Method and system for making natural movement in displayed 3D environment

• US 20160048994A1
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AiLive, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AiLive, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Dana, Musick, JR., Charles, Powers, III, William Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/876,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20160048994A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/219 for aiming at specific areas on the display, e.g. light-guns
• 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 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/56 Computing the motion of game characters with respect to other game characters, game objects or elements of the game scene, e.g. for simulating the behaviour of a group of virtual soldiers or for path finding
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/20 3D [Three Dimensional] animation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51

Abstract

Techniques for rendering the motions of a selected object as naturally as possible in a 3D environment are disclosed. According to one aspect of the techniques, relative changes in position of a controller in the physical world are used to control the motion of a selected (target) object in a virtual world by imparting inertia into the selected object in a relationship to the changes in speed and duration of the controller. As a result, the movements of the object are rendered naturally in a displayed scene in accordance with the changes in motion or position of the controller.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an object in a 3D environment being displayed on a display, the method comprising:

selecting the object with a hand-held controller including one or more self-contained inertial sensors generating sensor signals;

computing position and orientation of the controller relative to the display, responsive to the sensor signals;

capturing inertia of the object relative to the 3D environment at a moment when the object is caused to make a sudden movement;

updating the inertia of the object with the controller and the captured inertia; and

effectuating the sudden movement so as to show visually a smooth and natural transition of the object relatively in the 3D environment.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said effectuating the sudden movement comprises:

applying a linear offset to a mapping between a physical space of the controller and the 3D environment to produce a refined mapping.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the linear offset is a ratio of what happens in the physical space to what is being displayed in the 3D environment.

4. The method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

mapping movements of the controller into movements of the object in a non-linear fashion to allow small motions to generate more precision for small adjustments, while large motions generate rapid changes in position.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said effectuating the sudden movement further comprises:

causing the object to move relatively the same distance in the 3D environment when the controller is moved suddenly in one motion or in several smaller motions.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein said effectuating the sudden movement further comprises:

causing the object to move more in the 3D environment when the controller is moved suddenly in one motion instead of in several smaller motions.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said effectuating the sudden movement comprises:

detecting a location of the object in the 3D environment; and

allowing the location of the object within the 3D environment to keep changing when the controller has released a control on the object.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining inertia of the controller; and

imparting the inertia of the controller into the object in a relationship to changes in speed and duration of the controller.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein relative changes in position and orientation of the controller is used to control motions of the object in the 3D environment by imparting inertia of the controller into the object in a relationship to changes in speed and duration of the controller.

14. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the computing unit is caused to move the object relatively the same distance in the 3D environment when the controller is moved suddenly in one motion or in several smaller motions.

15. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein the computing unit is caused to move the object more in the 3D environment when the controller is moved suddenly in one motion instead of in several smaller motions.

10. A system for controlling an object in a 3D environment being displayed on a display, the system comprising:

a controller used to select the object, wherein the controller includes one or more self-contained inertial sensors generating sensor signals;

a computing unit configured to receive the sensor signals from which position and orientation of the controller relative to the display are computed, wherein the computing unit is further configured to;

capture inertia of the object relative to the 3D environment at a moment when the object is caused to make a sudden movement;

update the inertia of the object with the controller and the captured inertia; and

effectuate the sudden movement so as to show visually a smooth and natural transition of the object relatively in the 3D environment.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing unit is caused to apply a linear offset to a mapping between a physical space of the controller and the 3D environment to produce a refined mapping.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the linear offset is a ratio of what happens in the physical space to what is being displayed in the 3D environment.

13. The system as recited in claim 12, wherein the computing unit is caused to map movements of the controller into movements of the object in a non-linear fashion to allow small motions to generate more precision for small adjustments, while large motions generate rapid changes in position.

16. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing unit is caused to:

detect a location of the object in the 3D environment; and

allow the location of the object within the 3D environment to keep changing when the controller has released a control on the object.

17. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the computing unit is caused to:

determine inertia of the controller; and

impart the inertia of the controller into the object in a relationship to changes in speed and duration of the controller.

18. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein relative changes in position and orientation of the controller is used to control motions of the object in the 3D environment by imparting inertia of the controller into the object in a relationship to changes in speed and duration of the controller.