Abstract:
Before a large amount of information or messages is to be transmitted between image interaction devices, the information or messages are encoded into digital images to generate corresponding digital encoded images. When the digital encoded images are transmitted between the image interaction devices, the information or messages are transmitted along with the digital encoded images without introducing additional data transmission; and as a result, delay between the image interaction devices can be avoided, and real-time operations between the image interaction devices can be achieved.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional No. 61/476,777 filed on Apr. 19, 2011. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention discloses an image interaction device, an interactive image operating system, and an interactive image operating method thereof, and more particularly, to an image interaction device, an interactive image operating system, and an interactive image operating method for encoding a data vector into a digital image to transmit information related to the digital image and to fulfill interaction between remote image interaction devices. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Prior Art 
         [0005]    Please refer to  FIG. 1 , which schematically illustrates a conventional interactive gaming system  100 , which includes a first image interaction device  110  and a second image interaction device  120 . In  FIG. 1 , a user  130  uses the first image interaction device  110  to play an online game with a remote user  140  who uses the image interaction device  120 . There is a network  150  disposed between the first image interaction device  110  and the second image interaction device  120 , for transmitting messages or images between the first image interaction device  110  and the second image interaction device  120 . The network  150  may be an internal network or an external network. 
         [0006]    The first image interaction device  110  is capable of detecting a skeleton and a motion of the user  130  with the aid of a motion sensor  112 , for generating and displaying a digital image  114  correspondingly. The second image interaction device  120  is also capable of detecting an skeleton and a motion of the user  140  with the aid of a motion sensor  122  for generating a digital image  116  correspondingly, and for transmitting the digital image  116  to the first image interaction device  110  via the network  150 , so that the first image interaction device  110  is also capable of displaying both the digital images  114  and  116  simultaneously. Similarly, the second image interaction device  140  is also capable of displaying both the digital images  114  and  116  simultaneously. Commands issued from the user  130  for controlling the digital image  114  or commands issued from the user  140  for controlling the digital image  116  may also further be transmitted between the first image interaction device  110  and the second image interaction device  120  for playing an online interactive game. 
         [0007]    However, while playing the online interactive game, large-scale data transmission is required on the network  150  for transmitting large amounts of digital images and commands so that the online interactive game can be played in a synchronous manner between the first image interaction device  110  and the second image interaction device  120 . If the large-scale data transmission cannot be supported by the network  150 , delay will be introduced between the first image interaction device  110  and the second image interaction device  120  so that synchronization of the online interactive game will fail. The quality of the online interactive game is reduced as a result. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The claimed invention discloses an image interaction device. The image interaction device comprises an image fetching device, an image processing module, and an image transmitter. The image fetching device is utilized for fetching a digital image of an object. The image processing module is utilized for generating a data vector according to physical characteristics of the object in the digital image, and for encoding the data vector into the digital image to generate a digital encoded image. The image transmitter is utilized for outputting the digital encoded image to a network, so that an apparatus connected to the network is capable of displaying the digital image according to the data vector encoded within the digital encoded image. 
         [0009]    The claimed invention discloses an interactive image operating system, which comprises a first image interaction device and a second image interaction device. The first image interaction device comprises an image fetching device, a first image processing module, and an image transmitter. The image fetching device is utilized for fetching a digital image of an object. The first image processing module is utilized for generating a data vector according to physical characteristics of the object in the digital image, and for encoding the data vector into the digital image to generate a digital encoded image. The image transmitter is utilized for outputting the digital encoded image. The second image interaction device comprises a receiver, a second image processing module, and a displaying device. The receiver is utilized for receiving the digital encoded image from the first image interaction device. The second image processing module is utilized for decoding the image decoded image to restore the data vector and the digital image. The displaying device is utilized for displaying the digital image according to the physical characteristics of the object decoded from the data vector. 
         [0010]    The claimed invention further discloses an interactive image operating method. The interactive image operating method comprises a first image interaction device generating a data vector according to physical characteristics of an object fetched on a digital image; the first image interaction device encoding the data vector into the digital image for generating a digital encoded image; a second image interaction device decoding the digital encoded image for restoring the data vector and the digital image; and the second image interaction device displaying the digital image according to the physical characteristics decoded from the data vector. 
         [0011]    These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0012]      FIG. 1  schematically illustrates a conventional interactive gaming system. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  schematically illustrates an interactive image operating system according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates a functional block diagram of the interactive image operating system  200  shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates the interactive image operating method implemented on the interactive image operating system shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Please refer to  FIG. 2 , which schematically illustrates an interactive image operating system  200  according to one embodiment of the present invention. In  FIG. 2 , the user  130  uses a first image interaction device  210  to play an online interactive game with the remote user  140  who uses a second image interactive device  220 . There is also a network  150  disposed between the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220 , where the network  150  may be an internal network or an external network. The primary difference between the interactive image operating system  200  shown in  FIG. 2  and the interactive gaming system  100  lies in digital encoded images transmitted between the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220 , where the digital encoded images are generated by encoding a data vector including messages into digital images. 
         [0017]    Please refer to  FIG. 3 , which illustrates a functional block diagram of the interactive image operating system  200  shown in  FIG. 2 , for disclosing elements of the interactive image operating system  200  and how the interactive image operating system  200  works in detail. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first image interaction device  210  includes an image fetching device  212 , an image processing module  214 , an input/output (I/O) interface  215 , a displaying device  216 , an image transmitter  218 , and a receiver  219 ; the second image interaction device  220  includes an image fetching device  222 , an image processing module  224 , an I/O interface  225 , a displaying device  226 , an image transmitter  228 , and a receiver  229 . Elements of the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220  are basically the same. Connections and functions of the elements of the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220  are also basically the same. 
         [0018]    The following description of  FIG. 3  primarily discloses details about how the first image interaction device  210  generates a first digital encoded image and transmits the digital encoded image to the second image interaction device  220 , so that the second image interaction device  220  is capable of simultaneously displaying a first digital image restored by decoding the first digital encoded image and a second digital image generated by the second image interaction device  220 , and is capable of displaying interactive functions between the first digital image and the second digital image. However, the second image interaction device  220  is also capable of generating a second digital encoded image and transmitting the second digital encoded image to the first image interaction device  210 , so that the displaying device  216  is capable of simultaneously displaying the first digital image and the second digital image, and is capable of displaying interactive functions between the first digital image and the second digital image, where related details are not going to be further illustrated in  FIG. 3  for brevity. 
         [0019]    When interactive operations are performed by the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220 , such as an online interactive game, the image fetching device  212  fetches a first digital image related to the user  130  and transmits the first digital image to the image processing module  214 . The image processing module  214  analyzes physical characteristics related to the user  130  and fetched on the first digital image for generating a data vector. The image processing module  214  encodes the data vector into the first digital image to generate a first digital encoded image, and transmits the first digital encoded image to the image transmitter  218 . The image processing module  214  can be implemented with software, hardware, or a combination of both. The image transmitter  218  transmits the first digital encoded image to the second image interaction device  220  via the network  150 . 
         [0020]    When the second image interaction device  220  receives the first digital encoded image via the receiver  229 , the receiver  229  transmits the first digital encoded image to the image processing module  224 . The image processing module  224  is configured to decode the first digital encoded image, for restoring both the first digital image and the data vector previously encoded in the first digital encoded image. The image processing module  224  is also configured to transmit the first digital image and information included in the data vector to the displaying device  226 . The image processing module  224  can be implemented with software, hardware, or a combination of both. Besides, the image fetching device  222  also fetches the second digital image related to the user  140 , and transmits the second digital image to the displaying device  226  with the aid of processing of the image processing module  224 . Finally, the displaying device  226  displays the first digital image according to the physical characteristics related to the user  130  and included in the data vector, and displays the second digital image at the same time, so that the first digital image and the second digital image may be displayed simultaneously on the displaying device  226  in a mutually-interactive manner. Similarly, the displaying device  216  may also display both the first digital image and the second digital image. Therefore, the users  130  and  140  can interact with each other with the aid of the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220  included by the interactive image operating system  200 . 
         [0021]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the image processing module  214  may include a device capable of analyzing an image of an object, such as a motion detector, an object detector, or an object tracker. The physical characteristics related to the user  130  and retrieved by image processing module  214  may include motion quantities of the user  130 , a depth map of the user  130  in the first digital image, a skeleton of the user  130 , and/or a gesture of the user  130  for operating the first digital image while playing the online interactive game, where the motion quantities may include a motion distance, a motion speed, or a motion direction of hands, feet, or body of the user  130 . 
         [0022]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the image fetching devices  212  and  222  may be implemented by a device capable of fetching images of objects, such as a two-dimensional camera, a three-dimensional camera, and an IP camera. Therefore, considering physical characteristics of the user in certain embodiments of the present invention, the first digital image may be an avatar of the user  130 , and the second digital image may be an avatar of the user  140 . 
         [0023]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, the data vector, which is encoded in the first digital encoded image, may include additional information, such as an external command, object attributes, rendering parameters and/or image parameters for setting the first digital image, where the user  130  is able to input the external command, the object attributes, the rendering parameters and/or the image parameters into the first image interaction device  210  with the aid of the I/O interface  215  connected to a keyboard, a mouse, a remote controller, or other types of controllers that the user  130  is able to access and use. The external command may be a partial operating command issued by the user  130  for controlling the first digital image, so that the displaying device  226  is capable of updating how the first digital image is displayed in response to the external command. For example, when the first digital image represents an avatar, the user  130  is able to issue an external command to change a specific costume of the first digital image, and clothes of the first digital image can be thus be replaced with the specific costume by the displaying device  226  in response to the external command from the user  130 . The image parameters may include automatic white balance, automatic exposure, automatic focus, etc. of the first digital image. The image processing module  224  is capable of updating how the first digital image is displayed by the displaying device  226  in response to the external command and/or the image parameters. 
         [0024]    In certain embodiments of the present invention, how the image processing module  214  encodes the data vector into the digital image may include hiding the data vector at a specific location in the first digital image, so that a partial image previously located at the specific location is replaced with the data vector, where a header can be further added for marking the location of hiding of the data vector. For example, the data vector may be hidden at a front end, a rear end, a high frequency region, a low-significant bit region, or combination of the above regions of an image sequence of the first digital image. Since the data vector can be hidden at locations that the user cannot easily observe, the quality of viewing of the first digital image by the user will not be reduced. However, the location of hiding of the data vector in the first digital image is not limited to the above-mentioned locations. That is, other locations that the user cannot easily observe may also be utilized for hiding the data vectors in embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0025]    In embodiments of the present invention, the users  130  and  140  may be replaced with objects other than human beings, such as robots that can make motions. 
         [0026]    With the aid of the interactive image operating system  200  disclosed in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3 , when digital encoded images having encoded data vectors are transmitted between the first image interaction device  210  and the second image interaction device  220 , other than digital images and plain messages transmitted in the conventional interactive gaming system  100 , a degree of the data transmission is the same as data transmission of merely transmitting digital images, i.e. no additional data transmission is introduced. Therefore, delay introduced by overloaded data transmission between image interaction devices can be avoided, and the defect of the conventional interactive gaming system  100  can be neutralized with the aid of the interactive image operating system  200 . 
         [0027]    Please refer to  FIG. 4 , which illustrates the interactive image operating method implemented on the interactive image operating system  200  shown in  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 3  according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in  FIG. 4 , the interactive image operating method includes steps as follows: 
         [0028]    Step  402 : The first image interaction device  210  generates a data vector according to physical characteristics of an object fetched in a first digital image of the user  130 . 
         [0029]    Step  404 : The first image interaction device  210  encodes the data vector into the first digital image, for generating a first digital encoded image. 
         [0030]    Step  406 : The second image interaction device  220  decodes the first digital encoded image, for restoring the data vector and the first digital image. 
         [0031]    Step  408 : The second image interaction device  220  displays the first digital image according to the physical characteristics included in the data vector. 
         [0032]    Note that embodiments formed by adding the above-mentioned limitations to the steps shown in  FIG. 4  or by taking reasonable combinations or permutations of the steps shown in  FIG. 4  should also be regarded as embodiments of the present invention. 
         [0033]    The present invention discloses an image interaction device, an interactive image operating system utilizing the image interaction device, and an interactive image operating method utilized by the interactive image operating system. With the aid of the abovementioned disclosure, when large-scale data transmission carrying information or messages is required between image interaction devices, the information or the messages can be encoded into digital images to be transmitted, so that the data transmission can be reduced, delay between the image interaction devices can be avoided, and real-time interactive operations between the image interaction devices can be fulfilled. 
         [0034]    Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.