JP2006523335A - Interactive system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system (10) and method for interacting with one or more individuals is provided. According to the present invention, the play surface can interact with a user or a physical object (12). A physical object is associated with an article suitable for use in the system, including, for example, balls, footwear, rackets, and other suitable articles. The system can track each user and track each physical object. The system is computer controlled and can emit light having a spectrum of a predetermined color. The computer can control the illumination of the system based on the detected motion and / or motion prediction for the user and the physical object. In addition, the system includes a plurality of pressure sensitive surfaces that detect and track the user. The system is suitably arranged on the floor, ceiling, one or more walls, or any combination thereof.

Description

  The present invention relates generally to lighting devices, and more particularly to interactive systems that interact with a user.

  2. Description of the Related Art Today, illuminable entertainment and amusement systems using various lighting that interact with a user using sensory stimuli such as sound and lighting and entertain the user have been proposed. Specific examples of such a system include a lighted dance floor and a video game system installed in a general entertainment facility. Unfortunately, these amusement and entertainment systems located in general entertainment facilities are fixed in size. As a result, the installation and removal of these amusement systems is laborious and expensive.

  Furthermore, conventional amusement or entertainment systems have limited ability to interact with users. For example, even if a general dance floor with lighting has a function of interacting with a user, the function is insufficient. Such a dance floor only provides a preset visual output controlled by a disc jockey, or a lighting effect that is individual or linked to a sound output.

  In addition, for example, even in a video game system commercially available from various manufacturers such as Microsoft, SEGA, and Sony, functions for interacting with users are limited. For example, the number of users is limited and each user must use a handheld controller to interact with the video game system.

  Entertainment and amusement systems in integrated entertainment facilities are more interactive than illuminated dance floors, but they only sense and track users with floor pressure sensors. In other words, traditional entertainment and amusement systems are only responding to the user, the direction that the user is facing when the user steps on other segments of the floor, and how fast the user is in a particular direction It is not possible to detect whether or not Furthermore, entertainment and amusement systems that are often installed in general entertainment facilities are limited in size, and thus the number of users that can interact with the system is also greatly limited. Also, for this reason, conventional entertainment and amusement systems are likely to move next when a user, part of a user or physical object moves or is positioned on the floor. A position could not be predicted.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by providing the system with a system that can be adapted to physical location and can sense and track a user or physical object without the user standing on the floor element of the system. Provide a system to do. The present invention provides an interactive system that can sense and predict the direction in which a user moves without using a sensor, such as a pressure sensor, in a lighting element of the system.

  Hereinafter, embodiments and modifications of the present invention will be disclosed in order to illustrate the application and realization of the present invention. The description given here is an illustrative example of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

  In the following, an interactive system is disclosed as an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The interactive system may be a module that interacts with a user by communicating with the user via lighting effects, sound effects, and other physical effects. A system based on communication with a user generates one or more outputs for further interaction with the user. Specifically, the system detects and tracks each user or physical object as a separate object, which causes the system to interact with each user individually and entertain the user. Thus, the system uses a number of variables such as, for example, the user profile of a particular user, the current location of each user, the possible future location of each user, the ongoing entertainment event or the type of game, etc. Generate one or more effects and interact with one or more users. When generated by the system, the effect is usually an effect that appeals to one or more human senses to interact with each user.

  In exemplary embodiments, the system senses pressure applied to the surface, or senses sensory behavior and / or movement of the user and other physical objects, and provides an entertainment surface. With a lighted floor or base. Each physical object communicates with at least a portion of the illuminated base. The physical object and the illuminated base can provide an output that stimulates at least one of the user's body sensations.

  As one embodiment, the present invention suitably provides an environment for aerobic exercise in a fitness club. The system of the present invention is adapted to work with multiple physical objects. Some physical objects are associated with individual users to provide user preferences for information, billing information, membership information, and other types of resources. The physical objects operate independently of each other so that the system measures the current position of each physical object and the possible future position of each physical object and thus the user associated with it. Or the current and future position of the individual can be measured. That is, the system can interact with each user individually. In order to interact with each user, the system typically provides feedback to each user by generating an output signal that can stimulate or enhance one of the user's sensations.

  Typical output signals include audio output, visual output, vibration output, or any other suitable output signal that stimulates one of the user sensations. That is, the system can entertain, play, educate, train, train, train, challenge one or more users by generating various output signals to limit or direct the movement of the user. Can be made. In addition, the system according to the present invention can be used for one or more sports using, for example, stage floors, stage lighting applications, dance floors, wall or ceiling displays, exercises in fitness clubs, eg balls or rackets such as tennis or squash. It can be used for various applications and scenes, such as practice of sports that do not require rackets such as basketball or handball, classrooms, halls, auditoriums, convention centers and other facilities.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system 10 that is preferably applied to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the exemplary embodiment, physical object 12 communicates with a portion of illuminable assembly 14, and system 10 causes physical object 12 to have its current position relative to lighting assembly 14. Can be measured. The lighting assembly 14 also communicates with the electronic device 16 and provides the electronic device 16 with data received from the physical object 12 and data generated, collected, or output by the lighting assembly 14. The electronics 16 uses data received from the physical object 12 and the lighting assembly 14 alone or in combination to locate and measure the physical object 12 and control the operation of the lighting assembly 14.

  The electronic device 16 includes one or more processors (not shown) that process data received from the physical object 12 and the lighting assembly 14 and control the operation of the system 10. The electronic device 16 suitably used with the system 10 is not limited to the following, but can respond to one or more instructions in a personal computer, workstation, personal digital assistant (PDA), or defined method. Any other electronic device is included. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the system 10 includes one or more lighting assemblies 14, one or more physical objects 12, one or more electronics 16, and one or more communication modules 18 described in detail below. Can be provided.

  The communication link between the lighting assembly 14 and the electronic device 16 is typically configured as a bus topology according to an applicable Ethernet standard such as the 10BASE-2, 10BASE-T or 100BASE-T standards. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the communication link between the lighting assembly 14 and the electronic device 16 may be configured as a star topology, ring topology, tree topology, or mesh topology. In addition, adapt communication links to comply with other local area network (LAN) standards and protocols including, for example, token bus networks, token ring networks, apple token networks, or any other suitable network including customized networks. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Further, the communication link between the lighting assembly 14 and the electronic device 16 is a wireless link suitably used in a wireless network such as, for example, a Wi-Fi compliant network or a Bluetooth ™ compliant network or some other wireless network. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this may be the case.

  The electronic device 16 communicates wirelessly with the physical object 12 via the communication module 18 so that the physical object 12 can generate an output that provides feedback to the user associated with the physical object 12. . The communication module 18 communicates with the electronic device 16 using, for example, a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair wire, or other suitable wired communication link. The communication module 18 may wirelessly communicate with the electronic device 16 using a wireless communication link including, for example, a Bluetooth link, a Wi-Fi link, or other appropriate wireless link. The communication module 18 provides functions necessary for wirelessly transmitting data from the electronic device 16 to the physical object 12. However, the physical object 12 may be an electronic device 16, or lighting assembly 14, or both, such as one or more optical fibers, coaxial cables, triaxial cables, twisted pairs, flex printed cables, single wires or other You may communicate by wire using an energy conductor.

  In actual operation, the communication module 18 communicates with the physical object 12 using radio frequency (RF) signals that carry one or more data packets from the electronic device 16. Each radio frequency data packet has a unique identification value that identifies the physical object 12 that is the destination of the packet. The physical object 12 waits for a data packet with a unique identification value addressed to it and receives each of these packets. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other radio formats, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiplexed access (TDMA), Bluetooth technology and radio fidelity based on IEEE 802.11b, etc., are available in the system 10. It may be used. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the communication module 18 may be incorporated into the electronic device 16, for example, as a wireless modem or as a Bluetooth enabled device. Further, the various wireless communications used in the system 10 may be within one or more frequency bands such as, for example, a radio frequency band, an infrared band, an ultrasonic band, or the wireless communications used in the system 10 are It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that communication by magnetic fields may be included.

  Further, the lighting assembly 14 may be configured to wirelessly transmit data to each physical object 12. This allows the lighting assembly 14 to transmit, for example, instructions, control signals or similar data to each physical object 12. That is, this allows the lighting assembly 14 to send data directly to the physical object 12 without first passing the data to the electronic device 16 and transmitting the data to the physical object 12 via the communication module 18. it can.

  Each user is typically assigned to a physical object 12. Furthermore, the physical object 12 is preferably integrated into one or more articles for use with the system 10 for integration. Suitable articles include, but are not limited to, footwear, clothes, balls, bats, gloves, sticks, rackets, pointing devices, toy weapons, and for entertainment, play, exercise and sports purposes. Articles similar to these are included. In this way, by integrating the physical object 12 into the selected article, the system 10 increases the level of interaction with the user and improves the user's overall entertainment experience.

  In actual operation, lighting assembly 14, electronics 16 and physical object 12 communicate with each other using data packets and data frames. Data packets are sent and received between lighting assembly 14 and electronics 16 using data frames that comply with applicable Ethernet standards or other suitable protocols such as RS-485, RS-422, or RS-232. Similarly, the data frame is compatible with the standard established by the Infrared Communication Association IrDA, or using the infrared communication compatible with one or more other infrared communication protocols, the physical object 12. And between the lighting assemblies 14. The operation of the system 10 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 2 shows an exemplary configuration of the system 10. As shown in FIG. 2, in the configuration of the system 10, a plurality of lighting assemblies 14A-14D form a continuous or substantially continuous platform, floor or part of a floor, or all or part of a ceiling, or Connected to cover one or more walls, or both. For example, the lighting assembly 14A abuts the lighting assembly 14B, the lighting assembly 14C, and the lighting assembly 14D. Each lighting assembly 14A-14D has a plurality of connectors (not shown) on each side or on one side so that each lighting assembly 14A-14D abuts against each other. A control signal, a data signal, and a power signal can be supplied.

  Further, the system 10 can entertain multiple users, and the number of users is typically limited only by the size of the lighting assemblies 14 and the number of lighting assemblies 14 that are coupled together. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that, in addition to covering the floor of the room with the lighting assembly 14, the system 10 may also include a plurality of lighting assemblies 14 on the wall of the room and the ceiling of the room. is there. Further, the system 10 may have a plurality of lighting assemblies 14 in place on the floor of the room, and one or more other displays capable of processing the images provided by the system 10 in place in the room. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the apparatus may be provided. Other suitable display devices include, but are not limited to, cathode ray tube (CRT) display devices, kiosks, televisions, projectors used with screens, plasma displays, liquid crystal displays, and other suitable displays. Display devices.

  In this way, other display devices can form one or more walls or portions of walls that process one or more images in connection with the lighting assembly 14 on the floor of the room. Further, additional or other display devices may communicate directly with the electronic device 16, such as indirectly communicating with the electronic device 16 via the lighting assembly 14 or the physical object 12. Good. This allows other display devices to provide additional information or visual entertainment to the user of the system 10. In addition, each lighting assembly 14 has a unique serial number or identifier. This unique identifier allows the electronic device 16 and, optionally, the physical object 12 to select or identify one or more lighting assemblies 14A-14D that are to communicate or are in communication. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system 10 can be configured such that multiple lighting assemblies form various shapes or patterns with respect to the floor, wall, ceiling, or combinations thereof.

  Further, the system 10 may be configured from one or more groups of lighting assemblies, and the first group of lighting assemblies may be configured not to abut the second group of lighting assemblies. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the lighting assembly 14 may be formed to have a variety of different sizes. For example, a single lighting assembly may be formed to cover the entire floor space of the room, or alternatively, multiple lighting assemblies may be connected to cover the same floor space.

  Further, the system 10 may be configured to include one or more stereo systems that communicate with the electronic device 16 and provide additional information or audio entertainment information to the user of the system 10. One or more components of the stereo system include an amplifier that amplifies the audio signal from the electronic device 16 and one or more sets of speakers that are driven by the amplified audio signal. Here, an amplifier may be incorporated in each speaker so as to be arranged in each speaker or in the vicinity of the speaker housing. Instead, a plurality of sets are directly or indirectly connected via one or more switches. One or more amplifiers for driving each speaker may be provided as a unit independent of each speaker or speaker housing. Furthermore, the electronic device 16 may communicate with each amplifier or each speaker using a wireless transmission medium or a wired transmission medium.

  Furthermore, the system 10 may include a headphone that communicates with the electronic device 16 so that each user wears the headphone. In addition, the headphones may perform two-way communication, that is, a response may be received from the system 10 after transmitting a request from the user to the system 10. Thereby, the electronic device 16 can transmit information to a selected headphone set associated with a specific user wirelessly or in a wired manner.

  This allows the system 10 to provide the selected user with audible clues, instructions, sounds or similar audible information. Furthermore, the electronic device 16 may be connected to one or more other audio devices such as, for example, a graphic equalizer and similar audio system components.

  Further, the system 10 may include one or more image sensors that provide image information captured by the electronic device 16. A preferred imaging device comprises a camera that produces a digital image in a still image format or a video format. The camera included in the image sensor does not generate a digital image, but transmits the captured image to another device, and the device digitizes the image and supplies the digital image to the electronic device 16. . In this manner, the imaging device provides live video to the electronic device 16 so that the electronic device 16 can display a video image on the lighting assembly 14 or other display device connected to the system 10.

  The electronic device 16 communicates with each image sensor, sends a command, and directly controls each image sensor to execute pan, tilt, zoom, enhancement, partial deformation of the image, or other image processing. The imaging device may be configured to capture images of the system 10 from various angles or to capture specific portions of the system 10 as desired by the user, system operator, or system owner.

  Furthermore, the imaging device may communicate wirelessly with the electronic device 16 so that a user of the system 10 can wear or wear one of the imaging devices.

  Furthermore, the system 10 may include one or more microphones that provide audio information from the user, eg, voice commands, to the electronic device 16 or provide other environmental sounds to the electronic device 16. Thus, the electronic device 16 can execute voice and voice recognition tasks and functions, and can change the volume of the stereo set or supply a command to the imaging device based on the user's utterance, for example.

  FIG. 3 shows a processing procedure in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. After physically connecting the lighting assembly 14 to the electronic device 16 and supplying power to the lighting assembly 14, the electronic device 16, the physical object 12, and, if necessary, the communication module 18, the system 10 initializes the system. To start. During initialization, the electronics 16, lighting assembly 14, and physical object 12 each perform one or more self-diagnostic routines. When the entire system 10 is powered on and a predetermined period of time has elapsed for the entire system 10 to execute one or more self-diagnostic routines, the electronics 16 communicates between the lighting assembly 14 and the physical object 12. Is established, the operation state of each item is determined, and identification information of each item is established (step 20).

  Once the electronic device 16 identifies each lighting assembly 14 and physical object 12 in the system 10, the electronic device 16 polls the selected lighting assembly 14 and includes all connected lighting assemblies, eg, lighting. Assemblies 14B-14D are identified (step 22). In this manner, the electronic device 16 polls each identified lighting assembly 14, thereby causing the electronic device 16 to generate a map that identifies the location of each lighting assembly 14 within the system 10. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there is only one lighting assembly 14 and, therefore, there may be no connected lighting assemblies. In addition to mapping each lighting assembly 14 as part of the initialization of the system 10, the electronics 16 receives a unique identification value of the object from each physical object 12 and each lighting within the system 10. A time slot for communicating with the assembly 14 is assigned to each physical object 12 (step 22). By mapping each lighting assembly 14 and assigning time slots, each physical object 12 allows the system 10 to entertain or play one or more users.

  In actual operation, the lighting assembly 14 receives a data frame from the physical object 12. The data frame includes information specifying the physical object 12 and data related to the acceleration of the physical object 12 (step 24). The preferred size of the data frame from the physical object 12 is about 56 bits and the preferred frame rate for the physical object 12 is about 20 frames / second. In one embodiment, each user is assigned two physical objects 12. The user attaches the first physical object 12 to the tongue or shoelace portion of one footwear and attaches the second physical object 12 to the tongue or shoelace portion of the other footwear. The physical object 12 will be described later in detail with reference to FIG. Further, the physical object 12 is attached or incorporated into a plurality of physical objects such as, for example, clothes, bats, balls, gloves, sticks, weapons, pointing devices and other physical objects used in games, sports and entertainment activities. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  When lighting assembly 14 receives a data frame from physical object 12, lighting assembly 14 processes the data frame, identifies the source of the data frame, and, depending on the indication, a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value or checksum value. Alternatively, the data in the frame is verified by checking other methods for error detection provided in the frame (step 24). When the lighting assembly 14 processes the data frame from the physical object 12, the lighting assembly 14 generates a data packet that conforms to the Ethernet standard including the data from the physical object 12, and the newly generated Ethernet packet is electronically converted. Supplying to the device 16, following this, the electronic device 16 measures the current position of the physical object 12 in the system 10. The electronic device 16 measures the current position of the physical object 12 based on the data transmitted by the physical object 12 and the source address of the lighting assembly 14 supplied with data from the physical object 12 in the system 10. To do. Thus, if the physical object 12 is attached or held to a particular user, the user's position within the system 10 can be known. Similarly, if the physical object 12 is a ball, stick, pack, or other physical object, the system 10 can measure the physical position of the physical object 12 within the system 10. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the lighting assembly 14 can transmit data to the physical object 12 using infrared signals.

  The electronic device 16 may provide acceleration or position data provided from the physical object 12 and, optionally, from the velocity of the physical object 12 or the last reported position of the physical object 12 or a predetermined position of the system 10. The current physical object 12 distance, or velocity, and physical object 12 distance are both processed to determine the position of the physical object 12 (step 26). The electronics 16 instructs the lighting assembly 14 to generate an output based on the position of the physical object 12 and, optionally, the speed of the physical object 12 and the distance traveled by the physical object 12. To generate output based on. This output stimulates one of the user's sensations, delights the user and interacts with the user (step 28). Furthermore, the electronic device 16 stimulates one of the user's sensations, such as rotation, lighting and both, for example, to the physical object 12 to produce an output for entertaining and interacting with the user. You may instruct. In addition, the physical object 12 communicates with the electronics 16 and the lighting assembly 14 to provide information related to position, identification, acceleration, velocity, angle, distance, and other physical or logical parameters regarding the physical object. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this may be done.

  The lighting assembly 14 can generate a visual output of one or more colors that stimulates the user's vision. Depending on the mode of the system 10, the visual output generated by the lighting assembly 14 can provide feedback to the user related to instructions or clues. For example, the lighting assembly 14 emits green light to the user in that direction, steps on the lighting assembly 14 that emits green light, or is physically targeted at the lighting assembly 14 that emits green light. The object 12 can be instructed to hit or throw. Similarly, the lighting assembly 14 emits red light and may instruct the user not to enter a particular direction or not step on the lighting assembly 14 that emits red light. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illumination assembly 14 can be controlled to emit or display a broad spectrum of colors. As other examples of visual effects, the system 10 includes, but is not limited to, the generation of a maze through which a user passes, a simulated explosion similar to a starburst or fireworks display, a road, a passage, a room, a terrain. And other visual indications may produce effects that guide, entertain, regulate, educate or train the user.

  The physical object 12 may also provide feedback or instructions to the user for interacting with the system 10. For example, the electronic device 16 or the lighting assembly 14 generates a specific color visual output for the selected physical object 12 associated with the selected user to illuminate the selected physical object 12. You may order Thereby, the system 10 can provide a more advanced interaction with the user. For example, the visual output of the physical object 12 indicates that the selected user is no longer a valid participant in the game or event, or that the selected user is, for example, a game of tag “demon”. it) "may indicate that the user has to escape. In addition, the electronic device 16 and the lighting assembly 14 may instruct the selected physical object 12 to generate vibration output.

  FIG. 4 shows a detailed configuration of the lighting assembly 14. A suitable mechanical layout of the lighting assembly 14 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIG. The lighting assembly 14 includes a controller 34, a speaker circuit 40, and an interface circuit 38 connected to the electronic device 16. The interface circuit 38 transmits and receives Ethernet packets to and from the electronic device 16 and provides the speaker circuit 40 with an electrical signal suitable for being converted into sound. Further, the interface circuit 38 transfers the received data packet from the electronic device 16 to the controller 34 and analyzes it for further processing.

  The lighting assembly 14 also includes a pressure sensor circuit 30, a receiving circuit 32 and a pixel 36 connected to the controller 34. The controller 34 further processes the data packet received from the electronic device 16 and determines which pixel 36 the electronic device 16 has selected along with the value indicating the color. The pressure sensor circuit 30 provides an output signal to the controller 34 having a variable frequency value indicating that a user is present on a portion of the lighting assembly 14. The receiving circuit 32 communicates with the physical object 12, receives a data frame provided by the physical object 12, and supplies the data frame to the physical object 12. As described above, the receiving circuit 32 processes and verifies each data frame received from the physical object 12, supplies the verified data frame from the physical object 12 to the controller 34, and transfers the data frame to the interface circuit 38.

  In actual operation, the receiving circuit 32 receives a data frame from each physical object 12 within a specific distance of the lighting assembly 14. As described above, the reception circuit 32 processes the reception data frame and sends the reception data to the controller 34. The controller 34 sends data from the receiving circuit 32 to the interface circuit 38, so that the interface circuit 38 can generate an Ethernet packet. Once the Ethernet packet is generated, the interface circuit 38 supplies the packet to the electronic device 16 for further processing. The electronic device 16 processes the data packet received from the interface circuit 38, identifies the physical object 12, and determines physical parameters relating to the identified physical object 12.

  The electronic device 16 uses the source identification information from the lighting assembly 14 along with the identification value received from the physical object 12 and, optionally, along with the velocity value from the physical object 12, to determine the current position of the physical object 12. Measure. The electronic device 16 may also measure possible future positions of the physical object 12. The electronic device 16 may also measure the distance between each physical object 12 valid in the system 10 from the provided data.

  After the electronic device 16 processes the data from the physical object 12, it sends the data to the lighting assembly 14, which provides the lighting assembly 14 with, for example, visual output, audio output, or both. Directs generation of appropriate output to contain. Also, optionally, the electronic device 16 may send data instructing the physical object 12 to generate an appropriate output including, for example, visual output, vibration output, or both.

  When the interface circuit 38 receives the Ethernet packet from the electronic device 16, it stores it in the integrated circuit memory and determines whether the frame destination address meets the criteria in the address filter of the interface circuit 38. If the destination address meets the criteria in the address filter, the packet is stored in the internal memory of the interface circuit 38. Further, the interface circuit 38 can perform error detection such as CRC check or checksum check, for example, in order to verify the contents of the data packet. The interface circuit 38 analyzes the data, identifies the controller 34 responsible for controlling the selected pixel, and transfers appropriate pixel data to the identified controller 34 from the Ethernet packet. Further, the interface circuit 38 has a function of enabling the speaker circuit 40 based on the data received from the electronic device 16.

  The lighting assembly 14 allows the system 10 to preferably detect and locate the physical object 12 even when the physical object 12 is not in direct contact with the lighting assembly 14. That is, if the user is wearing a physical object 12 on a portion of his footwear, the system 10 will determine if the user's foot is present on one or more lighting assemblies 14 and will remain stationary. Or whether it is moving. If motion is detected, the system 10 can determine the direction in which the user's foot is moving relative to a particular lighting assembly 14. Thus, the system 10 then predicts which lighting assemblies 14 the user is likely to step on, and for each possible lighting assembly 14 to interact with the user and entertain the visual response. Or instructions can be provided to generate an output response, such as an auditory response. For example, the system 10 may block the user from moving in a particular direction before the user goes further. In this way, the system 10 can track and interact with each user even if each pressure sensor circuit 30 is disabled or disabled for some reason.

  FIG. 5 shows the illumination assembly 14 having one or more pixels 36 and one or more controllers 34. The lighting assembly 14 shown in FIG. 4 operates similarly to the embodiment described above with respect to FIGS. FIG. 5 shows that with respect to the pixel configuration, the illumination assembly 14 can be adapted to ensure that a favorable visual effect is achieved at many physical locations. For example, the illumination assembly 14 shown in FIG. 5 is divided into four quadrants. The first quadrant includes a controller 34A connected to the receiving circuit 32A, the pressure sensor circuit 30A, the pixels 36A to 36D, and the interface circuit 38. Thereby, the interface circuit 38 can analyze the data received from the electronic device 16, and can distribute appropriate data to the appropriate controllers 34A-34D which control the pixel relevant to them. In addition, the illumination assembly 14 is comprised of a plurality of quadrants to disable or enable a selected quadrant when one of the controllers 34A-36D or one or more of the pixels 36A-36Q fails. There is also an advantage that can be made.

  FIG. 6 shows a more detailed configuration of the interface circuit 38. The interface circuit 38 is adapted to include a physical network interface 56 so that the interface circuit 38 can communicate with the electronic device 16 via an Ethernet link. The interface circuit 38 includes a network transceiver 54 that communicates with the physical network interface 56 and realizes packet transmission / reception. The interface circuit 38 further includes a first controller 52 that communicates with the network transceiver 54 and a chip select 50 (described later), thereby analyzing the data and transferring the data from the electronic device 16 to the controller 34.

  The physical network interface 56 realizes a power supply and a separation request for the interface circuit 38 to communicate with the electronic device 16 via a local area network complying with Ethernet. The transceiver circuit suitably used in the interface circuit 38 is, for example, a transceiver commercially available as model number MDQ-001 from Halo Electronics, Inc. of Mountain View, California. .

  The network transceiver 54 performs Ethernet packet transmission and reception functions via the physical network interface 56. The first controller 52 analyzes each data packet received from the electronic device 16 and determines which controller 34A to 34D should be supplied with the data. The first controller 52 uses the chip select 50 to select appropriate controllers 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D for receiving data from the electronic device 16. The chip select 50 controls each of the controllers 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D in the lighting assembly 14 to enable or disable a chip select signal. Each controller 34A to 34D is connected to a corresponding receiving circuit 32A to 32D. The reception circuits 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D receive data from the physical object 12, and supply the received data to the controllers 34 </ b> A to 34 </ b> D to send the received data to the electronic device 16. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that each receiving circuit may be configured to send and receive data to and from each physical object. The receiving circuits 32A to 32D will be described in detail later with reference to FIG.

  In this way, the first controller 52 can process data from the electronic device 16 more efficiently, and can increase the data transfer rate within the lighting assembly 14 and between the lighting assembly 14 and the electronic device 16. . Further, the use of the chip select 50 has the advantage that the lighting assembly 14 can disable one or more of the controllers 34A-34D if the controller or the plurality of pixels 36A-36Q fails. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the interface circuit 38 may be configured to operate without the chip select 50 and the first controller 52.

  A suitable controller for the first controller 52 and controller 34 is commercially available, for example, as model number PIC16C877 from Microchip Technology Inc. of Chandler, Arizona. A controller suitable for use as the network transceiver 54 is commercially available from Cirrus Logic, Inc. of Austin, Texas as model number CS8900A-CQ. A chip select device suitable for use as chip select 50 is commercially available as model number 4AHC138 from Phillips Semiconductors, Inc., New York.

  FIG. 7 shows details of the pixel 36. Pixel 36 includes an illumination source 58 for illuminating pixel 36. The illumination source 58 is typically configured as three light emitting diodes (LEDs) consisting of, for example, a red light emitting diode, a green light emitting diode, and a blue light emitting diode. The illumination source 58 is also configured as an electroluminescent (EL) backlight driver, one or more incandescent bulbs, or one or more neon tubes that illuminate the pixels 36 with the desired color and illuminance and generate visual output. May be. The electronics 16 provides the lighting assembly 14 with data indicating the color and illuminance that the illumination source 58 should irradiate. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other illumination techniques may be used as illumination source 58, such as, for example, an optical fiber, a gas-filled light source, or an incandescent light source.

  Data indicating the color and illuminance emitted by the illumination source 58 is converted from the digital domain to the analog domain in the illumination assembly 14 by one or more digital-to-analog converters (D / A converters) (not shown). The Although an 8-bit D / A converter is used here, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a higher or lower resolution D / A converter may be used. The analog output signal of the D / A converter is supplied to an operational amplifier configured to operate as a voltage-current converter. The current value generated by the operational amplifier is proportional to the voltage value of the analog signal from the D / A converter. The current value generated by the operational amplifier is used to drive the illumination source 58. Thereby, the color and illuminance of the illumination source 58 are controlled by the continuous current value. This allows the system 10 to avoid or mitigate noise problems that typically occur when pulse width modulating an illumination source. Further, by supplying a continuous current value to the illumination source 58, the current value to the illumination source 58 is substantially latched, so that the processor is compared to an illumination source that receives a pulse width modulated current signal. Less resources are required.

  FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the receiving circuit 32 in detail. The receiving circuit 32 includes a receiver 60 that receives data from the physical object 12 and a receiver controller 64 that validates the received data and forwards it to the controller 34. Specifically, the receiver 60 is an infrared receiver that supports reception of infrared signals that carry one or more data frames. The receiver 60 converts the current pulses transmitted from the physical object 12 into a digital TTL output and eliminates signals from signal sources that may interfere with the operation of the lighting assembly 14. Such signal sources include sunlight, incandescent bulbs, fluorescent lamps and the like. A suitable receiver for use as the receiver circuit 32 is commercially available as Model No. LT1328 from Linear Technology Corporation of Milpitas, California.

  Receiver controller 64 receives the output of receiver 60, identifies the physical object 12 that transmitted the data frame, and optionally verifies the CRC value or checksum value or other error detection value transmitted with the frame. To verify the frame. Once the receiver controller 64 confirms the data frame, the receiver controller 64 sends the data frame to the controller 34 for transfer to the electronic device 16. A receiver controller 64 suitable as the receiver circuit 32 is commercially available, for example, as model number PIC16C54C from Microchip Technology Inc. of Chandler, Arizona.

  FIG. 9 shows a speaker circuit 40 that generates an audible output that stimulates the user's senses. The speaker circuit 40 includes an amplifier 70 and a loud speaker 72. The amplifier 70 is an audio amplifier that amplifies an audio input signal from the interface circuit 38 in order to drive the loudspeaker 72. The loudspeaker 72 converts the electrical signal supplied from the amplifier 70 into sound and generates an auditory output. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that auditory output can be generated by other suitable techniques, such as each user wearing wireless headphones. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the lighting assembly 14 may constitute the housing of the loudspeaker 72.

  FIG. 10 shows the pressure sensor circuit 30 in detail. The pressure sensor circuit 30 includes a coil 76, a magnet 78, and an amplifier 80. The coil 76 is located in the magnetic field of the magnet 78 and is connected to the amplifier 80. Coil 76 and amplifier 80 form an oscillating circuit that oscillates at a base frequency of about 200 kHz. The magnet 78 moves up and down in a plane perpendicular to the coil 76, whereby the magnetic force applied to the coil 76 by the magnet 78 changes. The vertical movement of the magnet 78 is based on the amount of pressure that the user applies to a portion of the lighting assembly 14. As described above, the magnetic force applied from the magnet 78 to the coil 76 changes in accordance with the movement of the magnet 78, thereby changing the frequency of the oscillation circuit. An oscillating circuit comprised of coil 76 and amplifier 80 provides controller 34 with an output signal indicative of the pressure applied to at least a portion of lighting assembly 14 by one or more users.

  FIG. 11 shows the physical object 12 in more detail. Physical object 12 includes an interface 118 for communicating with electronics 16 and lighting assembly 14. The physical object 12 also includes an illumination circuit 110 that communicates with the interface 118, sensor circuit 112, vibrator circuit 114, and acoustic circuit 116. The lighting circuit 110 provides a visual output that illuminates the physical object 12. The sensor circuit 112 measures physical stimuli of the physical object 12, such as movement of the physical object 12 in the x-axis, y-axis, and Z-axis, and the physical object 12 in at least one of these three axes. A response indicative of acceleration is provided to interface 118. Vibrator circuit 114 can be enabled by interface 118 to generate a vibration output to provide an output that stimulates one of the user's sensations. The acoustic circuit 116 is also controlled by the interface 118 and can produce an audible output.

  The lighting circuit 110 typically comprises three LEDs, such as red, blue and green LEDs (not shown) that are enabled by the interface 118 to illuminate the physical object 12; It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that more or fewer LEDs may be provided. Further, the lighting circuit 110 may comprise an electroluminescent (EL) backlight driver, one or more incandescent bulbs or one or more neon tubes to produce visual output or other illumination effects. Will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  The sensor circuit 112 can sense a physical stimulus in one or more of three axes, for example, an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, and can detect the acceleration of the physical object 12 in at least one of the three axes. A response is provided to interface 118 as shown. Alternatively, if the sensor circuit 112 is equipped with one or more profilometers (not shown), the sensor circuit 112 has a response indicating the tilt of the physical object 12 relative to at least one horizontal plane of the three axes. Provide to interface 118. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the physical object 12 may comprise sensor elements or sensory elements such as, for example, a gyroscope or global positioning system that provides angular information.

  The vibrator circuit 114 includes a mechanism (not shown) such as a motor that generates vibration when driven by the interface 118. The vibration generated by the vibrator circuit 114 has sufficient force, duration and frequency for the user to feel the vibration when the physical object 12 is coupled to the user's footwear.

  The acoustic circuit 116 includes a loudspeaker (not shown) 72, and optionally includes an amplifier that amplifies an electrical signal supplied from the interface 118 and drives the loudspeaker 72 with the amplified signal. The loudspeaker 72 allows the physical object 12 to generate an acoustic output in response to appropriate instructions from the electronic device 16 or the lighting assembly 14.

  Physical object 12 has a unique serial number that is used to identify physical object 12 in system 10. The unique serial number of the physical object 12 identifies the user profile, user account, user name or other data record for selecting the game or activity that the user wishes to participate in or tracking the usage of the system by the user. Can be associated with a specific user.

  FIG. 12 shows a procedure for manipulating the physical object 12 in the system 10. The physical object 12 executes a self-diagnosis routine when the power is turned on. The physical object l2 waits for a frame synchronization pulse from the electronic device 16 after completing the self-diagnosis routine (step 120). When the physical object 12 is synchronized with the electronic device 16, the physical object 12 transmits a data frame as information for causing the electronic device 16 to identify the specific physical object 12 (step 120). When the electronic device 16 receives the identification information from the physical object 12, the electronic device 16 can assign new identification information to the physical object 12 when a contradiction is detected in another physical object. In other cases, the electronic device 16 communicates with the physical object 12 using the provided identification information. Each data packet transmitted by the electronic device 16 to one of the physical objects 12 includes a unique identifier that identifies the destination physical object 12. This unique identifier is typically an identifier unique to the physical object 12 (step 120) unless reassignment is performed.

  In actual operation, the physical object 12 communicates with the electronic device 16 via the lighting assembly 14 using the assigned time slot and provides the electronic device 16 with a response from the sensor circuit 112 (step 122). . The electronics 16 processes the response data from the physical object 12 and measures at least the current position of the physical object 12 relative to the selected lighting assembly 14 (step 124). The electronic device 16 measures the position of the selected physical object 12 relative to one or more other physical objects 12, if necessary. The lighting assembly 14 may be configured to transmit data to the physical object 12 in a wired or wireless manner so that the electronic device 16 and the physical object 12 communicate directly without going through the lighting assembly 14. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above may be configured. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that physical object 12 may be configured to communicate with other physical objects in a wired or wireless manner. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the physical object 12 and the lighting assembly 14 communicate so as not to interfere with communication between other physical objects and the lighting assembly.

  Once the electronic device 16 measures the position of the physical object 12, the electronic device 16 can instruct the physical object 12 to generate an output based on an analysis of various system variables (step 126). Possible variables include, but are not limited to, the number of users, the location of the physical object 12, the speed of the physical object 12, such as the type of entertainment provided, such as aerobic exercise, etc. It is.

  FIG. 13 shows the interface 118 in more detail. The interface 118 includes a first interface circuit 130 that communicates with the controller circuit 132, and the controller circuit 132 is also connected to a second interface circuit 134. The controller circuit 132 is also connected to the illumination circuit 110, the sensor circuit 112, the vibrator circuit 114, and the acoustic circuit 116. The first interface circuit 130 is also connected to the electronic device 16, and the second interface circuit 134 is also connected to the illumination circuit 110, the sensor circuit 112, the vibrator circuit 114, and the acoustic circuit 116. Yes.

  The first interface circuit 130 receives and adjusts data transmitted from the electronic device 16 by the communication module 18. When the first interface circuit 130 receives and coordinates data from the electronic device 16, the first interface circuit 130 supplies data to the controller circuit 132 for further processing. The controller circuit 132 processes the received data and coordinates the operation of the lighting circuit 110, sensor circuit 112, vibrator circuit 114, and acoustic circuit 116 within the physical object 12. The controller circuit 132 also processes the response from the sensor circuit 112 by digitizing the data and adjusting the transmission of the sensor response during the assigned data frame. The second interface circuit 134 transmits a data packet to the lighting assembly 14 and provides a response from the sensor circuit 112 to the electronic device 16. A controller suitable as the controller circuit 132 is commercially available, for example, as model number PIC16C877 from Microchip Technology Inc. of Chandler, Arizona.

  FIG. 14 shows the first interface circuit 130 in detail. The first interface circuit 130 includes an antenna 140 for communicating with the receiver 142. The receiver 142 is also connected to the buffer 144. The antenna 140 receives data transmitted from the electronic device 16 via the communication module 18 and supplies the data to the receiver 142. The receiver 142 processes the received data by converting the received data from an analog state to a digital state and supplies the data to the buffer 144 after adjustment. The buffer 144 buffers data from the receiver 142 and minimizes the influence of the receiver 142 on the controller circuit 132. A receiver that can be suitably used as the first interface circuit 130 is commercially available, for example, as model number DR5000 from RF Monolithics, Inc. of Dallas, Texas.

  FIG. 15 shows the second interface circuit 134 in detail. The second interface circuit 134 includes a transmitter 140 that transmits a response from the sensor circuit 112 to the illumination assembly 14. The transmitter 140 includes one or more infrared LEDs that transmit a response using an infrared output signal that is preferably received by the receiver circuit 32 in the lighting assembly 14.

  FIG. 16 shows the mechanical layout of the lighting assembly 14. The lighting assembly 14 includes an upper portion 90, an intermediate portion 88 and a base portion 94. The upper portion 90 includes a filter portion 102 that operates in conjunction with the receiving circuit 32 to attenuate frequencies outside the frequency domain of the receiver. The upper portion 90 is made of a material having a translucent property that transmits light. The upper portion 90 also functions as a protective layer for the intermediate portion 88 that prevents the intermediate portion 88 from being damaged when the user steps on the lighting assembly 14. The top 90 may be configured as an assembly having a continuous side cross-section, and is configured as an assembly having a hierarchical side cross-section consisting of a plurality of disposable layers that can be removed if the top layer is damaged or soiled. May be. The upper portion 90 also functions as a mechanical base that holds one or more magnets used in conjunction with the one or more pressure sensor circuits 30 described in detail above.

  The intermediate portion 88 includes pixel housings 92A to 92Q that accommodate the pixels 36A to 36Q. The pixel housings 92A to 92Q have a certain shape and size and are interchangeable. Each of the pixel housings 92A to 92Q may be formed from a polycarbonate material having a strength suitable for supporting a human weight. The pixel housings are grouped as a set of four housings such as pixel housings 92A, 92G, 92C, and 92H. For example, when four pixel casings such as the pixel casings 92A, 92B, 92G, and 92H are connected, these are the casings having the first radius at the positions where all the four pixel casings face each other. 98 and a second radius housing 100 are formed. The first radius housing 98 houses a portion of the receiver 60 described in detail above. The second radius housing 100 houses the magnet 78 described in detail above. Further, each of the pixel casings 92A to 92Q is engaged with a fastener mechanism such as a fastener 97, and has a fastener portion 96 for fixing the pixel casings 92A to 92Q to each other and the base 94. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the intermediate portion 88 may be formed as a single unit.

  The base 94 includes a pressure sensor circuit 30, a receiving circuit 32, a controller 34, an interface circuit 38, and a speaker circuit 40 attached thereto. The base 94 also has various interconnection mechanisms for interconnecting the components of the lighting assembly 14 shown in FIGS.

  The lighting assembly 14 is configured as a square module, for example, about 16 inches long and about 16 inches wide. The intermediate unit 88 includes, for example, 16 pixel housings 92A to 92Q that accommodate 16 pixels 36A to 36Q, 4 receiving circuits 32, and 4 magnets 78. However, the illumination assembly 14 may have a smaller overall mechanical footprint comprised of a smaller number of pixel housings, such as, for example, no more than four pixel housings. May have a larger overall mechanical footprint composed of, for example, more than 16 pixel housings, eg, 24 pixel housings or 32 or more pixel housings Will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, the lighting assembly 14 provides the portability of the system 10, i.e., the system 10 can be transferred from a first entertainment facility to a second entertainment facility without requiring a technician with special skills. .

  FIG. 17 shows the bottom side of the upper portion 90. As shown in FIG. 17, the upper portion 90 includes one or more support shafts 104. The support shaft 104 is formed to have a size that fits within the housing 100 having the second radius. The support shaft 104 is connected to the intermediate portion 88 and supports the upper portion 90. Each support shaft 104 has a diameter and wall thickness corresponding to the diameter and opening dimension of the second radius housing 100 in the intermediate portion 88. Each support shaft 104 normally moves vertically in the second radius housing 100 and abuts against a flexible surface inserted into the second radius housing 100. Each support shaft 104 is also connected to a magnet 78 (not shown), whereby the magnet 78 moves in the vertical direction together with the support shaft 104. By connecting a magnet 78 to each support shaft 104, each pressure sensor circuit 30 can detect the pressure that a user applies to a portion of the lighting assembly 14.

  FIG. 18 shows a side cross section of the pixel housing 92. As shown in FIG. 18, each pixel housing 92 is connected to the base 94, the second side 93 </ b> B, and the third side 93 </ b> C of the illumination assembly 14 to form a part of the housing 100 having the second radius. It has the 1st side part 93A which comprises. The third side portion 93 </ b> C and the fourth side portion 93 </ b> D are connected to the base portion 94 of the illumination assembly 14 and function as a further support for the pixel housing 92. The third side portion 93C and the fourth side portion 93D constitute a part of the housing 98 having the first radius. Each pixel housing 92 includes an upper portion 91. FIG. 18 also shows a preferred position of the coil 76 described with reference to FIG. Each pixel housing 92 includes a bottom portion 95 having an opening dimensioned to accommodate the illumination source 58 described above with reference to FIG.

  The pixel housing 92 provides a low-cost and durable housing that can be used at any position within the intermediate portion 88. As a result, the damaged pixel casing 92 in the intermediate portion 88 can be easily replaced. Thereby, the illumination assembly 14 realizes an assembly that can be repaired without replacing the entire illumination assembly 14 when the pixel housing 92 is damaged.

  FIG. 19 shows a light-diffusing element 110 that is preferably used with each of the pixel casings 92 </ b> A to 92 </ b> Q and diffuses light emitted from the illumination source 58. The light scattering element 110 is provided so that the light emitted from the illumination source 58 has a certain color and illuminance over the entire upper portion 91 of the pixel housing 92. The light diffuser 110 has an opening 119 that fits within the pixel housing 92 and receives the illumination source 58. The light diffusing element 110 includes a bottom 111 that reflects light emitted upward from the illumination source 58 toward the upper portion 91 of the pixel housing 92 and projects the light through the upper portion 90 of the illumination assembly 14.

  The light scattering element 110 also includes a first tapered side portion 117 connected to the first joining portion 115, and the first joining portion 115 is also connected to the second tapered side portion 113. ing. Further, the second tapered side portion 113 is connected to the second joint portion 127, and the second joint portion 127 is connected to the third tapered side portion 125. The third tapered side portion 125 is connected to the third joint portion 123, and the third joint portion 123 is connected to the fourth tapered side portion 121. The light scattering element 110 has an open top.

  FIG. 20 shows the bottom surface of the intermediate portion 88. Specifically, the light diffusing element 110 is inserted into the bottom of the pixel housing 92 as indicated by the pixel housing 92A. The lighting element 58A fits into the opening 119 and illuminates the pixel housing 92A when driven. FIG. 20 also illustrates an advantageous layout of the lighting assembly 14 that minimizes the length of interconnects used to operate the lighting assembly 14. Furthermore, the configuration of the pixel housing 92 allows parts to be replaced, and errors during assembly of the lighting assembly 14 are significantly reduced.

  In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the position of one or more physical objects 12 relative to the illumination assembly 14 (ie, the play surface) of the illuminated system 10 is tracked. The position of the one or more physical objects 12 is tracked by analyzing data transmitted from the receiver provided in the lighting assembly 14 to the electronics 16. Specifically, the position of the physical object 12 relative to the lighting assembly 14 is determined based on which receiver receives the signal from the physical object 12 and conversely which receiver does not receive the signal.

  In one embodiment, a physical object 12 that is approximately the same size as a standard computer mouse is attached to the shoe of the user of the system 10. The physical object 12 includes three signal transmitters disposed on the outer periphery of the physical object 12. The signal transmitter is arranged to emit a signal from the physical object 12. The three signal transmitters are arranged so as to emit signals that form an angle of 120 ° with each other from the outer periphery of the physical object 12 at a substantially equal distance from each other. As the user moves relative to the lighting assembly 14, the signal pattern at the different receivers that receive the signal transmitted by the signal transmitter also changes. In addition, the orientation of the physical object 12 relative to the lighting assembly also affects which receiver receives the signal. For example, if the user is running and the toe of the shoe is facing down, the third transmitter transmits a signal that leaves directly from the lighting assembly 14 and this signal is not received; Only one pattern is received. It should be noted that the number of transmitters that transmit signals may be more or less than the three transmitters described herein, and the location of the signal transmitters on the physical object 12 without departing from the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that any change may be made.

  FIG. 21A shows a physical object 160 having dimensions that are approximately the same as a computer mouse. The physical object 160 includes signal transmitters 162, 164, 166 that are disposed at substantially equal distances from each other along the outer periphery of the physical object 160. Signal transmitters 162, 164, 166 generate signals that are emitted from the physical object 160 and detected by the receiver of the lighting assembly 14.

  A receiver on lighting assembly 14 that receives signals from signal transmitters 162, 164, 166 provides information to electronic device 16 based on the received signals. The position of the receiver that receives the signal forms a pattern on the illumination assembly 14. This pattern is analyzed based on the program to estimate the current position of the physical object 160 and optionally the expected future position. Also, in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the signal ID is compared to the previously determined position and parameters to verify the current position (ie, the physical object 160 attached to the shoe is selected). Over a certain sampling period cannot move beyond a certain distance). The illumination assembly 14 is mapped as a grid 168 marked by coordinates (see FIG. 21B).

  FIG. 21B shows a grid 168 on which the three patterns 172, 174, 176 detected by the receiver of the lighting assembly 14 are superimposed. Each receiver that registers a signal transmitted from a transmitter is plotted on a grid 168 by a pattern formed by connecting the coordinates of the outer circumference of the receiver. The outer peripheral coordinates are connected to adjacent coordinates by a line segment. The pattern of this embodiment is that generated by a physical object 160 that is all equal in size and density and is therefore oriented on or horizontally with respect to the lighting assembly 14. The patterns 172, 174, 176 are analyzed by determining the center 178, 180, 182 of each pattern. Pattern centers 178, 180, and 182 represent the center of each signal path and are used to determine the origin 184 of the signal (ie, the position of the physical object 160). In addition, based on the physical principle that the closer the signal is to the signal source, the stronger the signal is, the analog signal strength is used, so that the estimation accuracy of the signal origin can be increased. To reduce the need to process signal noise in this embodiment, digital signals are used.

  The system 10 determines the coordinates on the grid 168 of the receiver that received the signals of the signal transmitters 162, 164, 166, and creates a pattern. This process is similar to wrapping a rubber band around a plurality of nails protruding from a piece of wood (the position of the receiver corresponds to the nail). The rubber band forms an annular pattern. The pattern of the receiver is formed by drawing a line on the grid 168 so as to connect the coordinates of the outer circumference of the responding receiver. Adjacent outer perimeter coordinates are connected by line segments. Some receivers in the pattern may not respond due to game competitors standing on the receiver and blocking the signal, or due to some failure. To determine the center of the pattern, unresponsive receivers in the pattern are ignored. Then, the weighted average value of the outer peripheral line segment is calculated, and the center coordinates of the pattern are determined. Note that a larger weight is given to a long line segment in proportion to the length of the line segment. After calculating the center point 178 of the pattern 172, a probability zone of the probability density function is established by calculating the angle formed by each coordinate point on the outer periphery and the center point 178. The same processing is performed for the other patterns 174 and 176.

  Following the calculation of the center points of the three patterns 172, 174, 176, the center coordinates 178, 180, 182 of the three patterns are averaged to roughly predict the position of the physical object 160. Then, in the sampling algorithm for examining the probability density function (PDF) of the point at the object position, a concentric circle extending outward from the rough prediction center point is used by using this rough position prediction. PDF is a function that has an exact zero solution given by the physical properties of the included signal and a model of noise and other factors. If there is sufficient calculation power, an optimum PDF can be calculated.

  In this embodiment, approximate values are used in order to perform the calculation more efficiently. That is, in this embodiment, the following approximate value and model are used. The sampling points are classified into the probability bands by examining the vector angle formed by the sampling points with respect to the pattern center point using the already calculated probability zones. Next, it is determined whether the sampling point is within the boundary of the annular pattern. If the sampling point is within the boundary of the circular pattern, a smaller variance value is used in calculating the normal probability density function that decreases as the distance of the line segment increases from the sampling point. This function represents the ideal physical principle that the signal source is most likely near the edge of the signal pattern. If the signal source is far away, a further receiver receives the signal, and if the signal source is closer to the center of the pattern, the signal is received by that receiver.

  Since it is believed that noise is present in the environment, this physical principle is modeled with noise in mind using a stochastic method. In addition, this algorithm is based on a directional signal, and the direction of the signal means a directional angle to the physical object 160. When the established probability band is obtained, the direction angle of the object is estimated using the angle from the sampling point to the pattern center point as a further probability factor. The probability function decreases as the possible direction angle differs from the angle from the sampling point to the pattern center point. When a plurality of signal patterns are given, a PDF of sampling points is calculated for each signal pattern, and these are multiplied by each other to calculate a total PDF. Based on the fact that the physical object 160 can only have one direction angle, the direction angle of each PDF needs to be adjusted with respect to the direction angle of the other PDF (eg, the signal direction is 120 ° apart) If used, the angle used in the PDF must also be 120 ° apart). By integrating all possible angles or simply using the average, the best angle can be used in calculating the overall PDF.

  The sampling algorithm determines the probabilities determined from the xy center coordinates for the first pattern (representing the distance from the edge of the lighting assembly 14) and the angle between the center coordinates and the position of the physical object 160, the second and second The overall value is obtained by multiplying the xy center coordinates for the three patterns by the probability obtained from the angle between the center coordinates and the position of the physical object 160.

  Searching for the minimum number of sampling rings, to the extent that if the sampling algorithm returns a value that is less than 1% of the maximum value, the sampling algorithm is stopped and the xy coordinates representing the position of the physical object 160 As above, a PDF weighted average value of the highest value or a set of highest values is selected. Once the final position of the physical object 160 is calculated, this calculation result is based on the history of the position of the physical object 160 and additional information including pressure values from pressure sensors embedded in the floor of the lighting assembly 14. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that further verification may be performed. As a variant, this position may be calculated solely from pressure values, accelerometer values, or a combination thereof, or from a receiver pattern, accelerometer values, historical data, pressure values, or gyroscope values. May be. Furthermore, these information represent PDFs related to the position of the physical object, and may be multiplied together if available in an algorithm similar to the directional signal algorithm described above, thereby resulting in a final probabilistic Can be evaluated. After determining the final position, the orientation of the physical object 160 is calculated. This orientation is known as the transmitter's known range, the receiver's receiving ability, the accelerometer value from the accelerometer attached to the physical object 160, the gyroscope value from the gyroscope attached to the physical object 160, the transmission It is calculated by using a plurality of factors including the signal width alone or in combination. By calculating the orientation, the relative probability that the physical object 160 is in a particular direction is determined by examining the direction values that can produce the detected pattern.

  The processing procedure in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown in the flowchart of FIG. This process begins when the physical object 160 transmitter on the physical object 160 generates a signal (step 200). Several receivers of the lighting assembly 14 then receive the signal (step 202) and report the signal reception to the electronic device 16. The surface of the illumination assembly 14 is represented as a grid 168 and the coordinates corresponding to the position of the receiver detecting the signal are plotted on the grid (step 204). Each signal is identified by a physical object ID and a transmitter ID, and the coordinates mapped on the grid 168 form a pattern. Then, the center of the signal pattern is determined by the method described above (step 206). When one or more signals are detected (step 207), the same processing is repeated until the center of each pattern is determined. A weighted average is then applied to estimate the overall source of the signal corresponding to the physical object 160 location (step 208).

  In addition, error checking is performed using historical data and by comparing predictions based on parameters (eg, humans do not run 50 yards per second and the left and right shoes must be more than 15 feet apart) This may confirm the certainty of the object position prediction. After roughly estimating the position of the physical object 160, a PDF sampling algorithm is applied with the rough estimate as an initial value to make a more accurate estimate of the position and orientation of the physical object 160 relative to the lighting assembly 14 (step 210). Any combination of accelerometer values, historical data, pressure values, gyroscope values, or other available position data can be used to add parameters to the PDF for greater accuracy.

  The system 10 tracks the current position of the physical object 160 so that the system 10 can add reference information regarding the position of the physical object 160 when sending commands to the lighting assembly 14. The command may be a command that directs the generation of an illumination display with LEDs embedded in the illumination assembly 14. The command sent from the electronic device 16 via the transmitter may include instructions for illuminating the current position of the physical object 160 or a position offset from the current position of the physical object 160. The lighting display may be a white light, or individual fields in the command (ie, separate for red, blue and green diodes in RGB diodes, indicating individual signal strengths for each color diode) Colored light corresponding to the color indicated in the command field may be used. Alternatively, the command transmitted from the electronic device 16 may be a command related to the generation of audio effects by different parts of the system 10 relative to the current position of the physical object 160. For example, during the game, the lighting assembly 14 may make a sound at each step of the player wearing the physical object 160. Alternatively, in certain games, the player may change orientation depending on the sound emitted from the remote location of the lighting assembly 14. If a physical object (or a ball that is a physical object) 160 attached to the ball generates noise or is thrown on the surface of the lighting assembly 14, the path of the ball can also be shaded.

  In other embodiments, the position of the physical object 160 is measured based on the strength of the signal received by the receiver in the lighting assembly 14. The position of the physical object 160 is triangulated by comparing the strength of the signals from different receivers. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that exemplary embodiments of the present invention can measure the current position of physical object 160 in a variety of ways. The physical object 160 may comprise only one or two signal transmitters instead of three transmitters. The signal transmitters may be configured in different orientations that are not equal in distance from each other, and a plurality of receivers on the physical object 160 may form a special pattern that can be recognized by the electronic device 16. Further, the physical object 160 may be smaller or larger than the specific example shown without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the position of the physical object 160 may be measured only from a pressure sensor in the lighting assembly 14. Sensors in the lighting assembly 14 report pressure changes to the electronics 16. The clustering algorithm measures the position of the physical object 160 by grouping pressure reports into adjacent clusters of coordinates. The coordinates are sorted from the maximum pressure value to the minimum pressure value. Then, the pressure values are sequentially checked from the highest pressure value. If the pressure value is adjacent to an existing cluster, this pressure value is added to the cluster. In other cases, a new cluster is started from that pressure value and this process is repeated for all values. This algorithm is based on the physical principle that in the case of a single pressure source, the pressure value decreases strictly monotonically as it moves away from the center of the pressure source. Thus, if the pressure value decreases and subsequently increases along the collinear set of sensors, such pressure is considered to be caused by one or more pressure sources. Assuming that the foot size is not greater than 16 inches, if the cluster spans more than two grid coordinates, it is estimated that there are more than two feet.

  By adding the pressure values of each cluster, the total weight applied to the cluster can be known. This total weight functions as an indicator of whether the physical object 160 is landing, lifting, or staying. It will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that this pressure clustering algorithm can be used in combination with other position measurement methods described above, rather than as the only position measurement method. In addition, these pressure location methods can be used to adjust the position estimate of the device described above relative to the limb connected to the device, which applies pressure to the condition or surface of the device. In addition, pressure-based location estimation itself may not be required to track the device, but may be used in applications that only sense pressure applied to a surface by a user or other object.

  Furthermore, the system 10 also functions as an interface in one or more applications for performing specific functions in the system, such as games. As described above, the electronic device 16 can control and manage the system 10 and can execute application programs that meet various needs of users of the system 10. An application program can perform one or more additional functions of the system 10, each function can be independent of other functions, or can be integrated or coordinated with functions performed by other applications. May be. For example, the electronic device 16 may execute an application that processes an image so that the image can be displayed on the lighting assembly 14 or other display device. This allows the electronic device 16 to move and generate images that interact with the user and the physical object 160.

Images suitable for processing and display in the system 10 are known in the art as sprites. A sprite is a graphic image that can be moved within a larger graphic. An application program, such as an animation program that supports sprites, can generate an independent animation image and incorporate it into a larger animation. Each sprite typically has a set of rules that define how the sprite will move and behave when it encounters other sprites or static objects.
Sprites are data generated and generated by software, data supplied in real time, or from files from, for example, an image sensor or from an image or video format of, for example, GIF, JPEG, AVI or other suitable format Can be derived from any combination of the data streams. Sprites can be static images, images that change over time, animations, or videos.

  Other applications that can be executed by the electronic device 16 include applications for displaying static or dynamic character information on the lighting assembly 14 and other display devices and communicating with users of the system 10. In addition, the electronic device 16 duplicates the image across the lighting assembly 14 and other display devices so that the user of the system 10 can view the same information or entertainment displayed on the various devices in multiple directions. Other application programs including applications may be executed.

  The system 10, and in particular the electronics 16, can execute application programs that process sound and music data and generate or play sound from the lighting assembly 14 and the stereo system connected to the system 10. Sound and music data may be software generated sounds, sounds and music input to the microphones described above, data supplied in real time, or standard sound or music formats including, for example, MIDI, MP3, WAV or other formats Can be derived from any combination of data streams from these files. As such, the electronic device 16 has the ability to execute various application programs so that the system 10 displays various visual effects on the lighting assembly 14 and other display devices and communicates with the user. , Interact, educate, train, guide, and entertain users.

  Examples of effects that can be displayed by the system 10 include an explosion image having a visual effect similar to that of a fireworks or starburst explosion, and a maze where the user gets lost. The maze may be scrollable by the user to travel through the maze or return to try another route within the maze. Other visual effects that can be displayed by the system 10 include a simulated sports environment and sports related images. For example, you may simulate baseball infields and bases and balls, hockey links and packs, sticks and nets, real players, borders or markers, goals or nets, sticks, clubs, bats, rackets, holes and hoops (In other words, it may be displayed by a sprite).

  As a further aspect of the present invention, the system 10 may execute a software application that teaches the user the dance step, or may execute a software application that generates sound data based on the dance step by the user. That is, in the system 10, sounds such as dance steps and music can be synchronized and generated. As other applications that can be performed by the system 10, the system proceeds to the physical location above the lighting assembly 14 for the user and steps on, avoids, tracks, touches, kicks, jumps, or other A visual guidance cue may be provided to signal the user to take action. In addition, using these visual guidance cues, the user can take a predetermined action on the physical object 12 or an article incorporated in the physical object 12 and input voice or sound into the microphone, or It may be signaled that a predetermined movement, position or pattern operation is performed in front of one image sensor.

  Because the system 10 has the ability to execute software applications, the system 10 can generate artistic or creative media, which allows the user to use a pressure sensor disposed on the physical object 12, the lighting assembly 14. Or, sounds, images, or simulated objects can be created and processed on the lighting assembly 14 and other display devices via one or more of the other input devices of the system 10. Further, as a specific example of the ability to manipulate, generate and form light and image patterns by the system 10, the light and image patterns can be synchronized with sound, sound, music and beats and rhythms of music, Various patterns and images corresponding to the frequency may be generated. Thus, the system 10 has the ability to calculate or synchronize the adjusted data.

  As another aspect of the present invention, the system 10 provides an effective teaching material for teaching or training one or more students. The system 10 can interact with the student as a teaching material by visually displaying the question on the lighting assembly 14 or other display device or by asking the student using an acoustic system or headphones. Students can ask questions by actions observed, measured, or recorded by the system 10 using data from the lighting assembly 14, one of the physical objects 12, images from the image sensor, utterances or sounds captured by the microphone. Can answer. Furthermore, the system 10 can provide the student with a guidance cue as to what action the student should take as teaching material. For example, the electronic device 16 may cause the lighting assembly 14 to illuminate red indicating the wrong selection, or the lighting assembly 14 to illuminate green indicating the correct selection, or in conjunction with visual guidance, If it is wrong, provide a clue to urge you to try again, or provide a sound that tells you the correct answer if the student's choice is correct. The system 10 using the electronic device 16 may provide other forms of feedback to the student or user regarding the behavior of the student or user. Such other types of feedback include sound and other sensory feedback, such as vibration.

  In addition, the system 10 can measure and summarize various statistical information and show measurements for certainty, speed, accuracy, timing, position, angle, swing, action, or other behavior of the student. The system 10 is adapted to achieve education and training as teaching materials and includes more formal, for example, sports activities such as golf swing practice, primary education, university education, graduate education, seminars and other lectures. Provide educational activities in a classroom environment.

  In addition, the system 10 includes an interface for executing software applications on the system 10 that were not originally designed to be executed by the system 10. Thereby, for example, applications such as DOOM and QUAKE can be executed in the system 10, and the user of the system 10 can participate in a game of DOOM or QUAKE. The interface of the system 10 can be configured with a set of routines, functions, protocols and tools for the application to interact with and use the various output devices of the system 10, such as the lighting assembly 14. Further, the system 10 may be configured to execute an application that converts the user's input of the system 10 into appropriate input required by the application program for operation.

  In another aspect of the invention, the first system 10A communicates with the second system 10B via a network. The first system 10A and the second system 10B have a configuration similar to the system 10 described above, each having one or more lighting assemblies 14, one or more physical objects 12, and one or more And an electronic device 16. It should be noted that the third system 10C and the fourth system 10D or more systems may be connected to a network, and a plurality of systems may communicate from various physical locations via the network. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, these physical locations may be relatively close locations, such as different floors of the same building or different buildings within a campus, or these physical locations may be miles away. It may be a different city, county, state, country or similar area. This allows users of the system 10 to interact with local users and users at different physical locations. That is, users of the first system 10A compete with, cooperate, dating, meet, communicate, play, work, train, practice, learn, dance with the users of the second system 10B, and Other activities can be performed.

  As a result, the first system 10A and the second system 10B form a distributed system and can communicate with a set of one or more central servers via a network. The central server set coordinates commands, controls, requests and responses between the first system 10A and the second system 10B. Thereby, the user of the first system 10A can interact or communicate with the user of the second system 10B. In addition, the central server set provides the first system 10A and the second system 10B with one or more visual effects as described above to further enhance user interaction and communication between the two systems. be able to.

  As yet another aspect of the present invention, the system 10 may communicate with the electronic device 16A. The electronic device 16A is a personal computer such as a video game console such as Xbox ™, PlayStation ™ or other video game console, or other electronic device such as a PDA or a mobile phone connected to a wireless network. Also good. Thereby, the user of the electronic device 16A can communicate with the system 10 via, for example, a network, interact with the user of the system 10, and communicate. In addition, the user of the electronic device 16A can request the system 10 to perform a selected visual effect or system function performance, such as a status request or system health request, for example. Further, the user of the electronic device 16A can compete with the user of the system 10 in entertainment and educational activities. Thus, the system 10 allows the user of the electronic device 16A to communicate with the user of the system 10 and use the system 10 as a teaching material. For example, an instructor at a physical location can interact and communicate with multiple users of system 10 across multiple systems such as, for example, first system 10A and second system 10B. This allows the instructor to monitor each student's performance and provide useful feedback to all students or to a selected student in the form of a visual message or an audible sound message.

  The set of servers can provide additional functions to the first system 10A and the second system 10B. For example, one of the servers in the set of servers may store a database of available software applications that are manually or automatically selected for the system based on business needs, user requirements or contracts. Can be downloaded. For example, the owner or operator of the first system 10A subscribes to the basic package of the software application so that the owner or operator has access to the first set of applications and the second system 10B. The owner or operator subscribes to a sophisticated package of software applications, and the owner or operator of the second system 10B is not included in the basic package provided to the operator of the first system 10A. A newer, more advanced or more popular software application may be accessible. In addition, a set of servers can distribute and synchronize information regarding changes in each system 10. This allows each local copy of the software of each system 10 to be updated remotely in a distributed format. The change of the local copy of the program in each system 10 may be done automatically using, for example, a push technique, or manually, for example, waiting for the owner or operator of the system 10 to pull an update. You may go. It is possible to configure each system 10 to automatically pull program updates at periodic intervals for a set of servers, and to implement automatic program updates across various systems. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  The set of servers can support a database management system that manages a database of specific user information. Specific user information includes, but is not limited to, the user's name, age contact information, billing information, and the like. In addition, the database includes, for each user, for example, which physical object 12, license and program the end user owns, and if the user owns the physical object 12, the system 10 is physically By communicating with the object 12, for example, information relating to ownership information including information identifying the user can be registered for the purpose of billing, user preference, permission, and other functions. Thus, the database can be updated each time the user interacts with the system 10 with the physical objects 12 owned by the user. The system 10 can also communicate with the physical object 12 and change the user's rights or preferences based on specific user data registered in the database. For example, if the user purchases additional play time, or purchases a higher level of rights, the system 10 can update the physical object 12 to reflect such changes, and the user can With their own physical objects 12, they can move to other systems and automatically exercise their new level of rights.

  User preferences for various software applications or other programs, such as application programs originally designed and written for use in the system 10, such as DOOM, can be registered in the database. Furthermore, the system 10 can use a database in which statistical information regarding one or more users is tabulated. That is, scores, results, usage patterns or other evaluation measures are registered in a database so that a user using a physical object 12 or a personal electronic device 16 such as a mobile phone or a personal computer can access the database. It may be. It also customizes various software applications executed by the electronic device 16 by means of a database function in which user goals, wishes, intentions or other information is registered, and interaction between the system 10 or other users. There is an advantage that can be specialized for personal use. For example, the user can set a goal or desire to practice 25 swings or shots before starting a game or entering an activity.

  In addition, the user can send database queries using a graphical user interface. The graphical user interface may be a web-based interface that can be executed by a browser on the user's personal computer. This allows the user to change some of the information such as the user's current contractual relationship, user preferences, etc., or communicate with other users to reserve time in the system and make reservations The desired activity can be scheduled during the selected period. In addition, the user can interact or coordinate with other browsers or other users using the system 10 using a graphical user interface.

  In addition, the set of servers can provide functionality that allows users of the system 10 or other entities to supply applications that are generated to be executable on the system 10. Application delivery to a set of servers or services can be accomplished by email, web transaction or similar techniques. Similarly, a user of the system 10 or a creator of an application executed on the system 10 accesses a server set, and adds, changes, or deletes an application registered in the server, database, and server set. be able to. In addition, the set of servers monitors the use of applications on each system 10, thereby, for example, based on other contractual parameters such as agreement, licensing or transfer of ownership of applications that can be executed by the system 10. The royalty payment amount or other type of usage fee can be calculated, or the royalty payment amount or other type of usage fee can be calculated and settled.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, a software development kit (SDK) is provided for creating a software application that can be executed by the system 10 by a selected user or other individual. The SDK provides tools, frameworks, software hooks, functions and other software components useful or necessary for software applications to operate with the system 10. This allows individuals or entities to create and develop software applications for use with the system 10 that provide users of the system 10 with additional learning, gaming, sports and entertainment opportunities.

  Although the best mode of the present invention for achieving the object of the present invention has been described, it is possible to come up with various modifications based on this disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. It is clear to the contractor. For example, the present invention can be implemented using any combination of computer programming software, firmware or hardware. As a preparatory step for carrying out the invention or manufacturing a device according to the invention, the computer programming code according to the invention (which may be implemented in either software or firmware) is usually, for example, a fixed (hard disk). It is stored on a recording medium readable by one or more machines including a semiconductor memory such as a drive, diskette, optical disk, magnetic tape, for example ROM, PROM, etc., thereby producing a product according to the invention. Products containing computer programming code can be executed directly by executing code from a storage device or by copying the code from the storage device to another storage device such as a hard disk, RAM, etc., or for remote execution Used by sending a code to the network.

1 is a block diagram of a system suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a system suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the process for implementing exemplary embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram of a lighting assembly suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a lighting assembly suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an interface circuit suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a pixel suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a receiver suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a speaker suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a pressure sensor suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a physical object suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a process sequence for communicating with a physical object suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. It is a block diagram of the controller used suitably with the physical object shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the 1st interface circuit used suitably with the physical object shown in FIG. It is a block diagram of the 2nd interface circuit used suitably with the physical object shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the lighting assembly shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 17 is a bottom view of the top of the lighting assembly shown in FIG. 16. It is a side view of the pixel housing | casing used suitably with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a reflective element suitably used with the illumination assembly shown in FIG. FIG. 17 is a bottom view of an intermediate part of the illumination assembly shown in FIG. 16. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of transmitters on a physical object. FIG. 21B shows a pattern generated by a receiver of a lighting assembly that receives a signal from the transmitter shown in FIG. 21A oriented horizontally with respect to the lighting assembly. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process sequence for measuring the position and orientation of a physical object relative to a lighting assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Claims (40)

In user interactive system components:
Detecting means for detecting predetermined physical characteristics of the user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component;
A user interactive system component comprising: transmission means for transmitting the detected physical characteristic to the user interactive system controller by a data signal.   The user interactive system component according to claim 1, further comprising generating means for generating a user perceptible effect as a function of the detected physical characteristic. Receiving means for receiving from the user interactive system controller a data signal that produces an effect based on the detected physical feature;
The user interactive system component according to claim 1, further comprising: generating means for generating an effect perceivable by a user based on the data signal for generating the effect.   3. The user interactive system component according to claim 2, wherein the generating means for generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect includes a lighting element.   4. The user interactive system component according to claim 3, wherein the generating means for generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect includes a lighting element.   The detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component includes a detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of the user, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. The user interactive system component of claim 2, further comprising a user tracking component including transmission means for transmitting to the component.   The detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component includes a detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of the user, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. 4. A user interactive system component according to claim 3, comprising a user tracking component including transmission means for transmitting to the component.   The user interactive system component of claim 6, further comprising communication means for communicating with other user interactive system components.   8. The user interactive system component of claim 7, further comprising communication means for communicating with other user interactive system components.   The user interactive system component of claim 6, further comprising support means for physically supporting a user.   8. The user interactive system component of claim 7, further comprising support means for physically supporting a user. A user interactive system controller that enables data communication; and
A user interactive system component that enables data communication with the user interactive system controller, comprising:
Detecting means for detecting predetermined physical characteristics of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component;
A user interactive system comprising: a user interactive system component including transmission means for transmitting the detected physical characteristic by a data signal to a user interactive system controller.   13. The user interactive system of claim 12, wherein the user interactive system component comprises generating means for generating an effect perceivable by a user as a function of the detected physical characteristic. The user interactive system controller is
The user interactive system component comprises generating means for generating a data signal for generating an effect based on the detected physical feature data signal,
Receiving means for receiving from the user interactive system controller a data signal that produces an effect based on the detected physical feature;
13. The user interactive system according to claim 12, further comprising generating means for generating an effect perceivable by a user based on the data signal for generating the effect.   14. The user interactive system according to claim 13, wherein the generating means for generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect includes a lighting element.   15. The user interactive system according to claim 14, wherein the generating means for generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect includes a lighting element.   The detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component includes a detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of the user, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. 14. A user interactive system according to claim 13, comprising a user tracking component including transmission means for transmitting to the component.   The detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component includes a detection means for detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of the user, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. 15. A user interactive system as claimed in claim 14, comprising a user tracking component including transmission means for transmitting to the component.   18. The user interactive system of claim 17, wherein the user interactive system component comprises communication means for communicating with other user interactive system components.   19. The user interactive system of claim 18, wherein the user interactive system component comprises communication means for communicating with other user interactive system components.   The user interactive system of claim 17, wherein the user interactive system component comprises support means for physically supporting the user.   The user interactive system of claim 18, wherein the user interactive system component comprises support means for physically supporting the user. In a method of operation of a user interactive system component,
Detecting predetermined physical characteristics of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component;
Transmitting the detected physical characteristic to the user interactive system controller by means of a data signal.   24. The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 23, further comprising the step of generating a user perceptible effect as a function of the detected physical characteristic. Receiving from the user interactive system controller a data signal that produces an effect based on the detected physical feature;
The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 23, further comprising the step of generating an effect that is perceptible to a user based on the data signal that generates the effect.   The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 24, wherein the step of generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect comprises the step of causing a predetermined element to emit light.   The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 25, wherein the step of generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal for generating the effect includes the step of causing a predetermined element to emit light.   The step of detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component detects a predetermined physical characteristic of the user by using a user tracking component, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 24, comprising the step of transmitting to the component.   The step of detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component detects a predetermined physical characteristic of the user by using a user tracking component, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 25, comprising the step of transmitting to the component.   30. The method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 28, further comprising the step of communicating with another user interactive system component.   30. A method of operating a user interactive system component according to claim 29, further comprising communicating with other user interactive system components. In products that run user interactive system components,
Program logic that causes the control circuit to detect a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component and to transmit the detected physical characteristic to the user interactive system controller by a data signal A product comprising a computer readable medium for storing the.   33. A product as set forth in claim 32, causing the control circuit to perform a step of producing an effect perceivable by a user as a function of the detected physical characteristic.   Receiving to the control circuit from the user interactive system controller a data signal that produces an effect based on the detected physical feature; and an effect that can be sensed by a user based on the data signal that produces the effect 33. The product of claim 32, wherein the step of generating is performed.   34. The product of claim 33, wherein the step of generating an effect perceivable by the user based on a data signal that generates the effect comprises the step of causing a predetermined element to emit light.   35. A product as set forth in claim 34, wherein the step of generating an effect perceivable by the user based on the data signal generating the effect comprises the step of causing a predetermined element to emit light.   The step of detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component detects a predetermined physical characteristic of the user by using a user tracking component, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. 34. A product according to claim 33, comprising the step of transmitting to the component.   The step of detecting a predetermined physical characteristic of a user in the vicinity of the user interactive system component detects a predetermined physical characteristic of the user by using a user tracking component, and the detected physical characteristic is detected by the user interactive system. 35. The product of claim 34, comprising transmitting to a component.   38. The product of claim 37, causing the control circuit to perform a step of communicating with another user interactive system component.   39. The product of claim 38, causing the control circuit to perform steps of communicating with other user interactive system components.

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