Augmented and/or virtual reality footwear

• US 10,639,540 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rathi, Nidhi, Ratner, Maksim
• Primary Examiner(s): Atkinson, Garrett K
• Application Number:
  US15/975,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20180326286A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 3/34 with electrical or electronic arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A43B 5/1641 characterised by the sole skates with special foot-plates for the boot A63C1/22; characterised by the attachment of the skate A43B5/1633 takes precedence; skates rigidly mounted to the sole of the boot A63C1/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0644 with display speed of moving landscape controlled by the user's performance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/20 using rollers, wheels, castors or the like, e.g. gliding means, to be moved over the floor or other surface, e.g. guide tracks, during exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/02 with wheels arranged in two pairs A63C17/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63C 17/12 with driving mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/012 Walk-in-place systems for allowing a user to walk in a virtual environment while constraining him to a given position in the physical environment
• 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

Abstract

A physical position of motorized footwear in a physical environment may be tracked, and movement of the footwear may be translated into corresponding movement in a virtual environment. When a distance between the motorized footwear and a boundary of an operational zone defined in the physical environment is less than or equal to a threshold distance, a motor of the motorized shoe may be actuated. Actuation of the motor may in turn actuate a locomotion device of the motorized footwear, to move the motorized footwear back into a return zone defined within the operational zone. This may allow the user to walk, seemingly endlessly in the virtual environment, while remaining within a defined physical space in the physical environment.

Claims

1. A motorized shoe assembly, comprising:

a platform;

a flex region provided on a bottom surface portion of the platform, between a first portion of the platform and a second portion of the platform, the platform being configured to flex at the flex region through a range of flexure, between a neutral state and a fully flexed state;

a locomotion device coupled to the bottom surface portion of the platform, including;

a plurality of wheels; and

at least one belt coupled to the plurality of wheels, the plurality of wheels configured to guide movement of the at least one belt;

a motor coupled to the platform and selectively providing power to the locomotion device to selectively operate the locomotion device; and

a linkage assembly coupled to the bottom surface portion of the platform, and coupled to the locomotion device, wherein the linkage assembly includes a linkage arm extending between the first and second portions of the platform, wherein the linkage arm is rotatable relative to the platform so as to maintain a target amount of tension on the at least one belt through the range of flexure of the platform.

2. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 1, wherein the locomotion device includes:

a first plurality of wheels arranged along a first lateral side of the linkage assembly on the bottom surface portion of the platform;

a first belt coupled to the first plurality of wheels, wherein the first plurality of wheels guide movement of the first belt;

a second plurality of wheels arranged along a second lateral side of the linkage assembly, opposite the first lateral side thereof, on the bottom surface portion of the platform; and

a second belt coupled to the second plurality of wheels, wherein the second plurality of wheels guide movement of the second belt.

3. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 2, wherein the motor is configured to:

supply power to a first wheel of the first plurality of wheels to rotate the first wheel of the first plurality of wheels;

move the first belt coupled to the first plurality of wheels in response to the rotation of the first wheel of the first plurality of wheels, the movement of the first belt being guided by the first plurality of wheels;

simultaneously supply power from the motor to a first wheel of the second plurality of wheels to rotate the first wheel of the second plurality of wheels; and

simultaneously move the second belt coupled to the second plurality of wheels in response to the rotation of the first wheel of the second plurality of wheels, the movement of the second belt being guided by the second plurality of wheels.

4. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 1, wherein the linkage assembly includes:

a first stationary block coupled to the bottom surface portion of the platform;

a second stationary block coupled to the bottom surface portion of the platform;

a first movable block movably coupled to the second stationary block;

a second movable block movably coupled to the second stationary block; and

a linkage arm having a first end thereof rotatably coupled to the first stationary block and a second end thereof rotatably coupled to the first movable block.

5. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 4, wherein the linkage assembly also includes:

a first guide rod having a first end portion thereof fixed to the second stationary block and a second end portion thereof extending through the first movable block and into the second movable block;

a second guide rod having a first end portion thereof fixed to the second stationary block and a second end portion thereof extending through the first movable block and into the second movable block;

a first tension spring positioned on the first guide rod, between the first movable block and the second movable block; and

a second tension spring positioned on the second guide rod, between the first movable block and the second movable block.

6. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 5, wherein the first movable block and the second movable block are configured to move in a first direction along the first and second guide rods in response to a movement of the platform from the neutral state to a flexed state, and to move in a second direction, opposite the first direction, along the first and second guide rods in response to a movement of the platform from the flexed state toward the neutral state.

7. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 6, wherein the first tension spring and the second tension spring are configured to remain in tension as the platform moves through the range of flexure.

8. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 1, further comprising a processing device operably coupling the motorized shoe assembly with an external computing device, the processing device including a tracking device that is trackable by the external computing device for tracking a physical position of the motorized shoe assembly.

9. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 8, wherein, in response to a detection of movement of the motorized shoe assembly in a first direction and a detection that a physical distance between the motorized shoe assembly and a physical boundary of a physical operational zone defined a physical environment is less than or equal to a threshold distance, the processing device is configured to:

supply power from the motor to operate the locomotion device, to move the motorized shoe assembly in a second physical direction that is different from the first physical direction, toward a return zone defined within the physical operational zone.

10. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 9, wherein, in response to a detection of the motorized shoe assembly in the return zone, the processing device is configured to suspend the supply of power from the motor to suspend operation of the locomotion device.

11. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 1, further comprising a power supply device remotely coupled to the motor.

12. A method, comprising:

tracking a physical position of at least one motorized shoe in a physical environment;

detecting a distance between the at least one motorized shoe and a physical boundary of a physical operational zone defined in the physical environment;

comparing the detected distance to a threshold distance;

actuating a locomotion device of the at least one motorized shoe in response to a detection of the at least one motorized shoe within the threshold distance to the physical boundary of the physical operational zone when the detected distance is less than or equal to the threshold distance based on the comparison; and

moving the at least one motorized shoe into a physical return zone defined within the physical operational zone in response to actuation of the locomotion device to maintain a physical position of the at least one motorized shoe within the physical operational zone.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the moving of the at least one motorized shoe into the physical return zone includes:

transmitting power generated by a motor to the locomotion device of the at least one motorized shoe via a power transmission device; and

rotating the locomotion device in a direction to convey the at least one motorized shoe toward the return zone.

14. The method of claim 12, the method further comprising:

displaying, in a head mounted display device, a virtual environment; and

moving virtual elements of the virtual environment to correspond to tracked physical movement of the at least one motorized shoe in a first physical direction.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the moving of the at least one motorized shoe into the return zone includes:

moving the at least one motorized shoe in a second physical direction that is different from the first physical direction; and

maintaining a virtual arrangement of the virtual elements of the virtual environment as the at least one motorized shoe moves in the second physical direction.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein actuating the locomotion device includes:

supplying power from a motor to at least one wheel, of a plurality of wheels, of the locomotion device, to rotate the at least one wheel; and

moving a belt coupled to the plurality of wheels in response to the rotation of the at least one wheel, the movement of the belt being guided by the plurality of wheels.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

suspending the supply of power to the at least one wheel to suspend operation of the locomotion device when the detected distance is greater than the threshold distance based on the comparison.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein actuating the locomotion device includes:

supplying power from the motor to a first wheel of a first plurality of wheels on a first lateral side of a platform of the at least one motorized shoe to rotate the first wheel of the first plurality of wheels;

moving a first belt coupled to the first plurality of wheels in response to the rotation of the first wheel of the first plurality of wheels, the movement of the first belt being guided by the first plurality of wheels;

simultaneously supplying power from the motor to a first wheel of a second plurality of wheels on a second lateral side of the platform of the at least one motorized shoe to rotate the first wheel of the second plurality of wheels; and

simultaneously moving a second belt coupled to the second plurality of wheels in response to the rotation of the first wheel of the second plurality of wheels, the movement of the second belt being guided by the second plurality of wheels.

19. A motorized shoe assembly, including:

a platform;

a motor;

a locomotion device coupled to the platform;

a power transmission device coupling the motor and the locomotion device;

a processing device operably coupling the motorized shoe assembly with an external computing device, the processing device including;

a tracking device that is trackable by the external computing device for tracking a physical position of the motorized shoe assembly;

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

detect a distance between the motorized shoe assembly and a physical boundary of a physical operational zone defined in a physical environment that is less than or equal to a threshold distance;

actuate the motor in response to the detection of the motorized shoe assembly within the threshold distance to the boundary of the operational zone; and

move the motorized shoe assembly in toward a physical return zone defined within the physical operational zone in response to actuation of the motor to maintain a position of the motorized shoe within the physical operational zone.

20. The motorized shoe assembly of claim 19, wherein instructions, when executed, also cause the processor to:

detect a distance between the motorized shoe assembly and the physical boundary of the physical operational zone that is greater than the threshold distance;

detect the motorized shoe assembly within the physical return zone; and

suspend operation of the motor in response to the detection of the motorized shoe assembly in response to the detection of the motorized shoe assembly within the physical return zone.