U.S. patent application number 15/815053 was filed with the patent office on 2018-10-18 for method and system for receiving gesture input via virtual control objects.
The applicant listed for this patent is CCP hf.. Invention is credited to Adam Kraver, Joel Patrick McGinnis, John Warren Rittenhouse.
Application Number | 20180300953 15/815053 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 55349888 |
Filed Date | 2018-10-18 |
United States Patent
Application |
20180300953 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kraver; Adam ; et
al. |
October 18, 2018 |
Method And System For Receiving Gesture Input Via Virtual Control
Objects
Abstract
Aspects of the present invention provide computer systems,
apparatuses, computer-executable methods and one or more
non-transitory computer-readable media for receiving gesture input
via virtual controls. Examples include a computer-implemented
method that includes receiving data indicating a physical
environment state, processing the data to determine a physical
position of at least one user, determining at least one physical
anchor position within the physical environment state, mapping the
physical anchor position to a virtual anchor position within a
virtual environment state, wherein the virtual environment state
includes a plurality of virtual coordinate positions that map to at
least a portion of the physical environment state, determining a
particular virtual coordinate position for at least one virtual
control from the plurality of virtual coordinate positions, and
instructing a display device configured to display the virtual
environment state to display the virtual control at the particular
virtual coordinate position.
Inventors: |
Kraver; Adam; (Tucker,
GA) ; McGinnis; Joel Patrick; (Decatur, GA) ;
Rittenhouse; John Warren; (Avondale Estates, GA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
CCP hf. |
Reykjavik |
|
IS |
|
|
Family ID: |
55349888 |
Appl. No.: |
15/815053 |
Filed: |
November 16, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14608047 |
Jan 28, 2015 |
9852546 |
|
|
15815053 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 27/017 20130101;
G06T 19/006 20130101; G06F 3/011 20130101; G06F 3/005 20130101;
G06F 3/017 20130101; G06F 3/012 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06T 19/00 20060101
G06T019/00; G06F 3/01 20060101 G06F003/01; G06F 3/00 20060101
G06F003/00; G02B 27/01 20060101 G02B027/01 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for implementing a virtual control
in a virtual reality environment, the method comprising: receiving
data indicating a physical environment state; processing, by a
processor, the data indicating the physical environment state to
determine a physical position of at least one user; determining a
view angle of the at least one user; determining, by the processor,
that the view angle of the at least one user includes an area of a
physical environment encompassing a fixed virtual coordinate
position predefined by virtual environment state management
circuitry, the fixed virtual coordinate position identifying a
position for a virtual control; and only in response to determining
that the view angle of the at least one user includes an area of a
physical environment encompassing a fixed virtual coordinate
position predefined by virtual environment state management
circuitry, instructing a display device configured to display the
virtual environment state to display the virtual control at the
particular fixed virtual coordinate position.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining that the
physical position of at least a portion of the user is within a
defined area of a physical environment corresponding to the
physical environment state that maps to the particular virtual
coordinate position; and in response to mapping the physical
position of the at least one the user to the particular virtual
coordinate position, executing functionality associated with the
virtual control.
3. The method of claim 2, further comprising executing the
functionality associated with the virtual control only in response
to determining that the physical position of the at least one user
has been proximate to the physical position that maps to the
particular virtual coordinate position for at least a threshold
period of time.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical position of the at
least one user is the user's head or shoulders.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual control is associated
with one or more particular gestures, and wherein functionality of
the virtual control is only executed in response to performing at
least one of the one or more gestures at a physical position that
maps to a defined area around the particular virtual coordinate
position.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicating the physical
environment state is received from at least one sensor and wherein
the at least one sensor is at least one of a camera or an infrared
receiver.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device is a
head-mounted display.
8-10. (canceled)
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the view angle of the user is
determined based at least in part on a sensor reading received from
a head-mounted device.
12-21. (canceled)
22. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising
instructions, that, when executed by a processor, cause the
processor to implement a virtual control in a virtual reality
environment, by at least: receiving data indicating a physical
environment state; processing the data indicating the physical
environment state to determine a physical position of at least one
user; determining a view angle of the at least one user;
determining, by the processor, that the view angle of the at least
one user includes an area of a physical environment encompassing a
fixed virtual coordinate position predefined by virtual environment
state management circuitry, the fixed virtual coordinate position
identifying a position for a virtual control; and only in response
to determining that the view angle of the at least one user
includes an area of a physical environment encompassing a fixed
virtual coordinate position predefined by virtual environment state
management circuitry, instructing a display device configured to
display the virtual environment state to display the virtual
control at the fixed virtual coordinate position.
23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, the instructions further comprising: determining that the
physical position of at least a portion of the user is within a
defined area of a physical environment corresponding to the
physical environment state that maps to the particular virtual
coordinate position; and in response to mapping the physical
position of the at least one the user to the particular virtual
coordinate position, executing functionality associated with the
virtual control.
24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
23, the instructions further comprising executing the functionality
associated with the virtual control only in response to determining
that the physical position of the at least one user has been
proximate to the physical position that maps to the particular
virtual coordinate position for at least a threshold period of
time.
25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, wherein the physical position of the at least one user is the
user's head or shoulders.
26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, wherein the virtual control is associated with one or more
particular gestures, and wherein functionality of the virtual
control is only executed in response to performing at least one of
the one or more gestures at a physical position that maps to a
defined area around the particular virtual coordinate position.
27. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, wherein the data indicating the physical environment state is
received from at least one sensor and wherein the at least one
sensor is at least one of a camera or an infrared receiver.
28. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, wherein the display device is a head-mounted display.
29-33. (canceled)
34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim
22, wherein the view angle of the user is determined based at least
in part on a sensor reading received from a head-mounted
device.
35-51. (canceled)
52. An apparatus for implementing a virtual control in a virtual
reality environment, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving
data indicating a physical environment state; means for processing
the data indicating physical environment state to determine a
physical position of at least one physical object; means for
determining a view angle of the at least one user; means for
determining that the view angle of the at least one user includes
an area of a physical environment encompassing a fixed virtual
coordinate position, the fixed virtual coordinate position
identifying a position for a virtual control; and means for, only
in response to determining that the view angle of the at least one
user includes an area of a physical environment encompassing a
fixed virtual coordinate position predefined by virtual environment
state management circuitry, instructing a display device to display
the virtual control at the particular fixed virtual coordinate
position.
53. The apparatus of claim 52, further comprising: means for
determining that the physical position of at least a portion of the
user is within a defined area of a physical environment
corresponding to the physical environment state that maps to the
particular virtual coordinate position; and means for, in response
to mapping the physical position of the at least one the user to
the particular virtual coordinate position, executing functionality
associated with the virtual control
54. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising means for
executing the functionality associated with the virtual control
only in response to determining that the physical position of the
at least one user has been proximate to the physical position that
maps to the particular virtual coordinate position for at least a
threshold period of time
55. The apparatus of claim 52, wherein the virtual control is
associated with one or more particular gestures, and wherein the
apparatus further comprises means for executing the functionality
of the virtual control only in response to performing at least one
of the one or more gestures at a physical position that maps to a
defined area around the particular virtual coordinate position
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/608,047, filed Jan. 28, 2015, the entire
contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
[0002] Example embodiments of the present invention relate
generally to input methods for a virtual reality interface and,
more particularly, to methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer
readable media for receiving gesture input via virtual control
objects.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Advances in technology have resulted in consumer electronics
becoming more and more powerful. In particular, advances in
display, graphics, processor, and sensor technology have provided
technological breakthroughs that have made it feasible to mass
produce and market devices capable of providing a virtual reality
(VR) experience to consumers. In this regard, problems and
challenges in current implementations of VR interfaces have been
identified by the inventors, and solutions to these problems and
challenges are implemented in exemplary embodiments.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0004] Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to
improved apparatuses, methods, and computer readable media for
providing a virtual reality interface. In accordance with one
exemplary embodiment, a computer-executable method is provided for
implementing a virtual control. The method includes receiving data
indicating a physical environment state, processing, by a
processor, the data indicating the physical environment state to
determine a physical position of at least one user, determining, by
the processor and based on the position of the at least one user,
at least one physical anchor position within the physical
environment state, mapping, by virtual environment state management
circuitry, the physical anchor position to a virtual anchor
position within a virtual environment state, wherein the virtual
environment state includes a plurality of virtual coordinate
positions that map to at least a portion of the physical
environment state, and determining, by the virtual environment
state management circuitry, a particular virtual coordinate
position for at least one virtual control from the plurality of
virtual coordinate positions. The particular virtual coordinate
position is determined at least in part by identifying a virtual
control positioning offset indicating a relative position with
respect to the virtual anchor position, and applying the virtual
control positioning offset to the virtual anchor position to
determine the particular virtual coordinate position, wherein a
first relative position between the particular virtual coordinate
position and the virtual anchor position corresponds to a second
relative position between a particular physical coordinate position
mapped to the particular virtual coordinate position and the
physical anchor position. The method also includes instructing a
display device configured to display the virtual environment state
to display the virtual control at the particular virtual coordinate
position.
[0005] In some embodiments, the method may also include determining
that the physical position of at least a portion of the user is
within a defined area of a physical environment corresponding to
the physical environment state that maps to the particular virtual
coordinate position, and, in response to mapping the physical
position of the at least one the user to the particular virtual
coordinate position, executing functionality associated with the
virtual control. The method may also include executing the
functionality associated with the virtual control only in response
to determining that the physical position of the at least one user
has been proximate to the physical position that maps to the
particular virtual coordinate position for at least a threshold
period of time. The physical position of the at least one user may
be the user's head or shoulders. The virtual control may be
associated with one or more particular gestures, and functionality
of the virtual control may only be executed in response to
performing at least one of the one or more gestures at a physical
position that maps to a defined area around the particular virtual
coordinate position. The data may indicate the physical environment
state is received from at least one sensor and wherein the at least
one sensor is at least one of a camera or an infrared receiver. The
display device may be a head-mounted display. The physical anchor
position may be determined at least in part by detecting an
infrared emitter mounted on the head-mounted display. The method
may also include determining a view angle of the at least one user,
and displaying the virtual control only in response to determining
that the view angle corresponds to an area of a physical
environment corresponding to the particular virtual coordinate
position. The method may also include determining a view angle of
the at least one user, and enabling interaction with the virtual
control in response to determining that the view angle corresponds
to an area of a physical environment corresponding to the
particular virtual coordinate position of the virtual control
object. The view angle of the user may be determined based at least
in part on a sensor reading received from a head-mounted device.
Determining the physical anchor position may be performed in
response to at least one of turning on the display device or
placing the display device on the user's head. A component value of
the virtual control positioning offset may be determined based at
least in part on a number of initialized virtual controls, or a
detected height of the user.
[0006] According to another exemplary embodiment, a
computer-implemented method is provided for implementing a virtual
control in a virtual reality environment. The method includes
receiving data indicating a physical environment state, processing,
by a processor, the data indicating the physical environment state
to determine a physical position of physical object, determining,
by the processor, based on the physical position of the physical
object, at least one virtual anchor position within a virtual
environment state, determining, by virtual environment state
management circuitry, a virtual control position of a virtual
control in the virtual environment state relative to the virtual
anchor position, mapping, by the virtual environment state
management circuitry, the virtual control position to a physical
position of the control in a physical environment corresponding to
the physical environment state, and instructing a display device
configured to display the virtual environment state to display the
virtual environment state such that the virtual control is
displayed at the virtual control position.
[0007] The method may also include determining that a view angle of
the display device is angled toward the physical position prior to
displaying the virtual control via the display device. In some
embodiments, the method includes determining that the physical
position of the physical object is within a defined area of a
physical environment corresponding to the physical environment
state that maps to the particular virtual coordinate position, and,
in response to determining that the physical position of the user
is proximate to the physical position of the control, executing
functionality associated with the virtual control. The method may
include executing the functionality associated with the virtual
control only in response to determining that the physical position
of physical object has been proximate to the physical position of
the control for at least a threshold period of time. The virtual
anchor position may be associated with a physical position of a
user's head. The at least one sensor may be at least one of a
camera or an infrared receiver. The display device may be a
head-mounted display. Determining the virtual anchor position may
be performed in response to at least one of turning on the display
device or placing the display device on the user's head.
[0008] According to another exemplary embodiment, a a
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. The
storage medium includes instructions, that, when executed by a
processor, cause the processor to implement a virtual control in a
virtual reality environment. The instructions cause the process to
execute functionality for receiving data indicating a physical
environment state, processing the data indicating the physical
environment state to determine a physical position of at least one
user, determining, based on the position of the at least one user,
at least one physical anchor position within the physical
environment state, mapping the physical anchor position to a
virtual anchor position within a virtual environment state, wherein
the virtual environment state includes a plurality of virtual
coordinate positions that map to at least a portion of the physical
environment state, and determining a particular virtual coordinate
position for at least one virtual control from the plurality of
virtual coordinate positions. The virtual coordinate position is
determined by at least identifying a virtual control positioning
offset indicating a relative position with respect to the virtual
anchor position, and applying the virtual control positioning
offset to the virtual anchor position to determine the particular
virtual coordinate position, wherein a first relative position
between the particular virtual coordinate position and the virtual
anchor position corresponds to a second relative position between a
particular physical coordinate position mapped to the particular
virtual coordinate position and the physical anchor position. The
instructions also configure the processor to for instructing a
display device configured to display the virtual environment state
to display the virtual control at the particular virtual coordinate
position.
[0009] In some embodiments, the instructions also include
determining that the physical position of at least a portion of the
user is within a defined area of a physical environment
corresponding to the physical environment state that maps to the
particular virtual coordinate position, and in response to mapping
the physical position of the at least one the user to the
particular virtual coordinate position, executing functionality
associated with the virtual control. The instructions may also
configure the processor to execute the functionality associated
with the virtual control only in response to determining that the
physical position of the at least one user has been proximate to
the physical position that maps to the particular virtual
coordinate position for at least a threshold period of time. The
physical position of the at least one user may be the user's head
or shoulders.
[0010] The virtual control may be associated with one or more
particular gestures, and wherein functionality of the virtual
control may only be executed in response to performing at least one
of the one or more gestures at a physical position that maps to a
defined area around the particular virtual coordinate position. The
data may indicate the physical environment state is received from
at least one sensor and wherein the at least one sensor is at least
one of a camera or an infrared receiver. The display device may be
a head-mounted display. The physical anchor position may be
determined at least in part by detecting an infrared emitter
mounted on the head-mounted display. The instructions may also
configure the processor for determining a view angle of the at
least one user, and displaying the virtual control only in response
to determining that the view angle corresponds to an area of a
physical environment corresponding to the particular virtual
coordinate position. The instructions may also configure the
processor for determining a view angle of the at least one user,
and enabling interaction with the virtual control in response to
determining that the view angle corresponds to an area of a
physical environment corresponding to the particular virtual
coordinate position of the virtual control object. The view angle
of the user may be determined based at least in part on a sensor
reading received from a head-mounted device. The instructions may
also configure the processor for determining a view angle of the at
least one user, and enabling interaction with the virtual control
in response to determining that the view angle corresponds to an
area of a physical environment corresponding to the particular
virtual coordinate position of the virtual control object. The view
angle of the user may be determined based at least in part on a
sensor reading received from a head-mounted device. Determining the
physical anchor position may be performed in response to at least
one of turning on the display device or placing the display device
on the user's head. The value of the virtual control positioning
offset may be determined based at least in part on a number of
initialized virtual controls, or a detected height of the user.
[0011] According to another exemplary embodiment, another
non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided. The
storage medium includes instructions, that, when executed by a
processor, cause the processor to implement a virtual control in a
virtual reality environment. The instructions configure the
processor for at least receiving data indicating a physical
environment state, processing the data indicating the physical
environment state to determine a physical position of physical
object, determining based on the physical position of the physical
object, at least one virtual anchor position within a virtual
environment state, determining a virtual control position of a
virtual control in the virtual environment state relative to the
virtual anchor position, mapping the virtual control position to a
physical position of the control in a physical environment
corresponding to the physical environment state, and instructing a
display device configured to display the virtual environment state
to display the virtual environment state such that the virtual
control is displayed at the virtual control position.
[0012] In some embodiments, the instructions may configure the
processor for determining that a view angle of the display device
is angled toward the physical position prior to displaying the
virtual control via the display device. The instructions may
further configure the apparatus for determining that the physical
position of the physical object is within a defined area of a
physical environment corresponding to the physical environment
state that maps to the particular virtual coordinate position, and,
in response to determining that the physical position of the user
is proximate to the physical position of the control, executing
functionality associated with the virtual control. The instructions
may configure the processor for executing the functionality
associated with the virtual control only in response to determining
that the physical position of the user has been proximate to the
physical position of the control for at least a threshold period of
time. The virtual anchor position may be associated with a physical
position of the user's head. The at least one sensor may be at
least one of a camera or an infrared receiver. The display device
may be a head-mounted display.
[0013] According to another exemplary embodiment, a system for
providing a virtual reality environment is provided. The system
includes circuitry configured to output a virtual environment state
provided by virtual environment state management circuitry to at
least one display device, the virtual environment state including
one or more virtual controls, wherein the virtual environment state
comprises a virtual coordinate system for indicating locations of
virtual objects within the virtual environment state, circuitry
configured to receive data indicating a physical environment state
from at least one sensor, wherein the physical environment state
comprises a physical coordinate system for indicating locations of
physical objects within the physical environment state, physical
environment state management circuitry configured to determine a
physical anchor position at particular physical coordinates within
the physical coordinate system using the data indicating the
physical environment state, and the virtual environment state
management circuitry. The virtual environment state management
circuitry is configured to generate a mapping between the set of
virtual coordinates and the set of physical coordinates, determine,
based on the mapping, particular virtual coordinates corresponding
to the particular physical coordinates, place a virtual control
anchor at the particular virtual coordinates, determine virtual
control coordinates for the one or more virtual controls according
to a virtual control positioning offset by applying the virtual
control positioning offset to the particular virtual coordinates of
the virtual control anchor, and place the one or more virtual
controls within the virtual environment state at the virtual
control coordinates.
[0014] The display device may be a head-mounted display. The
virtual environment state management circuitry may be further
configured to display only a portion of the virtual environment
state via the display device, and wherein the portion of the
virtual environment state is determined based on a view angle of
the display device. The physical environment state management
circuitry may be further configured to determine a user position,
and the virtual environment state management circuitry may be
further configured to determine that the user position is proximate
to at least one physical coordinate that maps to the virtual
control coordinates, and perform a function associated with the
virtual control in response to determining that the user position
is proximate to at least one physical coordinate that maps to the
virtual control coordinates.
[0015] According to another embodiment, an apparatus for
implementing a virtual control in a virtual reality environment is
provided. The apparatus includes means for receiving data
indicating a physical environment state, means for processing the
data indicating physical environment state to determine a physical
position of at least one physical object, means for determining
based on the position of the at least one physical object, at least
one physical anchor position within the physical environment state,
and means for mapping the physical anchor position to a virtual
anchor position within a virtual environment state. The virtual
environment state includes a plurality of virtual coordinate
positions that map to at least a portion of the physical
environment state. The apparatus also includes means for
determining a particular virtual coordinate position for at least
one virtual control from the plurality of virtual coordinate
positions by identifying a virtual control positioning offset
indicating a relative position with respect to the virtual anchor
position and applying the virtual control positioning offset to the
virtual anchor position to determine the particular virtual
coordinate position, wherein a first relative position between the
particular virtual coordinate position and the virtual anchor
position corresponds to a second relative position between a
particular physical coordinate position mapped to the particular
virtual coordinate position and the physical anchor position. The
apparatus also includes means for instructing a display device to
display the virtual control at the particular virtual coordinate
position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The foregoing and other objects, aspects, features, and
advantages of exemplary embodiments will become more apparent and
may be better understood by referring to the following description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0017] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary system
within which exemplary embodiments may operate.
[0018] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of a computing device for use as a server in accordance with
certain exemplary embodiments.
[0019] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components
of a head-mounted display for use in a virtual reality system in
accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
[0020] FIG. 4 is a data flow diagram illustrating the flow of
electronic data between different components of a virtual reality
system in accordance with some exemplary embodiments.
[0021] FIGS. 5A-5O are illustrations of example gesture
interactions with a virtual reality system employing exemplary
embodiments of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for positioning a virtual control object
for use in a virtual reality system in accordance with exemplary
embodiments of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for determining a position of a virtual
control object based on a physical anchor position in accordance
with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for enabling a virtual control object
based on a viewing angle in accordance with exemplary embodiments
of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for interacting with a virtual control
object to provide input to virtual reality system in accordance
with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for using a delay to improve interaction
with a virtual control object to provide input to a virtual reality
system in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present
invention.
[0027] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for interacting with a virtual control
object implementing a radial menu interface in accordance with
exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0028] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for interacting with a virtual control
object implementing a list confirmation interface in accordance
with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable method for interacting with a virtual control
object implementing a spinner interface in accordance with
exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
[0030] The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to
scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] Exemplary embodiments provide computer systems,
computer-executable methods and one or more non-transitory
computer-readable media for receiving gesture input in a virtual
reality (VR) environment. In particular, embodiments offer improved
techniques for positioning virtual control objects, detecting that
a user intends to interact with a virtual control object, and
managing gesture inputs provided by virtual control objects.
Glossary of Terms
[0032] Some embodiments of the present invention will now be
described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention
are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different
forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set
forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this
disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers
refer to like elements throughout.
[0033] As used herein, the terms "data," "content," "information,"
and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to
electronic data capable of being transmitted, received, and/or
stored in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.
Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit
and scope of embodiments of the present invention. Further, where a
computing device is described herein to receive data from another
computing device, it will be appreciated that the data may be
received directly from the another computing device or may be
received indirectly via one or more intermediary computing devices,
such as, for example, one or more servers, relays, routers, network
access points, base stations, hosts, and/or the like, sometimes
referred to herein as a "network." Similarly, where a computing
device is described herein to send data to another computing
device, it will be appreciated that the data may be sent directly
to the another computing device or may be sent indirectly via one
or more intermediary computing devices, such as, for example, one
or more servers, relays, routers, network access points, base
stations, hosts, and/or the like.
[0034] As used herein, the terms "head-mounted display" and "HMD"
are intended to refer to any display device that is attached,
mounted, projects to, or otherwise provides an image on a surface
that remains at a fixed position with respect to a user's viewing
angle or line of vision. The term head-mounted display is intended
to also include any other peripheral electronics and functionality
that may be provided in conjunction with such a device. For
example, a head-mounted display may include speakers, headphones,
or other electronic hardware for audio output, a plurality of
display devices (e.g., the use of two display devices, one
associated with each of the user's eyes, to enable a stereoscopic,
three-dimensional viewing environment), one or more position
sensors (e.g., gyroscopes, global positioning system receivers,
and/or accelerometers), beacons for external sensors (e.g.,
infrared lamps), or the like. Example head-mounted displays include
the Oculus Rift.TM. manufactured by Oculus VR, the HMZ-T3W
manufactured by Sony Corp., and the like.
[0035] As used herein, the term "virtual environment" is intended
to refer a simulated environment with one or more objects that are
projected onto or otherwise displayed to a user using an HMD in a
manner such that the HMD provides the user with the sensation of
being present or immersed within the virtual environment as if the
virtual environment physically exists around the user. The term
"virtual environment" is offered in contrast to the term "physical
environment", which relates to an actual physical space.
[0036] The term "virtual environment state" is intended to refer to
electronic data describing the virtual environment. The virtual
environment state includes data sufficient to define a set of
positions or locations of one or more objects associated with that
virtual environment. It should be understood that the virtual
environment state may be stored in a variety of data structures
and/or formats. In some embodiments, the virtual environment state
may be maintained by an "engine" that tracks the location, state,
and other attributes of objects within the virtual environment
state. In some embodiments, the engine may act in conjunction with
a graphics device, renderer, or other hardware and software for
generating a visual display of the virtual environment.
[0037] Although the virtual environment state may typically include
an n-dimensional set of coordinates (typically three dimensions),
that at least partially correspond to a given physical environment,
it should be appreciated that a given virtual environment may not
directly correspond to a physical environment. For example, a given
virtual environment may allow a user or other objects to change
position, change in size, change in shape, or the like in the
virtual environment without a corresponding change or interaction
in a physical environment. A given virtual environment may also map
to a portion of a given physical environment (e.g., limited to an
area of the physical environment visible to one or more sensors),
and vice-versa (e.g., a limited portion of the virtual environment
mapping to a physical environment, with user movement in the
physical environment constrained to effecting changes in the
limited portion of the virtual environment).
[0038] Objects that exist in the physical world may be included in
the virtual environment as virtual representations of physical
objects, and the term virtual environment should be understood not
to exclude such virtual representations. For example, a sensor may
detect the presence of a physical object in the physical
environment around the user, and create a virtual object within the
virtual environment corresponding to the detected physical object.
The user may then be able to perceive the presence of the physical
object by viewing the virtual object at a position in the virtual
environment that corresponds to the position of the physical object
in the physical environment.
[0039] The term "physical environment state" should be understood
to refer to electronic data indicating the known or believed
location of physical objects. The physical environment state is
based at least in part upon data received from one or more sensors.
In some embodiments, the physical environment state is also based
on other data, such as derived from previous snapshots of the
physical environment state, data from interface devices other than
sensors (e.g., a computer keyboard or mouse), or the like.
[0040] The term "augmented environment" should be understood to
refer to a combined environment including the physical environment
and elements of the virtual environment. It should be noted that an
augmented environment including elements of the physical
environment (e.g., a video or photo image of a physical environment
overlaid with virtual elements) is understood to be separate and
distinct from a virtual environment that includes virtual elements
that correspond to physical objects. For example, a digital
photograph overlaid with tags or labels would be an augmented
environment, while a system that detects the presence of a user,
replaces the user with a virtual three-dimensional model, and then
inserts the three-dimensional model into a virtual environment
would not be an augmented environment, since the latter example
uses entirely virtual constructs.
[0041] The term "physical anchor location" should be understood to
refer to a position in the physical environment that defines the
location of a particular object or objects or a reference defined
based on the position of a particular object or objects. For
example, a physical anchor location may be located at the center of
a HMD worn by a user, or a physical anchor location may be located
six inches in front of the an object identified as the user's nose.
The physical anchor location may be fixed or dynamic. For example,
the physical anchor location may be fixed and determined once upon
initialization of the virtual environment, or the physical anchor
location may be dynamically defined and moved as the object or
reference related to the physical anchor location changes.
[0042] The term "virtual anchor location" should be understood to
refer to a position in the virtual environment that corresponds to
the physical anchor location.
[0043] The term "virtual coordinate position" should be understood
to refer to a particular point or set of points within the virtual
environment.
[0044] The term "virtual control" should be understood to refer to
a particular object defined within the virtual environment that,
upon interaction with the user, causes a particular change in the
virtual environment state associated with the virtual control. It
should be appreciated that virtual controls are defined within the
virtual environment state for performing some sort of function.
Although said virtual controls may be dynamically created,
destroyed, displayed, hidden, and the like, it should be
appreciated that user interaction with a virtual control requires
interaction with a specific object or position in the virtual
environment state, whether or not said object is visible to the
user.
[0045] The term "virtual control positioning offset" should be
understood to electronic data indicating where to position a
virtual control in the virtual environment relative to a virtual
anchor location. The virtual control positioning offset may be
static or dynamic. For example, each virtual control may have a
particular fixed virtual control positioning offset. Alternatively,
the virtual control positioning offset may be dynamically
determined based on an order in which virtual controls are
initialized, enabled, or defined, determined based on whether other
virtual controls are already present (e.g., assigning the virtual
control positioning offset based on the order in which the virtual
controls are initialized), determined based on configuration
settings or user preferences, or determined based on user
characteristics (e.g., measuring a user's height or wingspan and
adjusting the virtual control positioning offset accordingly). The
virtual control positioning offset includes electronic data
sufficient to determine at least one of a direction component and a
distance component.
Overview
[0046] Embodiments of the presently disclosed invention generally
describe novel systems, methods, and devices for implementing
gesture inputs in a virtual environment. Recent advances in
technology have led to the proliferation of object detection and
positioning systems that may be used to implement gesture control
of electronic devices. Capacitive touch panels, infrared
emitter/sensor combinations, cameras, and other such sensors and
input devices have provided new modalities for detecting the
location and actions of the user.
[0047] Similarly, advances in electronics miniaturization,
decreases in display costs, and increases in graphics processing
power have made it practical for consumers to obtain devices
capable of providing a virtual reality experience. For example,
consumers now have the ability to obtain reasonably priced
head-mounted devices (HMDs) that provide a stereoscopic
three-dimensional visual experience. Many such devices also include
internal accelerometers and position detection modules for
determining the location and viewing angle of the user, audio
systems for providing sound, and the like. One of the primary
anticipated uses for these devices is to enable the user to
perceive that they are present in a virtual environment.
[0048] However, the inventors have determined that current systems
for detecting gesture input are inadequate for use in a virtual
reality environment. For example, some current systems lack a fixed
reference point for determining gesture input, and require the user
to perform some action to indicate to the system they intend to
perform a gesture input. At the time of the gesture input, the
system dynamically generates a reference point for use in capturing
that particular gesture input, and after the gesture input is
complete, the reference is removed. For example, such a system may
require the user to raise their hand to indicate they wish to begin
a gesture input, and gesture inputs may be enabled in response to a
sensor detecting the raised hand. Such systems are unsuitable for
use in a virtual environment since the dynamically defined
reference point lacks any association with objects in the virtual
environment. For example, if the user is using the virtual
environment to simulate the cockpit of a fighter jet, it may break
the user's immersion if the positions of the controls in the
cockpit move around depending upon where the user begins their
input operation.
[0049] Other gesture input systems associate particular inputs with
particular coordinates in the physical environment. For example,
systems that map a physical environment to a display screen may
provide a pixel-to-coordinate mapping such that the user can point
to particular location in space and interact with a corresponding
element on a display screen. However, such input mechanisms are
inflexible and require precise positioning. To return to the
fighter jet example, such a system might require the user to sit in
precisely the right spot to access the controls of the fighter jet
based on a known mapping between the user's physical environment
and the "cockpit" virtual environment.
[0050] Through applied effort and ingenuity, the inventors have
identified solutions to these problems and other problems related
to providing user gesture input in the context of a virtual
environment. In particular, the inventors have developed methods
and techniques that allow for placement and interaction with
virtual control objects in a manner that is straightforward and
flexible, while still being satisfying to the user and maintaining
immersion of the user in the virtual environment. In particular,
the inventors have developed techniques for positioning virtual
controls in a virtual environment relative to a virtual anchor
location. The virtual anchor location is defined based on the
detected location of one or more physical objects in the physical
environment viewed by one or more sensors. Upon detecting a user
interaction with a position in the physical environment that
corresponds to the position of the virtual control in the virtual
environment, certain actions associated with the virtual control
are caused in the virtual environment.
[0051] Embodiments also allow for dynamic determination of the
physical anchor location. Through detection of portions of the user
or objects located on the user (e.g., the position of a HMD worn by
the user), embodiments may advantageously calibrate the virtual
anchor location to the particular characteristics of the user. For
example, taller users may have a virtual anchor location at a
larger "z" coordinate in the virtual environment than shorter
users.
[0052] Embodiments also include novel ways for interacting with
virtual controls. The inventors have recognized that gesture
interaction with virtual controls presents new challenges not
previously encountered with respect to physical analogs to said
controls or even gesture interaction with non-virtual world
controls (e.g., gesture interaction with interfaces displayed on
2-dimensional monitors). To solve these challenges, the inventors
have developed novel techniques for identifying when a user may
interact with a virtual control, and how that interaction is
performed.
[0053] The inventors have also realized that unique problems exist
when performing gesture inputs, particularly in the case of gesture
inputs performed in a virtual reality environment. Traditional
input mechanisms, such as keyboards, mice, switches, buttons, and
the like generally provide multiple layers of feedback due to the
physical nature of the input device used. When users press keys on
a keyboard or click a mouse button, they receive tactile and haptic
feedback notifying them that the input was successful, or providing
visual feedback as a cursor moves. In this manner, the input device
functions as a physical proxy for input provided to the software
environment. For example, the tactile and haptic feedback provided
to the user via a mouse "click" serves as a physical proxy to
indicate to the user that an intent to interact with an interface
control element displayed underneath the mouse cursor was
registered.
[0054] Gesture inputs provided in a virtual environment do not
provide such physical feedback mechanisms. However, the inventors
have identified that it is possible to provide alternative feedback
mechanisms through the use of the virtual environment. The
inventors have realized that the virtual environment may be used to
provide new methods of feedback for detecting the user's intent,
conveying confirmation of the detected intent, detecting execution
of an input, conveying confirmation of execution (or failure to
execute) of the input, and conveying arrival at new state in
response to the input. Embodiments of the present invention thus
function to provide such feedback in a virtual environment without
a corresponding physical proxy.
[0055] It should also be understood that the embodiments presented
herein are particularly directed to methods, apparatuses, systems,
and computer program products for providing input to computers
generating a virtual environment and otherwise causing the
computers to perform certain functions via input provided within a
virtual environment. As such, these embodiments are necessarily
related and directed to improvements for providing such electronic
input and causing said computers to operate in particular improved
manners, and these improvements address technical problems unique
to virtual environments provided by computers.
[0056] Virtual control objects such as described herein may be
utilized to implement a variety of functionality across many
different technical disciplines. Such control objects may be
employed to improve home automation systems (e.g., interfacing with
home temperature, lighting, and security systems), to control
factory operations (e.g., controlling robotic equipment, security
systems, observing workers), to control mobile objects such as
drones, and the like. The use of a virtual environment may also
allow the user to leverage cameras or other sensors coupled to a
remotely controlled device or system to present the user with the
experience of being in the physical location of the controlled
object.
[0057] The inventors have also recognized that virtual environments
may be utilized to capture and playback a user's local environment.
The capture of local sensor data about a user's physical
environment may allow the user to record audio, video, and other
gathered sensor information about their physical environment for
later review. For example, if the user has a home equipped with
sensors for capturing a physical environment, the user may enable
recording of that sensor data during a particular event (e.g., a
child's birthday party), so that later on the user can playback the
sensor readings to recreate the physical environment in a virtual
scenario. Such embodiments may allow the user to relive recorded
events or review events for which they were not present (e.g., to
simulate being on the field of the Superbowl during the game, or to
play back a wedding reception and view the event from various
virtual perspectives).
[0058] The inventors have also recognized deficiencies in methods
and systems for tracking user positions and calibrating sensors
used for position tracking for providing input to a virtual
environment. To this end, the inventors have developed novel
systems for integrating data received from infrared sensors,
accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and the like. Tracking
data received from these disparate systems may be merged and
smoothed to improve techniques for identifying user positions.
Furthermore, the inventors have calibration mechanisms for
adjusting input from different sensors. The inventors have
developed techniques for determining when a HMD is placed on the
user's head by monitoring data received from multiple sensors, and
performing various detection and calibration actions in response.
For example, when embodiments detect that the HMD has been picked
up and placed on the user's head based on accelerometer readings,
the user's position may be detected in three dimensional space and
calibrated to a virtual environment coordinate system.
[0059] The inventors have also realized that a variety of
interfaces and sensors may be employed to interact with a virtual
environment. To interact with the virtual control objects as
described herein (and to enable other interactions not provided by
the virtual control objects), the inventors have realized that
various devices providing different feedback mechanisms may be
employed. For example, the use of specially designed gloves or
shoes may provide tactile and/or haptic feedback related to
touching buttons, feeling textures of items, and the like.
[0060] The inventors have also developed systems that provide novel
features for sharing an environment with other users. Sensor data
from both local and remote devices may be employed to provide
proximity alarms and other feedback related to distance between the
user and both physical objects in the user's local physical
environment (e.g., other users, furniture), and virtual objects in
the virtual environment (e.g., an avatar of another user
participating in the virtual environment from another physical
location).
System Architecture and Example Apparatus
[0061] Some exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now
be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the
accompanying drawings in which some, but not all, embodiments of
the inventions are shown. Indeed, these inventions may be embodied
in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to
the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are
provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal
requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.
[0062] Methods, apparatuses, and computer program products of the
present invention may be embodied by any of a variety of devices.
For example, the method, apparatus, and computer program product of
an example embodiment may be embodied by a networked device, such
as a server or personal computer in communication with a HMD and
one or more sensors. Additionally or alternatively, the computing
device may include fixed or networked computing devices, such as a
personal computer or a computer workstation. Still further, example
embodiments may be embodied by any of a variety of mobile
terminals, such as a portable digital assistant (PDA), mobile
telephone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, or any
combination of the aforementioned devices.
[0063] In this regard, FIG. 1 discloses an example computing system
within which embodiments of the present invention may operate. A
server 102 may function to communicate with one or more sensors 104
and an HMD 106. The server 102 may include one or more computers
that include hardware and software configured to generate and
manage a virtual environment that is displayed to a user via the
HMD 106. The server 102 may also receive data from one or more
sensors 104 to determine a state of a physical environment 110. A
detailed exemplary embodiment of the server 102 is described
further below with respect to FIG. 2.
[0064] The HMD 106 may send and receive electronic data from the
server 102. For example, the HMD 106 may send data to the server
102 indicating readings from one or more accelerometers or other
position sensors contained in the HMD 106. The HMD 106 may receive
data indicating video content to display via one or more displays
included in the HMD 106 and audio content to output via speakers,
headphones, or the like included in the HMD 106. A detailed
exemplary embodiment of the HMD 106 is described further below with
respect to FIG. 3. It should also be appreciated that, while the
embodiments described herein are generally described with respect
to a HMD, embodiments may also apply to other virtual environments
that do not use HMD technology. For example, similar input
techniques could be utilized in a Cave Automatic Virtual
Environment (CAVE) system or other display suitable for displaying
a virtual environment.
[0065] The sensor 104 may be any sensor operable to receive
information about a user or the user's physical environment that
may be employed by the server 102 to generate the virtual
environment. For example, the sensor may be a Kinect.degree. sensor
manufactured by Microsoft, a Leap Motion.RTM. controller
manufactured by Leap Motion Inc., a data glove, a wand such as the
PS Move.RTM. manufactured by Sony Corp., a motion capture system, a
digital camera, a capacitive touch interface, or the like. The
sensor 104 may provide data in a raw format to the server 102,
where the raw data may be converted into position information
indicating the position of physical objects in the physical
environment 110 perceived by the sensor. In some embodiments,
multiple sensors may be implemented and data from the sensors may
be processed and combined together to determine the positions of
objects within the physical environment. The interaction between
the sensors and the virtual environment is described further below
with respect to FIG. 4.
Example Apparatuses for Implementing Embodiments of the Present
Invention
[0066] The server 102 may be embodied by one or more computing
systems, such as the apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 2. As illustrated
in FIG. 2, the apparatus 200 may include a processor 202, a memory
204, input/output circuitry 206, communications circuitry 208,
sensor interface circuitry 210, physical environment state
management circuitry 212, virtual environment state management
circuitry 214, and HMD interface circuitry 216. The apparatus 200
may be configured to execute the operations described above with
respect to FIG. 1 and below with respect to FIGS. 4-10. Although
these components 202-216 are described with respect to functional
limitations, it should be understood that the particular
implementations necessarily include the use of particular hardware.
It should also be understood that certain of these components
202-216 may include similar or common hardware. For example, two
sets of circuitry may both leverage use of the same processor,
network interface, storage medium, or the like to perform their
associated functions, such that duplicate hardware is not required
for each set of circuitry. The use of the term "circuitry" as used
herein with respect to components of the apparatus should therefore
be understood to include particular hardware configured to perform
the functions associated with the particular circuitry as described
herein.
[0067] The term "circuitry" should be understood broadly to include
hardware and, in some embodiments, also software for configuring
the hardware. For example, "circuitry" may include processing
circuitry, storage media, network interfaces, input/output devices,
and the like. In some embodiments, other elements of the apparatus
200 may provide or supplement the functionality of particular
circuitry. For example, the processor 202 may provide processing
functionality, the memory 204 may provide storage functionality,
the communications circuitry 208 may provide network interface
functionality used by other components of the apparatus 200.
[0068] In some embodiments, the processor 202 (and/or co-processor
or any other processing circuitry assisting or otherwise associated
with the processor) may be in communication with the memory 204 via
a bus for passing information among components of the apparatus.
The memory 204 may be non-transitory and may include, for example,
one or more volatile and/or non-volatile memories. In other words,
for example, the memory may be an electronic storage device (e.g.,
a computer readable storage medium). The memory 204 may be
configured to store information, data, content, applications,
instructions, or the like, for enabling the apparatus to carry out
various functions in accordance with example embodiments of the
present invention.
[0069] The processor 202 may be embodied in a number of different
ways and may, for example, include one or more processing devices
configured to perform independently. Additionally or alternatively,
the processor may include one or more processors configured in
tandem via a bus to enable independent execution of instructions,
pipelining, and/or multithreading. The use of the term "processing
circuitry" may be understood to include a single core processor, a
multi-core processor, multiple processors internal to the
apparatus, and/or remote or "cloud" processors.
[0070] In an example embodiment, the processor 202 may be
configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 204 or
otherwise accessible to the processor. Alternatively or
additionally, the processor may be configured to execute hard-coded
functionality. As such, whether configured by hardware or software
methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor may represent
an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of
performing operations according to an embodiment of the present
invention while configured accordingly. Alternatively, as another
example, when the processor is embodied as an executor of software
instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the
processor to perform the algorithms and/or operations described
herein when the instructions are executed.
[0071] In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 may include
input/output circuitry 206 that may, in turn, be in communication
with processor 202 to provide output to the user and, in some
embodiments, to receive an indication of a user input. The
input/output circuitry 206 may comprise a user interface and may
include a display and may comprise a web user interface, a mobile
application, a client device, a kiosk, or the like. In some
embodiments, the input/output circuitry 206 may also include a
keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a touch screen, touch areas, soft
keys, a microphone, a speaker, or other input/output mechanisms.
The processor and/or user interface circuitry comprising the
processor may be configured to control one or more functions of one
or more user interface elements through computer program
instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory
accessible to the processor (e.g., memory 204, and/or the
like).
[0072] The communications circuitry 208 may be any means such as a
device or circuitry embodied in either hardware or a combination of
hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit
data from/to a network and/or any other device, circuitry, or
module in communication with the apparatus 200. In this regard, the
communications circuitry 208 may include, for example, a network
interface for enabling communications with a wired or wireless
communication network. For example, the communications circuitry
208 may include one or more network interface cards, antennae,
buses, switches, routers, modems, and supporting hardware and/or
software, or any other device suitable for enabling communications
via a network. Additionally or alternatively, the communication
interface may include the circuitry for interacting with the
antenna(s) to cause transmission of signals via the antenna(s) or
to handle receipt of signals received via the antenna(s)
[0073] The sensor interface circuitry 210 may include hardware
configured to send instructions to, and receive data from, one or
more sensors coupled to the server, such as the sensor 104
described above with respect to FIG. 1. The sensor interface
circuitry 210 may include electrical connections configured to,
wired or wirelessly, communicate with the sensors. The sensor
interface circuitry 210 may also include processing circuitry, such
as the processor 202, to execute one or more tools, drivers,
application programming interfaces (APIs) or the like for
communicating with the sensors. It should also be appreciated that,
in some embodiments, the sensor interface circuitry 210 may include
a separate processor, specially configured field programmable gate
array (FPGA) or application specific interface circuit (ASIC) to
perform the functions described herein. The sensor interface
circuitry 210 is therefore implemented using hardware components of
the apparatus configured by either hardware or software for
implementing the functions enumerated above.
[0074] In some embodiments, the sensor interface circuitry 210 may
be configured to directly interface with a network, such as via the
network interface circuitry 208 to transmit sensor data to a remote
computer. Transmission of sensor data to a remote computer may
allow the remote computer to more accurately recreate physical
objects (such as the user) detected within the sensor data of the
local computer. The inventors have also developed various
techniques for receiving, managing, utilizing, and transmitting
such sensor data to and from other computers. Further example
embodiments of such methods, systems, and device components for
supporting a multi-user virtual environment are provided in
concurrently filed U.S. patent application______, filed Jan. 28,
2015 entitled "METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR IMPLEMENTING A
MULTI-USER VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT" (Attorney Docket Number
059638/454920), the entire contents of which are herein
incorporated by reference.
[0075] The physical environment state management circuitry 212
includes hardware configured to manage a physical environment
state. As noted above, the physical environment state includes
electronic data indicating the perception of locations of one or
more objects in a physical environment measured by one or more of
the sensors. The physical environment state management circuitry
212 may process data received by the sensor interface circuitry 210
to estimate, predict, or detect the locations of objects in the
physical environment and store said locations within or as the
physical environment state. The physical environment state
management circuitry 212 may include processing circuitry, such as
the processor 202, for detecting objects using the sensor data and
other sources and for storing such object locations. In some
embodiments, the physical environment state management circuitry
212 may also determine the location of a physical anchor location,
or determine that a particular object should be indicated as a
physical anchor. It should also be appreciated that, in some
embodiments, the physical environment state management circuitry
212 may include a separate processor, specially configured field
programmable gate array (FPGA) or application specific interface
circuit (ASIC) to perform the functions described herein. The
physical environment state management circuitry 212 is therefore
implemented using hardware components of the apparatus configured
by either hardware or software for implementing the functions
enumerated above.
[0076] The virtual environment state management circuitry 214
includes hardware configured to manage a virtual environment state.
As noted above, the virtual environment state includes electronic
data indicating the locations of one or more objects in a virtual
environment. The virtual environment state management circuitry 214
may also implement other aspects of a simulation to control the
virtual environment state. For example, the virtual environment
state management circuitry 214 may manage the rate at which the
virtual environment updates, the resolution of coordinate locations
of objects within the virtual environment, simulation of
interaction between objects in the virtual environment, and the
like. The virtual environment state management circuitry 214 may
include processing circuitry, such as the processor 202, for
managing the virtual environment. The virtual environment state
management circuitry 214 also functions to determine a virtual
anchor location within the virtual environment for use in
determining the location of one or more virtual controls in the
virtual environment. It should also be appreciated that, in some
embodiments, the virtual environment state management circuitry 214
may include a separate processor, specially configured field
programmable gate array (FPGA) or application specific interface
circuit (ASIC) to perform the functions described herein. The
virtual environment state management circuitry 214 is therefore
implemented using hardware components of the apparatus configured
by either hardware or software for implementing the functions
enumerated above.
[0077] The virtual environment state management circuitry 214 may
work in conjunction with the physical environment state management
circuitry 212 and the sensor interface circuitry 210 to identify
the presence of the user and other physical objects within the
physical environment. The detected presence of the physical objects
may cause various interactions with the virtual environment,
including but not limited to causing virtual representations of
those physical objects to be included in the virtual environment.
Exemplary techniques, processes, systems, and devices for detecting
these objects and facilitating presentation of physical objects in
a virtual environment are described further in concurrently filed
U.S. patent application ______, filed Jan. 28, 2015, entitled
"METHODS AND APPARATUSES FOR PROVIDING VIRTUAL DISPLAY OF A
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT" (Attorney Docket 059638/454921), the entire
contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.
[0078] The HMD interface circuitry 216 functions to provide
electronic data to and from a HMD to enable the user of the HMD to
experience the virtual environment via the HMD and to provide
sensor data to the virtual environment state management circuitry
214. For example, the HMD interface circuitry 216 may provide
display output to one or more displays included in the HMD to
display a portion of the virtual environment to the user, and
receive input form one or more accelerometers included in the HMD
to determine a user viewing angle to assist the virtual environment
state management circuitry 214 to determine which particular
portion of the virtual environment to display on the HMD
display(s). In some embodiments, the HMD interface circuitry 216
includes a processor or graphics processing unit (GPU) to enable
display output to the HMD. It should be appreciated that in some
embodiments the virtual environment state management circuitry may
also share or utilize the same processor or GPU to manage the
virtual environment state to assist with managing the virtual
environment. In some embodiments, interface with the HMD is enabled
via one or more drivers or APIs that send data as a single signal
or other particularly defined communication technique uniquely
associated with the HMD, while in other embodiments the HMD
interface circuitry 216 communicates directly with particular
components of the HMD (e.g., a single video-out to each display of
the HMD, a single audio-out for audio components of the HMD, data
inputs for each sensor coupled to the HMD).
[0079] The HMD interface circuitry 216 may include processing
circuitry, such as the processor 202, for providing data to the
HMD. It should also be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the
HMD interface circuitry 216 may include a separate processor,
specially configured field programmable gate array (FPGA) or
application specific interface circuit (ASIC) to perform the
functions described herein. The HMD interface circuitry 216 is
therefore implemented using hardware components of the apparatus
configured by either hardware or software for implementing the
functions enumerated above.
[0080] As will be appreciated, any such computer program
instructions and/or other type of code may be loaded onto a
computer, processor or other programmable apparatus's circuitry to
produce a machine, such that the computer, processor other
programmable circuitry that execute the code on the machine create
the means for implementing various functions, including those
described herein.
[0081] As described above and as will be appreciated based on this
disclosure, embodiments of the present invention may be configured
as methods, mobile devices, backend network devices, and the like.
Accordingly, embodiments may comprise various means including
entirely of hardware or any combination of software and hardware.
Furthermore, embodiments may take the form of a computer program
product on at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage
medium having computer-readable program instructions (e.g.,
computer software) embodied in the storage medium. Any suitable
computer-readable storage medium may be utilized including
non-transitory hard disks, CD-ROMs, flash memory, optical storage
devices, or magnetic storage devices.
[0082] Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram is illustrated
showing an example HMD, apparatus 300 that enables a user to
experience a feeling of immersion in a virtual environment through
the use of a head-mounted display screen. The apparatus 300 may
include or otherwise be in communication with data transfer
circuitry 302, position location circuitry 304, accelerometer
circuitry 306, first display circuitry 308, second display
circuitry 310, and audio output circuitry 312. As noted above, each
of the components of the HMD may, in some embodiments, be
implemented as a single housing with individual discrete components
not in communication with one another (e.g., two separate displays
each receiving a separate input signal, headphones and/or a
microphone with discrete audio input/output signals, accelerometers
that communicate directly with components of a server apparatus
such as the apparatus 200, and the like), while in other
embodiments the HMD apparatus 300 may be implemented as multiple
components in communication with one another and with a server
apparatus 200 via particular data transfer circuitry 302. The data
transfer circuitry 302 may thus include electronic components
configured to process electronic signals from the different
components of the HMD and translate said components into a signal,
signals, stream, or streams suitable for consumption by a server
200, and translate a signal, signals, stream, or streams from the
server into signals suitable for consumption by the individual
components of the HMD.
[0083] The HMD may include accelerometer circuitry 306 for
detecting movement, pitch, bearing, orientation, and the like of
the HMD. This information may be provided to a server for use in
determining which area of the virtual environment corresponds to
the orientation/bearing of the HMD, so that said corresponding area
of the virtual environment may be displayed via the first display
circuitry 308 and/or second display circuitry 310.
[0084] The positioning circuitry 304 may include electronics for
configuring and communicating with location services modules and
functionality associated with the HMD. For example, embodiments of
the HMD apparatus 300 may include one or more infrared beacons that
may be turned on and off in response to signals from a server.
These infrared beacons may enable detection by infrared sensors
coupled to the server. The positioning circuitry 304 may thus
function to turn said infrared beacons on and off, cause the
infrared beacons to blink at a particular rate or in a particular
pattern, and otherwise assist with location detection and physical
environment calibration functions. In some embodiments the HMD may
include a global positioning system receive as part of the
positioning circuitry 304, and it should be readily appreciated
that a variety of different location and positioning technologies
could be employed to assist with detection of the position of the
HMD apparatus 300.
[0085] The first display circuitry 308 and the second display
circuitry 310 include hardware, such as a projection screen, liquid
crystal display panel, or the like for displaying signals received
from the server. It should be appreciated that the first display
circuitry 308 and the second display circuitry 310 may share some
common hardware and/or software elements. For example, in some
embodiments each of the first display circuitry 308 and the second
display circuitry 310 are entirely separate displays receiving
separate input signals. In other embodiments, the first display
circuitry 308 and the second display circuitry 310 may include a
single display panel with a separation by a physical element of the
HMD (e.g., a blocking panel positioned near the user's nose). In
yet further embodiments, a single display signal may be provided to
circuitry which may split the signal to create two different
sources for two separate display panels. The use of two displays in
this manner allows for a server to output two separate images which
may be employed to create a stereoscopic three-dimensional image.
However, it should also be appreciated that in some embodiments the
HMD may include only a single display or not even display a
stereoscopic image at all, but still serve to display a virtual
environment to the user of the HMD and enable gesture interaction
with that virtual environment in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention.
[0086] The HMD apparatus 300 may include audio output circuitry 312
configured to output an audio signal. For example, the HMD
apparatus 300 may include built-in speakers, headphones, or the
like for outputting sounds to the user wearing the HMD.
Example Virtual Environment Gesture Input Data Flow
[0087] FIG. 4 depicts an example data flow 400 illustrating
interactions between different components of a virtual reality
system operable to immerse a user in a virtual environment and to
receive gesture inputs from a user to interact with that virtual
environment. In particular, the data flow 400 illustrates how
electronic data received from a head-mounted display (HMD) 402 and
one or more sensors 408 may be processed to position one or more
virtual controls in a manner that allows the user to interact with
said virtual controls according to embodiments of the present
invention. Elements of the data flow 400 may correspond to elements
described above with respect to FIGS. 1-3, however it should be
understood that the components of the data flow 400 may also be
implemented in additional or alternative configurations than those
described above. For example, in some embodiments the entire
virtual-reality system may be implemented as part of the HMD
without the need for a separate server or sensors.
[0088] The HMD 402 may provide sensor data from sensors coupled to
the HMD (e.g., gyroscopes and/or accelerometers) to HMD interface
circuitry 404, and receive video and audio data via the HMD
interface circuitry 404 in a manner similar to that described above
with respect to FIGS. 1-3. The HMD interface circuitry 404 may
interpret sensor data received from the HMD and provide processed
HMD sensor data to a processor 406. The sensor data may be used to
determine various aspects of the user and the HMD 402, including
but not limited to the viewing angle and bearing of the user and
HMD 402.
[0089] It should also be appreciated that in some embodiments, the
sensor data received from the HMD 402 may be provided to the
processor 406 without further analysis or processing by the HMD
interface circuitry 404. The HMD interface circuitry 404 may
receive output data (e.g., audio and video data) from the processor
406 to be provided to the HMD 402 for output. Although the output
data may typically comprise a virtual world state, it should be
appreciated that on some occasions the output data may include
audio or video data not associated with the virtual world state
(e.g., where the user of the HMD wishes to watch a movie).
[0090] The sensor(s) 408 may be any device operable to capture
information about a physical environment. For example, as described
above, the sensors may be cameras, infrared detectors, capacitive
touch or proximity sensors, or the like. The sensor(s) 408 capture
raw sensor data that may be indicative of user and object position
information (e.g., in cases where a user and/or object is present
in an area visible to the sensor and the raw sensor data is
sufficient to assist with differentiation of the user and/or object
from the background and from other objects). The sensor(s) 408 may
also capture beacon transmissions from the HMD 402 and/or other
signaling devices (e.g., handheld input devices with infrared
emitters).
[0091] The sensor(s) 408 provide raw data to sensor interface
circuitry 410. In some embodiments, the sensor interface circuitry
410 may function to identify the position of the user and/or
objects from the raw sensor data. The sensor interface circuitry
410 may function as a depth renderer, evaluating depth and other
location data received by the sensor(s) 408 to determine the
position of objects in the physical environment. This physical
object location data may be stored in a physical environment state
412. In some embodiments, the sensor interface circuitry 410 is
operable to merge data from multiple sensors and derive the
position of objects using multiple different data sources. It
should be appreciated that, while the present example describes the
sensor interface circuitry 410 as determining the location of
objects, in other embodiments the location of objects may be
determined by the processor 406 without the use of special-purpose
circuitry, and the sensor interface circuitry 410 may function
merely to receive raw input form the sensor(s) 408 (e.g., via an
API) and provide the raw data to the processor 406.
[0092] The processor 406 may also provide sensor control data to
the sensor interface circuitry 410 for the purpose of configuring
and controlling the operation of the sensor(s) 408. For example,
the processor 406 may send sensor control data to activate the
sensor(s) 408, deactivate the sensor(s) 408, change the viewing
angle of the sensor(s) 408, adjust the gain of the sensor(s) 408,
or the like.
[0093] The physical environment state 412 may include one or more
databases, data structures, or the like that indicate the position
of objects within the physical environment visible to the sensor(s)
408. The physical environment state 412 may be accessed by physical
environment state management circuitry 414 to provide the location
of particular objects in the physical environment state to the
processor 406. For example, the processor 406 may request the
location of particular objects form the physical environment state
management circuitry 414, request the location of all identified
objects, or the like. In some embodiments, the physical environment
state management circuitry 414 is capable of providing a location,
velocity, size, and/or other features and characteristics of
objects identified within the physical environment state 412 upon
request.
[0094] The processor 406 may determine a physical anchor location
from the object locations provided by the physical environment
state management circuitry 414. The processor 406 may determine the
physical anchor location by identifying a particular object from
the physical environment state and determining that that particular
object has characteristics of an object associated within a
physical anchor. For example, the processor 406 may determine the
location of the HMD, the user's head, the user's shoulders, the
user's center of mass, or some other object based on data provided
by the physical environment state management circuitry 414. The
location of this object, or some reference to that object (e.g., a
particular distance above, below, in front of, behind, or the like)
may be used as the physical anchor location. Example embodiments of
methods for determining physical anchor locations are described
further below with respect to FIG. 6.
[0095] The physical anchor location may be provided to virtual
environment state management circuitry 416. The virtual environment
state management circuitry 416 functions to manage, monitor, and
control a virtual environment, which is stored as a virtual
environment state 420 and updated by writing virtual environment
state data to the virtual environment state by the virtual
environment state management circuitry 416. The virtual environment
state management circuitry 416 may receive the physical anchor
location and map the physical anchor location to a position within
the virtual environment to be used as a virtual anchor location.
The virtual anchor location may be used as an origin or other
reference to position one or more controls within the virtual
environment.
[0096] Information relating to one or more virtual controls may be
stored in a set of virtual control configuration data 418. The
virtual control configuration data 418 includes electronic data
indicating the function, position, and any other configuration
settings associated with virtual controls. For example, the virtual
control configuration data 418 includes one or more virtual control
positioning offsets for use in positioning a virtual control with
respect to a determined virtual anchor point. The virtual control
positioning offsets may, as described above, be determined
dynamically or be static for a particular virtual control.
[0097] It should also be appreciated that the location at which a
given virtual control is positioned may be different from a
location in which a user must gesture to interact with the virtual
control. As such, the virtual control configuration data 418 may
store data configuring each value separately. For example, a
virtual control may be displayed at a distance of 2 meters from a
user, but the user may only need to reach out 0.5 meters to
interact with the control. As indicated above, embodiments may
include various mechanisms for communicating these different
distances and interaction parameters to the user.
[0098] Upon determining the virtual anchor position and the virtual
control positioning offset for a particular virtual control, a
position for an associated virtual control may be determined by
applying the virtual control positioning offset to the virtual
anchor position. Applying the offset may include rotating,
translating, scaling, and otherwise adjusting the virtual control,
using the virtual control anchor as an origin. The determined
virtual control position may be stored in the virtual environment
state 420.
[0099] The virtual control configuration data 418 may also include
data for configuring an interactivity indicator that identifies a
radius or distance about the virtual control within which various
interactions are possible. For example, in some embodiments, as the
user directs their field of vision to the virtual control or moves
their hand/arm/input device proximate to the virtual control, the
virtual control may display an interactivity indicator as a circle
or other indicator around or about the virtual control. The
interactivity indicator denotes the area to which the user must
gesture, enter, or otherwise activate in order to interact with the
virtual control. The virtual control configuration data 418 may
include data indicating whether and when to display interactivity
indicator, the size and shape of the interactivity indicator, or
the like.
[0100] It should be appreciated that the interactivity indicator is
separate and distinct from the virtual control itself and any other
indicators used to indicate the presence of the virtual control.
For example, some embodiments may display the virtual control
within the virtual environment (e.g., as an orb or sphere). When
the user performs some action (e.g., looking in a particular
direction such that the orb or sphere enters a particular frame of
view, such as the center of the user's field of vision), the
virtual control may receive a first highlight indicating its
presence (e.g., by placing a bracket around the virtual control).
Upon the user taking an action indicating intent to interact with
the virtual control (e.g., moving their hand up toward the virtual
control), the interactivity indicator may be displayed to provide
the user with more information about how to interact with the
virtual control, such as the area within which the user must
gesture, or the type of gestures accepted by the virtual control
(e.g., radial menu, confirmation list, "point and flick" or the
like).
[0101] Periodically or in response to an inquiry from the processor
406, the virtual environment state management circuitry 416 may
provide virtual environment data to the processor 406. The virtual
environment data may include the location of various objects within
the virtual environment state to be used in outputting data to the
HMD for display to the user. In some embodiments, the virtual
environment data is constrained by information provided by the
processor or other elements of the virtual reality system. For
example, the processor 406 may indicate that the HMD 402 is located
at a certain pitch and direction, and therefore the display data
output to the HMD 402 should be limited to a portion of the virtual
environment that would be visible to the user with a viewing angle
at that particular pitch and direction.
Example Illustrations of Gesture Input Using Virtual Controls In
Accordance with Exemplary Embodiments
[0102] FIGS. 5A-5O are illustrations of example gesture
interactions with virtual controls in accordance with exemplary
embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that
although the instant control mechanisms are described in the
context of a virtual reality system, these mechanisms could also be
applied to augmented reality environments or physical environments.
For example, a user may be in an environment that does not include
a HMD, but which otherwise includes various sensors for receiving
gesture inputs and processing equipment for implementing virtual
controls. In such an environment, the user may still perform
gesture control inputs via virtual controls that are invisible to
the user. As a specific example, a car dashboard may include
sensors for detecting gesture inputs and hardware and software for
implementing virtual controls associated with particular components
of the car. When the user gestures toward a particular component
(e.g., an air conditioning control panel or radio head unit), the
user may interact with virtual controls that are invisible to the
user (e.g., pointing to the air conditioning control panel and
swiping to the right to increase a temperature, or pointing to the
radio head unit and rotating their hand to the left to reduce the
volume). These virtual controls may be implemented in the same
manner as virtual controls described herein with respect to the
virtual environment, but the user may not be able to see the
virtual controls due to the lack of a display. The user may employ
these "invisible" virtual control objects using gesture inputs in
the same or a similar manner as described herein with respect to
the virtual environment.
[0103] Detection of "interaction" with a particular virtual control
object may be performed via a variety of mechanisms. One particular
technique that may be employed relates to determining a relative
position of a user perspective (e.g., the location of a "camera"
viewing the virtual environment) with respect to the virtual
control object, and detecting when the user performs a gesture on a
line between the virtual control object and the user perspective.
In some embodiments, virtual control objects may be presented so as
to appear at a particular angle or within a particular range of
angles to the user perspective at all times, such as perpendicular
to the user perspective. Embodiments may identify when, for
example, the user places their hand on the line between the
indicator and the camera position, within a particular angular
tolerance between the line drawn between the user's position and
the user's hand and the line drawn between the virtual control
object and the user's position. Embodiments may also detect when
the user moves their hand beyond a certain percentage of their arms
reach or beyond a certain other distance parameter. In response to
detecting the user's hand within the certain angular tolerance
along the particular line between the user's position and the
virtual control object and detecting the movement of the hand
beyond the distance parameter, the virtual control may be
activated. It should be readily appreciated that parameters such as
the angular tolerance and the distance parameter may be tunable or
otherwise configurable based on a variety of factors, including but
not limited to the particular virtual control (e.g., stored as
virtual control configuration data), or the particular user (e.g.,
based on user preference settings or calibrated to the user's
height).
[0104] The interactions illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5O are made
possible by a mapping between the physical coordinates of the user
and the virtual coordinates of objects within the virtual
environment. By displaying these virtual controls via the HMD,
embodiments of the present invention map the physical coordinates
of the user to the virtual environment and detect when the physical
coordinates of the user match virtual coordinates of the virtual
controls. The use of the HMD allows for the user to easily
visualize where these virtual coordinates are in relation to their
physical coordinates.
[0105] These techniques allow for implementation of a wide variety
of novel interactions that were previously impossible. The virtual
controls may be employed as origin points or fixed references for
enabling a variety of gesture inputs. This functionality may allow
the user to perform gestures with respect to elements of the
virtual environment to perform various contextual actions. For
example, a lightning cloud in the virtual environment may function
as a control that allows the user to hold up their hand to the
cloud, gather a bolt of lightning, and perform a gesture to hurl
the bolt of lightning at an opponent. The use of an HMD allows the
user to visualize their actions as they are performed and to
provide real-time feedback as to the impact the user's gestures are
having on the virtual environment. Other possible gesture inputs
include a "point-and-flick" gesture, where the user raises their
hand to a virtual control, then performs a "flick" gesture to send
an object in the direction of the flick relative to the virtual
control.
[0106] Embodiments may also detect movement vectors with respect to
known positions of virtual controls. For example, embodiments may
use the position of the virtual control as an origin, and evaluate
user gestures performed on that virtual control to detect a
magnitude and direction of gesture movements with respect to the
origin point. In this manner, embodiments map physical locations of
gestures to virtual coordinates in the virtual environment, and
then perform appropriate actions based on the mapping of the
physical locations to the virtual coordinates.
[0107] Yet further embodiments may leverage the ability to track
the position of the user's viewing angle to combine the position of
the virtual control object, the physical gestures and position of
the user, and the direction and origin of the user's viewing angle
into signals that are interpreted by the system to produce a single
input to the virtual environment. Exemplary embodiments for
performing gesture inputs using virtual control objects will now be
described. It should be appreciated that various additional and
alternative inputs may also be performed, and these examples are
not intended to be limiting.
[0108] FIGS. 5A-5D illustrate an exemplary gesture input system for
detecting, interacting with, and activating a virtual control. The
virtual control depicted in FIGS. 5A-5D is a basic input device
that is capable of being activated for interaction based on the
user's angle of view, after which the user may utilize the virtual
control to initiate a particular function. The virtual control may
become visible, or change its appearance to indicate that it is
capable of interaction, based on a determination that the virtual
control object is within a certain viewing angle of the user. This
allows the users to interact with the virtual environment in novel
ways by allowing interactive objects to appear in the virtual
environment only when within a certain view angle. In this manner,
the virtual environment can be presented to the user without
interactive virtual controls, or with only certain interactive
controls, being visible to the user unless the user turns their
head in a manner that brings the virtual control within the user's
viewing angle. FIG. 5A illustrates the relative positioning of a
virtual control with respect to a physical and virtual anchor in
accordance with exemplary embodiments. In particular, FIG. 5A
illustrates a user 504 wearing a HMD. The position of the HMD has
been detected by the system and established as a physical anchor
location 502. A virtual anchor location is established at virtual
coordinates corresponding to the center of the HMD, and a virtual
control positioning offset of 508 is used to locate a virtual
control 506. In the present example, the virtual control is located
out from the user's body approximately level to the user's right
shoulder.
[0109] The present example illustrated in FIG. 5A also illustrates
how, in some embodiments, enablement of the virtual control may be
performed in conjunction with monitoring the user's viewing angle
510. Since the user may not be aware of all of the virtual controls
available in the virtual environment, embodiments may not activate
certain virtual controls until the user has viewed, acknowledged,
or otherwise been made aware of the existence of a particular
virtual control. In FIG. 5A, the user's viewing angle 510 has not
yet resulted in display of the area of the virtual environment
corresponding to the virtual control 506, so the virtual control
remains deactivated.
[0110] As illustrated in FIG. 5B, upon the user's viewing angle 512
being directed to a portion of the virtual environment containing
the virtual control 514, the virtual control may be activated and
available to receive input from the user. FIG. 5C illustrates the
process by which the user may interact with the virtual control, by
moving his/her hand 516 into a physical location corresponding to
the virtual control. Upon the user's hand moving across or onto the
virtual control, the virtual control is highlighted, such as by
placing a box 518 around the virtual control to show it is
activated. FIG. 5D illustrates how, once the control is activated,
the user can move their hand 520 away from the control to cause the
control to initiate its respective function 522. An exemplary
embodiment of a method for implementing such a control is described
further below with respect to FIG. 11.
[0111] FIGS. 5E-5G illustrate the use of virtual controls to
implement a radial menu in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention. FIG. 5E illustrates a virtual control object 526
with which the user may interact by placing their hand 524 in a
particular area denoted by a sphere. The virtual control object 526
may be indicated to be available for interaction by a bracket 528.
FIG. 5F illustrates a radial menu being displayed about the virtual
control object 526. In the present example, the radial menu
includes 4 separate items that may be selected by the user: A 530,
B 532, C, 534, and D 536. Each separate item may have a separate
virtual control generated for the item. In some embodiments, menu
items may be defined in a hierarchical relationship with top level
menu controls, such that controls for individual menu items are
child virtual controls to the top level menu control. These child
controls may be automatically or programmatically generated and/or
enabled in response to interaction with the top level menu
control.
[0112] The items may be disposed radially about the sphere denoting
the virtual control object in response to the user placing their
hand within in an interactivity area about the sphere. FIG. 5G
illustrates a selection process of an item from the radial menu. To
select one of the items from the list, the user gestures through
the item to be selected. The direction of the gesture with respect
to the center of the virtual control object and the displayed
selection items thus controls which item is selected. If the first
gesture 538 is performed, item A is selected. If the second gesture
540 is performed, item B is selected. If the third gesture 542 is
performed, item C is selected, and if the fourth gesture 544 is
performed, item D is selected. The user may cancel out of the
radial menu by gesturing in a fifth direction 546 not associated
with any of the radial menu item virtual controls. An exemplary
embodiment of a method for implementing such a control is described
further below with respect to FIG. 11.
[0113] FIGS. 5H-5K illustrate the use of virtual controls to
implement a list selection menu in accordance with embodiments of
the present invention. FIG. H illustrates a virtual control object
548 associated with a list control. When the user brings their hand
550 intro proximity with the virtual control object 548, a series
of virtual control objects associated with list items may be
generated around or about the virtual control object 548. FIG. 5I
illustrates a series of list items 552-556. The list item virtual
control objects may be generated in a particular direction about
the virtual control object 548. For example, the list items virtual
control objects 552-556 may be generated vertically above the
virtual control object 548 as in the present example, though it
should also be appreciated that in other embodiments the list items
may be generated horizontally, diagonally, or in various other
directions relative to the user, the virtual control object
controlling the list, or a combination of the two.
[0114] FIG. 5J illustrates a process for selecting a list item. The
user has gestured towards a virtual control associated with a
particular list item 558. While the user holds the gesture over the
list item, a confirmation virtual control object 560 may be
displayed. Different confirmation virtual control objects may be
associated with each list element, or the same virtual control
object may move from list item to list item based on the list item
to which the user has gestured. In some embodiments, continued
interaction with the list may be contingent on the user maintaining
a gesture within an axis along which the list is disposed. For
example, in the present example, with a vertically disposed list,
if the user gestures outside of the area defined by the left and
right boundaries of the list item virtual control objects, the
virtual control objects for interacting with the list may disappear
until the user interacts with the list virtual control object
again. For horizontally disposed lists, if the user gestures
outside of the area defined by a top and bottom of list item
virtual control objects, the virtual control objects for
interacting with the list may similarly disappear.
[0115] FIG. 5K illustrates a process for confirming a selection of
a list item. To select the list item, the user may interact with
the confirmation virtual control object 560. Interaction with the
confirmation virtual control object 560 may be performed via
particular gesture inputs. For example, some embodiments may
require the user to "swipe" through the confirmation virtual
control object before the list selection is registered. Other
embodiments may confirm the selection in response to the user
holding their hand over the confirmation virtual control object 560
for a predefined period of time. An exemplary embodiment of a
method for implementing such a control is described further below
with respect to FIG. 12.
[0116] FIGS. 5L-5O illustrate the use of a "spinner" control that
allows the user to perform input using a particular virtual control
object until certain criteria associated with that virtual control
object are no longer satisfied. FIG. 5L illustrates a virtual
control object 564 associated with a spinner control that is
activated by a user gesture interaction. FIG. 5M illustrates the
result of the user gesture interaction, the creation of a timer
display 566. The timer display in this instance is presented as a
radial progress meter that gradually fills up with a particular
shade of color as the user maintains interaction with the virtual
control object 564. For example, in the instant case, the radial
progress meter fills in a clockwise direction until the timer
display 566 is complete full. If the gesture input is not
maintained for the duration of the timer, then the virtual control
object may revert back to the state depicted in FIG. 5L.
[0117] FIG. 5N illustrates the spinner control after the timer has
completely expired and the timer display has completely filled.
Upon meeting the timer criteria by maintaining the gesture input,
the timer display 566 may be replaced with another virtual control
object 568 including one or more particular controls 570 and 572.
In the present example, the controls 570 and 572 relate to left and
right arrows. The left and right arrows may be interacted with by
the user so long as the user maintains a gesture within the virtual
control object 568. FIG. 5O illustrates interaction with a
particular one of the controls 574, such that the control is
activated by user input. Processing associated with the activated
control may continue so long as the user maintains interaction with
the control. The spinner control may remain in a state allowing
interaction with the sub controls so long as the user maintains the
gesture input in the larger virtual control object 568. Upon moving
their hand outside of an area defined by the virtual control object
568, the controls 570 and 572 may disappear and the user may need
to perform the inputs described with respect to FIG. 5M and the
timer before using the controls 570 and 572 again. An exemplary
embodiment of a method for implementing such a control is described
further below with respect to FIG. 13.
[0118] Interactions with the virtual control objects may be
performed in a variety of manners, and different virtual control
objects may be configured to accept different types of
interactions. For example, some virtual control objects may be
responsive to a "swipe" gesture, where the gesture input passes
through and beyond the virtual control object. Other virtual
control objects may be responsive to a "hold" gesture, requiring
the gesture to be maintained in a particular area or at a
particular location for a period of time. Yet further virtual
control objects may be responsive to a "twist" gesture, where the
user s a limb or input device in, near, or around the virtual
control object. Other embodiments may require the user to move a
portion of their body or an appendage towards the virtual control
object for at least a threshold distance. The threshold distance
may be dynamically defined based on the user (e.g., based on a
user's reach), or static based on the particular control (e.g.,
within 0.5 meters of the control). Yet further embodiments may also
require input from a particular device (e.g., an interface device
held in the user's left hand vs. an interface device held in the
user's right hand) or portion of the user (e.g., an arm or a leg),
such that an interaction is only detected with respect to the
virtual control object in response to the interaction being
performed using the particular device or portion of the user. Such
valid gestures may be defined within the virtual control object
configuration data as described above with respect to FIG. 4.
[0119] Some virtual control objects may also use particular flags
or other criteria for registering interactions other than gesture
inputs. For example, such virtual controls may require the user to
direct their field of view toward the virtual control object while
the gesture is being performed. In such cases, if the user's field
of view does not include the virtual control object, the
interaction will not be registered. In some embodiments, some
virtual control objects may use data other than gesture inputs to
adjust or direct functionality of the virtual control object. For
example, a virtual control object may use a user's field of view to
select a target for an action related to the virtual control (e.g.,
throwing a ball or firing a weapon), such that the action is
performed in the direction of the user's field of view. In such
cases, if the user's field of view does not contain an appropriate
target, the interaction may not be registered.
Exemplary Computer-Implemented Methods for Providing Gesture Inputs
in a Virtual Environment Using Virtual Controls
[0120] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 600 for positioning a virtual control
object for use in a virtual reality system in accordance with
exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The method 600
illustrates how embodiments may provide for positioning virtual
controls in a flexible, straightforward manner to improve user
interaction with a virtual environment. The method 600 functions to
determine the physical position of one or more physical objects.
The physical positions are used to determine a virtual anchor
position, which may be employed as a reference point for placement
of virtual controls. Virtual controls are placed relative to the
virtual anchor position where they may then be employed by a user
to interact with the virtual environment. The method may be
performed by a computing device, such as the server 102 or the
apparatus 200 described above with respect to FIGS. 1-2, or as part
of the data flow described with respect to FIG. 4.
[0121] At action 602, the method receives information describing a
physical environment state from one or more sensors. As described
above with respect to FIGS. 1, 2, and 4, information describing the
physical environment may be received directly from the sensors or
after raw sensor input is processed to detect object locations. At
action 604, the information describing the physical environment
state is used to determine the position of one or more physical
objects. At action 606, a virtual anchor position is determined
based on the one or more physical object positions determined at
action 604. An example method for determining a virtual anchor
position using a position of a physical object is described further
below with respect to FIG. 7.
[0122] The virtual anchor position may be utilized as an origin or
anchor point based on which the position of virtual controls may be
determined. In some embodiments, the virtual anchor position is
located at a position in the virtual environment that corresponds
to the user's head, the user's chest, or the location of a HMD in a
physical environment. In this manner, the virtual anchor position
may be dynamically determined based on the particular physical
environment and characteristics of the particular user. In some
embodiments, characteristics of the virtual anchor position may be
configurable. For example, the user may select from an options menu
how far in front, above, behind, below, behind, or the like they
wish for the virtual anchor position to be located with respect to
their position in the physical environment.
[0123] At action 608, the positions of one or more virtual controls
within the virtual environment are determined based on the virtual
anchor position, and at action 610 the virtual control is
positioned at the determined virtual control position. For example,
the virtual environment state may be updated to reflect the
position of the virtual control at that particular location within
the virtual environment.
[0124] The virtual controls may be placed within the virtual
environment so that as the user adjusts the viewing angle of the
HMD, the virtual controls are displayed in the HMD when the viewing
angle of the HMD corresponds to a physical position that maps to
the virtual position of the control. For example, in a typical
virtual environment, the display of the HMD is adjusted to display
different areas of the virtual environment as the user adjusts the
physical viewing angle of the HMD, and those displayed areas of the
virtual environment generally correspond to the physical
environment around the user. If the user adjusts the angle of the
HMD so that, were the user not wearing the HMD, the user would see
an area of the physical environment associated with the virtual
coordinates of the virtual control, then the virtual control would
then be displayed in the display of the HMD. Optionally, the
virtual control object may be configured such that it is not
displayed even though the area of the virtual environment
surrounding the virtual control is displayed to the user. The
virtual control object may be displayed only when the viewing angle
of the user is such that it is looking at the location in the
virtual environment where the virtual control has been located. In
this manner, a user may look forward and see through their
peripheral vision a virtual environment that contains no virtual
control objects. But if the user looks in the direction of a
virtual control object, that virtual control object may appear in
the environment. As such, embodiments facilitate a mapping between
the physical environment and the virtual environment so that as the
user interacts with the physical environment (e.g., by performing
gestures), the user also interacts with corresponding elements of
the virtual environment, thus increasing immersion within the
virtual environment and providing increased interactivity with the
virtual environment.
[0125] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 700 for determining a position of a
virtual control object based on a physical anchor position in
accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As
described above with respect to FIG. 6, embodiments may determine a
virtual anchor position based on information about a physical
environment. FIG. 7 illustrates an example method for determining
the virtual anchor position based on detection of certain physical
objects.
[0126] At action 702, a position of one or more physical objects is
known, such as based on a set of physical state data. From the
physical object position, the position of a physical anchor may be
determined. For example, embodiments may determine the position of
physical objects having certain characteristics, such as using
infrared beacons on an HMD to determine the location of an HMD. In
some embodiments, determination of the physical anchor location is
performed in response to certain criteria. For example,
accelerometers and gyroscope data provided by the HMD may be used
to determine when the HMD has been placed on the user's head (e.g.,
by detecting when the device is lifted up and then set down level).
Upon detection of the HMD being placed on the user's head, a
physical anchor location may be determined as part of an
initialization or calibration process. In other embodiments, the
physical anchor position can be determined through other sensor
data. For example, infrared or imaging data may be processed to
determine the location of a user's head or hand and the physical
anchor position can be set to that location.
[0127] At action 704, physical coordinates of the physical anchor
position are mapped to virtual coordinates in the virtual
environment. At action 706, those virtual coordinates are used as
the virtual anchor position. At action 708, a virtual control
positioning offset is determined for a virtual control, and at
action 710 the position of the virtual control in the virtual
environment is determined such that the position of the virtual
control in the virtual environment corresponds to the position in
the physical environment that the user must perform a gesture input
to interact with the virtual control.
[0128] Although FIG. 7 generally describes the virtual anchor
position as being determined at a single point in time, it should
be appreciated that the virtual anchor position may be dynamically
adjusted in real-time or at particular intervals. Adjustment of the
virtual anchor position in this regard may also cause the positions
of virtual controls to update relative to the updated position of
the virtual anchor.
[0129] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 800 for enabling a virtual control
object based on a viewing angle in accordance with exemplary
embodiments of the present invention. As noted above with respect
to FIGS. 5A-5O, embodiments may utilize the viewing angle of the
user to determine whether to enable or disable, or display, a
particular virtual control. In particular, embodiments may enable a
virtual control in response to the user's viewing angle being
directed toward a position in the physical environment that maps to
a position of the virtual control in the virtual environment. In
this manner, embodiments ensure that controls may be enabled only
after the user is aware of their existence, to avoid inadvertently
triggering the virtual control with a gesture when the user has not
yet seen the virtual control. It should be appreciated that this
feature may be enabled or disabled on a per-control basis in some
embodiments. For example, one control might be enabled the entire
time, and another control might only be enabled after the user
views the control via the HMD. In yet further embodiments,
view-based enablement of the virtual controls may be configurable
by the user. For example, the first time a user plays a game and is
unfamiliar with the controls, he may wish to have each control
disabled until viewing, interacting, or receiving a tutorial for
the control. A more experienced user who is already aware of the
placement and functioning of the controls may wish to disable this
feature to immediately have access to all of the available
controls.
[0130] To perform these functions, at action 802 the method
determines the user's view angle. As described above, the user's
view angle may be determined by one or more of accelerometers in
the HMD, gyroscopes in the HMD, or sensors coupled to a server that
detect a position of the user or a portion of the user, such as the
user's head or hand, or the particular orientation of a portion of
the user. At action 804, a determination is made as to whether the
user's view angle includes a virtual control. If the view angle
includes a virtual control, that control may be enabled at action
806. Otherwise, the method returns to action 802.
[0131] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 900 for detecting interaction with a
virtual control object to provide input to virtual reality system
in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
As noted above, embodiments function by providing a mapping between
the physical position of the user and coordinates of a virtual
environment. Interaction is detected with virtual controls by
determining whether the physical position of the user intersects
with a physical position that corresponds to virtual coordinates of
virtual controls. The method 900 illustrates an example process by
which this interaction may occur.
[0132] At action 902, a physical position of a user, portion of a
user, or other physical object in the physical environment, is
determined, such as from sensor data. For example, a sensor may
detect that a user is standing in a particular location, that the
user has performed a particular gesture, that the user has moved a
particular arm, leg, hand, finger, or the like to a particular
point, or the like. The physical location/position of the user may
be mapped to a set of virtual coordinates at action 904. It should
be appreciated that, while the instant example relates to the
position of a user, various additional signals could also be
employed. As specific, non-limiting examples, embodiments may
detect that the user has performed a particular gesture at the
particular location, that the user's view is directed in a
particular direction, or the like. Other exemplary signals may
include detection of whether the user has crossed a portion of a
set of coordinates in the virtual environment, determination of the
speed of the gesture, determination of the angle of contact with
the virtual control object, detection of an interaction within a
defined area of the virtual control object, or the like. For
example, embodiments may calculate a speed, direction, angle of
contact with a virtual control object, and a contact point on the
virtual control object that cause an object in the virtual
environment (the virtual control object or another object) to begin
to spin based on a force derived from the speed, direction, angle
of contact, and contact location. Each of these signals, among
others, alone and/or in combination, may be used to evaluate
whether and how to evaluate an interaction with a particular
virtual control.
[0133] At action 906, a determination is made as to whether the
virtual coordinates mapped to the physical position of the user
correspond to the virtual position of one or more virtual controls.
If the user's position (or the position of other physical objects
in the physical environment) is not associated with any virtual
controls, the method returns to action 902 to continue to track the
user. If the user's position is associated with a virtual control,
the method proceeds to action 908 to determine whether the control
is enabled (e.g., in response to the user previously directing his
viewing angle toward the physical area corresponding to the virtual
coordinate position of the virtual control). At action 908, if the
control is enabled, the method proceeds to action 910 where
interaction with the virtual control is initiated. Otherwise, the
method returns to action 902 to continue to monitor the user's
position.
[0134] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 1000 for using a delay to improve
interaction with a virtual control object to provide input to a
virtual reality system in accordance with exemplary embodiments of
the present invention. In order to reduce inadvertent inputs to
virtual controls, the inventors have determined that some
embodiments may benefit from employing a delay before performing
functionality related to interaction with a particular virtual
control. In this manner, embodiments may require the user to hold
their hand or other input gesture over a virtual control for a
particular period of time before enabling input via that virtual
control.
[0135] At action 1002, the method 1000 may detect that a user has
interacted with a virtual control. For example, as described above,
the user may have placed their hand or another part of their body
on or near a virtual control that is enabled. At action 1004, prior
to performing the function associated with the virtual control,
embodiments may begin a delay timer. At action 1006, the end of the
user interaction may be detected. If the interaction lasted longer
than the delay timer, then the functionality associated with the
virtual control may be performed at action 1012. If the interaction
lasted less than the delay timer, then the interaction may be
disregarded at action 1010 and the control not performed.
[0136] In other embodiments, the delay timer may be associated with
intent to initiate interaction rather than an entire gesture. For
example, the user may be required to point or more their arm toward
a virtual control for at least a threshold period of time before
that control accepts user gesture input. As such, the timer may be
associated with the initial interaction, rather than the entire
gesture input.
[0137] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 1100 for performing gesture inputs
using virtual control objects to implement a radial selection menu
in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
In order to improve interaction with virtual objects, reduce errant
inputs, and otherwise improve the technology by which users
interact with a virtual environment, the inventors have developed
various input techniques and modalities using virtual control
objects to enhance the process by which inputs are received. One
such novel development is a radial menu implemented using virtual
control objects. The process 1100 describes the manner in which
users may interact with said radial menu virtual control
object.
[0138] At action 1102, a gesture interaction with a radial menu
virtual control object is detected. For example, the user may
gesture within a particular area defined around the radial menu
virtual control object. As noted above, different gestures
performed with respect to the virtual control object may produce
different results. At action 1104, upon detecting the gesture
interaction with the radial menu virtual control object, a series
of virtual control objects corresponding to elements of the radial
menu may generated radially about the radial menu virtual control
object. At action 1106, a swipe gesture may be detected through an
element of the radial menu. In some embodiments, the swipe gesture
must originate within a certain proximity to the radial menu
virtual control object since the radial menu may disappear if the
user gestures outside of the radial menu virtual control object. At
action 1108, processing associated with the radial menu item
corresponding to the swipe gesture is executed.
[0139] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 1200 for performing gesture inputs
using a list menu in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the
present invention. As with the radial menu virtual control object,
the inventors have developed a list control object that
advantageously provides for reduced input error and more precise
selection of items within a virtual control object. The process
1200 describes the manner in which users may interact with said
list virtual control object.
[0140] At action 1202, a gesture interaction is detected with
respect to a list virtual control object. At action 1204, in
response to the interaction with the list virtual control object, a
series of virtual control objects corresponding to items of the
list are generated. These list item virtual control objects may be
generated expanding out from the list virtual control object in a
particular direction or along a particular axis, such as vertically
above the list virtual control object.
[0141] At action 1206, a gesture interaction with one of the list
item virtual control objects is detected. As described above with
respect to FIGS. 5H-5K, interaction with a list item virtual
control object may require the user maintain a gesture input within
a particular area associated with the list, such as within a
vertical or horizontal range defined by the axis along which the
list extends.
[0142] At action 1208, a confirmation virtual control object is
generated corresponding to the list item selected at action 1206.
The confirmation virtual control object may be disposed adjacent to
the virtual control object corresponding to the selected list item.
In some embodiments, the confirmation virtual control object moves
up and down the list to be adjacent to different list item virtual
control objects as the user gestures towards the different list
item virtual control objects. In other embodiments, a separate
confirmation virtual control object is generated for each list item
upon selection of the list item. In yet further embodiments, each
list item virtual control object is associated with a separate
confirmation virtual control object, and the confirmation virtual
control object is enabled and disabled as the user gestures towards
each list item virtual control object. Enabling and disabling of
the virtual control object may include making enabled confirmation
virtual control objects visible to the user and making disabled
confirmation virtual control objects invisible.
[0143] At action 1210, a gesture interaction is detected with the
confirmation virtual control object. The confirmation virtual
control object may require a particular type of gesture input to
for interaction. For example, the confirmation virtual control
object may require a "swipe" gesture to be performed through the
confirmation virtual control object from the list item virtual
control object. In other embodiments, other gesture interactions
may be performed to interact with the confirmation virtual control
object, including but not limited to holding a gesture over the
confirmation virtual control object, gesturing "through" the
confirmation virtual control object as if the user was pressing a
button, "flicking" the list item virtual control object at the
confirmation virtual control object, or the like.
[0144] At action 1212, upon detecting the gesture interaction with
the confirmation virtual control object, processing is executed
associated with the list item corresponding to the selected list
item virtual control object.
[0145] FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary
computer-executable process 1200 for performing gesture inputs
using a spinner control in accordance with exemplary embodiments of
the present invention. As with the radial menu virtual control
object and the list virtual control object described above, the
inventors have developed a spinner virtual control object that
advantageously provides for reduced input error and more precise
selection of items within a virtual control object. The process
1300 describes the manner in which users may interact with said
spinner virtual control object.
[0146] At action 1302, an initiation of interaction with a spinner
virtual control object is detected. At action 1204, a timer is
initiated and a timer display associated with the spinner virtual
control object is generated within the virtual environment. As
noted above with respect to FIG. 5M, the timer may be displayed
radially about the spinner virtual control object. At action 1306,
a determination is made as to whether the gesture interaction is
maintained for the duration of the timer. If the gesture is not
maintained until the timer expires, the process proceeds to action
1308 where interaction with the spinner virtual control object is
reset. Otherwise, the process proceeds to action 1310.
[0147] At action 1310, if the gesture input is maintained for the
duration of the timer, one or more spinner control virtual control
objects may be displayed. These spinner control virtual control
objects may be displayed within an area defined within or around
the spinner virtual control object, such as described above with
respect to FIG. 5N. At action 1312, a gesture interaction is
detected with one or more of the spinner control virtual control
objects to select a particular spinner control virtual control
object. At action 1314, processing associated with the selected
spinner control virtual control object is executed. At action 1316,
if a gesture input is no longer maintained within the spinner
control, the spinner control virtual control objects are removed at
action 1318 and the spinner control resets to its original state.
Otherwise, the process returns to action 1312 to detect additional
gesture input via the spinner control virtual control objects.
[0148] In describing exemplary embodiments, specific terminology is
used for the sake of clarity. For purposes of description, each
specific term is intended to, at least, include all technical and
functional equivalents that operate in a similar manner to
accomplish a similar purpose. Additionally, in some instances where
a particular exemplary embodiment includes a plurality of system
elements or method steps, those elements or steps may be replaced
with a single element or step. Likewise, a single element or step
may be replaced with a plurality of elements or steps that serve
the same purpose. Further, where parameters for various properties
are specified herein for exemplary embodiments, those parameters
may be adjusted up or down by 1/20th, 1/10th, 1/5th, 1/3rd, 1/2nd,
and the like, or by rounded-off approximations thereof, unless
otherwise specified. Moreover, while exemplary embodiments have
been shown and described with references to particular embodiments
thereof, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that
various substitutions and alterations in form and details may be
made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
Further still, other aspects, functions and advantages are also
within the scope of the invention.
[0149] Exemplary flowcharts are provided herein for illustrative
purposes and are non-limiting examples of methods. One of ordinary
skill in the art will recognize that exemplary methods may include
more or fewer steps than those illustrated in the exemplary
flowcharts, and that the steps in the exemplary flowcharts may be
performed in a different order than shown.
[0150] Blocks of the block diagram and the flow chart illustrations
support combinations of means for performing the specified
functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified
functions and program instruction means for performing the
specified functions. It will also be understood that some or all of
the blocks/steps of the circuit diagram and process flowchart, and
combinations of the blocks/steps in the circuit diagram and process
flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based
computer systems that perform the specified functions or steps, or
combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
Exemplary systems may include more or fewer modules than those
illustrated in the exemplary block diagrams.
[0151] Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions
set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to
which these embodiments of the invention pertain having the benefit
of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the
associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the
embodiments of the invention are not to be limited to the specific
embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments
are intended to be included within the scope of the appended
claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used
in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of
limitation.
* * * * *