Attention-based interaction in a virtual environment

• US 6,396,509 B1
• Filed: 02/21/1998
• Issued: 05/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Doreen Yining
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Sy D.
• Application Number:
  US09/027,461
• Time in Patent Office: 1,557 Days
• Field of Search: 345/330,331,329,355,419,706,757,751,753,848,850,851
• US Class Current: 715/706
• 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

Abstract

A system enabling participants in a virtual environment to select a partner for an interaction session, the system comprising attention and priority components. The attention component employs attention sense and focus spaces. The sense space comprises a sense cone, the sense cone being both contained by a sense sphere and having a sense vector along its axis. The focus space comprises a focus cone, the focus cone being both contained by a focus sphere and having a focus vector along its axis. The attention component is associated with one or more senses, each such sense having associated therewith respective sense and focus spaces. The attention component is configured to support either/both intentional interaction (interaction driven by defined explicit controls) and spontaneous interaction (interaction driven by non-intentional encounters, e.g., spontaneous “eye” contact between avatars). The priority component determines priorities for avatars and objects, such that highest priority avatars/objects have (a) enhanced rendering and (b) increased quality of service from networks and operating systems. The priority component is responsive to selected parameters, including, for example, one or more of (i) objects'"'"' relative positions, (ii) the direction, orientation and span of sense and focus spaces, (iii) participants'"'"' profiles, (iv) predetermined parameters, as set by developers and/or participants, (v) social parameters, (vi) economic models and (vii) combinations of these and other selected parameters. In some embodiments, the system employs only the attention component. In other embodiments, the system employs both the attention and the priority components.

Claims

1. A system enabling a virtual environment, the virtual environment supporting virtual objects, one such virtual object being an avatar of a participant, the system enabling the participant to interact with one or more virtual objects in an interaction session, the interaction session contemplating the participant using one or more human senses, the system comprising:

a participant sensing device, the participant sensing device enabling the participant'"'"'s immersion into the virtual environment as to at least one human sense; and

an attention component supporting the participant sensing device, the attention component enabling first and third person views and providing spontaneous interaction and intentional interaction from each such first and third person views;

wherein the attention component provides, as to a particular human sense, one or more sense spaces and one or more focus spaces, the sense spaces controlling the virtual objects that the participant can perceive for selected intentional interaction and the focus spaces determining the virtual objects that are candidates for spontaneous interaction, the sense and focus spaces each defining a three-dimensional region.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the participant sensing device comprises a display device.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component provides sense spaces that determine which virtual objects the participant can perceive (a) in third person view, directly and (b) in first person view, through the participant'"'"'s avatar.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component provides sense and focus spaces associated with one of the first and third person views.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component provides one sense space and one focus space, the sense space being associated with one of the first and third person views and the focus space being associated with the other of the first and third person views.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component provides one sense space and one focus space, the focus space being associated with first person view and the sense space being associated with third person view, and wherein the attention component provides an immersion point for the virtual environment at which the participant is immersed into the virtual environment in third person view, the sense space being associated with the immersion point.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the attention component provides that the first and third person views operate concurrently, and the participant sensing device immerses the participant in the virtual environment through the sense space associated with third person view, so as to enable intentional interaction, while spontaneous interaction is enabled via the focus space associated with first person view.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the attention component provides, as to the particular human sense, at least one of (a) an additional sense space, such additional sense space being associated with first person view and (b) an additional focus space, such additional focus space being associated with third person view.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8, wherein the attention component provides that the first and third person views operate concurrently, so that the participant sensing device immerses the participant in the virtual environment through at least one of the sense spaces for intentional interaction, while spontaneous interaction is enabled via one or more of the focus spaces.

10. A system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the attention component enables the participant to be immersed, at any one time, by the participant selecting one or more sense spaces from among the provided sense spaces, the selected sense spaces contributing to the attention component'"'"'s support of the participant sensing device.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the attention component enables immersion, in the case of selection of plural sense spaces, by at least one of (a) providing information from all such sense spaces to the participant at one time, (b) providing portions of information from all such sense spaces to the participant at one time, (c) providing information from selected sense spaces to the participant at different times, (d) providing portions of information from selected sense spaces to the participant at different times, and (e) providing information from one or more sense spaces to the participant via plural participant sensing devices.

12. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component provides, as to an additional human sense, one or more additional sense spaces and one or more additional focus spaces, the additional sense spaces controlling the virtual objects that the participant can perceive for selected intentional interaction via that additional human sense, and the additional focus spaces determining which virtual objects are candidates for spontaneous interaction.

13. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component enables the first and third person views as being independently configurable.

14. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the attention component enables first person view associated with one of spontaneous interaction and intentional interaction and third person view associated with the other of spontaneous interaction and intentional interaction.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the attention component provides that the first and third person views operate concurrently.

16. A system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the attention component enables at least one of (a) first person view associated with the other of spontaneous interaction and intentional interaction and (b) third person view associated with the one of spontaneous interaction and intentional interaction.

17. A system as claimed in claim 16, wherein the attention component provides that the first and third person views operate concurrently, so that the participant sensing device immerses the participant in the virtual environment through at least one of the first and third person views for intentional interaction, while spontaneous interaction is enabled via at least one of the first and third person views.