes memory card slot  110 . It should be appreciated that the memory card may be interchanged between users in order to swap information with other users. 
         [0034]      FIG. 3  is a simplified schematic diagram of an image capture device being utilized in an augmented reality application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Here, device  100  is being held by a user with a real-world scene  103  being augmented with computer graphics on display screen  102 . Real-world scene  103  includes a street bordering buildings having mountain scenery in the background. The computer graphics incorporated into real-world scene  103  is car  105 . In one embodiment, logic within the portable device recognizes the road or a marker on the road, e.g., the dividing line of the road, and incorporates the car into the scene. It should be appreciated that while a PLAYSTATION PORTABLE device is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  the embodiments described herein may be incorporated into any handheld device having camera capability. Other suitable devices include a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a web tablet, and a pocket PC. 
         [0035]      FIG. 4  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating yet another application of the incorporation of computer graphics into a real world scene in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Here, a user is holding portable device  100 , which includes display  102 . It should be noted that display  102  is expanded relative to device  100  for ease of explanation. An image capture device, which is incorporated into device  100 , captures a scene being displayed on display device  112 , which may be a television. Here, display device  112  illustrates a tree  114  being shown. Device  100  captures the image being displayed on device  112  and displays tree  114  on display screen  102 . In addition to tree  114  being shown on display screen  102 , device  100  incorporates additional objects into the scene. For example, sun  116  is incorporated into the scene being displayed on display screen  102 . As described above, a marker, such as marker  115  of the first display device, may cause the incorporation of additional objects such as sun  116  into the second display device. It should be appreciated that device  100  includes a logic capable of recognizing objects such as tree  114  or marker  115  and thereafter responding to the recognition of such objects or markers by adding appropriate computer graphics such as sun  116  into the scene being displayed on device  100 . Furthermore, the image capture device incorporated into portable device  100  may be a video capture device that continuously captures the changing frames on display device  112  and incorporates additional objects accordingly. As mentioned above, visual cues from the main display may be used to drive the synchronization with the portable display. 
         [0036]      FIG. 5  is a simplified schematic diagram showing the plurality of users viewing a display monitor with a handheld device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Here, display device  120  is a single display device but is illustrated three different times for ease of explanation. Users  101   a  through  101   c  have corresponding handheld portable devices  100   a  through  100   c,  respectively. It should be appreciated that a game show, computer game, sporting event or some other suitable display may be being presented on display screen  120 . Display devices  100   a,    100   b,  and  100   c  capture the image being displayed on display screen  120  and augment image data or graphics into the captured image in order to provide additional information to users  101   a  through  101   c.  In one embodiment, a game show being displayed on display device  120  is being viewed by each of users  101   a  through  101   c,  so that users  101   a  through  101   c  may compete with each other. In another embodiment, the display on display screen  120 , which is captured by devices  100   a  through  100   c,  includes data which may be analyzed by logic within device  100   a  through  100   c  so that each of the users see somewhat different displays on the corresponding display screens. For example, with reference to a game of charades, one of the users  101   a  through  101   c  may have access to what the answer is while the other users do not have this access. In this embodiment, the television broadcast system may be used to incorporate extra data into the display data being shown by display  120  in order to provide extra functionality for users  101   a  through  101   c.  In essence, devices  100   a  through  100   c  enable extra data in the image being displayed on display  120  to be turned on. The extra data may be triggered by graphics within display  120  which are recognized by image recognition logic of the portable device. 
         [0037]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  show yet another application of the use of a portable device capable of recognizing graphical data in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Here, a user has a portable device  100   a  with display screen  102   a.  As mentioned above, display screen  102   a  is enlarged for ease of explanation. Device  100   a  is capable of being networked to in-store network  131   a.  Device  100   a  captures an image of a barcode  132   a  associated with product  130   a.  By recognizing barcode  132   a  and communicating with in-store network  131   a  wirelessly, device  100   a  is enabled to download information concerning the characteristics of item  130   a.  It should be appreciated that in place of barcode  132   a  device  100   a  may recognize a storage box containing item  130   a  or item  130   a  itself. Then, by communicating with in-store network  131   a,  a comparison of the captured image data with a library from in-store network  131   a  device  100   a  is able to locate the characteristics such as price, size, color, etc., of item  130   a.  The user then may move to store Y and use device  100   a  to download characteristics associated with item  130   b.  Here again, a barcode  132   b  or image data of item  130   d  or its storage container may be used to access the item characteristics, which can be any catalogue characteristics from in-store network  133   a.  From this data, the user is then able to compare the characteristics of item  130   a  in store X and  130   b  in store Y. Thus, where item  130   a  and  130   b  are the same items, the user is able to perform comparison-shopping in the different locations. 
         [0038]      FIG. 7  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the use of a portable device and a card game application in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Here, the user is pointing device  100  toward cards  140   b  and  140   b.  The cards  140  and  140   b  may have symbols or some kind of graphical data, which is recognized by logic within device  100 . For example, cards  140   a  has image  142   a  and numbers  142   b,  which may be recognized by image device  100 . Card  140   b  includes barcode  142   c  and marker  142   d  which also may be recognized by device  100 . In one application, these markings may indicate the value of the cards in order to determine which card is the highest. Once each of the images/markings of cards  140   a  and  140   b  are processed by the logic within device  100 , a simulated fight may take place on display screen  102  where the winner of the fight will be associated with the higher of cards  140   a  and  140   b.  With respect to collectable cards, by using portable device  100  and a special recognizable design on the card (possibly the back of the card), a new computer generated graphic can be superimposed on the card and displayed on the portable display. For example, for sports cards, the sports person or team on the card can be superimposed in a real 3D view and animated throwing the ball, etc. For role-playing games, it is possible to combine the cards and a video game on the portable device so that collecting physical cards becomes an important part of the game. In this case, a character of the game may be personalized by the player and this information could be swapped with other players via wireless network or via removable media (e.g. Memory Stick). 
         [0039]    A similar technique could be used to augment business cards. In addition to the normal printed material on a business (or personal) card, a special identifying graphic could be included. This graphic can be associated with the individual and will reference information about that person potentially including photos, video, audio as well as the normal contact info. The personal information could be exchanged via removable media. In another embodiment a unique graphic is indexed an on-line database via a wireless network to get the information about that person. Having accessed the information, a superimposed graphic, e.g., the person&#39;s photo, can be created in place of the graphic on the portable display. 
         [0040]      FIG. 8  is a flow chart illustrating the method operations for augmenting display data presented to a viewer in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The method initiates with operation  150  where the display data on a first display device is presented. Here, the display is shown on a television, computer monitor or some other suitable display device. Then in operation  152 , the display data on the display device is captured with an image capture device. For example, the portable device having image capture capability discussed above is one exemplary device having image capture capability, which includes video capture capability. The captured display data is then analyzed in operation  154 . This analysis is performed by logic within the portable device. The logic includes software or hardware or some combination of the two. In operation  156  a marker within the captured display data is identified. The marker may be a any suitable marker, such as the markers illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 7 . In operation  158  additional display data is defined in response to identifying the marker. The additional display data is generated by image generation logic of the portable device. Alternatively, the additional data may be downloaded from a wireless network. The captured display data and the additional display data are then presented on a display screen of the image capture device in operation  160 . 
         [0041]      FIG. 9  is a flow chart illustrating the method operations for providing information in a portable environment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The method initiates with operation  170  where an image of a first object is captured in a first location. For example, an image of an item in a first store may be captured here. In operation  172  the object characteristics of the first object are accessed based upon the image of the first object. For example, a wireless network may be accessed within the store in order to obtain the object characteristics of the first object. Then, in operation  174  the user may move to a second location. In operation  176  an image of a second object in the second location is captured. The object characteristics of the second object are accessed based upon the image of the second object in operation  178 . It should be appreciated that in operations  172  and  178  the image data is used to access the object characteristics and not laser scan data. In operation  180  the object characteristics of the first object and the object characteristics of the second object are presented to a user. Thus, the user may perform comparison shopping with the use of a portable device based upon the recognition of video image data and the access of in-store networks. 
         [0042]      FIG. 10  is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating the modules within the portable device in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Portable device  100  includes central processing unit (CPU)  200 , augmented reality logic block  202 , memory  210  and charged couple device (CCD) logic  212 . As mentioned above, a complimentary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor may perform the camera functions on-chip in place of CCD logic  212 . One skilled in the art will appreciate that a CMOS image sensor draws less power than a CCD. Each module is in communication with each other through bus  208 . Augmented reality logic block  202  includes image recognition logic  204  and image generation logic  206 . It should be appreciated that augmented reality logic block  202  may be a semiconductor chip incorporating the logic to execute the functionality described herein. Alternatively, the to functionality described with respect to augmented reality logic block  202 , image recognition logic  204  and image generation logic  206  may be performed in software. Here the code may be stored within memory  210 . 
         [0043]    In summary, the above-described invention describes a portable device capable of providing an enriched augmented reality experience. It should be appreciated that while the markers and graphics that are recognized by the system are computer generated, the invention is not limited to computer-generated markers. For example, a set of pre-authored symbols and a set of user definable symbols can be created which can be recognized even when drawn by hand in a manner recognizable to the camera of the image capture device. In this way, players could create complex 3D computer graphics via drawing simple symbols. In one embodiment, a player might draw a smiley face character and this might be recognized by the device and shown on the display as a popular cartoon or game character smiling With user definable designs, users can also establish secret communications using these symbols. 
         [0044]    With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that the invention may employ various computer-implemented operations involving data stored in computer systems. These operations include operations requiring physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as producing, identifying, determining, or comparing. 
         [0045]    The above-described invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations including hand-held devices, microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributing computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. 
         [0046]    The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data, which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include hard drives, network attached storage (NAS), read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, CD-Rs, CD-RWs, magnetic tapes, and other optical and non-optical data storage devices. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over a network coupled computer system so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. 
         [0047]    Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail for purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims. In the claims, elements and/or steps do not imply any particular order of operation, unless explicitly stated in the claims.