METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROCESSING VIRTUAL WORLD

• US 20110254670A1
• Filed: 04/08/2011
• Published: 10/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: HAN, Jae Joon, Kim, Do Kyoon, Han, Seung Ju, Bang, Won Chul
• Granted Patent: US 8,988,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/407.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

In an apparatus and method for processing a virtual world, haptic information regarding a virtual object in the virtual world, the haptic information corresponding to sensed information, is extracted and transmitted to a haptic feedback device. Accordingly, interaction between a real world and the virtual world is achieved. The processing speed of the haptic information with respect to the virtual object may be increased by varying data structures according to types of the virtual object.

Claims

1. An apparatus for processing a virtual world, comprising:

a receiver to receive sensed information from a sensor;

an extractor to extract haptic property information from virtual object information regarding a virtual object corresponding to the sensed information; and

a transmitter to transmit the haptic property information to a haptic feedback device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, if the virtual object is an avatar, the extractor extracts a haptic reference identification (ID) from an appearance element of the avatar, the appearance element corresponding to the sensed information, and extracts the haptic property information corresponding to the haptic reference ID from a haptic property list.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the virtual object information regarding the avatar comprises the appearance element and the haptic property list.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, if the virtual object comprises a plurality of virtual object components, the extractor extracts the haptic property information from the virtual object information regarding a first virtual object component corresponding to the sensed information

5. A method for processing a virtual world, comprising:

receiving sensed information from a sensor;

extracting haptic property information from a virtual object information regarding a virtual object corresponding to the sensed information; and

transmitting the haptic property information to a haptic feedback device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising extracting a haptic reference identification (ID) from an appearance element of an avatar when the virtual object is the avatar,

wherein the extracting of the haptic property information extracts the haptic property information corresponding to the haptic reference ID from a haptic property list.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the virtual object information regarding the avatar comprises the appearance element and the haptic property list.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, if the virtual object comprises a plurality of virtual object components, the extracting of the haptic property information extracts the haptic property information from the virtual object information regarding a first virtual object component among the plurality of virtual object components which corresponds to the sensed information.

9. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to implement the method of claim 5.

10. An apparatus to interact between the real world and a virtual world, comprising:

a receiver to receive information sensed by a sensor in the real world;

an extractor to extract haptic property information from virtual object information of a virtual object in the virtual world and corresponding to the sensed information; and

a transmitter to transmit the haptic property information to a haptic feedback device in the real world.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the virtual object comprises an avatar including an appearance element corresponding to the sensed information.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the sensed information comprises position information regarding a touched position on the sensor and information on a touched portion of the avatar.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the extractor extracts a haptic reference identification (ID) from the appearance element, and extracts the haptic property information corresponding to the haptic reference ID from a haptic property list.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the avatar comprises the appearance element and the haptic property list.

15. A method of interacting between the real world and a virtual world, comprising:

receiving information sensed by a sensor in the real world;

extracting haptic property information from virtual object information of a virtual object in the virtual world and corresponding to the sensed information; and

transmitting the haptic property information to a haptic feedback device in the real world.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the virtual object comprises an avatar including an appearance element corresponding to the sensed information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the sensed information comprises position information regarding a touched position on the sensor and information on a touched portion of the avatar.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the extracting haptic property information comprising extracting a haptic reference identification (ID) from the appearance element, and extracting the haptic property information corresponding to the haptic reference ID from a haptic property list.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the avatar comprises the appearance element and the haptic property list.

20. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium storing a program to cause a computer to implement the method of claim 15.