Floor AR Marker Tracking for Multi-Player Shooting Games
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gun game systems struggle to distinguish between multiple players' shots accurately when they play simultaneously, as they rely solely on calculating the orientation of a gun controller based on a projected double-circle marker, leading to confusion in identifying individual contributions.
Innovation Solution
A shooting game system with multiple markers on the floor, each player's shooting device equipped with a camera angled differently, and processors calculating coordinates in a virtual space to determine the intersection point on the screen, allowing for accurate player identification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a conventional gun game system uses a single projected double-circle marker and calculates orientation based on camera imaging, then the system structure remains simple, but it becomes impossible to distinguish shots from multiple players playing simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The single marker is segmented into multiple markers arranged in a specific pattern on the floor. Each player's shooting device images a unique combination of these markers, allowing the system to distinguish between multiple players. The marker array is divided into multiple detectable units that can be individually identified and combined to create unique player signatures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-point marker reference to a multi-point spatial arrangement. By placing markers in a two-dimensional array on the floor and having cameras image multiple markers simultaneously, the system adds spatial dimensionality to player identification. The relative positions of imaged markers create a unique geometric signature for each player's location and orientation.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the camera is arranged to face the marker directly from the shooting direction, then the marker detection is simplified, but the gun muzzle obstructs the camera's view of the marker
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is nested within the gun structure, specifically positioned in the grip area or along the barrel. This nested arrangement allows the camera to be protected by the gun's own structure while maintaining an unobstructed view of the floor markers. The gun's body serves as a mounting platform that positions the camera optimally without requiring external attachments.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of positioning the camera at the front of the gun where it would be obstructed by the muzzle, the camera is positioned at the rear or side of the gun structure. This inverted positioning approach uses the gun's own body to clear the obstruction path, allowing the camera to image the markers without being blocked by the muzzle while still maintaining accurate shooting direction tracking.
3Reliability
If light emitting devices are attached to each shooting device for marker illumination, then each player's marker detection is independent, but the overall system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single set of light emitting devices positioned above the marker array serves all players simultaneously. The lighting system is designed to illuminate the entire marker field uniformly, allowing any player's camera to capture the markers with sufficient brightness. This shared lighting infrastructure replaces the need for individual lighting units on each gun, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining detection reliability for all players.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables correct differentiation of each player's shots even when multiple players play simultaneously, reducing processing load and maintaining a smooth gaming experience.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of shooting devices each provided with a camera that images the marker
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of light emitting devices that are arranged above the markers and emit light toward the markers, wherein the markers reflect the light emitted from the light emitting devices
Data Source
AI summary
A non-limiting example shooting game system comprises a game control PC that is communicably connected with a plurality of gun PCs. A shooting device is electrically connected to each of the gun PCs. The shooting game system is applied to an entertainment facility, and a plurality of AR markers are arranged side by side on a floor surface of the entertainment facility between a placement table of the shooting device and a front screen. Each shooting device is provided with an infrared camera module, and the AR marker is imaged by an infrared camera, and a position and a posture of the infrared camera are calculated based on an imaged image. Each of a plurality of players shoots at a target displayed on the front screen using the shooting device. A shooting direction for each player is calculated based on the posture of each infrared camera at a time of shooting, and an intersection point on the front screen by the shooting device is calculated for each player.