VIEWING A THREE-DIMENSIONAL INFORMATION SPACE THROUGH A DISPLAY SCREEN

• US 20160317930A1
• Filed: 07/12/2016
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakayama, Ryuji
• Granted Patent: US 11,175,727 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/25 Output arrangements for video game devices
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/525 Changing parameters of virtual cameras
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/655 by importing photos, e.g. of the player
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/695 Imported photos, e.g. of the player
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/14 displaying different signs depending upon the view-point of the observer
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/04 Changes in size, position or resolution of an image
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 : to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 : Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 : using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 : User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 : Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 : Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 : Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 : Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 : communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72

Abstract

A method is provided, including the following operations: capturing images of an interactive environment by an image capture device; analyzing the captured images to track motion of a user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment; providing a view through a display screen of a three-dimensional (3-D) information space, wherein the view of the 3-D information space is defined from a perspective that is determined by the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment, the perspective being dynamically updated in response to the motion of the user'"'"'s head; wherein the 3-D information space includes a plurality of predefined content regions that are configured to present respectively assigned visual content, the content regions being visually accessible through the display screen based on the provided view of the 3-D information space.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

capturing images of an interactive environment by an image capture device;

analyzing the captured images to track motion of a user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment;

providing a view through a display screen of a three-dimensional (3-D) information space, wherein the view of the 3-D information space is defined from a perspective that is determined by the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment, the perspective being dynamically updated in response to the motion of the user'"'"'s head;

wherein the 3-D information space includes a plurality of predefined content regions that are configured to present respectively assigned visual content, the content regions being visually accessible through the display screen based on the provided view of the 3-D information space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the perspective is provided from a viewpoint, in the 3-D information space, that is defined based on a current location of the user'"'"'s head, and wherein the viewpoint is updated based on the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head to provide for the dynamically updated perspective.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein visual access to a given one of the content regions is responsive to the dynamically updated perspective from which the view of the 3-D information space is provided, such that visibility of the given one of the content regions through the display screen is responsively increased or decreased in response to the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the predefined content regions include a first content region and a second content region, wherein in response to the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head visibility of the second content region is increased as visibility of the first content region is decreased, wherein the second content region is progressively displayed along an edge of the display screen in proportional response to the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined content regions include a first planar presentation surface and a second planar presentation surface, the first and second planar presentation surfaces being substantially coplanar with each other in the 3-D information space.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined content regions include a first planar presentation surface and a second planar presentation surface, the first and second planar presentation surfaces being substantially not parallel with each other in the 3-D information space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual content includes one or more of image content, video content, television content, web content, or video game content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

wherein the predefined content regions include a first content region having a first visual content assigned thereto, and a second content region having second visual content assigned thereto;

responsive to detecting a gesture of the user, reassigning the second visual content to the first content region.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein further responsive to the detection of the gesture of the user, reassigning the first visual content to the second content region.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the detection of the gesture of the user is performed using the analysis of the captured images.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined content regions are configured in a laterally adjacent arrangement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the laterally adjacent arrangement of predefined content regions includes a content region having advertising content assigned thereto, adjacent to a content region having non-advertising content assigned thereto.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the laterally adjacent arrangement of predefined content regions includes content regions having respective scenes of a video content item assigned thereto.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the laterally adjacent arrangement of predefined content regions includes content regions having respective television channels assigned thereto.

15. A system, comprising:

an image capture device configured to capture images of an interactive environment by an image capture device;

a computing device configured to analyze the captured images to track motion of a user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment;

a display screen;

wherein the computing device is configured to generate graphic data for rendering to the display screen, to provide a view through the display screen of a three-dimensional (3-D) information space, wherein the view of the 3-D information space is defined from a perspective that is determined by the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment, the perspective being dynamically updated in response to the motion of the user'"'"'s head;

wherein the 3-D information space includes a plurality of predefined content regions that are configured to present respectively assigned visual content, the content regions being visually accessible through the display screen based on the provided view of the 3-D information space.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the perspective is provided from a viewpoint, in the 3-D information space, that is defined based on a current location of the user'"'"'s head, and wherein the viewpoint is updated based on the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head to provide for the dynamically updated perspective.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein visual access to a given one of the content regions is responsive to the dynamically updated perspective from which the view of the 3-D information space is provided, such that visibility of the given one of the content regions through the display screen is responsively increased or decreased in response to the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having program instructions embodied thereon, the program instructions configured, when executed by a computing device, to cause the computing device to perform a method including:

receiving captured images of an interactive environment from an image capture device;

analyzing the captured images to track motion of a user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment;

generating graphic data for rendering to a display screen, to provide a view through the display screen of a three-dimensional (3-D) information space, wherein the view of the 3-D information space is defined from a perspective that is determined by the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head in the interactive environment, the perspective being dynamically updated in response to the motion of the user'"'"'s head;

wherein the 3-D information space includes a plurality of predefined content regions that are configured to present respectively assigned visual content, the content regions being visually accessible through the display screen based on the provided view of the 3-D information space.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the perspective is provided from a viewpoint, in the 3-D information space, that is defined based on a current location of the user'"'"'s head, and wherein the viewpoint is updated based on the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head to provide for the dynamically updated perspective.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein visual access to a given one of the content regions is responsive to the dynamically updated perspective from which the view of the 3-D information space is provided, such that visibility of the given one of the content regions through the display screen is responsively increased or decreased in response to the tracked motion of the user'"'"'s head.