INTEGRATED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120264510A1
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wigdor, Daniel J., Tedesco, Megan, Wilson, Andrew, Clavin, John
• Application Number:
  US13/084,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120264510A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 463/31
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/42 by mapping the input signals into game commands, e.g. mapping the displacement of a stylus on a touch screen to the steering angle of a virtual vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/53 involving additional visual information provided to the game scene, e.g. by overlay to simulate a head-up display [HUD] or displaying a laser sight in a shooting game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/822 Strategy games; Role-playing games A63F13/825, A63F13/828 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• 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 integrated virtual environment is provided by obtaining a 3D spatial model of a physical environment in which a user is located, and identifying, via analysis of the 3D spatial model, a physical object in the physical environment. The method further comprises generating a virtualized representation of the physical object, and incorporating the virtualized representation of the physical object into an existing virtual environment, thereby yielding the integrated virtual environment. The method further comprises displaying, on a display device and from a vantage point of the user, a view of the integrated virtual environment, said view being changeable in response to the user moving and/or interacting within the physical environment.

Claims

1. A method of providing an integrated virtual environment incorporating real-world physical elements, the method comprising:

obtaining a 3D spatial model of a physical environment in which a user is located;

identifying, via analysis of the 3D spatial model, a physical object in the physical environment;

generating a virtualized representation of the physical object;

incorporating the virtualized representation of the physical object into an existing virtual environment, thereby yielding the integrated virtual environment; and

displaying, on a display device and from a vantage point of the user, a view of the integrated virtual environment, said view being changeable in response to the user moving within the physical environment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the virtualized representation of the physical object comprises selecting one of a plurality of candidate virtualized representations based on one or more characteristics of the physical object and modifying said one of the plurality of candidate virtualized representations based on one or more of said characteristics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the plurality of candidate virtualized representations correspond to the existing virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the 3D spatial model of the physical environment comprises obtaining information about the physical environment optically and in real time.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the virtualized representation of the physical object in response to detecting the user physically interacting with the physical object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the virtualized representation of the physical object comprises moving the virtualized representation of the physical object within the integrated virtual environment.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein changing the virtualized representation of the physical object comprises modifying an appearance of the virtualized representation of the physical object within the integrated virtual environment.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated virtual environment is part of a video game, the method further comprising modifying a gameplay sequence of the video game in response to detecting the user physically interacting with the physical object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the integrated virtual environment is part of a video game, the method further comprising modifying a gameplay sequence of the video game in response to detecting the user moving relative to the physical object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein incorporating the virtualized representation of the physical object into the existing virtual environment comprises placing the virtualized representation of the physical object in the existing virtual environment based on a spatial relationship between the user and the physical object.

11. A method of providing an integrated virtual environment incorporating real-world physical elements, the method comprising:

obtaining a 3D spatial model of a physical environment in which a user is located;

identifying, via analysis of the 3D spatial model, a physical object in the physical environment;

generating a virtualized representation of the physical object;

incorporating the virtualized representation of the physical object into an existing virtual environment, thereby yielding the integrated virtual environment;

displaying, on a display device and from a vantage point of the user, a view of the integrated virtual environment, said view being changeable in response to the user moving within the physical environment;

detecting a user physically interacting with or moving relative to the physical object; and

in response, changing the integrated virtual environment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the integrated virtual environment comprises translating a physical user interaction with the physical object into a virtual interaction with the virtualized representation of the physical object.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the integrated virtual environment comprises moving the virtualized representation of the physical object within the integrated virtual environment.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein changing the integrated virtual environment comprises modifying an appearance of the virtualized representation of the physical object within the integrated virtual environment.

15. A gaming system, comprising:

a display device configured to be worn by a user;

one or more sensors configured to obtain information about a physical environment in which the user is located and detect movement of the user within the physical environment;

a data-holding subsystem operatively coupled with the display and the one or more sensors, the data-holding subsystem configured to hold instructions executable by a logic subsystem to;

obtain a 3D spatial model of the physical environment in which the user is located;

identify, via analysis of the 3D spatial model, a physical object in the physical environment;

generate a virtualized representation of the physical object;

incorporate the virtualized representation of the physical object into an existing virtual environment associated with a video game, thereby yielding the integrated virtual environment;

display, on the display device and from a vantage point of the user, a view of the integrated virtual environment, said view being changeable in response to the user moving within the physical environment; and

in response to detecting the user physically interacting with or moving relative to the physical object, change the integrated virtual environment to thereby modify a gameplay sequence of the video game.

16. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are executable to modify the gameplay sequence of the video game by translating a physical user interaction with the physical object into an avatar interaction with the virtualized representation of the physical object.

17. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the display device comprises a head-mounted display.

18. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the display device comprises a head-up display.

19. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the one or more sensors comprise an image capture device configured to obtain one or more depth images of the physical environment.

20. The gaming system of claim 15, wherein the instructions are executable to detect the user physically interacting with or moving relative to the physical object via information obtained via the one or more sensors.