Virtual reality body-sensing apparatus

• US 6,052,114 A
• Filed: 06/23/1998
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Morifuji, Hiroaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Laneau, Ronald
• Application Number:
  US09/102,643
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 345/158, 345/157, 345/156
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/012 Walk-in-place systems for allowing a user to walk in a virtual environment while constraining him to a given position in the physical environment
• 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 3/0334 Foot operated pointing devices

Abstract

A virtual reality body-sensing apparatus easily interchanges information between the real world and a virtual world. The apparatus has a base portion, a swing arm portion, a rotary swing arm portion, a body-sensing portion, a swing drive portion, and a monitor screen. The apparatus detects the user'"'"'s motions such as a direction of travel angle, an edge angle, a twist angle, and a load ratio, and regenerates the inclination of a skiing hill in the virtual world by swinging the body-sensing portion.

Claims

1. A virtual reality body-sensing apparatus, comprising:

a base portion,

a swing arm portion freely rotatably mounted on said base portion,

a rotary swing arm portion connected at one end to said arm portion for rotation relative to said swing arm portion freely about a vertical axis passing through said swing arm portion,

a body-sensing portion for receiving a user, said body-sensing portion being provided on an opposite end of said rotary swing arm portion, and

a sensor for detecting position and orientations of said body-sensing portion relative to said base portion.

2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising a manipulation assisting portion fixed to said apparatus base portion, for supporting said user riding on said body-sensing portion.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotary swing arm portion is rotatably connected to said apparatus base portion.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor detects a rotation angle of said rotary swing arm portion as a direction of travel.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor detects a rotation angle about an axis parallel to a longitudinal centerline of said body-sensing portion as an edge angle.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor detects a rotation angle of said user'"'"'s foot about a vertical axis passing through said body-sensing portion as a twist angle.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said sensor detects a position of a center of gravity of said user riding on said body-sensing portion.

8. The apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a wing drive portion for swinging opposite ends of said swing arm portion,

an image display portion for displaying a virtual image, and

a control portion for receiving data from said sensor and controlling said swing drive portion and said image display portion.

9. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said control portion directs said swing drive portion to simulate exaggerated changes in inclination, so that a user riding on said body-sensing portion strongly feels changes of posture of said body-sensing portion.

10. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said control portion directs said image display portion to display an increasingly steep landscape inclination on a monitor screen, so that said user riding on said body-sensing portion strongly feels change of posture of said body-sensing portion.

11. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said swing drive portion comprises:

a motor driven by a control signal from said control portion,

a horizontal slider connected to said motor and engaging an output gear thereof,

a ball screw meshing with said horizontal slider,

a link having one end connected to said ball screw, and

a vertical slider connected to an opposite end of said link and joined to said swing arm portion.

12. The apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said swing drive portion, said manipulation assisting portion, and said body-sensing portion are detachable from said apparatus.