Apparatus for inducing attitudinal head movements for passive virtual reality

• US 6,181,371 B1
• Filed: 02/03/1997
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Susan C. Maguire
• Original Assignee: Francis J. Maguire
• Inventors: Maguire, Francis J Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US08/794,122
• Time in Patent Office: 1,457 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.718, 348/121-124, 434/61, 434/69, 434/307, 434/40, 434/42, 434/43, 434/44, 434/35, 434/34, 364/358, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9
• US Class Current: 348/121
• 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 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

A head guide with a display is attitudinally controlled for guiding the head of a passive viewer wherein the display is for viewing images that are emulative of images viewed by a cameraman with head mounted cameras whose head attitude is monitored for controlling the head guide in synchronism with the images gathered by the cameras. Additionally, the viewer'"'"'s eyes may be induced to follow a sequence of visual fixations at the same time as the passive viewer'"'"'s head is induced to execute attitudinal movements consistent therewith.

Claims

1. Apparatus, comprising:

a light source (18), responsive to a light control signal (20), for providing light (12) for viewing images by an eye (14) in a head (16) of a passive viewer;

a head coupler (26) for mechanically coupling the head of the passive viewer (16) to the light source (18); and

a light source actuator (22), responsive to a head guide control signal (24), for causing the light source (18) to execute attitudinal movements for emulation by the head (16) of the passive viewer mechanically coupled to said light source by said head coupler.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a head coupler (26) for coupling the head of the passive viewer (16) to the light source (18).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light control signal (20) contains information for providing said light for viewing images by said eye in said head of said passive viewer, said images having a portion with high informational content and a portion with low informational content and wherein the portion with high informational content changes position within the images for emulation by the eye (14) for foveal viewing by said passive viewer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the light control signal (20) contains information for providing said light for viewing images by said eye in said head of said passive viewer, said images having a portion with high informational content and a portion with low informational content and wherein the portion with high informational content changes position within the images for emulation by the eye for foveal viewing by said passive viewer.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a variable magnification device, responsive to said light and to a variable magnification control signal, for changing the apparent distances of said images.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said changing apparent distances are for viewing by said eye (14) with correspondingly changing accommodation.

7. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a variable magnification device, responsive to said light and to a variable magnification control signal, for changing the apparent distances of said images.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said changing apparent distances are for viewing by said eye (14) with correspondingly changing accommodation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said light source is for providing light for viewing stereo images by two eyes of said passive viewer.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the light control signal contains information for providing said light for viewing stereo images having a portion with high informational content and a portion with low informational content and wherein the portion with high informational content changes position within the images for foveal viewing by the two eyes by following said position changes.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least one variable magnification device, responsive to said light and to at least one corresponding variable magnification control signal, for changing the apparent distances of said stereo images.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said changing apparent distances are for viewing by said eye with correspondingly changing accommodation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the light control signal contains information for providing said light for viewing stereo images having a portion with high informational content and a portion with low informational content and wherein the portion with high informational content changes position within the images for foveal viewing by the two eyes by following said position changes at correspondingly changing points of fixation with correspondingly changing convergence by said two eyes.

21. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said images are provided by said light from said light source at a fixed distance from said head of said passive viewer.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein said changing apparent distances are for viewing by said eye (14) with correspondingly changing accommodation.

23. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said stereo images are provided by said light from said light source at a fixed distance from said head of said passive viewer.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said changing apparent distances are for viewing by said eye with correspondingly changing accommodation.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the light control signal contains information for providing said light for viewing stereo images having a portion with high informational content changes position within the images for foveal viewing by the two eyes by following said position changes at correspondingly changing points of fixation with correspondingly changing convergence by said two eyes.

14. Method for providing light from a light source at an orientation of the light source to an eye in a head of a viewer for formation of images in the eye, comprising the steps of:

providing the light from the light source for the formation of images with a changing point of view;

mechanically coupling the head of a passive viewer to said light source; and

changing the orientation of the light source in correspondence with the changing point of view for guiding the head of the viewer mechanically coupled to said light source in a correspondingly changing orientation for viewing the images with the eye in the head of the viewer at the changing orientation of the light source and from the changing point of view.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the images have a portion with high informational content and a portion with low informational content and wherein the portion with high informational content changes position within the images for foveal viewing by said passive viewer.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of changing the apparent distances of the images with a changing point of view for viewing at the apparent distances by the eye in the head of the viewer.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of changing the apparent distances of the images with a changing point of view for viewing at the apparent distances by the eye in the head of the viewer.

18. Apparatus (10) for providing light (12) to an eye (14) in a head (16) of a viewer for formation of images in the eye, comprising:

a light source (18), responsive to a light control signal (20), for providing the light (12) for the formation of images with a changing point of view at correspondingly changing orientations of the light source (18);

a head coupler (26) for mechanically coupling the head of the viewer to the light source; and

a head guide (22) connected to the light source (18), responsive to a head guide control signal (24), for changing the orientation of the light source (18) in correspondence with the changing point of view for guiding the head (16) of the viewer mechanically coupled to said light source by said head coupler in a correspondingly changing orientation for viewing the images with the eye (14) in the head (16) of the viewer at the changing orientation of the light source (18) and from the changing point of view.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the head guide is a robot configuration (32).

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the robot configuration (32) is selected from the group consisting of Cartesian, cylindrical, spherical, and articulated robot configurations.