Method, system and computer program product for automatically creating an animated 3-D scenario from human position and path data

• US 20030227453A1
• Filed: 04/08/2003
• Published: 12/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Michigan (University of Michigan)
• Inventors: Schumann, Lars, Dontcheva, Lubomira A., Jensen, Lars Bjorn, Kalkofen, Denis, Beier, Klaus-Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/408,884
• Publication Number:
  US 20030227453A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0009 Computerised real time comparison with previous movements or motion sequences of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0025 Tracking the path or location of one or more users, e.g. players of a game
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2024/0096 using performance related parameters for controlling electronic or video games or avatars
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0636 3D visualisation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0644 with display speed of moving landscape controlled by the user's performance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/068 Input by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2102/24 Ice hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/05 Image processing for measuring physical parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/70 Measuring or simulating ambient conditions, e.g. weather, terrain or surface conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/806 Video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/807 Photo cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2243/007 American football
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0003 Analysing the course of a movement or motion sequences during an exercise or trainings sequence, e.g. swing for golf or tennis
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0006 Computerised comparison for qualitative assessment of motion sequences or the course of a movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0021 Tracking a path or terminating locations
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0087 Electric or electronic controls for exercising apparatus of groups A63B21/00 - A63B23/00, e.g. controlling load
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/002 for football American-football dummies A63B69/34
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0026 for ice-hockey
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/40 : of characters, e.g. humans, animals or virtual beings
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/61 : Scene description
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/0038 : Sports

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for automatically creating animated 3-D scenarios from human position and path data are provided. The method and system may include immersive and non-immersive virtual reality technologies for the training and mental conditioning of trainees such as football players with a focus on visual perception skills. The method and system may include a unique combination of commercially available hardware, specially developed software, data sets, and data libraries, as well as commercially available software packages.

Claims

1. A method for creating an animated 3-D scenario, the method comprising:

receiving data which represent humans and positions and paths of the humans; and

automatically creating an animated 3-D scenario including 3-D animated virtual humans moving along virtual paths based on the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scenario is a play and the virtual humans are virtual players.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the virtual players are virtual football players.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data represents a 2-D chart.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the 2-D chart is a play chart.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising editing the data to obtain edited data wherein the step of creating is based on the edited data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of creating includes the step of determining interactions between the virtual humans based on the paths.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of creating further includes determining virtual motions for the virtual humans involved in the determined interactions.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising creating a virtual environment and simulating the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising controlling the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of controlling includes the step of controlling a view point of a real human viewing the animated 3-D scenario.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically creating a file containing the animated 3-D scenario.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the file is a VRML file.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising distributing the file.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of distributing is performed over a computer network.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual environment is at least partially immersive.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual environment is non-immersive.

18. A system for creating an animated 3-D scenario, the system comprising:

means for receiving data which represent humans and positions and paths of the humans; and

means for automatically creating an animated 3-D scenario including 3-D animated virtual humans moving along virtual paths based on the data.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the scenario is a play and the virtual humans are virtual players.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the virtual players are virtual football players.

21. The system as claimed in claim 18, wherein the data represents a 2-D chart.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the 2-D chart is a play chart.

23. The system as claimed in claim 18 further comprising means for editing the data to obtain edited data wherein the means for creating creates the animated 3-D scenario based on the edited data.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for creating includes means for determining interactions between the virtual humans based on the paths.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the means for creating further includes means for determining virtual motions for the virtual humans involved in the determined interactions.

26. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for creating a virtual environment and means for simulating the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

27. The system of claim 26 further comprising means for controlling the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the means for controlling controls a view point of a real human viewing the animated 3-D scenario.

29. The system of claim 18 further comprising means for automatically creating a file containing the animated 3-D scenario.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the file is a VRML file.

31. The system of claim 29 further comprising means for distributing the file.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the means for distributing is a computer network.

33. The system of claim 26, wherein the virtual environment is at least partially immersive.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein the virtual environment is non-immersive.

35. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium, having thereon:

computer program code means, when the program is loaded, to make the computer execute procedure;

to receive data which represent humans and positions and paths of the humans; and

to automatically create an animated 3-D scenario including 3-D animated virtual humans moving along virtual paths based on the data.

36. The product of claim 35, wherein the scenario is a play and the virtual humans are virtual players.

37. The product of claim 36, wherein the virtual players are virtual football players.

38. The product as claimed in claim 35, wherein the data represents a 2-D chart.

39. The product as claimed in claim 38, wherein the 2-D chart is a play chart.

40. The product as claimed in claim 35 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to edit the data to obtain edited data wherein the animated 3-D scenario is automatically created based on the edited data.

41. The product of claim 35, wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to determine interactions between the virtual humans based on the paths.

42. The product of claim 41, wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to determine virtual motions for the virtual humans involved in the determined interactions.

43. The product of claim 35 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to create a virtual environment and to simulate the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

44. The product of claim 43 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to control the animated 3-D scenario in the virtual environment.

45. The product of claim 44 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to control a view point of a real human viewing the animated 3-D scenario.

46. The product of claim 35 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to automatically create a file containing the animated 3-D scenario.

47. The product of claim 46, wherein the file is a VRML file.

48. The product of claim 46 wherein the code means further makes the computer execute procedure to distribute the file.

49. The product of claim 48 wherein the distributing is performed over a computer network.

50. The product of claim 43, wherein the virtual environment is at least partially immersive.

51. The product of claim 43, wherein the virtual environment is non-immersive.