Apparatus, methods providing a signal having successive computer-generated images with a reference frame in correspondence with a reference frame of images with a moving point of view of a device navigated in an object space and providing storage media storing the signal for subsequent playback

• US 8,330,811 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Simulated Percepts, LLC
• Original Assignee: Simulated Percepts, LLC
• Inventors: Macguire, Jr., Francis J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael
• Application Number:
  US12/708,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20100149329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,026 Days
• Field of Search: 348 42- 60, 348113-124, 345 7- 9, 434/40, 434 42- 44, 434/34, 434/35
• US Class Current: 348/121
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast

Abstract

Methods and an apparatus responsive to sensed orientation and translatory position of an image acquisition device with respect to a three-dimensional reference frame of an object space for providing and storing successive computer generated images with respect to a three-dimensional frame of reference of an image space synchronized with successive images acquired by the electronic image acquisition device with respect to the three-dimensional reference frame of the object space, the successive computer generated images having a changing point of view that changes direction between images, the successive computer generated images stored on a storage medium for playback and presentation to a viewer.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at least one tracking signal indicative of tracked navigational movements of a device navigated in motion in an object space with both device orientation movements with respect to a three-dimensional reference frame of said object space and device translatory position movements with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space, wherein said device translatory position movements comprise three-dimensional translations in position of said device with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space,

providing, in response to said tracking signal, a light control signal comprising successive computer generated images with a changing image direction of view and a moving image point of view with respect to a three-dimensional image space frame of reference in correspondence, respectively, with a changing device direction of view and a moving device point of view acquired in correspondence with said tracked navigational movements of said device with both said device orientation movements and with said device translatory position movements in said object space with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space, said successive computer generated images made for viewing in an image space separate from said object space and made for viewing in said image space in a passive viewing role, and

storing said light control signal comprising said successive computer generated images on a non-transitory storage medium for playback in said image space.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising playing back said light control signal from said non-transitory storage medium to a viewer of said successive computer generated images, said viewer in said passive viewing role.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a motion control signal based on at least one of said tracked device orientation movements and translatory position movements and storing said motion control signal along with said light control signal on said non-transitory storage medium for playback in controlling a motion-controlled apparatus to change in at least one of orientation and translatory position of said motion-controlled apparatus in synchronization with said at least one of said tracked device orientation movements and device translatory position movements, wherein said motion control signal based on tracked device, orientation movements includes one or more of attitudinal roll, pitch, and yaw motion control signal components and wherein said motion control signal based on tracked device translatory position movements includes one or more linear motion control signal components.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said device comprises a head mounted camera.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said device is navigated by a person free to walk about with said device in navigating said device in motion, wherein said tracking signal is based on at least one of gyro, accelerometer, radio, magnetic, and light beam types of sensors.

2. A non-transitory storage medium comprising a light control signal stored thereon as an encoded video signal configured for decoding and playback for presentation to a viewer of successive computer generated images with said viewer in a passive viewing role, said light control signal provided in response to a tracking signal indicative of tracked navigational movements of a device navigated in motion in an object space with both device orientation movements with respect to a three-dimensional reference frame of said object space and device translatory position movements with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space, wherein said device translatory position movements comprise three-dimensional translations in position of said device with respect to said thee-dimensional reference frame of said object space, said light control signal comprising said successive computer generated images with a changing image direction of view and a moving image point of view with respect to a three-dimensional image space frame of reference in correspondence, respectively, with a changing device direction of view and a moving device point of view acquired by said tracked navigational movements of said device with both said device orientation movements and with said device translatory position movements in said object space with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space, said successive computer generated images made for viewing in an image space separate from said object space and made for viewing in said image space in said passive viewing role.

22. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 2, wherein said device is navigated by a person free to walk about with said device in navigating said device in motion, wherein said tracking signal is based on at least one of gyro, accelerometer, radio, magnetic, and light beam types of sensors.

5. A method comprising:

providing a light control signal produced with software by a computer workstation in response to a tracking signal, said light control signal comprising successive computer generated images having a moving image point of view and a changing image direction of view, wherein said image point of view moves and said image direction changes with respect to a three-dimensional image space frame of reference in correspondence, respectively, with movements in translatory position and changes in direction of a device tracked navigating in motion with respect to a three-dimensional frame of reference in an object space, wherein said movements in device translatory position comprise three-dimensional movements in translatory position with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame in said object space, said successive computer generated images made for viewing in an image space separate from said object space and made for viewing in said image space by a viewer in a passive viewing role, and

storing said light control signal comprising said successive computer generated images on a non-transitory storage medium.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said successive computer generated images include images indicative of changing visual fixations that each comprise a different combination of:

(i) a distinct position of said moving image point of view, and

(ii) a distinct position of a region of concentrated or highlighted informational content within a field of view.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said successive computer generated images are stereoscopic images.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a motion control signal based on at least one of said tracked movements in device translatory position and changes in direction of said device and storing said motion control signal along with said light control signal for playback by said playback device for controlling a motion-controlled apparatus in changing in at least one of translational position and direction of said motion-controlled apparatus in synchronization with at least one of said tracked changes in device translatory position and changes in direction of said device, wherein said motion control signal based on tracked changes in direction of said device includes one or more of roll, pitch, and yaw motion control signal components, and wherein said motion control signal based on tracked movements in device translatory position includes one or more linear motion control signal components.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein said successive computer generated images are provided by said computer workstation on which software is used to carry out post-production work on images of real objects taken from said device comprising at least one camera.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said camera comprises at least one head mounted camera.

23. The method of claim 5, wherein said device is navigated by a person free to walk about with said device in navigating said device in motion, wherein said tracking signal is based on at least one of gyro, accelerometer, radio, magnetic, and light beam types of sensors.

9. A non-transitory storage medium comprising a light control signal stored thereon as an encoded video signal configured for decoding and playback for viewing by a viewer in a passive viewing role, said light control signal produced with software by a computer workstation in response to a tracking signal, said light control signal comprising successive computer generated images having a moving image point of view and a changing image direction of view, wherein said image point of view moves and said image direction changes with respect to a three-dimensional image space frame of reference in correspondence, respectively, with tracked movements in translatory position and changes in direction of a device navigated in motion with respect to a three-dimensional frame of reference in an object space, wherein said movements in device translatory position comprise three-dimensional movements in translatory position with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame in said object space, said successive computer generated images made for viewing in an image space separate from said object space and made for viewing in said image space by a viewer in said passive viewing role.

10. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein said successive computer generated images comprise a field of view with informational content concentrated or highlighted in a portion thereof that changes position within said field of view between said successive computer generated images.

24. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 9, wherein said device is navigated by a person free to walk about with said device in navigating said device in motion, wherein said tracking signal is based on at least one of gyro, accelerometer, radio, magnetic, and light beam types of sensors.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including software, said memory and the software configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive at least one tracking signal indicative of a device navigated in motion in an object space with both changing device orientation movements with respect to a three-dimensional reference frame of said object space and changing device translatory position movements in said object space with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space as said device is navigated in motion in said object space, wherein said device translatory position movements comprise three-dimensional translations in position of said device with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space,

provide, in response to said tracking signal, successive computer generated images having a changing image direction of view and a changing image point of view with respect to a three-dimensional image space frame of reference in correspondence, respectively, with a changing device direction of view corresponding to said changing device orientation movements and a changing device point of view corresponding to said changing device translatory position movements with respect to said three-dimensional reference frame of said object space, said successive computer generated images made for viewing in an image space separate from said object space and made for viewing in said image space by a viewer in a passive viewing role, and

store said successive computer generated images.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said memory and the software are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide a motion control signal based on at least one of said changing device orientation movements and changing device translatory position movements and storing said motion control signal along with said successive computer generated images for playback in controlling a motion-controlled apparatus to change in at least one of orientation and translatory position of said motion-controlled apparatus in synchronization with said at least one of changing device orientation movements and device translatory position movements, wherein said motion control signal based on said changing device orientation movements includes one or more of roll, pitch, and yaw motion control signal components and wherein said motion control signal based on device translatory position movements includes one or more linear motion control signal components.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said successive computer generated images include successive nonuniform computer generated images, each successive nonuniform computer generated image having a highly detailed component and a lesser detailed component, wherein a position of the highly detailed component is changed in selected successive nonuniform computer generated images.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said device is a camera and wherein images acquired by said device are images of real objects in said object space acquired by said camera, wherein said successive computer generated images are provided in correspondence with said images acquired by said camera.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said device is a stereoscopic camera that acquires stereoscopic images, wherein said stored successive images are successive stereoscopic images provided as computer generated stereoscopic images from said processor in correspondence with said stereoscopic images acquired by said stereoscopic camera.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said stored successive images comprise a field of view with informational content concentrated or highlighted in a portion thereof that changes position within said field of view between said successive images, wherein among said successive images are distinct visual fixation images, each distinct visual fixation image comprising a distinct point of view with distinct resolution wherein said distinct resolution of said each distinct visual fixation image comprises a distinct position of said region of concentrated or highlighted informational content within said field of view.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said device comprises a head mounted camera.

25. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said device is navigated by a person free to walk about with said device in navigating said device in motion, wherein said tracking signal is based on at least one of gyro, accelerometer, radio, magnetic, and light beam types of sensors.