Three dimensional volumetric display input and output configurations

• US 9,195,301 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Kurtenbach, Gordon Paul, Fitzmaurice, George, Balakrishnan, Ravin
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US12/219,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20080284729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,675 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6, 345/27, 345/156, 345/158, 345/419, 345/424, 345/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0346 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 3/046 by electromagnetic 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: 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 allows a number of 3D volumetric display or output configurations, such as dome, cubical and cylindrical volumetric displays, to interact with a number of different input configurations, such as a three-dimensional position sensing system having a volume sensing field, a planar position sensing system having a digitizing tablet, and a non-planar position sensing system having a sensing grid formed on a dome. The user interacts via the input configurations, such as by moving a digitizing stylus on the sensing grid formed on the dome enclosure surface. This interaction affects the content of the volumetric display by mapping positions and corresponding vectors of the stylus to a moving cursor within the 3D display space of the volumetric display that is offset from a tip of the stylus along the vector.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a three-dimensional (3D) volumetric display output configuration having a display content; and

an input configuration coupled to the volumetric display output configuration comprising a sensing grid for receiving a user input from an input device, the input device comprising a position sensor that produces a vector indicating a position of the input device and a direction that the input device is pointing, the input configuration further comprising a mounting platform that houses the input device for making the input device rotatable around the volumetric display output configuration, the position of the input device providing information about a user'"'"'s position or viewpoint; and

a computer device coupled to the input configuration and the volumetric display output configuration, the computer device for;

receiving the vector from the input device;

inferring an input vector based on the position of the input device and a center of the volumetric display output configuration; and

mapping the user input to a position within the volumetric display output configuration using the input vector, the user input being visually represented by a position indicator that is superimposed onto the volumetric display output configuration.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a spatial relationship between the volumetric display output configuration, input configuration, and the input device is dynamically updated as the input device moves about the volumetric display output configuration.