Apparatus, method, and program for processing information

• US 20040130579A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 07/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kenichiro, Abe, Yuichi, Ishii, Shinya, Segawa, Hiroyuki, Hiraki, Norikazu, Imaizumi, Ryoichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,250 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/848
• 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

An information processing apparatus is provided which allows a user to easily and intuitively manipulate information in a 3-dimensional virtual space. In the information processing apparatus, a main controller sets a first coordinate system in a real space on the basis of information associated with a real object and further sets a second coordinate system in a 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space on the basis of the first coordinate system. If a user places an input device at a particular position and angle in the first coordinate system with reference to the real object, the main controller places an object in the 3-dimensional virtual space at a place and angle in the second coordinate system corresponding to the place and angle of the input device in the first coordinate system, and the main controller displays an image of the object placed in the 3-dimensional virtual space on a display.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus for controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, comprising:

a setting part for setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a first real object based on pre-input information associated with the first real object and for setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

a construction part for constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set by the setting part; and

a display control part for controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed by the construction part.

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first real object is a real object having a cross-sectional area greater than a predetermined value at least in a predetermined direction.

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first real object is one of a sheet-shaped real object and a stack of sheet-shaped real objects.

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an input part for inputting specification information specifying a position and an angle of a particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space; and

a determination part for determining the position and the angle, in the second coordinate system, of the virtual object based on the specification information input via the input part;

wherein the construction part constructs the 3-dimensional virtual space including the virtual object located at the position and the angle in the second coordinate system determined by the determination part.

5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein if a second real object corresponding to the virtual object is placed in the real space, the input part measures a position and an angle of the second real object in the real space using a third coordinate system different from the first coordinate system and inputs a measurement result as the specification information, and the determination part converts the coordinates of the position and the angle, input via the input part, of the second real object from the third coordinate system into the second coordinate system, and employs the position and the angle of the second real object converted in the second coordinate system as the position and the angle of the virtual object in the second coordinate system.

6. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the input part uses at least a part of the input part itself as the second real object.

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the input part uses, as the second real object, a real object having a feature similar to a particular feature of the virtual object.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the construction part constructs the 3-dimensional virtual space such that the image displayed under control of the display control part includes at least a virtual region corresponding to the first real object.

9. An information processing method for controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a real object based on pre-input information associated with the real object and setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set in the setting step; and

controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed in the constructing step.

10. A program for causing a computer to execute a process of controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, the process comprising the steps of:

setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a real object based on pre-input information associated with the real object and setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set in the setting step; and

controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed in the constructing step.