U.S. patent application number 17/086143 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-22 for team flow control in a mixed physical and virtual reality environment.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ken Bretschneider, Curtis Hickman, James Jensen. Invention is credited to Ken Bretschneider, Curtis Hickman, James Jensen.
Application Number | 20210116992 17/086143 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005303278 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-22 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20210116992 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bretschneider; Ken ; et
al. |
April 22, 2021 |
TEAM FLOW CONTROL IN A MIXED PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL REALITY
ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
The flow of teams of one or more players is controlled through
different geographical areas of a mixed virtual reality and
physical experience that takes place on an attraction stage. The
geographical areas may include rooms, compartments, or other
geographical areas through which a team may progress. Within each
geographical area, a team may engage in an experience and
accomplish one or more checkpoints. Based on the time to achieve
each checkpoint, the experience may be shortened or lengthened,
either within the particular geographical area or the experience as
a whole, to control the flow of the particular team through the
series of geographical areas.
Inventors: |
Bretschneider; Ken;
(Pleasant Grove, UT) ; Hickman; Curtis; (Pleasant
Grove, UT) ; Jensen; James; (American Fork,
UT) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Bretschneider; Ken
Hickman; Curtis
Jensen; James |
Pleasant Grove
Pleasant Grove
American Fork |
UT
UT
UT |
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005303278 |
Appl. No.: |
17/086143 |
Filed: |
October 30, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15624716 |
Jun 16, 2017 |
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17086143 |
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14942878 |
Nov 16, 2015 |
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15624716 |
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62080308 |
Nov 15, 2014 |
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62080307 |
Nov 15, 2014 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/011 20130101;
G09B 9/00 20130101; G06T 19/006 20130101; A63F 13/212 20140902;
A63F 13/285 20140902; A63F 13/327 20140902; A63F 13/428 20140902;
A63F 13/323 20140902; A63F 13/69 20140902 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/01 20060101
G06F003/01; A63F 13/212 20060101 A63F013/212; G06T 19/00 20060101
G06T019/00; A63F 13/428 20060101 A63F013/428; A63F 13/285 20060101
A63F013/285; A63F 13/323 20060101 A63F013/323; A63F 13/327 20060101
A63F013/327; G09B 9/00 20060101 G09B009/00; A63F 13/69 20060101
A63F013/69 |
Claims
1. A method for managing flow of players through a combined
physical and virtual reality experience, comprising: detecting, by
a computing device, the presence of one or more players from a
first team of players within a first geographical area of a
plurality of geographical areas; virtually locking, by an area
manager on a server in communication with the computing device, the
first geographical area from being accessed by one or more players
from a team other than the first team; initiating a virtual reality
experience, by a computing device associated with each player for
the first team, for each the one or more players from the first
team within the first geographical area; and automatically
adjusting, by a flow manager on the server, the duration of the
virtual reality experience for the first team within the first
geographical area based on the time taken by the first team to
complete one or more checkpoints associated with the first
geographical area.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: exiting the first
geographical area by the first team; and virtually unlocking the
first geographical area in response to the exit of the first
geographical area by the first team.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the
length includes shortening the duration of the virtual reality
experience in response to detecting the first team has taken longer
than an expected time to complete a checkpoint associated with the
first geographical area.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein shortening includes shortening a
virtual reality experience in a second geographical area in
response to detecting the time spent in the first geographical area
has taken longer than an expected time to be spent within the first
geographical area.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically adjusting the
length includes extending the duration of the virtual reality
experience in response to detecting the first team has taken less
than an expected time to complete a checkpoint within the first
geographical area.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of
geographical areas adjoin at least one other geographical area such
that a team may exit one geographical area to enter another
geographical area.
7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting that a
first team is present in a second geographical area; extending a
virtual reality experience of a second team in a first geographical
area connected to the second geographical area until the first team
has exited the second geographical area; resetting a plurality of
virtual objects and physical objects in the second geographical
area; and allowing the second team to exit the first geographical
area and enter the adjoining second geographical area.
8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having
embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a
processor to perform a method for managing flow of players through
a combined physical and virtual reality experience, the method
comprising detecting, by a computing device, the presence of one or
more players from a first team of players within a first
geographical area of a plurality of geographical areas; virtually
locking, by an area manager on a server in communication with the
computing device, the first geographical area from being accessed
by one or more players from a team other than the first team;
initiating a virtual reality experience, by a computing device
associated with each player for the first team, for each the one or
more players from the first team within the first geographical
area; and automatically adjusting, by a flow manager on the server,
the duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team
within the first geographical area based on the time taken by the
first team to complete one or more checkpoints associated with the
first geographical area.
9. A system for managing flow of players through a combined
physical and virtual reality experience, the system comprising: a
processor; memory; and one or more modules stored in memory and
executable by the processor to perform operations including:
detecting, by a computing device, the presence of one or more
players from a first team of players within a first geographical
area of a plurality of geographical areas; virtually locking, by an
area manager on a server in communication with the computing
device, the first geographical area from being accessed by one or
more players from a team other than the first team; initiating a
virtual reality experience, by a computing device associated with
each player for the first team, for each the one or more players
from the first team within the first geographical area; and
automatically adjusting, by a flow manager on the server, the
duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team
within the first geographical area based on the time taken by the
first team to complete one or more checkpoints associated with the
first geographical area.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation in part and claims the
priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/942,878,
titled "Combined Virtual and Physical Environment," filed Nov. 15,
2015, which claims the priority benefit of U.S. provisional
application 62/080,308, titled "Systems and Methods for Creating
Combined Virtual and Physical Environments," filed Nov. 15, 2014,
and U.S. provisional application 62/080,307, titled "Systems and
Methods for Creating Combined Virtual and Physical Environments,"
filed Nov. 15, 2014, the disclosures of which are incorporated
herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Amusement parks have traditionally included attractions that
receive and shuttle several visitors around at a time. Typically, a
visitor sits in a vehicle that controls the progress and pace of
each and every visitor throughout the attraction. This automated
vehicle mechanism works well to get as many users through an
attraction as possible, because the vehicle is mechanically
attached to a track which transports the visitor through the
attraction at a predetermined rate. Though this works well for
traditional attractions, it does not translate well to attractions
where visitors walk through the attraction on their own. What is
needed is an improved system for controlling the flow of users
through an attraction where visitors traverse an attraction by
foot.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present technology, roughly described, controls the flow
of teams of one or more players through different geographical
areas of a mixed virtual reality and physical experience that takes
place on a attraction stage. The geographical areas may include
rooms, compartments, or other geographical areas through which a
team may progress. Within each geographical area, a team may engage
in an experience and accomplish one or more checkpoints. Based on
the time to achieve each checkpoint, the experience may be
shortened or lengthened, either within the particular geographical
area or the experience as a whole, to control the flow of the
particular team through the series of geographical areas.
[0004] As a team progresses from one geographical area to another,
additional teams may follow the first team through the geographical
areas. If a team in a subsequent geographical area is taking longer
than expected, the subsequent geographical area may be logically
"locked" until the team currently in that area progresses to the
next geographical area. While a subsequent geographical area is
locked, the experience for a team waiting to enter the locked area
may be extended until the subsequent geographical area becomes
available or logically "unlocked."
[0005] An embodiment of the present technology may manage flow of
players through a combined physical and virtual reality experience.
A computing device may detect the presence of one or more players
from a first team of players within a first geographical area of a
plurality of geographical areas. An area manager on a server that
communicates with the computing device may virtually lock the first
geographical area from being accessed by one or more players from a
team other than the first team. A virtual reality experience may be
initiated by a computing device associated with each player for the
first team. The experience may be initiated for each the one or
more players from the first team within the first geographical
area. A flow manager on the server may automatically adjust the
duration of the virtual reality experience for the first team
within the first geographical area. The virtual reality experience
may be adjusted based on the time taken by the first team to
complete one or more checkpoints associated with the first
geographical area.
[0006] An embodiment of the present technology may be implemented
on a non-transitory computer readable medium and may be executable
by a processor to perform a method for managing flow of players
through a combined physical and virtual reality experience as
described herein.
[0007] An embodiment of the present technology may be implemented
as a system that includes a processor, memory, and one or more
modules stored in memory and executable by the processor to perform
operations such as the method described above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0008] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
for providing a virtual reality experience.
[0009] FIG. 1B illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary game
computer with area manager modules and a flow manager module.
[0010] FIGS. 2A-2H illustrate an exemplary attraction stage having
multiple geographical areas.
[0011] FIGS. 3A-3B illustrates an exemplary method for performing
team flow control through a combined physical and virtual reality
experience.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for initializing a
virtual reality system.
[0013] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for adjusting a
virtual reality experience in a geographic location within a
attraction stage.
[0014] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
for implementing the present technology.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] The present technology, roughly described, controls the flow
of teams of one or more players through different geographical
areas of a mixed virtual reality and physical experience that takes
place on an attraction stage. The geographical areas may include
rooms, compartments, or other geographical areas through which a
team may progress. Within each geographical area, a team may engage
in an experience and accomplish one or more checkpoints. Based on
the time to achieve each checkpoint, the experience may be
shortened or lengthened, either within the particular geographical
area or the experience as a whole, to control the flow of the
particular team through the series of geographical areas.
[0016] As a team progresses from one geographical area to another,
additional teams may follow the first team through the geographical
areas. If a team in a subsequent geographical area is taking longer
than expected, the subsequent geographical area may be logically
"locked" until the team currently in that area progresses to the
next geographical area. While a subsequent geographical area is
locked, the experience for a team waiting to enter the locked area
may be extended until the subsequent geographical area becomes
available or logically "unlocked."
[0017] FIG. 1A illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system
for providing a virtual reality experience. The system of FIG. 1
includes transmitters 102, 104, 106, and 108, receivers 112, 113,
114, 115, 116 and 117, player computers 120 and 122, transducers
132 and 136, motors 133 and 137, virtual display 134 and 138,
accessories 135 and 139, players 140 and 142, game computer 150,
environment devices 162 and 164, networking computer 170, and
network 180.
[0018] Receivers 112-117 may be placed on a player 140 or an
accessory 135. Each receiver may receive one or more signals from
one or more of transmitters 102-108. The signals received from each
transmitter may include an identifier to identify the particular
transmitter. In some instances, each transmitter may transmit an
omnidirectional signal periodically at the same point in time. Each
receiver may receive signals from multiple transmitters, and each
receiver may then provide signal identification information and
timestamp information for each received signal to player computer
120. By determining when each transmitter signal is received from a
receiver, player computer 120 may identify the location of each
receiver.
[0019] Player computer 120 may be positioned on a player, such as
for example on the back of a vest worn by a player. A player
computer may receive information from a plurality of receivers,
determine the location of each receiver, and then locally update a
virtual environment accordingly. Updates to the virtual environment
may include a player's point of view in the environment, events
that occur in the environment, and video and audio output to
provide to a player representing the player's point of view in the
environment along with the events that occur in the
environment.
[0020] Player computer 120 may also communicate changes to the
virtual environment determined locally at the computer to other
player computers, such as player computer 122, through game
computer 150. In particular, a player computer for a first player
may detect a change in the player's position based on receivers on
the player's body, determine changes to the virtual environment for
that player, provide those changes to game computer 150, and game
computer 150 will provide those updates to any other player
computers for other players in the same virtual reality session,
such as a player associated player computer 122.
[0021] A player 140 may have multiple receivers on his or her body.
The receivers receive information from the transmitters 102-108 and
provide that information to the player computer. In some instances,
each receiver may provide the data to the player computer
wirelessly, such as for example through a radiofrequency signal
such as a Bluetooth signal. In some instances, each receive may be
paired or otherwise configured to only communicate data with a
particular players computer. In some instances, a particular player
computer may be configured to only receive data from a particular
set of receivers. Based on physical environment events such as a
player walking, local virtual events that are provided by the
players computer, or remote virtual events triggered by an element
of the virtual environment located remotely from the player, haptic
feedback may be triggered and sensed by a player. The haptic
feedback may be provided in the terms of transducer 132 and motor
133. For example, if an animal or object touches a player at a
particular location on the player's body within the virtual
environment, a transducer located at that position may be activated
to provide a haptic sensation of being touched by that object.
[0022] Visual display 134 may be provided through a headset worn by
player 140. The virtual display 134 may include a helmet, virtual
display, and other elements and components needed to provide a
visual and audio output to player 140. In some instances, player
computer 120 may generate and provide virtual environment graphics
to a player through the virtual display 140.
[0023] Accessory 135 may be an element separate from the player, in
communication with player computer 120, and displayed within the
virtual environment through visual display 134. For example, an
accessory may include a gun, a torch, a light saber, a wand, or any
other object that can be graphically displayed within the virtual
environment and physically engaged or interacted with by player
140. Accessories 135 may be held by a player 140, touched by a
player 140, or otherwise engaged in a physical environment and
represented within the virtual environment by player computer 120
through visual display 134.
[0024] Game computer 150 may communicate with player computers 120
and 122 to receive updated virtual information from the player
computers and provide that information to other player computers
currently active in the virtual reality session. Game computer 150
may also manage the flow of one or more teams through the stage of
an attraction (i.e., "attraction stage"). Game computer 150 may
store and execute a virtual reality engine, such as Unity game
engine, Leap Motion, Unreal game engine, or another virtual reality
engine. Game computer 150 may also provide virtual environment data
to networking computer 170 and ultimately to other remote locations
through network 180.
[0025] Environment devices 162 may include physical devices that
form part of the physical environment. The devices 162 may provide
an output that may be sensed or detected by a player 140. For
example, an environment device 162 may be a source of heat, cold,
wind, sound, smell, vibration, or some other sense that may be
detected by a player 140.
[0026] FIG. 1B illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary game
computer with area manager and flow manager modules. The game
computer of FIG. 1B may implement at least a portion logical
modules of game computer 150 and may include flow manager 180, area
one manager 190, area two manager 193, and area three manager 196.
Though three area managers are illustrated in FIG. 1B, any number
of area managers may be implemented. For example, one area manager
may be implemented, within a game computer, for each geographical
area within an attraction stage.
[0027] Flow manager 180 may communicate with each of area managers
190-196, which are each in turn associated with a geographical area
within an attraction stage. For example, in FIG. 2A, there are four
geographical areas 220, 230, 240 and 250, which correspond to four
area managers. The flow manager may receive an indication from an
area manager when the last team member of a particular team enters
a geographical area associated with the area manager as well as
when the last team member associated with the team exits the
corresponding geographical area. In some instances, this may
correspond to the virtual locking and unlocking of a geographical
area.
[0028] Flow manager 180 may adjust the duration of a virtual
reality experience within a particular geographical area for a
particular team. For example, when a first team enters a first
geographical area, the area manager for that area will send an
indication to flow manager 180 of that particular time, for example
via a time stamp. Additionally, the area manager can provide the
status of one or more physical objects 191 or virtual objects 192
within that area to flow manager 180, indications that virtual or
physical objects have been engaged within the particular area, and
information regarding checkpoints, including the completion of
checkpoints, within the area to flow manager 180. Based on the time
a team first entered area one, the time associated with an object
status, and checkpoint information, flow manager 180 may determine
whether a team is within an accepted window, taking too long, or
moving faster than expected through a series of checkpoints
associated with a geographical location associated with a
geographical area. If a team within a particular area is taking
longer than expected to complete a series of checkpoints, flow
manager 180 may shorten the remaining virtual reality experience
within that area to expedite the exit of the particular team from
that area, and thereby attempt to stay within a desired time for
each geographical area and the overall virtual reality experience.
If flow manager 180 determines, based at least in part on the time
the team entered an area, object status times, and checkpoint
completion times, that a team is progressing through checkpoints
faster than the expected time for the particular geographical area,
the manager 180 may extend the virtual reality experience by a
period of time, thereby attempting to keep the team on track for
the desired time for the particular geographical location and the
virtual reality experience as a whole.
[0029] Each area manager may monitor and reset physical objects and
virtual objects within its corresponding area. Physical objects may
include heating elements, cooling elements, mist, or water
elements, vibrating elements, or other elements that provide a
physical sensation (sound, touch, smell, taste, sight) to a user.
Virtual objects may include elements within the virtual reality
realm of the virtual reality experience, such as locations of
virtual objects, positions or appearances of virtual elements, and
other virtual objects.
[0030] Each area manager may virtually lock and unlock the
geographical area it is configured to control. When a team enters a
new geographical area within an attraction stage, once the last
team member is inside that geographical area, the area manager for
that area will virtually lock the area so that no other teams or
users may enter the area. When a team completely exits a
geographical area, either to the next geographical area or to a
staging area, the area manager controlling that geographical area
can unlock the area and reset the physical objects 191 and virtual
objects 192 so that the area is ready to receive the next team.
[0031] FIGS. 2A-2H illustrate an exemplary attraction stage having
multiple geographical areas subject to team flow control
mechanisms. The attraction stage of FIGS. 2A-2H includes a staging
area 210 and four geographical areas 220, 230, 240, and 250. Each
geographical area may include physical objects that may be engaged
or experienced by one or more users of a team in that geographical
area during the virtual reality experience within that geographical
area. For example, area 220 includes physical object 222 which may
include a heating element, area 230 includes physical object 232
which may include a vibrating floor, area 240 includes physical
object 242 which may include a mechanism for providing a particular
odor, and area 250 includes physical object 252 which may provide a
fan to blow air in a particular direction.
[0032] Each geographical area may also include virtual objects that
may be experienced virtually within the virtual reality experience
provided within the geographical area. Examples of virtual objects
include but are not limited to virtual switches or control panel,
virtual beings or creatures, virtual flames, ice, elevators, windy
corridors, or other elements that may be provided in conjunction
with physical objects, or any other object within the virtual
reality portion of the experience that performs a virtual action,
such as a sound or change in appearance, based on an event that
occurs within the virtual reality experience.
[0033] The attraction stage of FIG. 2A illustrates two teams, a
first team of players 261, 262 and 263, and a second team of
players 271, 272, and 273. In some instances, all teams begin the
experience by "suiting up" in staging/exit area 210. Suiting up may
include loading a harness that includes a player computer,
configuring each player as a member of a particular team, and
allowing the team to move forward within the attraction stage to
the first geographical area. The combined physical and virtual
reality experience may begin in the staging area once all team
players are suited up, and continue as the team progresses through
the geographical areas.
[0034] In FIG. 2A, the first team has exited staging area 210 and
entered the first geographical area 220. The second team is in the
staging area 210 waiting to enter the first geographical area 220.
When the first team entered area 220, the area manager associated
with area 220 virtually locked area 220, thereby preventing any
other teams from entering the area. In some instances, a virtual
portal that leads to area 220 may not appear to members of the
second team until area 220 has been unlocked by its corresponding
area manager.
[0035] Once the first team exits area 220 and enters area 230 as
shown in FIG. 2B, the area manager for area 220 will reset the
physical objects and virtual objects of area 220 and unlock area
220. By unlocking area 220, the second team may enter area 220 from
staging area 210. The area manager associated with area 230 will
lock area 230 once the first team enters area 230. The second team
enters unlocked area 220 as illustrated in FIG. 2C. A third team of
players 281, 282, and 283 may be prepared in staging area 210,
waiting for area 220 to be virtually unlocked by its area
manager.
[0036] Once the first team has completed the checkpoints associated
with the area of 230, the first team may proceed to area 240. After
exiting area 230, the virtual and physical objects of area 230 will
be reset and the area will be virtually unlocked by the
corresponding area manager. Similarly, once the first team enters
area 240, area 240 will be virtually locked by a corresponding area
manager. The flow of teams through the geographical areas continues
in this manner, such that when a team has completed the checkpoints
within its current geographical area, and the next area is
virtually unlocked, the team may proceed into that area. For
example, the second team may proceed from area 220 to area 230, and
the third team may move from the staging area 210 to the first area
220 as shown in FIG. 2D.
[0037] In some instances, to help the flow of teams through the
attraction stage between one geographical area to the next, the
intended duration for each virtual experience may be cascaded such
that subsequent areas have a shorter virtual-reality duration than
previous experiences. With respect to FIG. 2E, the virtual reality
experience of area 220 may be designed to last six minutes, the
virtual reality experience of area 230 may be designed to last
approximately five minutes, the virtual reality experience of area
240 may be designed to last four minutes, the virtual reality
experience of area 250 may be designed to last three minutes. By
cascading the time associated with each virtual reality experience
within the areas of an attraction stage, the flow of teams through
the attraction stage may take place with lower chance of a team in
a subsequent geographical area holding up a team in an immediately
prior geographical area. In particular, a team in a subsequent area
may exit that area, resulting in the area being available for the
next team, before the next team is typically ready to enter that
area.
[0038] In some instances, despite a cascading duration for each
virtual reality area within an attraction stage, some teams may
take longer than expected to complete a series of checkpoints
within a particular area. As shown in FIG. 2F, even though an area
250 may be virtually unlocked because the first team (players
261-263) has exited the area, the second team within area 240 may
take longer than expected and thereby hold up the progress of the
third team from exiting area 230 and entering area 240. In this
case, the virtual reality experience of the team in area 230 may be
extended.
[0039] The duration of a team's virtual reality experience may be
adjusted based on progress, such as for example the timing of
completion of checkpoints, within a geographical area or a team's
overall time in the virtual experience across two or more
geographical areas. In some instances, an overall virtual reality
experience may be the culmination of individual virtual reality
experiences provided within each geographical area of an attraction
stage. For example, if the duration of a team's progression through
the first two geological areas is greater than the target window
for the first two geographical areas, then the virtual reality
experience for the third geographical area can be shortened.
[0040] A virtual reality experience may be extended in one or more
of several ways, including but not limited to adding additional
content, adjusting puzzles or tasks to require more elements to
complete, requiring the tasks be performed an additional number of
times before a checkpoint is accomplished, and other means.
Concurrently, if the second team is taking longer than expected in
area 240, their virtual experience may be shortened to expedite
their completion of checkpoints within that area. A virtual
experience may be shortened by making puzzles easier to solve,
removing content to be provided during the virtual experience,
eliminating puzzles or tasks to be completed, and other means.
[0041] Once the second team has completed the checkpoints for an
area 240, they may progress to area 250 as shown in FIG. 2G.
Eventually, the second team may continue to the exit stage as shown
in FIG. 2H and the third team may continue to progress through the
attraction stage until they arrive at the exit stage 210 as
well.
[0042] FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate an exemplary method for performing
team flow control through a virtual reality experience. First, a
virtual reality system may be initialized at step 305. Initializing
the system may include starting up a server and player computer
systems, configuring teams and area managers, and other activities.
Initializing a virtual reality system is discussed in more detail
below with respect to the method of FIG. 4.
[0043] Area objects may be reset by area managers at step 310. In
some instances, after the initialization of the system, each
geographical area is reset by an area manager to make the area
ready to receive a team of players. The reset for a particular
geographical area may be performed by an area manager associated
with that particular area. The reset may include resetting the
state of physical objects and virtual objects within or associated
with that particular area. For example, assuming area 220 in FIG. 2
is associated with area manager 190, physical objects 191 (which
may include physical object 222) and virtual objects 192 may be
reset for geographical area 220.
[0044] After initialization and resetting the area objects, a first
team may be prepped in staging area 210 and allowed to proceed
through the attraction stage. As each player in the team navigates
through the stage, player positions are tracked at step 315. Each
player may include one or more receivers attached or coupled to
various locations on the players body. Each receive can receive
signals from transmitters positioned throughout the attraction
stage. A location can be determined for each receiver displaced on
a user, and thereby the user's overall position, based on
processing and triangulating the signals received by each receiver
from the plurality of transmitters.
[0045] Though an attraction stage may include a plurality of areas,
such as four areas and a staging area in the attraction stage
illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2H, only two stages will be discussed in
the method of FIGS. 3A-3B. This is for exemplary purposes only, and
is not meant to be limit the scope of the present technology.
Rather, one or more steps of method 300 illustrated in FIGS. 3A-3B
can be repeated multiple times depending on the number of areas
present within an attraction stage.
[0046] A determination is made as to whether a new team is detected
to be positioned in a first geographical area at step 320. In some
instances, a team is detected to be in a first area if one or more
of the team members are detected to be in the geographical area. If
no team is detected in the first stage, player positions continue
to be tracked at step 315 until a new team is detected in the first
area. Once a team is detected to be within the first area, the
first area is locked by an area manager associated with that area
at step 325. The locking of the first area is a "virtual" lock of
the area, intended to prevent other teams from entering the area
while a team is still in that area.
[0047] A checkpoint achieved by the first team in the first area is
detected at step 330. Once the checkpoint is achieved, a
determination is made as to whether the checkpoint within the first
area was achieved within a desired window at step 335. In some
instances, a virtual reality experience within a particular
geographical area of an attraction stage may be designed to be
completed within a specific period of time. That period of time may
be subdivided into shorter periods of time during which a number of
checkpoints are each designed to be accomplished. If a team is not
on track to complete the checkpoints within the desired period of
time for that particular geographical area, as evidenced by a first
checkpoint not being achieved during the desired window at step
335, the virtual experience within that first area may be adjusted
for the present team at step 340. The virtual experience for the
first team within the first area may be adjusted to extend or
shorten the virtual experience based on the progress by that team
in accomplishing the checkpoint. Adjusting an experience for a team
within a particular geographical area is discussed in more detail
below with respect to the method of FIG. 5. After the virtual
experience has been adjusted, the method continues to step 345. If
the checkpoint was achieved within the window, the method continues
to step 345 without adjusting the virtual experience.
[0048] A determination is made at step 345 as to whether there are
additional checkpoints to complete in the current area for the
current team. If there are no additional checkpoints, the method
continues to step 350. If there are additional checkpoints, the
method returns to step 330 wherein completion of the checkpoint is
detected. In some instances, if a team is taking longer than
expected to complete one or more checkpoints within a particular
area, adjusting the experience for the present team may include
removing one or more checkpoints to be completed. In this case, the
determination at step 345 as to whether there are any additional
checkpoints to be completed may result in a determination that
normally there may be additional checkpoints but, based on the
team's progress, the additional checkpoints have been removed and
the method continues to step 350.
[0049] Once there are no more checkpoints to be achieved by a team
in a particular geographical area, a determination is made as to
whether the next area within the attraction stage is locked at step
350. In some instances, an area manager associated with a
particular geographical area may virtually lock that area when a
team is still in that area. Once the team leaves the area, the area
manager will virtually unlock the area after resetting all the
virtual and school objects within that area. If a second area to be
experienced by a team is virtually locked at step 350, the virtual
experience of a team waiting to enter that area is extended at step
360. Extending a virtual reality experience is discussed in more
detail below with respect to the method of FIG. 5.
[0050] Once the area to be entered is opened or unlocked, the
portal to that subsequent area is opened at step 355. The portal
may include a visual and/or audio virtual entryway from the current
area to the subsequent area. Once the portal is opened, a
determination is made as to whether a team has entered the
subsequent area at step 365. Once a team is entered the subsequent
area, the subsequent area entered by the team is locked at step
370. The previous area exited by the team is reset by the area
manager controlling that area at step 375. The area manager may
also unlock the previous area so that subsequent teams can enter
that area at step 380.
[0051] A determination is made as to whether a team enters a
subsequent area within a desired overall time window at step 385.
In some instances, there is a desired time window during which each
team is expected to progress through each geographical area. If a
particular team is not progressing through the virtual reality
experience areas within the expected time window, either because
they are taking too long or progressing too quickly, their virtual
reality experience in a subsequent particular geographical area may
be adjusted (before or at the time of entry into the subsequent
geographical area) to help get their virtual reality experience
duration back within the expected time duration for experiencing
the attraction. Adjusting a subsequent experience based on the team
overall time is discussed in more detail below with respect to the
method of FIG. 5. If a team enters subsequent area within the
desired overall time window, no adjustments may be made to the
virtual reality experience based on the team overall time at step
395.
[0052] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary method for initializing a
virtual reality system. The method of FIG. 4 provides more detail
for step 305 of the method of FIG. 3. First, a game server and
player computer systems are powered on at step 410. A player
computer system pool is generated at step 415. The player computer
system pool is comprised of each player computer system that is
booted-up at step 410 and recognized by gaming computer 150.
[0053] A team value for each player computer system is set to a
default value at step 420. In some instances, the default value
will be zero, and then may increment for each team sent into the
attraction stage. Area managers and area objects may be configured
at step 425. Configuring the managers and area objects may confirm
that the area managers are operating correctly, that they can
recognize the physical and virtual objects within their particular
geographical area, and that the area managers can reset each
physical and virtual object within that area.
[0054] In some instances, initialization may include additional
steps, such as for example configuring a virtual reality space with
the physical space. This may include accessing measurements of the
physical space, lining up corners walls in the physical space with
points on walls of the virtual space, and assigning physical points
along the walls and corners to virtual environment points. In some
instances, this may result in restructuring a virtual environment
based on the physical space to fit a physical space. In this
manner, the virtual environment may be synchronized and lined up
with the virtual reality space so that a user gets a more realistic
experience within the virtual reality experience.
[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for adjusting a
virtual reality experience in a geographic location. The method of
FIG. 5 provides more detail for step 340 the method of FIG. 4.
First, a determination is made as to whether a particular team has
been in a particular area longer than the expected time for that
particular area, or while attempting to complete a checkpoint, at
step 505. In some instances, the determination is made as to
whether a team is taking longer than an expected time to achieve a
checkpoint. For example, for a geographical area 220 of FIGS.
2A-2H, the expected duration for a particular team to be in that
area and achieve all the checkpoints of that area may be six
minutes. If a team has been in that area for over six minutes, the
remainder of the virtual reality experience associated with area
220 may be shortened at step 510 for the particular team to
expedite their exit of that area. Shortening an experience for a
team within a particular geographical area may include removing one
or more puzzles or checkpoints to accomplish within that area,
removing virtual-reality content to be provided to the team within
that area, making puzzles or tasks easier to accomplish or less
complicated, or other steps to expedite the end of a virtual
reality experience within a particular geographical area for that
team.
[0056] If a team is not taking longer than expected, but actually
progressed through one or more checkpoints or an area as a whole in
less time than expected, the experience for the particular team may
be extended at step 515. Extending an experience for a team within
a particular geographical area may include adding one or more
puzzles or checkpoints to accomplish within that area, adding
virtual-reality content to be provided to the team within that
area, making puzzles or tasks more difficult to accomplish or more
complicated, or other steps to extend the end of a virtual reality
experience within a particular geographical area for that team.
[0057] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary computing system 600 that
may be used to implement a computing device for use with the
present technology. System 600 of FIG. 6 may be implemented in the
contexts of the likes of player computing devices 120 and 122 and
game computer 150. The computing system 600 of FIG. 6 includes one
or more processors 610 and memory 610. Main memory 610 stores, in
part, instructions and data for execution by processor 610. Main
memory 610 can store the executable code when in operation. The
system 600 of FIG. 6 further includes a mass storage device 630,
portable storage medium drive(s) 640, output devices 650, user
input devices 660, a graphics display 670, and peripheral devices
680.
[0058] The components shown in FIG. 6 are depicted as being
connected via a single bus 690. However, the components may be
connected through one or more data transport means. For example,
processor unit 610 and main memory 610 may be connected via a local
microprocessor bus, and the mass storage device 630, peripheral
device(s) 680, portable storage device 640, and display system 670
may be connected via one or more input/output (I/O) buses.
[0059] Mass storage device 630, which may be implemented with a
magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, or solid state
non-volatile storage, is a non-volatile storage device for storing
data and instructions for use by processor unit 610. Mass storage
device 630 can store the system software for implementing
embodiments of the present invention for purposes of loading that
software into main memory 610.
[0060] Portable storage device 640 operates in conjunction with a
portable non-volatile storage medium, such as a floppy disk,
compact disk, Digital video disc, flash drive, or other portable
memory to input and output data and code to and from the computer
system 600 of FIG. 6. The system software for implementing
embodiments of the present invention may be stored on such a
portable medium and input to the computer system 600 via the
portable storage device 640.
[0061] Input devices 660 provide a portion of a user interface.
Input devices 660 may include an alpha-numeric keypad, such as a
keyboard, for inputting alpha-numeric and other information, or a
pointing device, such as a mouse, a trackball, stylus, or cursor
direction keys, a microphone, or a touchscreen display.
Additionally, the system 600 as shown in FIG. 6 includes output
devices 650. Examples of suitable output devices include speakers,
printers, network interfaces, displays, and monitors.
[0062] Display system 670 may include a liquid crystal display
(LCD), LED display, touch screen display, or other suitable display
device. Display system 670 receives textual and graphical
information, and processes the information for output to the
display device.
[0063] Peripherals 680 may include any type of computer support
device to add additional functionality to the computer system. For
example, peripheral device(s) 680 may include a modem or a
router.
[0064] The components contained in the computer system 600 of FIG.
6 are those typically found in computer systems that may be
suitable for use with embodiments of the present invention and are
intended to represent a broad category of such computer components
that are well known in the art. Thus, the computer system 600 of
FIG. 6 can be a personal computer, hand held computing device,
telephone, mobile computing device, workstation, server,
minicomputer, mainframe computer, or any other computing device.
The computer can also include different bus configurations,
networked platforms, multi-processor platforms, etc. Various
operating systems can be used including Unix, Linux, Windows,
Macintosh OS, Android, and other suitable operating systems.
[0065] The foregoing detailed description of the technology herein
has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It
is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the technology to the
precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teaching. The described embodiments
were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the
technology and its practical application to thereby enable others
skilled in the art to best utilize the technology in various
embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the
particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the
technology be defined by the claims appended hereto.
* * * * *