SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NAVIGATION OF A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT ON A HANDHELD DEVICE

• US 20200133461A1
• Filed: 10/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2018
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Brittany Rene Brousseau
• Original Assignee: Brittany Rene Brousseau
• Inventors: Brousseau, Brittany Rene
• Application Number:
  US16/664,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20200133461A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images

Abstract

Systems and methods for navigation within a virtual environment using a mobile device is disclosed. In the embodiments of the invention, one or more novel User Interfaces are used to allow a user navigate within a virtual environment simulated on the touch screen of a mobile device, to explore the virtual environment using navigational elements instead of having to physically move about the virtual environment.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including;

instructions for detecting one or more finger contacts with the touch screen display;

instructions for applying a heuristic to the one or more finger contacts to determine a command for the device; and

instructions for processing the command;

wherein the heuristic comprises;

a first navigational heuristic for movement within a virtual environment along a X-Y axis, wherein a first touch event within a first circular navigational area defined by a first circular navigational element shown on the touch screen display results in movement within the virtual environment; and

a second navigational heuristic for rotation within the virtual environment along the X-Y axis direction, wherein a second touch event within a second circular navigational area defined by a second navigational element shown on the touch screen display results in rotational movement within the virtual environment.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the movement along X-Y axis comprises of moving forward, moving backward, moving to the right side and moving to the left side, and wherein X is in direction of horizon.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the rotation along the X-Y axis comprises of rotational movement about a coordinate in the X-Y axis.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when the touch screen display is in portrait orientation, the second circular navigational area resides entirely within the boundary of the first circular navigational area such that the first circular navigational area and second circular navigational area form two concentric circles.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein when the touch screen display is in landscape orientation, the first circular navigational area and the second circular navigational area are shown on the bottom of the touch screen display such that one of either first circular navigational area or the second circular navigational area is on the bottom right corner of the touch screen display and the other of either first circular navigational area or the second circular navigational area is on the lower left corner of the touch screen display.

6. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising a gyroscope, wherein based on data supplied by the gyroscope the orientation of the computing device in a X-Y-Z coordinate is determined, and wherein field of view in the virtual environment is changed by moving the computing device along the X-Y-Z coordinate, and wherein while the field of view is changed by physical movement of the computing device, the first circular navigational area and the second circular navigational area allow navigation along the X-Y axis while physical movement of the computing device allows changing the field of view in any direction along the X-Y-Z axis.

7. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the second touch event comprises of dragging a finger in a circular fashion along the perimeter of the second circular navigation area in a clock-wise or counter-clock-wise direction, and wherein dragging a finger in a circular fashion by one degree results in rotational movement in the virtual environment by one degree, and wherein dragging the finger in a circular fashion by 360 degrees results in rotational movement in the virtual environment by 360 degrees.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first touch event comprises of dragging a finger within inside the first circular navigational area.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement within the virtual environment facilitated by the first navigational elements includes movement in forward direction, backward direction, right side direction, left side direction, upper right direction, upper left direction, lower right direction and lower left direction within the virtual environment.

9. A computing device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs are configured to;

display on a first location of the touch screen display a first circular navigational element, wherein the first circular navigational element includes a first circular area within which a first touch event results in movement in a virtual environment, and

display on a second location of the touch screen display a second circular navigational element, wherein the second circular navigational element includes a second circular area within which a second touch event results in results in rotational movement within the virtual environment.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the one or more programs are further configured to display on a third location of the touch screen display a third navigational element, wherein the third navigational element includes at least one straight line, wherein a touch along the length of the straight line alters the elevation of the field of view.

11. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the touch screen display further comprises one or more sensors adapted to capture an amount of force applied to the touch screen display resulting from the first touch event, and wherein the movement in the virtual environment is along a X-Y axis, wherein X is in the direction of horizon, and wherein the movement comprises of moving forward, moving backward, moving to the right side and moving to the left side, and wherein when the amount of force of the first touch event is beyond a pre-determined threshold, the movement is accelerated.

12. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the first touch event in the first circular navigational area is in the form of dragging a finger in any direction, and wherein the direction of the movement is the resulting vector from adding all linear movements of the finger within the first circular navigational area.

13. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising a gyroscope, wherein based on data supplied by the gyroscope the orientation of the computing device in a X-Y-Z coordinate is determined, and wherein field of view in the virtual environment is changed by moving the computing device along the X-Y-Z coordinate, and wherein while the field of view is changed by physical movement of the computing device, the first circular navigational area and the second circular navigational area allow navigation along the X-Y axis, the X axis being in the direction of the horizon, while physical movement of the computing device allows changing the field of view in any direction along the X-Y-Z axis.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the physical movement of the computing device includes changes in roll, pitch and yaw of the computing device with respect to the X-Y-Z coordinate.

15. A computer-executable method for navigating within a virtual environment shown on a digital touch screen device, comprising:

displaying on a first location of a digital screen a first circular navigational element, wherein the first circular navigational element includes a first circular area within which a user'"'"'s touch results in movement in the virtual environment, wherein when a touch screen device within a portable computing device receives a first touch event within the first circular navigational area a movement results within the virtual environment, and

displaying on a second location of the digital screen a second circular navigational element, wherein the second circular navigational element includes a second circular navigational area within which the users touch results in rotation of a field of view in the virtual environment, wherein when the touch screen device receives a second touch event within the second circular navigational area rotational movement results within the virtual environment.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying on a third location of the digital screen a third navigational element, wherein the third navigational element includes at least one straight line, wherein user'"'"'s touch along the length of the straight line alters the elevation of the field of view.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second touch event comprises of dragging a finger in a circular fashion along the perimeter of the second circular navigation area in a clock-wise or counter-clock-wise direction, and wherein dragging a finger in a circular fashion by one degree results in rotational movement in the virtual environment by one degree, and wherein dragging the finger in a circular fashion by 360 degrees results in rotational movement in the virtual environment by 360 degrees.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first touch event comprises of dragging a finger within inside the first circular navigational area.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the second navigational element visually encapsulates the first navigational element such that the first circular area is located within the second circular area.