System and method for augmented maintenance of a gaming system
Disclosed is a method for enabling a user in an augmented reality gaming venue to use an augmented reality system and a mobile device to display augmented reality by overlaying a virtual 3D object over a physical 3D object. The method includes: enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a 3D object via camera on the mobile device; determining if there are image tags on the 3D object in the live camera image; using the one or more image tags to access information used by the augmented reality system; and overlaying virtual 3D objects onto a live camera image of the virtual 3D object on a display of the mobile device to produce augmented reality effects, wherein the virtual 3D objects deliver targeted content a user that assist in performing maintenance on the 3D object.
1. A method of enabling an augmented reality interaction system and a mobile device to overlay a virtual 3D component over a physical 3D component with which the virtual 3D component interacts, the method comprising:
controlling a camera on the mobile device using the augmented reality interaction system;
enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a gaming machine cabinet via the camera;
determining if there are image tags on the gaming machine cabinet in the live camera image;
in response to identifying images tags on the gaming machine cabinet, producing a virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet;
determining virtual 3D components to be displayed over an image of a virtual gaming machine cabinet, wherein the virtual 3D components include a plurality of elements each having a depth value and the virtual gaming machine cabinet includes a plurality of elements each having a depth value;
comparing a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D components to a virtual depth rendering of the virtual gaming machine cabinet;
in response to the comparison, subtracting the elements of the virtual 3D components that have a lower depth value than elements of the virtual gaming machine cabinet at corresponding spatial positions; and
overlaying virtual 3D components without the subtracted elements onto a live camera image of the virtual gaming machine cabinet on a display of the mobile device to produce augmented reality effects, wherein the virtual 3D components deliver targeted content to a user that assists in performing maintenance on the gaming machine.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the maintenance to be performed on the gaming machine includes reconnecting a loose wire, filling a ticket printer, filling a hopper, directing a technician where to insert a key, directing a technician which buttons to select, directing a technician which connections to check, and combinations thereof.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein maintenance assistance provided includes displaying text, displaying a pre-recorded video, displaying an augmented virtual ticket printer overlaid over a real ticket printer with animation of virtual tickets being inserted into this virtual printer, displaying an augmented virtual component overlaid over a real corresponding component, and combinations thereof.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags outside of the cabinet that identify the gaming machine cabinet to the augmented reality maintenance system, and wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags inside of the cabinet that assist with displaying augmented reality effects within the gaming machine cabinet.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags inside of the cabinet that assist with displaying augmented reality effects within the gaming machine cabinet.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein augmented reality content is overlaid over a captured camera image if an image tag identified in the captured image within the gaming machine cabinet.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: using a depth buffer to determine which elements of a 3D rendering are visible to a virtual camera.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: determining the z-value of each element is compared against an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, wherein if the existing z-value is greater, the pixel is drawn, and wherein if the existing z-value is less than an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, then the pixel is discarded.
9. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: rendering the virtual gaming machine cabinet by mapping the image tag co-ordinates to the gaming machine cabinet co-ordinates using vector subtraction.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising: combining the camera video image with the rendering of the additional virtual 3D component minus the virtual gaming machine cabinet.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein a CAD model having spatial parameters is associated with an image tag.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet is a virtual depth-only rendering of the gaming machine cabinet.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein virtual rendering of the gaming machine cabinet extracts 2D information from the display of the gaming machine to produce a 3D image of the gaming machine.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: overlaying virtual graphics in a position within 3D space on a display of the mobile device that augmenta the display of the gaming machine with 3D to create complex augmented reality.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein an object recognition system of the augmented reality gaming assistance component establishes a communication channel between the augmented reality component and the gaming machine so that additional elements of the game may be augmented on the mobile device and elements of the game content may be influenced by the augmented state.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the augmented reality translation system of the augmented reality assistance component extracts a first language from the display of the gaming machine and translates the first language into a second language that is visible to the user in place of the first language.
17. A method of enabling an augmented reality interaction system and a mobile device to overlay a virtual 3D component over a physical 3D component with which the virtual 3D component interacts, the method comprising:
enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a 3D object via a camera on the mobile device;
determining if there are image tags on the 3D object in the live camera image;
in response to identifying images tags on the 3D object, producing a virtual rendering of the 3D object;
determining virtual 3D components to be displayed over an image of a 3D object, wherein the virtual 3D components include a plurality of elements each having a depth value and the virtual 3D object includes a plurality of elements each having a depth value;
comparing a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D components to a virtual depth rendering of the virtual 3D object;
in response to the comparison, subtracting the elements of the virtual 3D components that have a lower depth value than elements of the virtual 3D object at corresponding spatial positions; and
overlaying virtual 3D components without the subtracted elements onto a live camera image of the virtual 3D object on a display of the mobile device to produce augmented reality effects, wherein the virtual 3D components deliver targeted content to a user that assists in performing maintenance on the gaming machine.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the maintenance to be performed on the gaming machine includes reconnecting a loose wire, filling a ticket printer, filling a hopper, directing a technician where to insert a key, directing a technician which buttons to select, directing a technician which connections to check, and combinations thereof.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein maintenance assistance provided includes displaying text, displaying a pre-recorded video, displaying an augmented virtual ticket printer overlaid over a real ticket printer with animation of virtual tickets being inserted into this virtual printer, displaying an augmented virtual component overlaid over a real corresponding component, and combinations thereof.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags outside of the cabinet that identify the gaming machine cabinet to the augmented reality maintenance system, and wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags inside of the cabinet that assist with displaying augmented reality effects within the gaming machine cabinet.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the gaming machine cabinet includes image tags inside of the cabinet that assist with displaying augmented reality effects within the gaming machine cabinet.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein augmented reality content is overlaid over a captured camera image if an image tag identified in the captured image within the gaming machine cabinet.
23. The method of claim 17 , further comprising: using a depth buffer to determine which elements of a 3D rendering are visible to a virtual camera.
24. The method of claim 23 , further comprising: determining the z-value of each element is compared against an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, wherein if the existing z-value is greater, the pixel is drawn, and wherein if the existing z-value is less than an existing depth buffer z-value at the same screen co-ordinate, then the pixel is discarded.
25. The method of claim 23 , further comprising: rendering the virtual 3D object by mapping the image tag co-ordinates to the 3D object co-ordinates using vector subtraction.
26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising: combining the camera video image with the rendering of the additional virtual 3D component minus the virtual 3D object.
27. The method of claim 17 , wherein a CAD model having spatial parameters is associated with an image tag.
28. The method of claim 17 , wherein the virtual rendering of the 3D object is a virtual depth-only rendering of the 3D object.
29. The method of claim 17 , wherein virtual rendering of the 3D object extracts 2D information from the display of the gaming machine to produce a 3D image of the gaming machine.
30. The method of claim 17 , further comprising: overlaying virtual graphics in a position within 3D space on a display of the mobile device that augment the display of the gaming machine with 3D to create complex augmented reality.
31. The method of claim 17 , wherein an object recognition system of the augmented reality gaming assistance component establishes a communication channel between the augmented reality component and the gaming machine so that additional elements of the game may be augmented on the mobile device, and elements of the game content may be influenced by the augmented state.
32. The method of claim 17 , wherein the augmented reality translation system of the augmented reality assistance component extracts a first language from the display of the gaming machine and translates the first language into a second language that is visible to the user in place of the first language.
33. A method of enabling a user in an augmented reality gaming venue to use an augmented reality system and a mobile device to display augmented reality by overlaying a virtual 3D object over a physical 3D object, the method comprising:
enabling a user to capture a live camera image of a 3D object via camera on the mobile device;
determining if there are image tags on the 3D object in the live camera image;
using the one or more image tags to access information used by the augmented reality system; and
overlaying virtual 3D objects onto a live camera image of the virtual 3D object on a display of the mobile device to produce augmented reality effects, wherein the virtual 3D objects deliver targeted content a user that assist in performing maintenance on the 3D object.
34. The method of claim 33 , wherein the physical 3D object includes image tags inside of the physical 3D object that assist with displaying augmented reality effects within the physical 3D object.
35. The method of claim 33 , wherein augmented reality content is overlaid over a captured camera image if an image tag is identified in the captured image within the physical 3D object.