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Method and system for hybrid trackball and immersive navigation in a virtual environment

  • US 7,893,935 B1
  • Filed: 11/30/2009
  • Issued: 02/22/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2004
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for navigating in a virtual environment and suitable for allowing a user to change a view orientation in the virtual environment independently of physical orientation of a user input, the system comprising a processor and a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory includes means that are executable by the processor for causing the processor to perform operations of:

  • receiving data from a tracking subsystem having a first sensor set, a second sensor set, and a third sensor set, wherein the first sensor set and the second sensor set are different sensor sets, the first sensor set and the third sensor set are different sensor sets, and the second sensor set and the third sensor set are different sensor sets;

    locating a point of interest at a center of a reference sphere based on a first set of data inputs from the first sensor set;

    selecting a radius of the reference sphere;

    computing a position of an intermediate virtual-viewpoint on the reference sphere, wherein the radius of the reference sphere and the location of the intermediate virtual-viewpoint are based on a second set of data inputs from the second sensor set;

    determining a gaze direction from the intermediate virtual-viewpoint to the point of interest;

    defining a final virtual-viewpoint by adjusting the location and gaze direction of the intermediate virtual-viewpoint based on a third set of data inputs from the third sensor set, wherein the final virtual viewpoint allows a user to view the point of interest in the virtual environment from an orientation view correlated to the intermediate virtual viewpoint, while simultaneously allowing a head of the user to face comfortably forward in the physical world; and

    providing the final virtual viewpoint to a rendering engine to generate a virtual display to be displayed on a display device, whereby a user views, through the display device, the point of interest in a virtual environment from the final virtual viewpoint independently of physical orientation of a user input in the physical world.

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