SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TRACKING INTERACTIVE OBJECTS - Patent application

Abstract

The interactive object control system includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine a respective signal strength of a respective signal received in a communication circuit from a respective interactive object of a plurality of interactive objects in an interactive environment, and, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to select a best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective signal strengths of the respective signals, and send instructions to the best candidate interactive object to activate one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] (CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 417,348, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR TRACKING AN INRERACTIVE OBJECT," filed October 19, 2022, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. [Background technology]

[0002] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of various aspects of the present disclosure. As such, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

[0003] To enhance a guest's experience in an entertainment environment, the entertainment environment often includes objects (e.g., props or toys) that are interactive, provide special effects, or both. For example, the special effects may provide customized effects based on the guest's experience within the entertainment environment or support a particular storyline within the entertainment environment. In a particular interactive entertainment environment, guests may own or be associated with objects that interact with the interactive entertainment environment in various ways. In one example, a guest may desire to use a handheld device (e.g., an object) to interact with the interactive entertainment environment and create a particular special effect. However, such interactive entertainment environments are often crowded with multiple guests. As such, communicating wireless signals that identify objects within such an interactive entertainment environment can be difficult when multiple guests are carrying their own unique objects. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Certain embodiments commensurate with the scope of the original claims are summarized below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, but rather are intended merely as a summary of certain disclosed embodiments. Furthermore, the disclosure may encompass a variety of forms that may be similar to or different from the embodiments set forth below.

[0005] According to one embodiment, an interactive object control system includes one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to determine a respective signal strength of respective signals received in a communication circuit from each interactive object of a plurality of interactive objects in an interactive environment. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to select a best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective signal strengths of the respective signals and to send to the best candidate interactive object an instruction to activate one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to tag the best candidate interactive object as a target interactive object in response to detecting emission from the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object. The instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to track movement of a target interactive object and provide output instructions to one or more object emitters, one or more special effects components in an interactive environment, or both, to generate special effects output based on the movement of the target interactive object.

[0006] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an interactive object control system includes receiving, at one or more processors, data indicating respective positions of a plurality of interactive objects relative to one or more sensors. The method also includes, using the one or more processors, selecting a best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective positions of the plurality of interactive objects relative to the one or more sensors. The method further includes, using the one or more processors, sending instructions to the best candidate interactive object to activate one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object. The method further includes, using the one or more processors, tagging the best candidate interactive object as a target interactive object in response to receiving additional data indicating detection of emission of light from the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object. The method further includes, using the one or more processors, tracking movement of the target interactive object and, using the one or more processors, providing output instructions to one or more emitters, one or more special effect components in the interactive environment, or both, to generate a special effect output based on the movement of the target interactive object.

[0007] According to one embodiment, an interactive object control system includes a first interactive object of a plurality of interactive objects, the first interactive object including a first light emitter and a first radio frequency identification tag circuit. The interactive object control system also includes a second interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, the second interactive object including a second light emitter and a second radio frequency identification tag circuit. The interactive object control system further includes a controller having one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to receive, from one or more sensors, a gesture signal indicative of performance of a gesture of one of the plurality of interactive objects. When executed by the one or more processors, the instructions cause the one or more processors to, in response to receiving the gesture signal, detect the presence of a first interactive object in the interactive area based on receiving a first signal from the first radio frequency identification tag circuit; detect the presence of a second interactive object in the interactive area based on receiving a second signal from the second radio frequency identification tag circuit; determine a first signal strength of the first signal; determine a second signal strength of the second signal; and, in response to the first signal strength being greater than the second signal strength, designate the first interactive object as the best candidate interactive object.

[0008] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like features represent like parts throughout. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an interactive object control system in accordance with the present technology; [Figure 2] 2 is a hardware schematic diagram of one embodiment of the interactive object control system of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present technology. [Figure 3]1 is a flow diagram of a method for detecting an interactive object in accordance with the present technology. [Figure 4] 1 is a flow diagram of a method for linking a user to an interactive object in accordance with the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] One or more specific embodiments are described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described herein. It should be understood that in developing such an actual implementation, as with any engineering or design project, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's particular goals, including compliance with system- and business-related constraints that may vary from implementation to implementation. Moreover, it should be understood that such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, but is a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for an engineer having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0011] When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” “an,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more elements. The words “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. One or more specific embodiments of the embodiments described herein are described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation may be described herein. It should be understood that in developing such an actual implementation, as with any engineering or design project, many implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's particular goals, including compliance with system- and business-related constraints that may vary for each implementation. It should also be understood that such a development effort may be complex and time-consuming, but is a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture by an engineer having the benefit of this disclosure.

[0012] Users (e.g., guests) of an interactive environment (e.g., an immersive experience or entertainment environment) may enjoy carrying or wearing objects (e.g., props, guest objects, interactive objects), such as by carrying handheld objects or wearing costume elements. The objects may be associated with a theme and may be swords, wands, tokens, medallions, headgear, figurines, stuffed animals, clothing (e.g., hats), jewelry (e.g., necklaces, bracelets, bands), other portable objects, or any combination thereof. Such objects may be used to facilitate interaction with the interactive environment. For example, a particular movement of a toy sword may be detected as an input that can initiate a special effect (e.g., displaying an image of an animated character, lights, sounds, and / or light effects). Such interaction in an interactive environment may generally be detected and controlled based on a sensor(s) and / or control circuitry that recognizes objects in the interactive environment (e.g., via object recognition or wireless communication). The sensors and / or control circuitry can control operation of the object and / or surrounding features based on recognition of the object, based on recognition of patterns associated with the object (e.g., movement or behavior of the object), etc. In some embodiments, the sensors and / or control circuitry may be positioned external to the interactive environment but can control features within the interactive environment. While feedback related to an object (e.g., special effects) may often be provided via components separate from the object within the interactive environment, the present embodiments may also operate to provide feedback (e.g., special effects) from within or on the object that can facilitate a deeper level of user immersion in the interactive environment.

[0013] As described herein, the embodiments relate to objects that may include any suitable type of interactive object in any suitable form, including in the form of a sword, wand, token, medallion, headgear, figurine, stuffed animal, costume (e.g., hat), jewelry (e.g., necklace, bracelet, band), etc. Additionally, the object may include on-board communication circuitry that, in operation, communicates object identification information and / or receives and transmits wireless signals. Furthermore, the object may include one or more on-board emitters, or any other suitable hardware or circuit components, to enable feedback (e.g., displaying special effects) and interaction with the interactive environment.

[0014] Without the disclosed embodiments, it may be difficult to individually address a single user and / or a single object in a crowded interactive environment containing many users and many objects. Additionally, without the present disclosure, it may be difficult to accurately locate and track a single object in a crowded interactive environment. It may be desirable to identify a single object in an interactive environment that corresponds to a user profile and to track the movement of the single object in the interactive environment. Indeed, such identification and tracking can facilitate direct and unique interaction with the single object, such as responding to the detected movement of the single object. For example, when a particular object in a group of similar objects is detected as performing a particular gesture, the present embodiments can cause special effects (e.g., special effects near or exhibited by the particular object) to be emitted from the particular object or from environmental components associated with it. Similarly, by simply detecting individual objects in an interactive environment, the present embodiments can enable respective interactions (e.g., special effects) to be individually targeted to each object. Such detection of individual objects can be based on object recognition, object movement in the interactive environment, and / or other identifying aspects. Furthermore, such directed individual interactions can be based on a profile (eg, a profile including the type of special effects preferred).

[0015] The disclosed interactive object technology enables user identification of a user and / or object identification of an object to arbitrate between multiple components of an interactive environment (e.g., a special effects system, a control system). In one embodiment, an interactive object control system can identify or locate a particular object within a group of similar objects present in the interactive environment. The interactive object control system can then, for example, activate or direct special effects for and / or based on the identified particular object, without necessarily activating or directing special effects for and / or based on other objects in the group. Communicating object identification information from a particular object can facilitate the identification of the particular object itself. However, to track a particular object within an interactive environment, the technology enables dynamic identification of the particular object in a manner specific to the particular user interacting with the particular object at a particular time.

[0016] In a particular interactive environment, multiple objects may exist. Distinction between the multiple objects may be limited. Identification and tracking methods may be utilized to direct special effects to individual objects based on the movement of the interactive objects within the interactive environment. To accomplish this, an interactive object control system within the interactive environment may include a controller that can detect one or more objects using image data (e.g., infrared [IR] camera images) and also receive object identification information (e.g., identification numbers) via signals (e.g., data) at a particular radio frequency (e.g., range). The controller can identify a best candidate object from the multiple objects based on the received signal strength of the signal providing the object identification information, a user profile associated with the object identification information, and / or any other suitable selection criteria. The controller can transmit special effect commands or other operational commands to a single object identified as the best candidate object. The special effect commands or other operational commands may include commands to activate one or more onboard emitters, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of the object, that emit light (e.g., in the visible spectrum or the detectable IR spectrum). The interactive object control system may include a camera that provides image data and may also detect an illuminated object (e.g., an object with one or more illuminated LEDs) among the plurality of objects. In this manner, the interactive object control system may effectively tag the illuminated object as a desired target object of interest, locate the target object of interest, and continue to track the movement of the target object of interest via one or more sensors. For example, the one or more sensors may track the movement of the target object of interest over time, and the object motion data may then be transmitted to a controller such that special effect commands are directed based on the movement of the target object of interest over time.The one or more sensors may track movement via communication with a communications circuit, via image analysis of images including reflected light from detectable markers on a target object of interest, via image analysis of images including emitted light from a target object of interest, and / or via any other suitable technique.

[0017] Objects according to this embodiment may be interactive objects (such as toys) that can be used within an interactive environment to enable greater variability in the experience by enabling personalized output from user interactions. The user interactions may include equipment (e.g., displays, lights, speakers, and / or haptic devices) that provide special effects or other types of output, including special effects or other types of output that can be directed to a particular user based on associating the detected object with a user profile, etc. Specifically, the user interactions operate to detect object identification information associated with a particular object, associate the object identification information with a user profile (e.g., via communication with a controller), and provide output based thereon (e.g., via communication with an effects system within the interactive environment). Linking the user profile to the user interactions can facilitate selecting special effects based on information or data associated with the user profile.

[0018] The interactive environment may be part of an amusement park, entertainment complex, retail facility, etc. The disclosed systems and methods may include at least one or more interactive environments in a themed area having a shared theme. Furthermore, the disclosed systems and methods may include additional or other immersive environments having different themes, but which are located within the same amusement park or entertainment facility. In some embodiments, the interactive environment may be a live show in which users are spectators and may be able to participate in the live show using their objects. When referring to an interactive environment, the interactive environment may include a specific area of ​​a theme park where users can interact with interactive elements in that area. Furthermore, the interactive environment may also include different locations that are geographically separated from each other or scattered throughout a theme park. The interactive environment may also be a remote location. For example, a user may establish an interactive environment in their home or any other location via an electronic device associated with the user (e.g., the user's electronic device, home console).

[0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of an interactive object control system 10 in accordance with the present technology. In one embodiment, the interactive object control system 10 can receive or detect interactive object identification information, which may include a unique device identification number, light (e.g., infrared (IR) light), etc., from one or more interactive objects 20 in an interactive environment 14. The interactive environment 14 may include an area within range for communication between one or more emitters 28 and one or more sensors 16 of the interactive object control system 10. In one embodiment, the object identification information may be based on a detectable marker 21 on a housing 22 of the interactive object 20. The detectable marker 21 may include a reflective material, a retro-reflective material, etc. Thus, the detectable marker 21 may be detected by the interactive object control system 10 based on reflectivity, for example, such that one or more interactive objects 20 passively provide object identification information. In one embodiment, the object identification information may be based on a unique identification code stored via a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on or within the housing 22 of one or more interactive objects 20, and the unique identification code may be transmitted to the interactive object control system 10 (e.g., read by an RFID reader of the interactive object control system 10).

[0020] As shown, a user 12 can interact with an interactive object control system 10. The interactive object control system 10 includes one or more emitters 28 (which may be all or part of a light-emitting subsystem having one or more light-emitting devices and associated control circuitry) that emit one or more wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., light such as IR, ultraviolet, visible light, radio waves, etc.). In one embodiment, the one or more emitters 28 can emit light within any suitable IR range corresponding to the retro-reflectivity range of the detectable markers 21 of the interactive object 20 (e.g., 800 nanometers [nm] to 1100 nm). The one or more emitters 28 can be multi-frequency light emitters and can emit light across different and / or multiple IR ranges (e.g., 800 nm to 850 nm, 900 nm to 1100 nm), which can facilitate detection of multiple interactive objects 20.

[0021] The interactive object control system 10 may also include one or more sensors 16, such as cameras, that can capture reflected light from detectable markers 21 on one or more interactive objects 20. The one or more sensors 16 can detect light (e.g., limited to light within any suitable range, such as within the 800 nm to 1100 nm range or any suitable IR range). As described, one or more interactive objects 20 may include detectable markers 21, which may be retroreflectors that filter light across different bands (e.g., of the IR spectrum) so that only certain frequencies are reflected in a detectable form based on the range. For example, a first interactive object 20A may communicate light filtered across the 800 to 850 nm IR range, and a second interactive object 20B (e.g., an additional interactive object) may communicate light filtered across the 900 to 1100 nm IR range. The one or more sensors 16 may capture reflected light from one or more interactive objects 20 and communicate data indicative of the reflected light to the interactive object control system 10. The interactive object control system 10 may then sort the received reflections (e.g., from lower IR range to higher IR range) to aid in identifying the one or more interactive objects 20.

[0022] A first set or type of one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., a particular model or version that may have a first set of features, such as the absence of light emitters and / or tactile devices) may include respective detectable markers 21 having a first retroreflector range (e.g., 800 nm to 850 nm), while a second set of types of one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., other models or versions that may have a second set of features, such as light emitters and / or tactile devices) may include respective detectable markers 21 having a second retroreflector range (e.g., 900 nm to 1100 nm), etc. Indeed, in some embodiments, one or more interactive objects 20 may include multiple interactive objects (e.g., some of the first set or type and some of the second set or type). The different ranges may help identify one or more interactive objects 20, identify features of one or more interactive objects 20, and / or distinguish multiple interactive objects from one another. The interactive object control system 10 can use this information to perform appropriate further interaction steps based on the characteristics of one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., multiple interactive objects in a group). For example, as described in more detail herein, the interactive object control system 10 may proceed to direct illumination of a light emitter on a best candidate interactive object that is predicted to be a first set or type of one or more interactive objects 20 that include a light emitter, but may not do so if the best candidate interactive object is predicted to be a second set or type of one or more interactive objects 20 that do not have a light emitter (alternatively, the interactive object control system 10 may proceed to track the best candidate interactive object, such as via reflected light from a detectable marker 21, without the further step of identifying or tagging the best candidate interactive object).

[0023] Additionally, one or more sensors 16 (which may be all or part of a detection subsystem having one or more sensors, cameras, etc., and associated control circuitry) may detect one or more signals transmitted (e.g., reflected, via radio waves) from one or more interactive objects 20. The interactive object control system 10 may also include a controller 18 for controlling the operation of the one or more emitters 28 and one or more sensors 16 (emission subsystem and sensor subsystem), as well as for implementing various signal processing routines resulting from the emission and detection processes. The controller 18 may be directly or communicatively coupled to the one or more emitters 28 and / or one or more sensors 16. As shown, the interactive object control system 10 may include one or more interactive objects 20 (illustrated as handheld objects), each including a housing 22 having an outer surface 24 capable of supporting a detectable marker 21. In one embodiment, the interior of the housing 22 may include communication circuitry 26 (e.g., an RFID tag).

[0024] As shown, the communications circuitry 26 can actively or passively communicate the specific object identification information of each of the one or more interactive objects 20 to one or more sensors 16 in the interactive environment 14. In one embodiment, the communications circuitry 26 can include an RFID tag. In this manner, the communications circuitry 26 can communicate the object identification information of each of the one or more interactive objects 20 to one or more sensors 16 (implemented as a receiver, RFID reader, or any other suitable communications circuitry) of the interactive environment 14, which can then communicate the object identification information to the controller 18 of the interactive object control system 10. In general, the communications circuitry 26 may enable wireless communication of object identification information between the respective hardware of each of the one or more interactive objects 20 and the respective hardware of the interactive object control system 10, and the object identification information relating to one or both of the user profile and the object profile may be dynamically updated and used to generate personalized commands sent from the controller 18 to the respective interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or the interactive environment 14.

[0025] In one embodiment, one or more emitters 28 are external to (e.g., remote from) one or more interactive objects 20. One or more emitters 28 can emit electromagnetic radiation (shown as expanding beams of electromagnetic radiation for illustrative purposes) to selectively provide electromagnetic radiation in the interactive environment 14. Electromagnetic radiation, in certain embodiments, can represent multiple beams of electromagnetic radiation (beams of electromagnetic radiation or light) emitted from one or more sources (e.g., different sources that are all part of an emission subsystem including one or more emitters 28) of one or more emitters 28. For example, the different sources can include a visible light source, an infrared light source, etc., emitting respective electromagnetic radiation across respective desired wavelengths. Furthermore, one or more emitters 28 can include one or more sources for providing electromagnetic radiation, such as light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, etc. Electromagnetic radiation generally represents any form of electromagnetic radiation that can be used by the present embodiments, such as forms of light (e.g., infrared, visible light, ultraviolet [UV], and / or other bands of the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g., radio waves, etc.)). However, it is currently recognized that specific bands of the electromagnetic spectrum may be used depending on various factors. For example, in one embodiment, one or more emitters 28 may provide electromagnetic radiation that is invisible to the human eye and / or not within the audible range that humans can hear, so that the electromagnetic radiation used does not distract the user from the experience. Furthermore, it is also currently recognized that certain forms of electromagnetic radiation, such as certain wavelengths of light (e.g., infrared), may be more desirable than others depending on a particular setting (e.g., whether the setting is "dark" or whether people are expected to cross the path of the beam). The detectable marker 21 may be a retroreflector, such as reflected light in a particular range (e.g., in the 800-1100 nm range, or a subset thereof) emitted from one or more emitters 28. As described herein, the reflected light may be detected by one or more sensors 16, which can facilitate generating data indicative of the presence or movement of one or more interactive objects 20.

[0026] In one embodiment, a combination of one or more emitters 28 and one or more sensors 16 (implemented as receivers, such as IR cameras) of the interactive environment 14 may be used to match a particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 with a user profile and to track the movement of the particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 within the interactive environment 14. This may allow special effects to be directed at the tracked particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or displayed within the interactive environment 14 based on a particular user profile associated with the tracked particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or the movement of the tracked particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. For example, an IR projector (e.g., one or more emitters 28) may emit IR light, which is then reflected off at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20 within the interactive environment 14 and then detected by at least one of the one or more sensors 16. In one embodiment, the types of detected light may be used alone or in combination to facilitate identification of not only the location of one or more interactive objects 20 but also the associated user profile (e.g., a particular light filter in a retroreflector may be associated with a particular user profile). However, additional detectable characteristics of one or more interactive objects 20 and / or user 12 may be additionally or alternatively utilized to achieve similar purposes. For example, at least some of one or more sensors 16 may receive identification information (e.g., identification numbers) and / or triangulated location information based on RFID tags of one or more interactive objects 20 within the interactive environment 14, which may be stimulated to provide identification information upon receipt of radio signals emitted via one or more emitters 28.

[0027] To correlate a particular action with an output (e.g., a special effect), the present embodiment may associate a particular action based on particular detectable criteria or with a particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects 20. For example, in an attempt to identify a particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 on which a particular gesture is performed, the controller 18 may receive detected object identification information (whether based on light detection, RFID detection, or both) for the one or more interactive objects 20 and obtain one or more user profiles corresponding to the identification information (e.g., identification numbers) of the one or more interactive objects 20. The controller 18 may also receive location information for the one or more interactive objects 20 based on light detection, RFID detection, etc. The location information may include, for example, signal strength, which may indicate the distance of a particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 from the respective sensor 16 at which the signal was detected. In another example, the location information may be the size of the image (e.g., corresponding to a retroreflector detected by a camera of one or more sensors 16), which may indicate the distance between the respective camera from which the image was captured and a particular interactive object of one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., based on the average object size and / or the average size of the retroreflector).

[0028] In one embodiment, the object identification information and / or location information may then be used to select a best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20. The best candidate interactive object may include a particular interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 that may have performed the gesture. In one embodiment, the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be selected based on the respective received signal strengths of the respective signals from the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 has the strongest signal strength), a user profile (e.g., the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 is associated with a user of a particular age and / or height), or any other selection criteria, or any combination thereof (e.g., the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 has the strongest signal strength among all child users in a particular age range). Thus, the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be based on one or more factors, changes in the factors, changes in a threshold associated with the factors (e.g., signal strength above a threshold), etc.

[0029] In any case, once a best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 is identified, the controller 18 may send a signal to the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 to activate one or more object emitters 30 (e.g., on-board LEDs or speakers of the one or more interactive objects 20) of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 to emit light, sound, or some other detectable emission. Such emissions from the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be detected to confirm its location and identity. As a specific example, the controller 18 may emit a signal to the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., by controlling a signal to activate an associated RFID tag of the best candidate interactive object). The best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., an RFID tag of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20) may receive the signal and automatically activate one or more object emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 to display light (e.g., light in the visible spectrum), sound, or any suitable emission effect that may be used for identification and / or tracking. In one embodiment, the RFID tag of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 may send a signal to other communication circuitry that may send a signal to activate one or more object emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. The interactive object control system 10 may then confirm the presence, locate, and / or otherwise identify the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 to be the only interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 that provides emission (e.g., the only interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 that flashes an LED).The best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be activated to provide only a momentary or short emission for an appropriate time interval (e.g., milliseconds, less than one second) to enable detection of the emission by one or more sensors 16, while the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be activated to provide a longer, continuous and / or repetitive emission (e.g., continuously or periodically while within range of one or more emitters 28 and one or more sensors 16, or some other periodic time) to facilitate detection over time.

[0030] The controller 18 can use the cameras of the one or more sensors 16 to detect and tag (e.g., apply a tag to) a best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 when it provides detectable emissions (e.g., light in the visible spectrum). In this regard, the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 is designated as a tagged or confirmed interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20, and may also be designated as a target object for tracking. Such tagging can facilitate monitoring of the movement (e.g., movement, motion, or motion data) of the confirmed interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. Once tagged, the camera can continuously monitor the movement data of the confirmed interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 throughout the interactive environment 14. The camera can send the movement data to the controller 18. The controller 18 can analyze the motion data and activate special effects on the identified interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or send commands to the identified interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 to implement special effects within the interactive environment 14 based on the motion data. For example, the motion data associated with the identified interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 can correspond to a particular movement or gesture (e.g., waving an arm, tracing a triangle in, etc.) that causes the controller 18 to transmit a signal instructing a special effect (e.g., visual, haptic, light, sound) from the identified interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or in the interactive environment 14. The controller 18 can process the motion data and compare the motion data to motion profiles stored in memory to select a special effect (e.g., a look-up table stored in a database in the memory of the controller 18, where one gesture, such as waving an arm, triggers one special effect, another gesture, such as drawing a triangle, triggers another special effect, etc.).Additionally, because a confirmed interactive object of one or more interactive objects 20 is associated with a user profile, certain aspects of the user profile may be used (e.g., to personalize special effects or personalized gesture detection thresholds).

[0031] In one embodiment, the interactive object control system 10 can select the best candidate interactive object from among one or more interactive objects 20 through other techniques. For example, the controller 18 can send a signal (e.g., a non-specific signal) to one or more interactive objects 20, which can activate one or more emitters 30 of one or more interactive objects 20 within range of the signal. The signal can cause one or more object emitters 30 of one or more interactive objects 20 within range of the signal to emit light, sound, or other detectable emissions. Such emissions from one or more interactive objects 20 can be detected to detect location and identity. For example, one or more object emitters 30 can each illuminate with a unique color and / or a unique pattern. One or more sensors 16 (e.g., cameras) capture images, and the controller 18 can evaluate the images to identify unique colors and / or unique patterns, and the controller 18 can reference a lookup table that links the unique colors and / or unique patterns with corresponding interactive objects and / or corresponding user profiles of the one or more interactive objects 20. The controller 18 can also tag individual interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 based on the detection of the unique colors and / or unique patterns. In this regard, each of these interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be considered a tagged or identified interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 that is a target object of interest for tracking purposes. Such tagging can facilitate monitoring of motion (e.g., movement, motion, or motion data, etc.) corresponding to the identified interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. For example, once tagged, a camera can continuously monitor motion data of the identified interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14.

[0032] As generally disclosed herein, detection of interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be controlled by a controller 18, which may activate one or more emitters 28. Activation may be indiscriminate, such that the one or more emitters 28 continuously emit electromagnetic radiation of a particular wavelength or frequency corresponding to the communication circuitry 26 (e.g., to induce return of object identification information from the communication circuitry 26). Any interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 positioned within the interactive environment 14 and within range of the one or more emitters 28 may be activated to emit a signal indicative of the object identity of that interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 29 to one or more sensors 16 (e.g., RFID readers) dispersed throughout the interactive environment 14. Each interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., each of various categories or types of interactive objects) may be operable to respond to the same activation signal from the one or more emitters 28 in a unique manner, facilitating identification. For example, all blue toy sword interactive objects among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be activated by an emitter signal to emit a blue light, while all red toy sword interactive objects among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be activated by the same emitter signal to emit a red light. Such differentiation can facilitate identification when users 12 are in smaller groups or groups with defined combinations of interactive objects among the one or more interactive objects by at least narrowing the possibilities and / or providing unique lighting (e.g., all groups are provided with blue toy swords, red toy swords, yellow toy swords, and green toy swords throughout the interactive environment 14).

[0033] As described herein, the one or more interactive objects 20 may include multiple interactive objects. In such cases, tracking multiple objects in the interactive environment 14 and distinguishing between the multiple interactive objects may be difficult, particularly when two or more interactive objects are close to each other and performing gestures intended to create special effects as part of the interactive experience. However, during operation in such scenarios, each interactive object of the multiple interactive objects may be activated to exhibit a unique light emission to facilitate distinguishing between the multiple interactive objects. Furthermore, in one embodiment, activation of the multiple interactive objects may be selective. Specifically, the controller 18 may process object identification information transmitted from the multiple interactive objects via their respective communication circuits 26. Furthermore, upon receiving the object identification information, the controller 18 may identify a particular interactive object of the multiple interactive objects as the best candidate interactive object of the multiple interactive objects (e.g., based on signal strength) and selectively send a signal directed to (e.g., only) the selected interactive object of the multiple interactive objects. Additionally, once a particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects is placed and selected, the controller 18 may activate one or more emitters 28 to send a signal to the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects. The signal may activate components of the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, causing an emission from one or more object emitters 30 of the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects. The emission from the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects may be detected to ascertain the presence of the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, the location of the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects within the interactive environment 14, etc.Emission from a particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects may allow the controller to tag the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, and continuous motion tracking may help isolate a movement made by the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, even when the particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects is surrounded by other interactive objects of the plurality of interactive objects (one or more interactive objects 20). In this manner, the controller 18 may determine that a particular interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects (one or more interactive objects 20) has performed a particular action (e.g., a gesture), even when other interactive objects (one or more interactive objects 20) of the plurality of interactive objects are in close proximity. In one embodiment, the controller 18 may enable or disable special effects on the particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or within the interactive environment 14 based not only on the movement of the particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20, but also based on a particular narrative (e.g., theme), user profile, etc.

[0034] In order for the one or more interactive objects 20 to provide emission (e.g., to activate on-board LEDs), the one or more interactive objects 20 may include an on-board power source. For example, some of the one or more interactive objects 20 may include a near field communication (NFC) coil disposed inside the some of the one or more interactive objects 20. The NFC coil may facilitate charging and / or a power boost for each of the one or more interactive objects 20 by obtaining a charge via the transfer of energy from an external device associated with the user 12 (e.g., a mobile phone, which may be implemented as a toy or a wearable device, NFC charging). The external device may include a holster and / or holder for some of the one or more interactive objects 20 so that the some of the interactive objects 20 may be continuously charged as the user 12 moves through the interactive environment 14. Some of the one or more interactive objects 20 may include a rechargeable energy reservoir or energy source (e.g., battery, supercapacitor, etc.) that can intercept and store energy, such as energy from one or more emitters 28 (e.g., RFID readers), electronic devices associated with the user 12 (e.g., the user's electronics), accessories of some of the one or more interactive devices, etc. The rechargeable energy source can facilitate providing an effect (e.g., light emission) even when power is not provided from an external power source.

[0035] In one embodiment, one or more interactive objects 20 may be recharged throughout the day when on display and / or when not being used by user 12. Charging methods for one or more interactive objects 20 may include charging over ultra-high frequency (UHF) radio frequencies and medium- to long-range charging methods via charging using near-field communication (NFC) methods (e.g., NFC coils, near-field communication devices, etc.) disposed within one or more interactive objects 20. It should be understood that any of the above charging methods may be implemented individually or in combination. Additionally, the described power harvesting techniques may be used directly by on-board special effects of one or more interactive objects 20 and / or may be used to charge batteries or power storage of one or more interactive objects 20 that can power special effects.

[0036] As described above, one or more interactive objects 20 may include an NFC coil to facilitate powering of the one or more interactive objects 20. However, the NFC coil may enable pairing of a user's interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 with a user's electronic device to provide interactivity between the user's electronic device and the user's interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20. For example, a user's electronic device (e.g., a mobile device of a user 12) may pair with a user's interactive object(s) of one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., a magic toy ring) and cause transmission of interactive object performance data (e.g., past effects) to the user's electronic device. Performance data of the user's interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be processed and displayed to the user 12 via an application on the user's electronic device so that the user 12 can view their own performance statistics (in real time, if desired), which may include statistics associated with past experiences, ride experiences, and / or shows.

[0037] 2 is a schematic diagram of the interactive object control system 10 illustrating communication between one or more interactive objects 20 and various components of the interactive object control system 10 external to the one or more interactive objects 20. The disclosed techniques for detecting or locating one or more interactive objects 20 as disclosed herein may utilize one or more sensors 16 (e.g., optical sensors, image sensors, etc.) that provide location and / or movement data of the one or more interactive objects 20.

[0038] In operation, the one or more sensors 16 can detect one or more interactive objects 20 based on detectable markers 21 (e.g., retro-reflector markers) on the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or via RF communication with communication circuitry 26 of the one or more interactive objects 20. As noted above, additional or alternative sensing methods may be utilized to detect the presence of a user 12 and / or one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14. The communication circuitry 26, which may include an RFID tag, can transmit electromagnetic radiation indicative of object identification information to one or more sensors 16 in the interactive environment 14. Similarly, aspects of the detectable markers 21 (e.g., shape, filtered color) can be correlated to object identification information (e.g., via lookup table reference).

[0039] The processor 40 of the controller 18 can use this data to link a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 with a particular user in the interactive environment 14. The controller 18 can send targeted signals or commands (e.g., personalized special effect signals) to the communication circuitry 26 of a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 based on the association of the user 12 with the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. Additionally, the controller 18 can update a user profile based on the user's interactions within the interactive environment 14. The targeted commands or signals sent by the controller 18 can be processed by an object controller 39 overlaid on the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. The object controller 39 can activate a special effects system 52, which can be powered either passively (e.g., via power harvesting) or actively (e.g., by a power source), to emit personalized special effects for the user's profile and / or for the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. The unique activation of such special effects from a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 can facilitate identification of the user and / or the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20, since the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 can be the only one of the one or more interactive objects 20 among a group of the one or more interactive objects 20 that provides the special effect. Furthermore, special effects within the interactive environment 14 based on actions (e.g., gestures) performed by a particular interactive object 20 can be specialized based on association with the user 12 (e.g., theme according to theme preferences specified in a user profile).

[0040] In the illustrated embodiment, the communication circuitry 26 may emit wireless signals that communicate the object identification information via an RFID tag, infrared light signals, or the like. The one or more sensors 16 may receive the object identification information and transmit the object identification information to the controller 18. The object identification information may then be utilized by the processor 40 of the controller 18. Specifically, for example, the controller 19 may link a user profile with an interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 based on the object identification information. When attempting to link an interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 with a specifically detected action (e.g., positioning, location, gesture) performed by a group of interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20, the controller 18 may determine that the interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 is the best candidate interactive object within the interactive environment 14 based on one or more factors, which may include an associated received signal strength of a plurality of received signals. Thus, the best candidate interactive object may correspond to a particular interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 that emits a signal with the highest received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value, which measures the amount of power present in the signal. Identifying the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may involve referencing a user profile associated with the signal. For example, the user profile may specify an address for the RFID tag of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20, and the controller 18 may initiate transmission of a response signal (e.g., a radio frequency signal) to this address to activate one or more object emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20.Upon detection of emission from one or more object emitters 30 by one or more sensors 16, the interactive object control system 10 may tag the emitting interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20, verify its identity, and facilitate further monitoring of the emitting interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 over time so that unique effects (e.g., associated with a user profile of the emitting interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20) may be associated with the emitting interactive object(s) 20 based on actions performed.

[0041] h In one embodiment, once a best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 is selected (but not yet identified), one or more object emitters 30 of the other interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 are deactivated so that the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 can be more easily identified because it should be the only interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 that emits light via one or more object emitters 30. In other words, temporarily blocking light emission from all interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects in a given area except for the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., for a millisecond, less than a second) can allow the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 to be efficiently tagged and tracked by the interactive object control system 10. This is in part because the interactive object control system 10 cannot process additional light emitted from other interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14. The object emitters 30 of each of the other, non-best candidate interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be deactivated when a best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 is identified and a signal is sent from the controller 18 to the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 to activate its one or more object emitters 30. If the best candidate interactive object belongs to the one or more interactive objects 20 identified through this process, the other object emitters 30 may be deactivated. If the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 does not emit light as expected or is not detected to emit the expected light, confirmation cannot be made and a new selection process may be initiated.

[0042] In one embodiment, once a best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 is selected (but not yet confirmed), one or more emitters 28 may be temporarily turned off (e.g., for a millisecond, less than a second), while one or more object emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 are activated and illuminated. Such a technique takes advantage of the detectable markers 21 so that only the one or more object emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 are illuminated (e.g., on), and the other non-best candidate interactive objects among the one or more interactive objects 20 are not illuminated (e.g., dim, off), facilitating confirmation of the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20. Once the best candidate interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 is confirmed through this process, one or more emitters 28 may be reactivated. If the best candidate interactive object among one or more interactive objects 20 does not emit light as expected or is not detected as emitting light as expected, confirmation cannot be made and a new selection process may be performed.

[0043] The memory 42 of the controller 18 may store user profiles of multiple users 12 who have previously matched with multiple interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment. The user profile of an application associated with the interactive environment 14 may be updated based on the activity of each interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 within the interactive environment 14. The controller 18 may update the user profile based on the user's experience with an interactive object of the one or more interactive objects within an area of ​​the interactive environment 14. This may enable special effects to be differentiated based on the user profile throughout the interactive environment 14 and across multiple visits to the interactive environment 14. The user profile may include information associated with the user 12, which may include user-specific characteristics determined before the first use of an interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and after the first use of an interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. These characteristics may enable further differentiation of special effect commands based on the particular user 12. For example, if user 12 requests to join a group or selects a particular category from a predefined selection of categories, the user profile may be updated to display this information. Controller 18 may send special effect signals based on the user profile. This may include outputting a particular colored LED, a sound effect, a haptic effect, a visual display, or any combination thereof.

[0044] In one embodiment, the controller 18 can send a haptic effect command to at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20, where the haptic effect command triggers a haptic effect (e.g., via one or more haptic devices) at the at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20. By way of example, the haptic effect can create a tactile experience by applying vibration or other motion to the at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20. By creating a sense of touch or stimulating the sense of touch, the user 12 can become more immersed in the interactive environment 14 because the stimuli can be experienced more realistically. In one embodiment, the haptic effect command can provide a particular intensity for the haptic effect, which can be adjusted for each of the at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20, for example, based on the height 25 of each of the at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20 relative to the floor of the interactive environment 14. This can facilitate providing appropriately specified effects for children or adults based on the proximity associated with the height. The one or more interactive objects 2- may include one or more on-board position sensors, which may include inductive position sensors, digital height measurement sensors, inertial measurement units, or any other suitable position sensors that detect and output respective signals indicative of the height of the one or more interactive objects 20 above the ground 25. The controller 18 and / or object controller 39 may then cause the haptic device of a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 to emit a stimulation effect of a certain intensity based on the height of the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 above the ground 25 (which may approximate the age of the user).In one embodiment, the haptic effect intensity of a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may increase as the respective height of the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 above the ground 25 increases, with a positive correlation between the height of the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 above the ground 25 and the haptic effect intensity. For example, respective heights above the ground between approximately 30 inches (76.2 cm) and 50 inches (127 cm) may result in a first haptic effect of weaker intensity than respective heights above the ground between 55 inches (139.7 cm) and 100 inches (257 cm). In some embodiments, individual users 12 may select the intensity of the haptic effect in a user profile (e.g., via input into an application on the user's electronic device that provides access to the user profile). For example, a user 12 may indicate or select a preferred haptic intensity regardless of the detected height of the user's interactive object(s) 20 above the ground 25. Each user's interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 allows the user 12 to provide input (e.g., via one or more input devices on each interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20) to select the intensity of haptic effects for the interactive environment 14.

[0045] In one example, a particular detected motion pattern of a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be received via one or more sensors 16 (based on object identification information from the one or more sensors 16) and evaluated by the controller 18. A particular type of motion pattern may be associated with activating different colors, such as one motion pattern activating a red object emitter 30 on a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 and another motion pattern activating a blue object emitter 30 on a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. Based on the detected motion pattern, instructions for activation of light colors of the one or more object emitters 30 are sent to the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. Special effect instructions may include instructions to set the intensity, color, or interval pattern of light activation, one or more of which may be varied based on characteristics of the sensed motion pattern and / or user profile characteristics. In one embodiment, activation of on-board special effects results in a continuous interactive experience that provides feedback to user 12 (e.g., user 12 has properly performed a particular movement pattern), and a lack of or weak special effects (e.g., activation of a relatively dim light of a particular color, such as red or yellow) indicates that the interaction should be improved or modified (e.g., user 12 has not properly performed a particular movement pattern).

[0046] In one embodiment, the characteristics of light emitted by one or more object emitters 30 of a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 are based on environmental conditions (e.g., cloud cover, time of day, lighting) of the interactive environment 14. The controller 18 may receive environmental condition data via one or more sensors 16, which may include, by way of example, photoelectric sensors that track light intensity throughout the day. The controller 18 may send commands to the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 based on the light intensity. For example, if it is dark (e.g., at dusk, when light effects in the interactive environment 14 are dimmed or turned off) and the light intensity of the interactive environment 14 is measured and is below a threshold light value, the command to turn on the one or more object emitters 30 of the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may include an instruction to increase the brightness to illuminate at a first, brighter intensity. However, if it is bright (e.g., early afternoon and light effects in the interactive environment are bright or on) and the light intensity of the interactive environment 14 is measured and meets or exceeds a threshold light value, the command to illuminate one or more object emitters 30 of the interactive object 20 may include an instruction to decrease the brightness to illuminate at a second, lower brightness. The brightness may be adjusted between a maximum brightness and a minimum brightness based on a sliding scale using the light intensity in the interactive environment 14 or according to some other algorithm that varies the brightness taking into account the light intensity in the interactive environment 14. In some cases, while the light intensity is within a normal range of light intensities, a default or baseline brightness may be applied, but while the brightness is outside of the normal range of light intensities, the brightness may be adjusted (e.g., increased when the light intensity is lower than the normal range of light intensities and decreased when the light intensity is higher than the normal range of light intensities). Adjusting the light based on environmental conditions can aid visibility and / or aid in power conservation for the interactive object 20, for example, rather than providing a uniform light intensity.For example, the light output may be adjusted based on environmental conditions, and the brightness / intensity of the light output may be reduced to provide power savings when it is detected that environmental conditions provide good visibility to a user to see the light emitted by one or more object emitters 30, even at lower brightness / intensity.

[0047] The controller 18, which drives the one or more emitters 28 and receives and processes data from the one or more sensors 16, may include one or more processors 40 and memory 42. The processors 40, 48 and memories 42, 50 are generally referred to herein as “processing circuitry.” By way of specific, but not limiting, example, the one or more processors 40, 48 may include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more general-purpose processors, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the one or more memories 42, 50 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and / or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory, an optical drive, a hard disk drive, or a solid-state drive. In some embodiments, the controller 18 may form at least a portion of a control system for coordinating the operation of various amusement park features, such as amusement park attractions and the interactive object control system 10. It should be understood that the subsystems of the interactive object control system 10 may also include similar features. In one example, the special effects system 52 may include processing capabilities via the processor 48 and memory 50. Additionally, the object controller 39 may include integrated processing and memory components. Alternatively, the controller 18 may control components of the interactive object 20.

[0048] The controller 18 may be part of a distributed, decentralized network of one or more controllers 18. The distributed network of one or more controllers 18 may be in communication with a park central controller and a park central server. The distributed network of one or more controllers 18 may facilitate reducing the processing time and processing power required for one or more controllers 18 distributed throughout one or more interactive environments 14. The distributed network of one or more controllers 18 may be configured to obtain user profiles by requesting the user profiles from a profile feed stored in the park central server. The user profile feed may include user performance associated with interactive objects, user experience level, past user locations, and other user information. One or more controllers 18 may subscribe to a profile feed containing multiple user profiles stored in the park central server and operate as an edge controller that caches the feed to receive one or more user profiles contained in the feed.

[0049] In some embodiments, the interactive environment 14 may include one or more controllers 18. The one or more controllers 18 in the interactive environment 14 may communicate with each other through the use of a wireless mesh network (WMN) or other wireless and / or wired communication means. Special effect commands may be generated by a controller 18, a distributed node of controllers 18, or a dedicated local controller associated with the interactive environment 14 and communicating with one or more interactive objects 20.

[0050] In another embodiment, the interactive object control system 10 may include a microphone array 62 that can detect one or more audio outputs by the interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14. Each of the one or more interactive objects 20, via the object controller 39, can detect when a particular movement is performed and emit a particular sound (e.g., a unique sound for a movement or gesture, such as a first sound for tracing a circle in space and a second sound for an up and down movement by jumping). The microphone array 62 can detect the particular sounds and send audio data associated with each of the one or more interactive objects 20 to the controller 18. The controller 18 can then send one or more special effect signals to the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or components of the interactive environment 14 based on the audio detection (e.g., a first animated character is displayed with a first movement that can be indicated by a first sound, a second animated character is displayed with a second movement that can be indicated by a second sound, etc.).

[0051] At least one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may include a power source 56, which may be a battery or a power harvester, such as a radio frequency-based power harvesting antenna or a light harvester. A power source 58, such as harvested power, is used to power one or more functions of at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20, such as the special effects system 52. For example, the power source 56 may power a plurality of light emitting diodes having red, green, blue, and white (RGBW) emitters.

[0052] 3 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 70 for detecting one of one or more interactive objects 20 and activating one of the one or more interactive objects 20 in accordance with the present technology. Generally, the method 70 includes processes for detecting the presence of one or more interactive objects 20 within the interactive environment 14, identifying or tagging at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20, and tracking the movement or action of each of the at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20. Identification of the one or more interactive objects 20 is facilitated through the use of one or more sensors 16 (e.g., IR sensors, visible light sensors, radio frequency sensors) distributed within the interactive environment 14.

[0053] The method 70 includes a controller 18 that, at block 72, determines that one or more interactive objects 20 are present in the interactive environment 14 based on data received from one or more sensors 16. The interactive environment 14 may include one or more emitters 28 that emit electromagnetic radiation and / or visible / ultraviolet light into the interactive environment 14. In an embodiment, using a communication circuit 26 of at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20, the communication circuit 26 may be activated by the electromagnetic radiation, causing the communication circuit 26 to emit a wireless signal that provides object identification data to the one or more sensors 16. In an embodiment, using a detectable marker 21, the detectable marker 21 reflects the visible / ultraviolet light emitted from the one or more emitters 28 for detection by the one or more sensors 16 in the interactive environment 14. The detectable marker 21 may include characteristics (e.g., color filtering, shape) that can be detected in the retro-reflected light and associated with profile information including the object identification data.

[0054] The controller 18 evaluates a user profile associated with one or more interactive objects 20 based on data received from one or more sensors 16 (e.g., unique identifiers from RFID tags, retroreflective properties, object identification data) at block 74. The controller 18 may query a database stored in memory and determine information about each user profile and / or each of the one or more interactive objects 20 based on the data. Each user profile may include user past experiences, user references, user information, etc.

[0055] With regard to identifying a particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 that is performing an action (e.g., located at a particular location, performing a gesture), the controller 18 selects a best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 in block 76 based on the data (e.g., indicative of the unique identifier from the RFID tag, the retroreflective characteristics, the object identification data, and the signal strength provided via the communication circuitry 26) and / or based on a respective user profile associated with each of the one or more interactive objects 20. The best candidate interactive object may be selected based on the signal strength (e.g., indicative of an estimated proximity to the one or more sensors 16 and / or the one or more emitters 28), the user profile, etc. For example, two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be within range of a sensor 16 (e.g., an RFID reader), while one of the two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be in proximity to the sensor 16. The controller 18 may determine, based on the emission detector data, that the closer of the two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 is the best candidate interactive object. As another example, two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be within range of the sensor 16, but one of the two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be associated with a child user and the other of the two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be associated with an adult user. The controller 18 may reference the image data and determine that the action was performed at a height relatively close to the ground and with a relatively small range of movement (e.g., performed in a relatively small volume in space).The controller 18 may also refer to the user profile to select one of two interactive objects of the one or more interactive objects 20 associated with the child user as the best interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20.

[0056] The controller 18, in block 78, sends instructions to activate one or more emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects based on a unique identifier of the best candidate interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., a unique identifier obtained via communication with the communications circuitry 26). The one or more object emitters of some of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be one or more LEDs of each interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20, audio elements of each interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20, or any other hardware capable of providing an emission effect. The instructions to activate the one or more object emitters 30 may be provided via a radio frequency signal directed to activate a specific RFID tag of the best candidate interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20. However, other activation mechanisms may be utilized according to this embodiment.

[0057] The controller 18 may tag or confirm the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 as the target object for monitoring at block 80 based on receipt of data (e.g., from one or more sensors 16) indicating detection of an emission effect from one or more emitters 30 of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. For example, the activated object emitters 30 may be one or more LEDs of the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. The visible light camera sensor 16 may detect light from the LEDs and associate the light with the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14. In this manner, the best candidate interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 is confirmed and may then be designated or tagged for tracking with confidence that the object to be tracked has been properly identified. For example, the best candidate interactive object among one or more interactive objects 20 tagged in this manner can be more easily tracked in space in image data acquired over time about the interactive environment 14 with relatively high accuracy using the techniques described herein.

[0058] The controller 18 may track the movement of the target object within the interactive environment 14 (e.g., via one or more sensors 16) at block 82, and the movement data may be transmitted to the controller 18. The controller 18 may send additional signals to the tracked interactive object(s) of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or to components within the interactive environment 14 based on the movement data. For example, the controller 18 may trigger lights, sounds, haptic effects, and / or other effects (e.g., displaying an image of an animated character, etc.) based on the movement data, the user profile, etc.

[0059] It should be appreciated that the technique for identifying the best candidate object among the one or more interactive objects 20 may be triggered by detection of the performance of a gesture by at least one of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., in response to receiving a signal from one or more sensors indicating the performance of a gesture, such as a swaying movement in space). Thus, when one of the users 12 moves their interactive object among the one or more interactive objects 20 to perform a gesture (any suitable recognized gesture), for example, the interactive object control system 10 retrieves and / or analyzes identification information, signal strength information, etc. to perform blocks 72-82 of the method 70.

[0060] 4 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method 90 for linking a user 12 with a particular one of one or more interactive objects 20 in accordance with the present technology. The particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may be linked to the electronic device of the user 12 and / or a user profile of the user 12, and special effects may be personalized based on the user's interactions with the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20.

[0061] The method 90 includes the controller 18 establishing near field communication (NFC) at block 92 to pair a particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 with an electronic device associated with the user 12. The controller 18 may enable charging the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 (e.g., powering for operation and / or charging a battery) using the electronic device based on the NFC pairing at block 94. The NFC coil may enable pairing the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 with the user's electronic device to enable interactivity between the user's electronic device and the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20. For example, the electronic device may pair with the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 to enable transmission of interactive object performance data to the electronic device. The particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 performance data may be processed via an application on the electronic device for display of real-time performance statistics to the user 12.

[0062] The controller 18 may monitor the movement of the particular one or more interactive objects 20 in the interactive environment 14 during NFC pairing between the user's electronic device and the particular one or more interactive objects 20, at block 96. Thus, the particular one of the one or more interactive objects 20 may communicate information to the electronic device, such as special effects and / or the movement of the particular one or more interactive objects 20. The method 90 may include receiving, at block 98, via the controller 18, a unique identifier from the particular one or more particular interactive objects 20 and / or other information that enables the controller 18 to access object identification information for the particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. The controller 18 may use the unique identifier and / or other information to evaluate a profile of the particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20 and / or a user profile.

[0063] The controller 18 may update a profile (e.g., an interactive object profile and / or a user profile) associated with a particular interactive object of the one or more interactive objects (e.g., to mark an achievement) at block 100 based on the unique identifier and / or other information, information received at the user's electronic device (e.g., a user selection of preferences), and / or movement of the particular interactive object associated with the one or more interactive objects in the interactive environment 14. As described herein, the controller 18 may communicate with the user's electronic device and, in this manner, reflect the updates via an application on the electronic device for display of real-time performance statistics to the user. In one embodiment, the interactive object control system 10 may utilize edge computing to collect object identification information via radio frequency communication with one or more interactive objects 20. The controller 18 may retrieve an associated user profile from a user profile database and, based on the user profile, send instructions to the user's electronic device and / or the user's interactive object of the one or more interactive objects 20. In this manner, the controller 18 can direct personalized special effects to one or more interactive objects 20 based on a user profile.

[0064] For ease of explanation and to illustrate various cases, specific examples include light emission in the IR range, however, any suitable range may be utilized to enable the techniques described herein (e.g., visible light, IR and / or visible light). For example, any suitable light range may be emitted by the emitter and object emitter, and any suitable range may be detected by the sensor, camera, etc. While only certain features of the invention have been shown and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the present disclosure.

[0065] The technology presented and claimed herein refers to and applies to objects and examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve upon the state of the art, and is not abstract, intangible, or purely theoretical. Furthermore, if any claim appended hereto contains one or more elements recited as "for [performing] [function]..." or "steps for [performing] [function]...," it is intended that such elements be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claim containing elements recited in any other manner, it is intended that such elements not be construed under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

Claims

1. 1. An interactive object control system comprising: one or more processors; a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: determining a signal strength of each of the signals received in the communication circuit from each of the plurality of interactive objects in the interactive environment; selecting a best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective signal strengths of the respective signals; sending instructions to the best candidate interactive object to activate one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object; tagging the best candidate interactive object as a target interactive object in response to detecting emission of the best candidate interactive object from the one or more object emitters; tracking the movement of the target interactive object; providing output instructions to the one or more object emitters, one or more special effects components in the interactive environment, or both, to generate special effects outputs based on the movement of the target interactive object; and a memory for performing An interactive object control system, including:

2. The interactive object control system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more object emitters include one or more light emitters configured to emit light, one or more speakers configured to emit sound, or both.

3. 2. The interactive object control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more object emitters include one or more light emitters configured to emit light, and the instruction to the best candidate interactive object activates the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object to emit light.

4. 2. The interactive object control system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to provide the output instructions to the one or more object emitters to generate the special effect output.

5. 5. The interactive object control system of claim 4, comprising the plurality of interactive objects, wherein the one or more object emitters comprise one or more light emitters configured to emit light, one or more speakers configured to emit sound, one or more haptic devices configured to emit haptic effects, or any combination thereof, and wherein the output instructions are configured to activate the one or more object emitters to cause one or more light emitters to emit light, the one or more speakers to emit the sound, the one or more haptic devices to emit the haptic effects, or any combination thereof.

6. 2. The interactive object control system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to provide the output instructions to the one or more special effect components in the interactive environment to generate the special effect output, the one or more special effect components including a display, a light emitter, a speaker, a haptic device, or any combination thereof.

7. 2. The interactive system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to access respective user profiles for the respective interactive objects of the plurality of interactive objects in the interactive environment based on the respective signals received in the communication circuitry.

8. 8. The interactive object control system of claim 7, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to select the best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the signal strength of the respective signals and the respective user profiles.

9. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: selecting an additional best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the signal strength of the respective signals in response to the emission from the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object not being detected; sending the instruction to the additional best candidate interactive object to activate one or more additional object emitters of the additional best candidate interactive object; 2. The interactive object control system according to claim 1, wherein the interactive object control system executes the following:

10. 1. A method of operating an interactive object control system, comprising: receiving, at one or more processors, data indicative of a position of each of a plurality of interactive objects relative to one or more sensors; selecting, using the one or more processors, a best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective positions of the plurality of interactive objects relative to the one or more sensors; using the one or more processors to send instructions to the best candidate interactive object to activate one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object; using the one or more processors, tagging the best candidate interactive object as a target interactive object in response to receiving additional data indicating detection of emission from the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object; using the one or more processors to track movement of the target interactive object; using the one or more processors to provide output instructions to the one or more object emitters, to one or more special effects components in an interactive environment, or both, to generate special effects outputs based on the movement of the target interactive object; A method comprising:

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data indicative of the respective positions of the plurality of interactive objects relative to the one or more sensors comprises signal strengths of respective radio frequency signals transmitted from the plurality of interactive objects.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the data indicative of the respective positions of the plurality of interactive objects relative to the one or more sensors includes respective characteristics of respective reflected light signals from the plurality of interactive objects.

13. 13. The method of claim 12, comprising using one or more processors to instruct one or more emitters to emit light that generates the respective reflected light signals from the plurality of interactive objects.

14. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the data indicates a unique identifier for each of the plurality of interactive objects, and the method includes using the unique identifier for each of the best candidate interactive objects to direct the instructions to the best candidate interactive object to activate the one or more object emitters of the best candidate interactive object.

15. 11. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the special effect output based on the movement of the target interactive object comprises sending the output instructions to activate the one or more object emitters to emit light, sound, haptic effects, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 10 , comprising using the one or more processors to evaluate a respective user profile for the respective interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects in the interactive environment.

17. 17. The method of claim 16, comprising using the one or more processors to select the best candidate interactive object from the plurality of interactive objects based on the respective positions of the plurality of interactive objects relative to the one or more sensors and the respective user profiles.

18. 1. An interactive object control system comprising: a first interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, the first interactive object including a first light emitter and a first radio frequency identification tag circuit; a second interactive object of the plurality of interactive objects, the second interactive object including a second light emitter and a second radio frequency identification tag circuit; and 1. A controller including one or more processors and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receiving a gesture signal from one or more sensors indicative of performance of a gesture with respect to one of the plurality of interactive objects; In response to receiving the gesture signal, detecting a presence of the first interactive object in an interactive area based on receiving a first signal from the first radio frequency identification tag circuit; detecting a presence of the second interactive object in the interactive area based on receiving a second signal from the second radio frequency identification tag circuit; determining a first signal strength of the first signal; determining a second signal strength of the second signal; and designating the first interactive object as a best candidate interactive object in response to the first signal strength being greater than the second signal strength; a controller that executes An interactive object control system, including:

19. 20. The interactive object control system of claim 18, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to send a command to the first radio frequency tag circuit of the first interactive object to activate the first light emitter of the first interactive object in response to designating the first interactive object as the best candidate interactive object.

20. The instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: tagging the best candidate interactive object as a target interactive object in response to receiving a sensor signal from the one or more sensors, the sensor signal indicating detection of light emitted by the first light emitter of the first interactive object; tracking a movement of the target interactive object and generating a special effect output based on the movement of the target interactive object; 20. The interactive object control system of claim 18, wherein the interactive object control system executes the following:

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