Apparatus and method for manipulating virtual object

• US 20100107127A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 04/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Seung Ju, Chang, Wook, Park, Joon Ah, Lee, Hyun Jeong
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/848
• 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
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed is a virtual object manipulating apparatus and method. The virtual object manipulating apparatus connects a virtual object in a 3D virtual world with a virtual object manipulating apparatus, senses a grab signal from a user, and determines a grab type of the virtual object based on the sensed grab signal and the connection between the virtual object and the virtual object manipulating apparatus.

Claims

1. A virtual object manipulating apparatus for manipulating a virtual object, the apparatus comprising:

a corresponding point searching unit to search for a plurality of corresponding points by comparing a shape of a virtual object selected by a user with a shape of the virtual object manipulating apparatus;

a grab type recognizing unit to sense a grab signal from the user and to recognize a grab type of the virtual object manipulating apparatus; and

a virtual grab type determining unit to determine a virtual grab type of the selected virtual object based on the plurality of corresponding points and the grab type of the virtual object manipulating apparatus.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a database storing a shape of at least one reference object,

wherein the corresponding point searching unit searches the plurality of corresponding points by further comparing the shape of the selected virtual object with a shape of a reference object corresponding to the shape of the selected virtual object, when the shape of the corresponding reference object is stored in the database.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the database further stores at least one reference grab type with respect to the reference object, and

the virtual grab type determining unit determines a reference grab type corresponding to the grab type of the virtual object manipulating apparatus as the virtual grab type of the selected virtual object, when the corresponding reference grab type is stored in the database.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the grab type recognizing unit senses the grab signal using at least one from among a touch sensor, a pressure sensor, and a rotation sensor.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shape of the virtual object manipulating apparatus is one of a sphere shape and a column.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the reference object is one from among a sphere, a hexahedron, a column, and a cone.

7. A method for manipulating a virtual object using a 3-dimensional (3D) input apparatus, the method comprising:

searching for a plurality of corresponding points by comparing a shape of a virtual object selected by a user with a shape of the 3D input apparatus;

recognizing a grab type of the 3D input apparatus by sensing a grab signal from the user; and

determining a virtual grab type of the selected virtual object, based on the plurality of corresponding points and the grab type,

wherein the method is performed using at least one processor.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing a shape of at least one reference object,

wherein the searching for the plurality of corresponding points searches for the plurality of corresponding points by further comparing the shape of the selected virtual object with a shape of a reference object corresponding to the shape of the selected virtual object, when the shape of the corresponding reference object exits in the database.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the storing in the database further comprises a storing at least one reference grab type with respect to the reference object, and

wherein the determining of the virtual grab type determines a reference grab type corresponding to the grab type of the 3D input apparatus as the virtual grab type of the selected virtual objection, when the corresponding reference grab type stored in the database.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the recognizing of the grab type of the 3D input apparatus senses the grab signal using at least one from among a touch sensor, a pressure sensor, and a rotation sensor.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the shape of the virtual object manipulating apparatus is one of a sphere shape and a column.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the reference object is one from among a sphere, a hexahedron, column, and a cone.

13. A computer readable recording medium storing a program implementing the method of claim 7.