SHARED VIRTUAL REALITY

• US 20150279081A1
• Filed: 03/25/2014
• Published: 10/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Borggaard, Geoffrey Allen, Borovoy, Richard Daniel, Monk, Jason
• Granted Patent: US 9,830,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 13/216 using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/33 using wide area network [WAN] connections
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/06 Topological mapping of higher dimensional structures onto lower dimensional surfaces

Abstract

An immersive three dimensional (3-D) virtual reality sharing system is disclosed. The system comprises a content controller configured to determine the physical locations of a reference point and boundary in a physical space and map them to a corresponding point and boundary in a virtual world. The physical location and orientation of a user device relative to the reference point and boundary are used to determine a corresponding location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world. A representation of a portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation is rendered at the user device. As the user device is moved in the physical world, a corresponding updated location in the 3-D virtual world is determined, and the rendered representation updated. Thus, the user device acts as a window into the 3-D virtual world.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a three dimensional (3-D) virtual world controlled by a content controller, the method comprising:

identifying, at a user device, a physical location and orientation of the user device within a physical space;

receiving, at the user device, mapping information of the 3-D virtual world, the mapping information of the 3-D virtual world comprising a mapping between a reference point in the physical space and a corresponding point in the 3-D virtual world;

updating, at the user device, the physical location and orientation of the user device, the updated physical location and orientation of the user device corresponding to a physical movement of the user device;

determining, at the user device, a location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world based on the updated physical location and orientation of the user device relative to the reference point in the physical space; and

displaying, at the user device, a representation of a portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initially determining, at the user device, the physical location and orientation of the user device comprises capturing an image of a predetermined picture at a fixed location in the physical space with a camera attached to the user device and performing image processing at the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated physical location and orientation of the user device is obtained, at the user device, with a position detection module, the position detection module comprising at least one of:

an image processing module, a motion sensor analysis module, a GPS module, and a signal analysis module.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at another user device, the mapping information of the 3-D virtual world of the user device, and the updated physical location and orientation of the user device;

determining, at said another user device, the location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world based on the updated physical location and orientation of the user device relative to the reference point in the physical space; and

displaying, at said another user device, the portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world from said another user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the content controller, the mapping information of the 3-D virtual world of the user device, and the updated physical location and orientation of the user device;

determining, at the content controller, the location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world based on the updated physical location and orientation of the user device relative to the reference point in the physical space; and

displaying, at the content controller, the portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world from the content controller.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, at the user device, indexes, descriptions, messages, alarms, or interactive contents related to a certain object, when the user device approaches the certain object in the 3-D virtual world.

7. A method of automatically positioning and scaling, at a content controller, a three dimensional (3-D) virtual world displayed on a plurality of user devices, the method comprising:

identifying physical locations of a reference point and a boundary of a physical space;

generating a first mapping between the reference point in the physical space and a corresponding point in the 3-D virtual world;

generating a second mapping between the boundary in the physical space and a corresponding boundary in the 3-D virtual world; and

transmitting, to each of the plurality of user devices, mapping information of the 3-D virtual world, the mapping information of the 3-D virtual world comprising the first mapping and the second mapping.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the physical locations of the reference point and the boundary in the physical space comprises sequentially positioning a mapping device at positions along the boundary in the physical space.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the physical locations of the reference point and the boundary in the physical space comprises continuously tracking a mapping device moving along the boundary in the physical space.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein identifying the physical locations of the reference point and the boundary in the physical space comprises positioning a mapping device at the reference point and positioning the one or more mapping devices at positions along the boundary in the physical space simultaneously.

11. The method of claim 7,

wherein generating the first mapping comprises positioning, at the content controller, the 3-D virtual world by mapping the reference point in the physical space to the corresponding point in the 3-D virtual world,

wherein generating the second mapping comprises scaling, at the content controller, the 3-D virtual world by mapping the boundary in the physical space to the corresponding boundary in the 3-D virtual world.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying physical locations of another reference point and another boundary in the physical space;

generating a third mapping between said another reference point in the physical space and said another corresponding point in said another 3-D virtual world;

generating a fourth mapping between said another boundary in the physical space and said another corresponding boundary in said another 3-D virtual world; and

transmitting, to another plurality of user devices, another mapping information of said another 3-D virtual world, said another mapping information of said another 3-D virtual world comprising the third mapping and the fourth mapping,

wherein the plurality of user devices are grouped in a section,

wherein said another plurality of user devices are grouped in another section.

13. A three dimensional (3-D) virtual reality sharing system, comprising:

a content controller configured to generate mapping information of a 3-D virtual world, the mapping information comprising a mapping between a reference point in a physical space and a corresponding point in the 3-D virtual world; and

a user device configured to display a representation of the 3-D virtual world, the user device comprising;

a position detection module configured to identify and update, at the user device, a physical location and orientation of the user device,

a user device network module configured to receive the mapping information,

a user device 3-D processor module configured to;

determine, at the user device, a location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world based on the physical location and orientation of the user device relative to the reference point in the physical space, and

generate, at the user device, the representation of the 3-D virtual world based on the location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world, and

a user interface module configured to display the representation of the 3-D virtual world.

14. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the position detection module comprises an image processing module, the image processing module configured to determine the physical location and orientation of the user device from the reference point in the physical space by i) capturing an image of a predetermined picture at a fixed location in the physical space with a camera attached to the user device and ii) performing image processing at the user device.

15. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the position detection module comprises a GPS module.

16. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the position detection module comprises a signal analysis module, the signal analysis module configured to i) receive wireless signals from beacons placed in known positions in the physical space, and ii) analyze strengths of the wireless signals from the beacons to triangulate the position of the user device.

17. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the user device communicates with another user device or the content controller.

18. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the content controller limits communication among the user device, another user device and the content controller.

19. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein the content controller receives the physical location and orientation of the user device to enter the 3-D virtual world of the user device.

20. The 3-D virtual reality sharing system of claim 13, wherein another user device receives the physical location and orientation of the user device to enter the 3-D virtual world of the user device.