Apparatus, method, and program for processing information

• US 7,724,250 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakamura, Kenichiro, Abe, Yuichi, Ishii, Shinya, Segawa, Hiroyuki, Hiraki, Norikazu, Imaizumi, Ryoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Chauhan; Ulka
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prendergast; Roberta
• Application Number:
  US10/742,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20040130579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,349 Days
• Field of Search: 345/427, 345/156, 345/158, 345/419, 345/664, 345/679, 345/420, 700/65, 715/848, 715/849, 715/850, 715/851, 715/852, 715/757, 463/1, 463/8, 463/39, 434/79, 434/80
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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

An information processing apparatus is provided which allows a user to easily and intuitively manipulate information in a 3-dimensional virtual space. In the information processing apparatus, a main controller sets a first coordinate system in a real space on the basis of information associated with a real object and further sets a second coordinate system in a 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space on the basis of the first coordinate system. If a user places an input device at a particular position and angle in the first coordinate system with reference to the real object, the main controller places an object in the 3-dimensional virtual space at a place and angle in the second coordinate system corresponding to the place and angle of the input device in the first coordinate system, and the main controller displays an image of the object placed in the 3-dimensional virtual space on a display.

Claims

1. An information processing method for controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, the method comprising the steps of:

setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a real object, the real object including a surface part and a shape part, wherein the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the position and the angle of the surface part of the real object, and wherein the position of the shape part of the real object in the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the shape part of the real object;

setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

inputting specification information via an input device having a third coordinate system to specify a position and an angle of a particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space;

determining via a determination part the position and the angle, in the second coordinate system, of the virtual object based on the specification information input via the input device and the third coordinate system;

constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set in the setting step, wherein the 3-dimensional virtual space includes a 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the real object, a virtual region corresponding to the surface part of the real object, and the virtual object located at the position and the angle in the second coordinate system determined by the determination part, wherein the determination part determines whether there is a penetration of the virtual object with the 3-dimensional model; and

controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed in the constructing step, wherein the virtual object is displayed penetrating the 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the real object when a penetration is determined by the determination part.

2. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the input device is an image device.

3. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the first real object has a three-dimensional value.

4. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the third coordinate system is different from the first coordinate system.

5. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the shape part of the real object is a picture and the 3-dimensional model corresponds to the picture.

6. An information processing method according to claim 1, wherein the position and angle of the particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space correspond to a position and an angle of the input device with reference to the real object.

7. An information processing apparatus for controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, comprising:

a setting part for setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a first real object, the first real object including a surface part and a shape part, wherein the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the position and the angle of the surface part of the first real object, and wherein the position of the shape part of the first real object in the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the shape part of the first real object, and for setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

a construction part for constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set by the setting part, wherein the 3-dimensional virtual space includes a 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the first real object and a virtual region corresponding to the surface part of the first real object;

an input device for inputting specification information specifying a position and an angle of a particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space, the input device having a third coordinate system;

a determination part for determining the position and the angle, in the second coordinate system, of the virtual object based on the specification information input via the input device and the third coordinate system, and for determining whether there is a penetration of the virtual object with the 3-dimensional model, wherein the construction part constructs the 3-dimensional virtual space including the virtual object located at the position and the angle in the second coordinate system determined by the determination part; and

a display control part for controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed by the construction part, wherein the virtual object is displayed penetrating the 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the first real object when a penetration is determined by the determination part.

8. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first real object is a real object having a cross-sectional area greater than a predetermined value at least in a predetermined direction.

9. An information processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first real object is one of a sheet-shaped real object and a stack of sheet-shaped real objects.

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein if a second real object corresponding to the virtual object is placed in the real space, the input device measures a position and an angle of the second real object in the real space using a third coordinate system different from the first coordinate system and inputs a measurement result as the specification information, and the determination part converts the coordinates of the position and the angle, input via the input device, of the second real object from the third coordinate system into the second coordinate system, and employs the position and the angle of the second real object converted in the second coordinate system as the position and the angle of the virtual object in the second coordinate system.

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the input device uses at least a part of the input device itself as the second real object.

12. An information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the input device uses, as the second real object, a real object having a feature similar to a particular feature of the virtual object.

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the construction part constructs the 3-dimensional virtual space such that the image displayed under control of the display control part includes at least the virtual region.

14. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the input device is an image device.

15. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the first real object has a three-dimensional value.

16. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the third coordinate system is different from the first coordinate system.

17. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the shape part of the first real object is a picture and the 3-dimensional model corresponds to the picture.

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the position and angle of the particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space correspond to a position and an angle of the input device with reference to the first real object.

19. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus for controlling a display of an image in a 3-dimensional virtual space, the process comprising the steps of:

setting a first coordinate system in a real space including a real object, the first real object including a surface part and a shape part, wherein the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the position and the angle of the surface part of the real objects, and wherein the position of the shape part of the real object in the first coordinate system is based on pre-input information associated with the shape part of the real object;

setting a second coordinate system in the 3-dimensional virtual space corresponding to the real space based on the first coordinate system;

inputting specification information via an input device having a third coordinate system to specify a position and an angle of a particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space;

determining via a determination part the position and the angle, in the second coordinate system, of the virtual object based on the specification information input via the input device and the third coordinate system;

constructing the 3-dimensional virtual space using the second coordinate system set in the setting step, wherein the 3-dimensional virtual space includes a 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the real object, a virtual region corresponding to the surface part of the real object, and the virtual object located at the position and the angle in the second coordinate system determined by the determination part, wherein the determination part determines whether there is a penetration of the virtual object with the 3-dimensional model; and

controlling the display of an image corresponding to the 3-dimensional virtual space constructed in the constructing step, wherein the virtual object is displayed penetrating the 3-dimensional model corresponding to the shape part of the real object when a penetration is determined by the determination part.

20. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the input device is an image device.

21. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first real object has a three-dimensional value.

22. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the third coordinate system is different from the first coordinate system.

23. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the shape part of the first real object is a picture and the 3-dimensional model corresponds to the picture.

24. A computer program product embodied in a computer readable storage medium encoded with a computer program executable on an information processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the position and angle of the particular virtual object in the 3-dimensional virtual space correspond to a position and an angle of the input device with reference to the real object.