Collaborative virtual reality online meeting platform

• US 10,542,238 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2018
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Faro Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Bergmann, Louis, Braunes, Jorg, Flohr, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Zenati, Amal S
• Application Number:
  US16/131,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20190098255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• Field of Search: 348 1408
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/08 Volume rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/157 defining a virtual conference space and using avatars or agents computer conference optimisation or adaptation H04L12/1827

Abstract

A collaborative virtual reality (VR) online meeting platform that includes a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data defining a virtual space, identifiers of a plurality of meeting participants, and meeting data that includes positions in the virtual space of a plurality of avatars that correspond to meeting participants. The system includes a processor that includes instructions to initiate an online meeting of the plurality of meeting participants. The initiating includes providing an address of the 3D point cloud to each of the meeting participants and transmitting a copy of the 3D point cloud data and meeting data to each of the meeting participants. A current location of each of the avatars in the virtual space is communicated to all of the meeting participants.

Claims

1. A system for providing a collaborative virtual reality (VR) online meeting platform, the system comprising:

three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data defining a virtual space, the virtual space representing a physical environment that was measured by metrology device;

identifiers of a plurality of meeting participants;

meeting data including positions in the virtual space of a plurality of avatars, each of the plurality of avatars corresponding to one of the meeting participants; and

a processor responsive to executable computer instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising;

initiating an online meeting of the plurality of meeting participants in the virtual space, the initiating including providing an address of the 3D point cloud data to each of the meeting participants and transmitting a copy of the 3D point cloud data and meeting data to each of the meeting participants; and

coordinating the online meeting, the coordinating including communicating a current location of each of the avatars in the virtual space to all of the meeting participants, the communicating including;

receiving a position of an avatar in the virtual space from a meeting participant, the avatar corresponding to the meeting participant, the meeting participant one of the plurality of meeting participants;

updating the meeting data based at least in part on the received position;

providing the updated meeting data to the meeting participants; and

repeating the receiving, updating, and providing the updated meeting data while the meeting is in process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the meeting data further includes, for each of the avatars, a direction that the avatar is facing that is communicated to all of the meeting participants.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the meeting data further includes, for at least one of the avatars, a direction that the avatar is pointing that is communicated to all of the meeting participants.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the participant is viewing the virtual space using a 3D VR viewer to view an image rendered based on the 3D point cloud data with the avatars overlaid at their respective positions.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the participant is viewing the virtual space using a two-dimensional (2D) display to view an image rendered based on the 3D point cloud data with the avatars overlaid at their respective positions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the meeting data further includes annotation data.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising the metrology device, the metrology device comprising a laser scanner for scanning the physical environment and acquiring the 3D point cloud data.

8. A method for providing a collaborative virtual reality (VR) online meeting platform, the method comprising:

providing a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data defining a virtual space, the virtual space representing a physical environment that was measured by metrology device;

providing identifiers of a plurality of meeting participants;

transmitting the 3D point cloud data to each of the meeting participants;

providing meeting data including positions in the virtual space of a plurality of avatars, each of the plurality of avatars corresponding to one of the meeting participants;

initiating, by a processor, an online meeting of the plurality of meeting participants in the virtual space, the initiating including transmitting a copy of the meeting data to each of the meeting participants; and

coordinating the online meeting, the coordinating including communicating a current location of each of the avatars in the virtual space to all of the meeting participants, the communicating including;

receiving a position of an avatar in the virtual space from a meeting participant, the avatar corresponding to the meeting participant, the meeting participant one of the plurality of meeting participants;

updating the meeting data based at least in part on the received position;

providing the updated meeting data to the meeting participants; and

repeating the receiving, updating, and providing the updated meeting data while the meeting is in process.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the initiating further includes providing an address of the 3D point cloud data to each of the meeting participants.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the meeting data further includes, for each of the avatars, a direction that the avatar is facing that is communicated to all of the meeting participants.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the meeting data further includes, for at least one of the avatars, a direction that the avatar is pointing that is communicated to all of the meeting participants.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the participant is viewing the virtual space using a 3D VR viewer to view an image rendered based on the 3D point cloud data with the avatars overlaid at their respective positions.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the participant is viewing the virtual space using a two-dimensional (2D) display to view an image rendered based on the 3D point cloud data with the avatars overlaid at their respective positions.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the meeting data further includes annotation data.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the metrology device, the metrology device comprising a laser scanner for capturing the 3D point cloud data.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions:

providing a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud data defining a virtual space, the virtual space representing a physical environment that was measured by a metrology device

providing identifiers of a plurality of meeting participants;

providing meeting data including positions in the virtual space of a plurality of avatars, each of the plurality of avatars corresponding to one of the meeting participants;

transmitting the 3D point cloud data to each of the meeting participants;

initiating, by a processor, an online meeting of the plurality of meeting participants in the virtual space, the initiating including transmitting a copy of the meeting data to each of the meeting participants; and

coordinating the online meeting, the coordinating including communicating a current location of each of the avatars in the virtual space to all of the meeting participants, the communicating including;

receiving a position of an avatar in the virtual space from a meeting participant, the avatar corresponding to the meeting participant, the meeting participant one of the plurality of meeting participants;

updating the meeting data based at least in part on the received position;

providing the updated meeting data to the meeting participants; and

repeating the receiving, updating, and providing the updated meeting data while the meeting is in process.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the initiating further includes providing an address of the 3D point cloud data to each of the meeting participants.

18. A system for participating in a collaborative virtual reality (VR) online meeting platform, the system comprising:

a three-dimensional (3D) point cloud defining a virtual space, the virtual space representing a physical environment that was measured by a metrology device;

meeting data including a first position in the virtual space of a first avatar representing a first meeting participant and a second position in the virtual space of a second avatar representing a second meeting participant;

a VR viewer utilized by the first meeting participant to view the virtual space and to display the first avatar at the first position in the virtual space and to display the second avatar at the second position in the virtual space; and

a processor responsive to executable computer instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising;

joining a meeting, the joining by the first meeting participant and the meeting having a duration;

performing repeatedly during the duration of the meeting;

transmitting the updated position of the first avatar to a meeting coordinator based at least in part on receiving an updated position of the first avatar from the VR viewer; and

displaying, via the VR viewer, the second avatar at an updated position of the second avatar in the virtual space based at least in part on receiving the updated position of the second avatar from the meeting coordinator.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the updated position of one or both of the first avatar and the second avatar includes a direction that the avatar is facing.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the updated position of one or both of the first avatar and the second avatar includes a direction that the avatar is pointing.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the VR is a two-dimensional (2D) display.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the meeting data further includes annotation data.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising the metrology device, the metrology device comprising a laser scanner for capturing the 3D point cloud data.