Racing simulation

• US 10,357,715 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2017
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Buxton Global Enterprises, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Buxton Global Enterprises, Inc.
• Inventors: Buxton, E. Dale, Agag, Alejandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Milap
• Application Number:
  US15/813,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20190009175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/28 responding to control signals received from the game device for affecting ambient conditions, e.g. for vibrating players' seats, activating scent dispensers or affecting temperature or light controlling the output signals based on the game progress A63F13/50
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/5255 according to dedicated instructions from a player, e.g. using a secondary joystick to rotate the camera around a player's character
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/803 Driving vehicles or craft, e.g. cars, airplanes, ships, robots or tanks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/205 Image-based rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/60 Shadow generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/04 for teaching control of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/05 the view from a vehicle being simulated G09B9/052, G09B9/058 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A method for displaying a virtual vehicle includes identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse, providing a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view. The method operates by calculating the virtual position within a virtual world based on the position of the point of view. A system for displaying virtual vehicles includes a first sensor detecting a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse, a second sensor detecting a position of a point of view at the racecourse, and a simulation system providing a portion of the virtual vehicle visible from a virtual position of the point of view. The simulation system is configured to calculate the virtual position of the point of view within a virtual world based on the position of the point of view.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a virtual vehicle comprising:

identifying a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse;

identifying a position of a point of view at the racecourse;

providing the position of the physical vehicle and the position of the point of view at the racecourse to a simulation system;

calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual world comprising the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position;

calculating, by the simulation system, a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse;

calculating, by the simulation system, a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle at the virtual position of the physical vehicle;

outputting, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view;

providing, to a display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view;

generating, at the display system, a representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and

displaying a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, wherein the series of representations comprises the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises:

detecting one or more of a spatial position of a user'"'"'s eyes, a gaze direction of the user'"'"'s eyes, or a focus point of the user'"'"'s eyes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse.

6. The method of claims 1, wherein calculating the virtual world comprises transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to virtual coordinates in the virtual world and wherein the virtual position of the physical vehicle comprises the virtual coordinates.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the virtual position of the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and

wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured from the virtual position of the point of view by other representations in the virtual world.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein

calculating, by the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises calculating a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and wherein

providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises providing the portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simulating, by the simulation system, an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction.

11. A system for displaying virtual vehicles, comprising:

a first sensor detecting a position of a physical vehicle at a racecourse;

a second sensor detecting a position of a point of view at the racecourse;

a simulation system;

receiving the position of the physical vehicle from the first sensor and the position of the point of view at the racecourse from the second sensor,

calculating a virtual world comprising the virtual vehicle and a representation of the physical vehicle at a virtual position,

calculating a virtual position of the point of view within the virtual world based on the position of the point of view at the racecourse,

calculating a portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by the representation of the physical vehicle at the virtual position of the physical vehicle, and

outputting the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view; and

a display system;

receiving, from the simulation system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view,

generating a representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view, and

displaying a series of representations of the virtual vehicle over a period of time to simulate a trajectory of the virtual vehicle on the racecourse, wherein the series of representations comprises the representation of the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second sensor detects the position of the point of view at the racecourse by detecting a spatial position of a user'"'"'s eyes, a gaze direction of the user'"'"'s eyes, or a focus point of the user'"'"'s eyes.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a point of view of an operator of the physical vehicle at the racecourse.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a point of view of an audience member present at a racecourse and observing the physical vehicle on the racecourse.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the position of the point of view at the racecourse comprises a position of a camera present at a racecourse and imaging the physical vehicle on the racecourse.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein calculating the virtual world comprises transforming physical coordinates of the physical vehicle to coordinates in the virtual world and wherein the virtual position of the physical vehicle comprises the virtual coordinates.

17. The system of claims 11, wherein the simulation system is configured to:

calculate a representation of a physical object in the virtual world between the virtual position of the point of view and the virtual vehicle within the virtual world, and

wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises a portion of the virtual vehicle that is unobscured, from the virtual position of the point of view, by a representation of the physical vehicle and the representation of the physical object.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view consists of portions of the virtual vehicle that are unobscured from the virtual position of the point of view by other representations in the virtual world.

19. The system of claims 11, wherein

calculating the portion of the virtual vehicle within the virtual world that is visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises calculating, by the simulation system, a field of view from the virtual position of the point of view and wherein

providing, to the display system, the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view comprises providing, by the simulation system, the virtual portion of the virtual vehicle within the field of view.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the simulation system simulates an interaction between the virtual vehicle and the representation of the physical vehicle in the virtual world, and wherein the portion of the virtual vehicle visible from the virtual position of the point of view is calculated based on the interaction.