Techniques for pointing to locations within a volumetric display

• US 7,701,441 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon Paul, Balakrishnan, Ravin, Fitzmaurice, George William
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US11/907,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20080040689A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 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 with an input device for an object in the display by mapping from an input device position into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism, the input device defined only exterior of volumetric display contents of the volumetric display and the mapping responsive to movement of the input device outside the volumetric display and determined by a digitizer situated exterior to the volumetric display, the pointer selecting objects within the display within a specified and variable distance from the pointer using a spatial nearest neighbor heuristic.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pointer comprises a ray.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising designating the object for selection when the ray intersects the object.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising indicating the object for selection when the object is within a region of influence of the ray.

5. A method as recited in claim 4, further comprising allowing the user to sweep out a volume in the display using the region of influence.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising changing the display in the swept volume.

7. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the region of influence is defined by one of a ray area, a ball, a bead, a wand, a size adjustable bead, a ring, a cone, a cylinder, a rectangle, and a volume geometry.

8. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the ray corresponds to a vector associated with an input apparatus.

9. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the ray points coincident to a vector associated with an input apparatus.

10. A method as recited in claim 2, further comprising specifying a three-dimensional point along the ray as a cursor that can be used to activate a function.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the point is specified by one of a user adjustable point along the ray, a fixed position relative to a pointing apparatus, an intersection with another ray and an intersection with a plane.

12. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a pointer with an input device in the display independent of scene content and display mechanism, the input device defined only exterior of volumetric display contents of the volumetric display and the pointer produced responsive to movement of the input device outside the volumetric display and determined by a digitizer situated exterior to the volumetric display, the pointer selecting objects within the display within a specified and variable distance from the pointer using a spatial nearest neighbor heuristic.

13. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a pointer with an input device in the display by mapping from an input device position and orientation into the display independent of scene content and display mechanism, the input device defined only exterior of volumetric display contents of the volumetric display and the mapping responsive to movement of the input device outside the volumetric display and determined by a digitizer situated exterior to the volumetric display, the pointer selecting objects within the display within a specified and variable distance from the pointer using a spatial nearest neighbor heuristic.

14. A volumetric display method, comprising:

producing a scene in a volumetric display; and

producing a pointer in the display based only on location of an input device and user aim, the input device defined only exterior of volumetric display contents of the volumetric display and the pointer produced responsive to movement of the input device outside the volumetric display and determined by a digitizer situated exterior to the volumetric display, the pointer selecting objects within the display within a specified and variable distance from the pointer using a spatial nearest neighbor heuristic.

15. A volumetric display method, comprising:

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

producing a three-dimensional pointer with an input device for an object in the display by mapping a vector from an input device position and orientation into the display, the input device defined only exterior of volumetric display contents of the volumetric display and the mapping responsive to movement of the input device outside the volumetric display and determined by a digitizer situated exterior to the volumetric display, the pointer selecting objects within the display within a specified and variable distance from the pointer using a spatial nearest neighbor heuristic.