Shared virtual reality

• US 10,535,116 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2017
• Issued: 01/14/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Monk, Jason, Borggaard, Geoffrey Allen, Borovoy, Richard Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulley, Ryan
• Application Number:
  US15/823,456
• Publication Number:
  US 20180096450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/06 Topological mapping of higher dimensional structures onto lower dimensional surfaces

Abstract

An immersive three dimensional (3-D) virtual reality sharing program is disclosed. The system comprises a content controller configured to determine the physical locations of a reference point and boundary in a physical space and map them to a corresponding point and boundary in a virtual world. The physical location and orientation of a user device relative to the reference point and boundary are used to determine a corresponding location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world. A representation of a portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation is rendered at the user device. As the user device is moved in the physical world, a corresponding updated location in the 3-D virtual world is determined, and the rendered representation updated. Thus, the user device acts as a window into the 3-D virtual world.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining, by a content controller, a physical location of each of a plurality of user devices, the content controller being controlled by a user that is physically proximate to users of the plurality of user devices;

grouping the plurality of user devices into a first section and a second section based on the physical location of each of the plurality of user devices;

associating a first 3-D virtual environment with the user devices of the first section;

transmitting mapping information that maps the first 3-D virtual environment to a first portion of a physical space to the user devices of the first section;

associating a second 3-D virtual environment with the user devices of the second section; and

triggering display, on a user interface of the content controller, of a dynamic grouping chart that allows the user of the content controller to group the plurality of user devices into sections.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring an updated physical location of a user device of the first section;

grouping the user device with the second section based on the updated physical location; and

transmitting mapping information of the second 3-D virtual environment to the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic grouping chart is generated based on the determined physical locations of the plurality of user devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dynamic grouping chart includes a spatially organized view of current activities of the plurality of user devices.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the dynamic grouping chart includes a spatially organized view of previous activities of the plurality of user devices.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the grouping the plurality of user devices includes:

receiving user input relating to grouping the user devices while the dynamic grouping chart is being displayed; and

grouping the plurality of user devices based on the received user input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a first activity to user devices of the first section; and

assigning a second activity to user devices of the second section.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

scaling the first 3-D virtual environment to fit the first portion of the physical space; and

scaling the second 3-D virtual environment to fit a second portion of the physical space.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mapping information of the first 3-D virtual environment includes a mapping between a reference point in the first portion of the physical space and a corresponding point in the first 3-D virtual environment and mapping information of the second 3-D virtual environment includes a mapping between a reference point in the second portion of the physical space and a corresponding point in the second 3-D virtual environment.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining physical locations of the plurality of user devices includes:

transmitting a request for a user device of the plurality of user devices to check-in; and

receiving a physical location from the user device.

11. A system, comprising:

a content controller configured to;

determine physical locations of a plurality of user devices that are physically proximate to the content controller;

trigger display, on a user interface of the content controller, of a dynamic grouping chart that allows a user of the content controller to group the plurality of user devices into groups;

receive user input relating to grouping the user devices while the dynamic grouping chart is being displayed;

group the plurality of user devices into a first section and a second section based on the user input;

transmit first 3-D virtual environment mapping information to the user devices of the first section;

transmit second 3-D virtual environment mapping information to the user devices of the second section;

assign a first activity to user devices of the first section; and

assign a second activity to user devices of the second section.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first 3-D virtual environment mapping information is associated with a first virtual world and the second 3-D virtual environment mapping information is associated with a second 3-D virtual world.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the first 3-D virtual environment mapping information includes a mapping between a reference point in a first portion of a physical space and a first corresponding point in a 3-D virtual world and the second 3-D virtual environment mapping information includes a mapping between a reference point in a second portion of the physical space and a second corresponding point in the 3-D virtual world.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first activity includes an interactive task to be performed in virtual reality.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first activity includes a group project for the user devices of the first section to complete in virtual reality.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a user device that includes:

a position detection module configured to identify a physical location of the user device within a physical space;

a user device network module configured to receive virtual environment mapping information from the content controller and to transmit the physical location to the content controller; and

a user device 3-D processor module configured to;

determine a location and orientation in a virtual environment based on the received virtual environment mapping information;

generate a representation of the virtual environment based on the determined location and orientation in the virtual environment; and

display the representation of the virtual environment.

17. A method comprising:

determining, by a content controller, a physical location at a specific time of each of a plurality of user devices that are physically proximate to the content controller;

grouping the plurality of user devices into a first section and a second section based on the physical location of each of the plurality of user devices at the specific time;

associating the first section with a first virtual environment;

transmitting first mapping information to the user devices of the first section, the first mapping information including a mapping between a physical location in a first portion of a physical space and the first virtual environment;

assigning to user devices of the first section a first activity to be performed in the first virtual environment;

associating the second section with a second virtual environment;

assigning to user devices of the second section a second activity to be performed in the second virtual environment; and

triggering display, on a user interface of the content controller, of a dynamic grouping chart that allows a user of the content controller to group the plurality of user devices into sections.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first activity includes a first group project for the user devices of the first section to complete in the virtual environment.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the assigning to user devices of the first section the first activity includes:

providing interactive content to the user devices of the first section; and

receiving responses to the interactive content from the user devices of the first section.