User interface device, user interface method and information storage medium

• US 8,890,895 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2007
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kutaragi, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, M Good
• Application Number:
  US11/744,947
• Publication Number:
  US 20070257915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,752 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633, 715856-861, 715/850, 715/862
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/0346 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

To allow a user to issue an adequate instruction concerning a process in connection with a plurality of discrete objects placed in a virtual space. A user interface device comprises a virtual space image display section for producing an image of a virtual space where a plurality of objects are placed, on a real time basis according to a position of a viewpoint defined in the virtual space, and sequentially displaying the image; a viewpoint position change section for changing the position of the viewpoint defined in the virtual space according to a first operation by the user; and an object selection section for selecting one or more objects among the objects placed in the image displayed by the virtual space image display section, according to a second operation by the user.

Claims

1. A user interface device, comprising:

virtual space image display means for producing an image of a virtual space where a plurality of objects are placed, on a real time basis according to a position of a viewpoint defined in the virtual space, and sequentially displaying the image;

viewpoint position change means for changing the position of the viewpoint defined in the virtual space according to a first operation by the user;

object selection means for specifying an area in the image using a cursor having a pre-defined area for selecting an object that is at least partially included in the specified pre-defined area according to a second operation by the user;

storage means for storing identification information on the object selected by the object selection means; and

process execution means for executing a predetermined process in connection with the selected object,

wherein said object is selected if it is located within the specified pre-defined area and less than or equal to a predetermined distance away from a viewpoint.

2. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein,

the object selection means selects the object displayed in the specified pre-defined area according to a distance between a position of the object displayed in the specified area and the position of the viewpoint.

3. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein,

the object selection means selects the selected object displayed in the specified pre-defined area according to an attribute of the selected object displayed in the specified pre-defined area.

4. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein,

the object selection means selects the selected object displayed in the specified pre-defined area when an area occupied by the selected object is greater than a predetermined area of the pre-defined area.

5. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein

the viewpoint position change means changes the position of the viewpoint defined in the virtual space according to a posture of the operation device, which is changed according to the first operation by the user,

wherein the posture of the operation device is determined using the output of a gyroscope or an acceleration sensor.

6. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein

the process execution means carries out a process to collectively display images concerning the selected object.

7. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein each of said objects are automatically arranged in said virtual space according to an attribute of each of said objects.

8. The user interface device according to claim 7, wherein said object attribute is spatial frequency.

9. The user interface device according to claim 7, wherein said object attribute is a face.

10. The user interface device according to claim 7, wherein said object attribute is color.

11. The user interface device according to claim 7, wherein said object attribute is a time stamp or a file name.

12. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein:

said virtual space image display means, viewpoint position change means, object selection means, storage means and process execution means are comprised within a computer.

13. The user interface device according to claim 1, wherein a portable computing device controls the object selecting means.

14. A user interface method, comprising:

a virtual space image display step of producing an image of a virtual space where a plurality of objects are placed, on a real time basis according to a position of a viewpoint defined in the virtual space, and sequentially displaying the image;

a viewpoint position change step of changing the position of the viewpoint defined in the virtual space according to a first operation by the user;

an object selection step of selecting objects using a cursor having a pre-defined area, wherein the objects are at least partially included in the specified pre-defined area, according to a second operation by the user;

a storage step of storing identification information on the objects selected by the object selection means; and

a process execution step of executing a predetermined process in connection with the selected objects, wherein said objects are selected in descending order, starting by selecting an object having a smallest distance between said object and a viewpoint and ending by selecting an object with a largest distance between said object and a viewpoint, or

wherein all of said objects located with the specified pre-defined area are selected according to a pre-defined criteria.

15. An information storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as:

virtual space image display means for producing an image of a virtual space where a plurality of objects are placed, on a real time basis according to a position of a viewpoint defined in the virtual space, and sequentially displaying the image;

viewpoint position change means for changing the position of the viewpoint defined in the virtual space according to a first operation by the user;

object selection means for specifying an area in the image using a cursor having a pre-defined area for selecting objects that are at least partially included in the specified pre-defined area according to a second operation by the user;

storage means for storing identification information on the objects selected by the object selections means; and

process execution means for executing a predetermined process in connection with the selected objects, wherein said objects located with the specified pre-defined area are selected in a descending order based on a correlation between an attribute of the object and a characteristic vector representative of a user'"'"'s preferences, or

wherein said objects located within the specified pre-defined area are selected in an order of largest to smallest with respect to a display size of the object in the pre-defined area.