FINGER DIRECTION BASED HOLOGRAPHIC OBJECT INTERACTION FROM A DISTANCE

• US 20180321816A1
• Filed: 05/08/2017
• Published: 11/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bostick, James E., Ganci, JR., John M., Keen, Martin G., Rakshit, Sarbajit K.
• Granted Patent: US 10,824,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 1/0005 Adaptation of holography to specific applications holographic optical element G02B5/32; holographic scanner G02B26/106; recognition using holographic mask G06V10/88; holographic memories G11B7/0065, G11C13/042
• CPC Class Codes: G03H 2001/0061 in haptic applications when the observer interacts with the holobject
• 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 3/017 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 3/04815 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/107 Static hand or arm

Abstract

Selecting a user to control a 3D holographic object of a plurality of 3D holographic objects projected in midair above a central point of a location by a projector when multiple users attempt to manipulate the same 3D holographic objects. Identification of the users and a policy regarding manipulation of the 3D holographic objects selected by more than one user are evaluated. For each of the 3D holographic objects selected by multiple users, a queue of interactions requested by the multiple users is generated during interactions of a single user with the 3D holographic object; and the interactions requested by the user with a highest priority of the multiple users are executed to manipulate the selected 3D holographic object.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a user to control a 3D holographic object of a plurality of 3D holographic objects projected in midair above a central point of a location by a projector, the location further comprising a plurality of cameras around the central point of the location, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer identifying users situated around the central point and the 3D holographic objects;

the computer identifying a plurality of user interactions with the 3D holographic objects;

the computer evaluating identification of the users and a policy regarding manipulation of the 3D holographic objects selected by more than one user;

the computer, for the 3D holographic objects selected by multiple users, generating a queue of interactions requested by the multiple users during interactions of a single user with the 3D holographic object; and

the computer executing the interactions requested by the user with a highest priority of the multiple users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D holographic objects which are selected by the multiple users are identified by the steps of:

the computer extrapolating finger direction of a tip of a finger of a hand of the user for the identified 3D holographic object selected from images captured by the plurality of cameras and plotting a holographic intersection line from the tip of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to the 3D holographic object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D holographic object selected is highlighted in a color associated with the user interacting with the 3D holographic object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the users are identified using image analysis based on images captured by the plurality of cameras.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the queue of interactions requested by the multiple users is generated during interactions of the single user with the 3D holographic image that can only be manipulated by the single user at a time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority is based on time of selection of the 3D holographic object by a user of the multiple users.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the priority is based on a predetermined hierarchy of the users.

8. A computer program product for selecting a user to control a 3D holographic object of a plurality of 3D holographic objects projected in midair above a central point of a location by a projector, the location further comprising a plurality of cameras around the central point of the location, a computer within the location and in communication with the projector comprising at least one processor, one or more memories, one or more computer readable storage media, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by the computer to perform a method comprising:

identifying, by the computer, users situated around the central point and the 3D holographic objects;

identifying, by the computer, a plurality of user interactions with the 3D holographic objects;

evaluating, by the computer, identification of the users and a policy regarding manipulation of the 3D holographic objects selected by more than one user;

for the 3D holographic objects selected by multiple users, generating, by the computer, a queue of interactions requested by the multiple users during interactions of a single user with the 3D holographic object; and

executing, by the computer, the interactions requested by the user with a highest priority of the multiple users.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the 3D holographic objects which are selected by the multiple users are identified by the program instructions of:

extrapolating, by the computer, finger direction of a tip of a finger of a hand of the user for the identified 3D holographic object selected from images captured by the plurality of cameras and plotting, by the computer, a holographic intersection line from the tip of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to the 3D holographic object.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the 3D holographic object selected is highlighted in a color associated with the user interacting with the 3D holographic object.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the users are identified using image analysis based on images captured by the plurality of cameras.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the queue of interactions requested by the multiple users is generated during interactions of the single user with the 3D holographic image that can only be manipulated by the single user at a time.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the priority is based on time of selection of the 3D holographic object by a user of the multiple users.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the priority is based on a predetermined hierarchy of the users.

15. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer is part of the projector.

16. A computer system for selecting a user to control a 3D holographic object of a plurality of 3D holographic objects projected in midair above a central point of a location by a projector, the location further comprising a plurality of cameras around the central point of the location, a computer within the location and in communication with the projector comprising at least one processor, one or more memories, one or more computer readable storage media having program instructions executable by the computer to perform the program instructions comprising:

identifying, by the computer, users situated around the central point and the 3D holographic objects;

identifying, by the computer, a plurality of user interactions with the 3D holographic objects;

evaluating, by the computer, identification of the users and a policy regarding manipulation of the 3D holographic objects selected by more than one user;

for the 3D holographic objects selected by multiple users, generating, by the computer, a queue of interactions requested by the multiple users during interactions of a single user with the 3D holographic object; and

executing, by the computer, the interactions requested by the user with a highest priority of the multiple users.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the 3D holographic objects which are selected by the multiple users are identified by the program instructions of:

extrapolating, by the computer, finger direction of a tip of a finger of a hand of the user for the identified 3D holographic object selected from the images captured by the plurality of cameras and plotting, by the computer, a holographic intersection line from the tip of the finger of the user'"'"'s hand to the 3D holographic object.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the queue of interactions requested by the multiple users is generated during interactions of the single user with the 3D holographic image that can only be manipulated by the single user at a time.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the priority is based on time of selection of the 3D holographic object by a user of the multiple users.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the priority is based on a predetermined hierarchy of the users.