Apparatus for inducing attitudinal head movements for passive virtual reality

• US 20050041100A1
• Filed: 09/22/2004
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Susan C. Maguire
• Original Assignee: Susan C. Maguire
• Inventors: Maguire, Francis J. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,278 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/121
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user

Abstract

A head guide with a display is attitudinally controlled for guiding the head of a passive viewer wherein the display is for viewing images that are emulative of images viewed by a cameraman with head mounted cameras whose head attitude is monitored for controlling the head guide in synchronism with the images gathered by the cameras. Additionally, the viewer'"'"'s eyes may be induced to follow a sequence of visual fixations at the same time as the passive viewer'"'"'s head is induced to execute attitudinal movements consistent therewith.

Claims

1. Apparatus for assisting a user in viewing images in a standing, seated, or reclining posture, comprising:

a moveable headrest mounted on or with respect to a support for supporting a head of said user in executing head movements from a changing direction;

a light source, responsive to a light control signal, for providing light for image viewing by an eye in a head of the user acting as a passive viewer; and

an actuator, responsive to a headrest control signal, for causing the moveable headrest to execute attitudinal movements for emulation by the head of the user acting as a passive viewer.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light for image viewing is of images provided from said changing direction by said eye in said head of said user acting as a passive viewer while executing said head movements and while viewing said images from said changing direction corresponding to said changing direction of said head movements.

2-16. -16. (canceled)