System for physical rotation of volumetric display enclosures to facilitate viewing

• US 20040001075A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Silicon Graphics Incorporated (Graphics Properties Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon Paul, Balakrishnan, Ravin, Fitzmaurice, George William
• Granted Patent: US 7,138,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/653
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/50 the image being built up from image elements distributed over a 3D volume, e.g. voxels
• 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 3/0346 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 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

The present invention is a system that allows a user to physically rotate a three-dimensional volumetric display enclosure with a corresponding rotation of the display contents. The rotation of the enclosure is sampled with an encoder and the display is virtually rotated by a computer maintaining the scene by an amount corresponding to the physical rotation before being rendered. This allows the user to remain in one position while viewing different parts of the displayed scene corresponding to different viewpoints. The display contents can be rotated in direct correspondence with the display enclosure or with a gain (positive or negative) that accelerates the rotation of the contents with respect to the physical rotation of the enclosure. Any display widgets in the scene, such as a virtual keyboard, can be maintained stationary with respect to the user while scene contents rotate by applying a negative rotational gain to the widgets. The rotation can also be controlled by a time value such that the rotation continues until a specified time is reached or expires.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

rotating a volume rotational controller for a three dimensional display responsive to user rotational inputs; and

rotating the display contents responsive to rotation of the controller.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rotational inputs comprise a rotational force.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rotational inputs comprise inputs indicating actual rotation of an enclosure.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rotation of the display contents is responsive to a time value.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a display apparatus rotates with an enclosure.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display contents are virtually rotated.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the rotation has at least two degrees of freedom.

8. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein a gain is applied to the virtual rotation.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the gain is one of positive and negative.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the gain is one of less than one and greater than one.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display is divided into two or more segments and the segments each rotate with a different gain responsive to the rotational inputs.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the display includes scene objects and widgets and further comprising rotating the widgets differently than the scene objects.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the widgets remain stationary with respect to the user as the scene objects rotate.

14. A computer readable storage controlling a computer with a process of determining rotation of a rotable enclosure and rotating volumetric display contents responsive to the rotation.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a rotatable three-dimensional display; and

a mechanism rotating display contents of the display as the enclosure is rotated.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a display having rotatable display contents; and

an interface controlling the rotation of the display contents with the interface being omni-directionally accessible.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 16, wherein the interface is omni-directionally controllable.

18. A method, comprising:

determining movement of a volume movement controller; and

moving display contents of a volumetric display responsive to the movement.

19. A method, comprising:

rotating a volumetric display, and

rotating contents of the display in correspondence to the display.