Maintaining multiple views on a shared stable virtual space

• US 10,424,077 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2016
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Weising, George, Miller, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): McClellan, James S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Carter, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US15/089,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20160214011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,271 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/00 Video games, i.e. games using an electronically generated display having two or more dimensions gaming systems which provide a financial reward G07F17/32
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• 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 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2009/2457 Display screens, e.g. monitors, video displays
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/02 Chess; Similar board games
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/24 Electric games; Games using electronic circuits not otherwise provided for video games A63F13/00; computerized gaming systems G07F17/32
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0261 : in the context of movement of objects on the screen or movement of the observer relative to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 : Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 : based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, and computer programs for controlling a view of a virtual scene with a handheld device are presented. In one method, images of a real world scene are captured using a device. The method further includes operations for creating an augmented view for presentation on a display of the device by augmenting the images with virtual reality objects, and for detecting a hand in the images as extending into the real world scene. In addition, the method includes operations for showing the hand in the screen as detected in the images, and for generating interaction data, based on an interaction of the hand with a virtual reality object, when the hand makes virtual contact in the augmented view with the virtual reality object. The augmented view is updated based on the interaction data, which simulates on the screen that the hand is interacting with the virtual reality object.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a device, remote images of a remote real world scene sent by a remote device, the device being held by a user and the remote device being operated by a remote user;

capturing local images of a local real world scene using a camera of the device;

processing, by the device, an augmented view for presentation on a display screen of the device by combining a part of the remote images with a part of the captured local images and one or more virtual reality objects, wherein the augmented view simulates that the user and the remote user share a same space, the combining blends said parts of the remote images and the captured local images along with the one or more virtual reality objects;

capturing a hand of the user by the camera of the device, the camera configured to determine depth information of the hand in the local real world scene;

detecting an interaction of the hand with a first virtual reality object from the one or more virtual reality objects when the hand makes virtual contact in the augmented view with the first virtual reality object, the depth information of the hand used to determine said interaction; and

updating the augmented view to the device based on the interaction of the hand with the first virtual reality object to simulate that the hand is touching or moving the first virtual reality object.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

transmitting, from the device to the remote device, data regarding the interaction of the hand with the first virtual reality object and one or more of the captured local images of the local real world.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the remote device is another device configured to present another augmented view that is updated based on changes to the first virtual reality object due to the interaction of the hand.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction of the hand is an action on the first virtual reality object selected from a group consisting of holding, pushing, pulling, moving, hitting, throwing, opening, closing, turning on or off, pushing a button, firing a weapon, or eating the first virtual reality object.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the augmented view further includes:

determining a location of the device utilizing one or more of image analysis of the captured local images of the local real world scene, or data obtained from inertial systems within the device, or GPS, or ultrasonic triangulation, or WiFi communications, or dead reckoning.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein creating the augmented view further includes:

detecting a table in the remote real world scene using image recognition of the remote images; and

placing in the augmented view a virtual object on top of the table as if the virtual object was resting on the table.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interaction of the hand includes grabbing the first virtual reality object.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the interaction of the hand includes moving the first virtual reality object after the hand grabs the first virtual reality object.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first virtual reality object is a chess piece, wherein the interaction of the hand includes one or more of grabbing the chess piece, or moving the chess piece, or releasing the chess piece, wherein the method further includes:

detecting that the hand has moved the chess piece; and

transmitting the move of the chess piece to the remote device.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further including:

tracking a position of the device over time; and

adjusting the augmented view based on the position of the device.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the device tracks a position of the device with reference to a reference point, wherein the augmented view simulates that the device moves around the reference point.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote images are associated with the remote user playing a game with the user, wherein the one or more virtual reality objects are game objects, the method further including:

receiving remote interaction data from the remote device; and

updating the one or more virtual objects in the augmented view based on the received remote interaction data.

13. A device, comprising:

a communications module configured to receive remote images of a remote real world scene sent by a remote device, the device held by a user and the remote device being operated by a remote user;

a camera for capturing local images of a local real world scene using the device; and

a display screen; and

a processor configured to process an augmented view for presentation on the display screen by combining a part of the remote images with a part of the captured local images and one or more virtual reality objects, wherein the augmented view simulates that the user and the remote user share a same space, the combining blends said parts of the remote images and the captured local images along with the one or more virtual reality objects, the camera of the device is configured to determine depth information of the hand in the local real world scene;

wherein the processor detects an interaction of the hand with a first virtual reality object from the one or more virtual reality objects when the hand makes virtual contact in the augmented view with the first virtual reality object, the depth information of the hand used to determine said interaction, wherein the processor updates the augmented view to the device based on the interaction of the hand with the first virtual reality object to simulate that the hand is touching or moving the first virtual reality object.

14. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the interaction of the hand is an action on the first virtual reality object selected from a group consisting of holding, pushing, pulling, moving, hitting, throwing, opening, closing, turning on or off, pushing a button, firing a weapon, or eating the first virtual reality object.

15. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the processor determines a location of the device utilizing one or more of image analysis of the captured local images of the local real world scene, or data obtained from inertial systems within the device, or GPS, or ultrasonic triangulation, or WiFi communications, or dead reckoning.

16. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein when the processor detects a table in the remote real world scene using image recognition of the remote images, the processor places in the augmented view a virtual object on top of the table as if the virtual object was resting on the table.

17. The device as recited in claim 13, wherein the interaction of the hand includes moving the first virtual reality object after the hand grabs the first virtual reality object.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, the computer-readable storage medium comprising:

program instructions for receiving, by a device, remote images of a remote real world scene sent by a remote device, the device held by a user and the remote device being operated by a remote user;

program instructions for capturing local images of a local real world scene using the device;

program instructions for processing, by the device, an augmented view for presentation on a display screen of the device by combining a part of the remote images with a part of the captured local images and one or more virtual reality objects, wherein the augmented view simulates that the user and the remote user share a same space, the combining blends said parts of the remote images and the captured local images along with the one or more virtual reality objects;

program instructions for capturing a hand of the user by the camera of the device, the camera configured to determine depth information of the hand in the local real world scene;

program instructions for detecting an interaction of the hand with a first virtual reality object from the one or more virtual reality objects when the hand makes virtual contact in the augmented view with the first virtual reality object, the depth information of the hand used to determine said interaction; and

program instructions for updating the augmented view to the device based on the interaction of the hand with the first virtual reality object to simulate that the hand is touching or moving the first virtual reality object.

19. The storage medium as recited in claim 18, wherein creating the augmented view further includes:

program instructions for adding a shadow of the hand over the one or more virtual reality objects according to lighting conditions in the real world scene.

20. The storage medium as recited in claim 18, further including:

program instructions for receiving, by the device, an update of a face of the remote user; and

program instructions for updating the face of the remote user in the augmented view while leaving a background unchanged in the augmented view.