System and method relating to movement in a virtual reality environment

• US 10,242,505 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Clement, Manuel Christian, Welker, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhai, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US15/594,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20170330386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/04 involving 3D image data
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/024 Multi-user, collaborative environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

In at least one general aspect, a method can include determining a physics parameter based at least in part on a scale of user relative to an object in a virtual reality environment, applying a physics rule to an interaction between the user and the object in the virtual reality environment based on the physics parameter, and modifying the physics parameter based at least in part on a relative change in scale between the user and the object.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a physics parameter based at least in part on a scale of user relative to an object in a virtual reality environment;

applying a physics rule to an interaction between the user and the object in the virtual reality environment based on the physics parameter;

modifying the physics parameter based at least in part on a relative change in scale between the user and the object; and

trigger displaying, via a head-mounted display (HMD), the interaction between the user and the object based on the virtual physics rule with the modified physics parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interacts with the object which is determined by the physics parameter associated with the physics rule in a manner to simulate real world interaction between the user and the object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling the user from a first size to a second size.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the second size is larger than the first size.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein when the user is scaled to the second size, the physics parameter associated with the physics rule of the user having the second size is different from the physics parameter associated with the physics rule of the user having the first size.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising scaling the object from a first size to a second size.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second size is larger than the first size.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein when the object is scaled to the second size, the physics parameter associated with the physics rule of the object having the second size is different from the physics parameter associated with the physics rule of object having the first size.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising multiple users within the virtual reality environment, the multiple users interact substantially simultaneously relative to the object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the physics rule includes multiple physics parameters.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the physics rule includes a mathematical representation of at least one of gravity, friction, force, mass, acceleration, weight, density, velocity, momentum, or speed.

14. A method comprising:

determining a scale of a user relative to a virtual reality environment, the virtual reality environment having an associated virtual physics rule;

determining a parameter of the virtual physics rule based on a change in the scale of the user relative to the virtual reality environment;

applying the virtual physics rule and the parameter to an interaction between the user and the virtual reality environment based on the changed scale of the user; and

trigger displaying, via a head-mounted display (HMD), the interaction between the user and the virtual reality environment based on the virtual physics rule and the parameter.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user has multiple scale sizes interacting with an object within the virtual reality environment.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the multiple scale sizes include a first scale and a second scale.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the parameter of the virtual physics rule has a magnitude determined based on an equation, the equation being dependent on the scale of the user.

18. A system, comprising:

a head-mounted display (HMD) including at least a display screen to display a virtual environment;

a computing device configured to generate the virtual environment, the computing device including;

a memory storing executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions, to cause the computing device to;

determine a physics parameter based at least in part on a scale of user relative to an object in a virtual reality environment,

apply a physics rule to an interaction between the user and the object in the virtual reality environment based on the physics parameter,

modify the physics parameter based at least in part on a relative change in scale between the user and the object; and

trigger display of the interaction between the user and the object based on the physics rule with the modified physics parameter.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the parameter of the virtual physics rule has a magnitude determined based on an equation, the equation being dependent on the scale of the user.