Method and apparatus for processing virtual world

• US 9,952,668 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Jae Joon, Han, Seung Ju, Bang, Won Chul, Kim, Do Kyoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Foxx, Chico A
• Application Number:
  US14/628,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

In an apparatus and method for processing a virtual world, haptic information regarding a virtual object in the virtual world, the haptic information corresponding to sensed information, is extracted and transmitted to a haptic feedback device. Accordingly, interaction between a real world and the virtual world is achieved. The processing speed of the haptic information with respect to the virtual object may be increased by varying data structures according to types of the virtual object.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an extractor configured to extract virtual object information, via the use of a sensor, based on a data structure of an avatar, in a virtual world, for processing the virtual world,

wherein the virtual object information comprises an appearance element of the avatar that denotes the data structure and a list element, wherein the appearance element comprises at least one sub-element regarding an appearance type according to a body type of the avatar or a clothing item worn by the avatar and the list element comprises a plurality of haptic properties, and wherein the at least one sub-element comprises identification information without the plurality of haptic properties and the identification information refers to at least one of the plurality of haptic properties in the list element,

wherein the extractor is further configured to;

extract the identification information from a sub-element from among the at least one sub-element of the appearance element; and

extract a haptic property corresponding to the at least one sub-element from among the plurality of haptic properties of the list element using the extracted identification information, in response to the virtual object information comprising the sub-element,

wherein the haptic property corresponds to the extracted identification information, and the extracted haptic property is used to provide haptic feedback corresponding to the appearance type, and

wherein the apparatus is configured to;

identify the sub-element from among the at least one sub-element by using the identification information to provide the haptic feedback; and

provide the haptic property which corresponds to the identified sub-element by using the identification information which refers to the haptic property to enable a user of the apparatus to experience a sensation corresponding to a perceived physical interaction with the avatar, corresponding to sensed information received by the sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a receiver configured to receive sensed information from the sensor.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the extractor is further configured to extract the identification information from the sub-element, among the at least one sub-element of the appearance element, which corresponds to the sensed information received from the sensor.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the extractor is further configured to

extract a portion of the avatar based on the sensed information received from the sensor,

extract a sub-element corresponding to the extracted portion, and

extract the identification information from the sub-element corresponding to the extracted portion.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sensed information comprises position information regarding a touched position on the sensor and information on a touched portion of the avatar.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to transmit control information to a haptic feedback device, based on the extracted haptic property.

7. A method comprising:

extracting virtual object information, via the use of a sensor, based on a data structure of an avatar, in a virtual world, for processing the virtual world,

wherein the virtual object information comprises an appearance element of the avatar that denotes the data structure and a list element, wherein the appearance element comprises at least one sub-element regarding an appearance type according to a body type of the avatar or a clothing item worn by the avatar and the list element comprises a plurality of haptic properties, and wherein the at least one sub-element comprises identification information without the plurality of haptic properties and the identification information refers to at least one of the plurality of haptic properties in the list element,

wherein the extracting comprises;

extracting the identification information from a sub-element among the at least one sub-element of the appearance element; and

extracting a haptic property corresponding to the at least one sub-element from among the plurality of haptic properties of the list element using the extracted identification information, in response to the virtual object information comprising the sub-element, and

wherein the haptic property corresponds to the extracted identification information, and the extracted haptic property is used to provide haptic feedback corresponding to the appearance type;

identifying the sub-element from among the at least one sub-element by using the identification information to provide the haptic feedback; and

providing the haptic property which corresponds to the identified sub-element by using the identification information which refers to the haptic property to enable a user to experience a sensation corresponding to a perceived physical interaction with the avatar, corresponding to sensed information received by the sensor.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving sensed information from the sensor.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the extracting of the identification information comprises extracting the identification information from the sub-element, among the at least one sub-element of the appearance element, corresponding to the sensed information received from the sensor.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the extracting of the identification information comprises

extracting a portion of the avatar based on the sensed information received from the sensor,

extracting a sub-element corresponding to the extracted portion, and

extracting the identification information from the sub-element corresponding to the extracted portion.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensed information comprises position information regarding a touched position on the sensor and information on a touched portion of the avatar.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting control information to a haptic feedback device based on the extracted haptic property.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 7.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive sensed information from a sensor; and

an extractor configured to extract virtual object information, via the use of the sensor, based on a data structure of a virtual object, in a virtual world, for processing the virtual world,

wherein when the virtual object is an avatar, the virtual object information comprises an appearance element of the avatar that denotes the data structure and a list element, wherein the appearance element comprises at least one sub-element regarding an appearance type according to a body type of the avatar or a clothing item worn by the avatar and the list element comprises a plurality of haptic properties, and wherein the at least one sub-element comprises identification information without the plurality of haptic properties and the identification information refers to at least one of the plurality of haptic properties in the list element,

wherein the extractor is further configured to, in response to the virtual object being an avatar,

extract the identification information from a sub-element among the at least one sub-element of the appearance element, and

extract a haptic property corresponding to the at least one sub-element from among the plurality of haptic properties of the list element using the extracted identification information, in response to the virtual object information comprising the sub-element,

wherein the extractor is further configured to, in response to a user touching the virtual object and the virtual object not being an avatar, extract haptic property information regarding a virtual object corresponding to the sensed information from the virtual object information, and

wherein the haptic property corresponds to the extracted identification information, and the extracted haptic property is used to provide haptic feedback to enable the user of the apparatus to experience a sensation corresponding to a perceived physical interaction with the avatar, corresponding to sensed information received by the sensor.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the avatar comprises the appearance element and additional appearance elements,

the identification information is allocated to each of the appearance element and the additional appearance elements, and

the extractor is further configured to extract the haptic property information corresponding to the identification information, from the list element.