Virtual reality system allowing immersion in virtual space to consist with actual movement in actual space

• US 9,599,821 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Greg Van Curen, Minchul So, Samuel Farina III
• Original Assignee: Greg Van Curen, Minchul So, Samuel Farina III
• Inventors: Farina, III, Samuel, Van Curen, Greg, So, Minchul
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Jacinta M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cofino, Jonathan M
• Application Number:
  US14/455,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20160041391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/212 using sensors worn by the player, e.g. for measuring heart beat or leg activity
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/213 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells A63F13/219, A63F13/655 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/26 having at least one additional display device, e.g. on the game controller or outside a game booth
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/012 Walk-in-place systems for allowing a user to walk in a virtual environment while constraining him to a given position in the physical environment
• 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: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/00 Stereoscopic video systems; Multi-view video systems; Details thereof

Abstract

A virtual reality system includes a playground defined within a real world space to have a predetermined area in which a user is movable, a head mounted device surrounds both eyes displaying an image of a virtual space formed corresponding to real objects in the playground, a sensor attached to a predetermined location in the playground, the head mounted device or body of the user sensing an actual location or motion of the user in the playground. A control unit calculates a location and direction of the user in the playground according to a signal from the sensor, and displays an image on the head mounted device of the virtual space, observed at the location and in the facing direction of the user. When the user wearing the head mounted device actually moves in the playground, a feeling of moving in the virtual space is given to the user.

Claims

1. A virtual reality system, comprising:

a play ground defined within an actual space of a real world to have a predetermined area in which a user may walk or run;

a head mounted device having a display for displaying a fully virtual image of a virtual space formed corresponding to real objects in the play ground and worn by the user to surround both eyes;

at least one sensor attached to a predetermined location in the play ground, the head mounted device and/or a body of the user to sense an actual location and/or motion of the user in the play ground; and

a processor configured to calculate an actual location and a facing direction of the user in the play ground according to a signal received from the at least one sensor, and control the head mounted device to display a fully virtual image of the virtual space, observed at the actual location and in the facing direction of the user, on the display,

wherein when the user wearing the head mounted device actually walks or runs in the play ground, the processor controls the head mounted device to display a fully virtual image of the virtual space corresponding to the actual location and in the facing direction of the user after walking or running, wherein the at least one sensor includes;

an emission element mounted to the head mounted device to emit an electromagnetic wave of a predetermined wavelength; and

at least two detection elements installed at predetermined locations in the play ground to detect the electromagnetic wave,

wherein the emission element includes two emission elements spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance, and the at least two detection element respectively sense locations of the two emission elements by detecting both of electromagnetic waves emitted from the two emission elements, and

wherein the processor calculates locations of the two emission elements, respectively, according to signals input from the at least two detection elements, calculates a center point of the locations of the two emission elements as a current location of the head mounted device, and calculates a direction of a perpendicular bisector at the locations of the two emission elements as a current facing direction of the head mounted device.

2. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor controls the head mounted device to further display an image of a virtual object, not present in the play ground, to the fully virtual image of the virtual space displayed on the display.

3. The virtual reality system according to claim 2,

wherein the virtual object is a virtual character which interactively moves by means of conversation with the user, education, training, fight, and/or combat.

4. The virtual reality system according to claim 2,

wherein the virtual object is a virtual exhibit fixed to a predetermined location in the virtual space.

5. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is implemented by a computer separated from the user and is electrically connected to the at least one sensor by means of wireless communication.

6. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is implemented by a computer possessed or worn by the user.

7. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the processor is implemented by a smart phone possessed or worn by the user, and the at least one sensor is included in the smart phone.

8. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one sensor includes an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor mounted to the head mounted device, and

wherein the processor calculates an actual location and a facing direction of the head mounted device according to a signal input from the acceleration sensor or the gyro sensor.

9. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one sensor includes a camera sensor installed at a predetermined location in the play ground, and

wherein the processor calculates an actual location and a facing direction of the head mounted device according to an image photographed by and input from the camera sensor.

10. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the at least one sensor includes a plurality of motion detection sensors respectively attached to a plurality of body portions of the user.

11. The virtual reality system according to claim 1,

wherein the display includes a left eye display and a right eye display respectively corresponding to both left and right eyes of the user, and

wherein the left eye display displays a left eye image which is an image obtained when the left eye of the user sees the virtual space, and the right eye display displays a right eye image which is an image obtained when the right eye of the user sees the virtual space, respectively.

12. The virtual reality system according to claim 11,

wherein the head mounted device includes an eye tracking unit for detecting the pupil of the user, and

wherein the processor calculates a location of the pupil of the user according to a signal input from the eye tracking unit, calculates a gazing point which is currently gazed by the user therefrom, and controls the head mounted device to display on the display an image in which the gazing point is focused.