IP Library Granted Patent US 9,014,970
Granted Patent B2
US 9,014,970 · App. 13/037,788 · Granted Apr 21, 2015

Information processing device, map update method, program, and information processing system

Inventors: Kenichiro Oi (Kanagawa, JP); Quan Wang (Los Angeles, CA); Kouichi Matsuda (Tokyo, JP); Takayuki Yoshigahara (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: Sony Corporation
G06F17/30241
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,014,970
App. No.
13/037,788
Granted
Apr 21, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

There is provided an information processing device including: a global map acquiring unit that acquires at least a part of a global map representing positions of objects in a real space where a plurality of users are in activity; a local map generating unit that generates a local map representing positions of nearby objects detectable by a device of one user among the plurality of users; and an updating unit that updates the global map based on position data of objects included in the local map.

Claims (45)

1. An information processing device comprising:

a global map acquiring unit that acquires at least a part of a global map representing positions of one or more objects in a real space where a plurality of users are in activity;

a local map generating unit that generates a local map representing positions of the one or more objects detectable by a device of one user among the plurality of users;

an updating unit that updates the global map based on position data of the one or more objects included in the local map, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user among the plurality of users, or in an area remote from the one user;

a calculating unit that

counts a number of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

calculates a relative position of the local map to the global map based on the number of the one or more objects and position data of the one or more objects included in the global map and position data of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

a display control unit that at least partially visualizes the position of one or more objects in the global map onto a screen in response to an instruction from the one user among the plurality of users, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user or in an area remote from the one user.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a converting unit that performs coordinate conversion from the position data of objects included in the local map to data of a coordinate system of the global map according to the relative position of the local map,

wherein the updating unit updates the global map by using the position data of objects included in the local map after the coordinate conversion by the converting unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the information processing device is a terminal device possessed by the one user.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein

the global map acquiring unit acquires at least a part of the global map from a server device storing the global map, and

the updating unit updates the global map of the server device by transmitting position data of the one or more objects to the server device.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the global map acquiring unit acquires a part of the global map corresponding to a local area containing a position of the terminal device in the real space.

6. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the global map acquiring unit acquires a part of the global map representing positions of a predetermined number of objects located in close proximity to the terminal device.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the local map generating unit generates the local map based on an input image obtained by imaging the real space using an imaging device and feature data indicating a feature of appearance of the one or more objects.

8. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the calculating unit calculates the relative position of the local map based on position data of an immobile object included in common in the global map and the local map.

9. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the calculating unit calculates the relative position of the local map so that, when converting the position data of objects included in the local map into data of the coordinate system of the global map, a difference between the data after conversion and the position data of the one or more objects included in the global map is smaller as a whole.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the global map includes position data of each of the one or more objects in the real space in the coordinate system of the global map and a time stamp related to the position data.

11. A computer-implemented method for updating a global map representing positions of one or more objects in a real space where a plurality of users are in activity, performed by an information processing device, the method comprising steps of:

acquiring, via a global map acquiring unit, at least a part of the global map;

generating, via a local map generating unit, a local map representing positions of the one or more objects detectable by the information processing device;

updating, via an updating unit, the global map based on position data of the one or more objects included in the local map, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user among the plurality of users, or in an area remote from the one user;

counting, via a calculating unit, a number of the one or more objects included in the local map;

calculating, via a calculating unit, a relative position of the local map to the global map based on the number of the one or more objects included in the local map, and based on position data of the one or more objects included in the global map and position data of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

visualizing, at least partially, the one or more objects in the global map onto a screen in response to an instruction from a user among the plurality of users, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user or in an area remote from the one user.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to:

acquire, via a global map acquiring unit, at least a part of a global map representing positions of one or more objects in a real space where a plurality of users are in activity;

generate, via a local map generating unit, a local map representing positions of the one or more objects detectable by a device of one user among the plurality of users;

update, via an updating unit, the global map based on position data of the one or more objects included in the local map, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user among the plurality of users, or in an area remote from the one user;

count, via a calculating unit, a number of the one or more objects included in the local map;

calculate, via the calculating unit, a relative position of the local map to the global map based on the number of the one or more objects and position data of the one or more objects included in the global map and position data of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

visualize, at least partially, the one or more objects in the global map onto a screen in response to an instruction from the a user among the plurality of users, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user or in an area remote from the one user.

13. An information processing system comprising:

a server device that stores a global map representing positions of one or more objects in a real space where a plurality of users are in activity using a storage medium; and

an information processing device possessed by one user among the plurality of users, the information processing device including:

a global map acquiring unit that acquires at least a part of the global map from the server device;

a local map generating unit that generates a local map representing positions of the one or more objects detectable by the information processing device;

an updating unit that updates the global map based on position data of the one or more objects included in the local map, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user among the plurality of users, or in an area remote from the one user;

a calculating unit that:

counts a number of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

calculates a relative position of the local map to the global map based on the number of the one or more objects and position data of the one or more objects included in the global map and position data of the one or more objects included in the local map; and

a display control unit that at least partially visualizes the one or more objects in the global map onto a screen in response to an instruction from a user among the plurality of users, wherein the objects may be either nearby to the one user or in an area remote from the one user.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 1, 2011
From: OI, KENICHIRO; WANG, QUAN; MATSUDA, KOUICHI; YOSHIGAHARA, TAKAYUKI
To: SONY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 025880/0492 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP P2010-051731 · Mar 9, 2010 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20110224902A1 · Sep 15, 2011