Techniques for pointing to locations within a volumetric display

• US 7,528,823 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon Paul, Balakrishnan, Ravin, Fitzmaurice, George William
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US11/907,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20080036738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345/32, 345/156, 345/157, 345/163, 345/167, 345/173, 345/179, 362/259, 715/700
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/50 the image being built up from image elements distributed over a 3D volume, e.g. voxels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1601 Constructional details related to the housing of computer displays, e.g. of CRT monitors, of flat displays constructional details related to flat displays integrated in a portable computer, e.g. laptop, handheld computer G06F1/1637; constructional details related to television receivers H04N5/64
• 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 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/388 Volumetric displays, i.e. systems where the image is built up from picture elements distributed through a volume

Abstract

The present invention is a system that creates a volumetric display and a user controllable volumetric pointer within the volumetric display. The user can point by aiming a beam which is vector, planar or tangent based, positioning a device in three-dimensions in association with the display, touching a digitizing surface of the display enclosure or otherwise inputting position coordinates. The cursor can take a number of different forms including a ray, a point, a volume and a plane. The ray can include a ring, a bead, a segmented wand, a cone and a cylinder. The user designates an input position and the system maps the input position to a 3D cursor position within the volumetric display. The system also determines whether any object has been designated by the cursor by determining whether the object is within a region of influence of the cursor. The system also performs any function activated in association with the designation.

Claims

1. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a three-dimensional scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a three-dimensional pointer for an object in the display by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism along a ray cast responsive to the input device, and

wherein the pointer comprises a point cursor.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the point cursor is always produced in the display.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the point cursor is semitransparent.

4. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a three-dimensional scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a three-dimensional pointer for an object in the display by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism, wherein the pointer comprises a point cursor; and

producing orthogonal guidelines intersecting the point cursor in the display.

5. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a three-dimensional scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a three-dimensional pointer for an object in the display by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism along a ray cast responsive to the input device, and

wherein the pointer comprises a volume cursor.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the volume cursor has a semitransparent surface.

7. A computer readable storage controlling a computer by producing a three-dimensional scene in a volumetric display and producing a three-dimensional pointer for an object in the display by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism along a ray cast responsive to an input device.

8. A display apparatus, comprising:

a volumetric display system;

an input device inputting position coordinates; and

a computer producing a three-dimensional scene displayed by the display system and producing a three-dimensional volumetric pointer positioned in the scene responsive to the position coordinates by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism along a ray cast responsive to the input device.

9. A display apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein the input device comprises on of a stylus/digitizing surface adjacent a display enclosure, a stylus/digitalizing surface on the display enclosure and a three-dimensional input device, and the three-dimensional pointer comprises one of a display surface restricted cursor, a floating point cursor, a floating volume cursor, a ray cursor, a ray cursor having a region of influence and a plane cursor.

10. A display, comprising:

a volumetric display scene; and

a volumetric pointer within the scene produced by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism along a ray cast responsive to the input device.

11. A method, comprising:

simulating a line segment in three dimensional space;

moving the simulated line segment in three dimensional space by manipulating an input device; and

displaying in a volumetric display an intersection of the simulated line segment with the volumetric display.