MIXED-REALITY PRESENTATION SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREFOR

• US 20080030499A1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Published: 02/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ohshima, Toshikazu, Wanda, Koichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

In a mixed-reality presentation system, a handler for manipulating a virtual object is displayed as a virtual object. Then, manipulation of the handler by the hand(s) of an observer is detected as manipulation of the virtual object associated with the handler, and those detection results are reflected in a display of the manipulated virtual object. By dynamically changing virtual objects displaying the handler according to the size of the virtual objects displayed in a view volume of the observer presented with a mixed reality space, the observer can select a desired virtual object with ease.

Claims

1. A control method for a mixed-reality presentation system that presents an observer with a mixed reality by superimposing a virtual object rendered according to a position and orientation of a viewpoint of said observer onto physical space or onto a sensed image of physical space, said control method comprising:

a measuring step of measuring said position and orientation of a viewpoint of said observer;

a virtual object detection step of detecting a virtual object included in a view volume based on said position and orientation of a viewpoint obtained in said measuring step; and

an adding step of adding a virtual object for manipulation to virtual objects to be rendered that satisfy certain display conditions from among virtual objects included in said view volume.

2. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 1, wherein said display conditions are set as ranges relating to a size of said virtual objects occupying said view volume.

3. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 1, wherein said adding step deletes said virtual object for manipulation associated with virtual objects that no longer satisfy said certain display conditions from among said virtual objects to be rendered.

4. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 1, wherein said adding step sets a position of said virtual object for manipulation to a position that does not overlap said virtual object associated with said virtual object for manipulation, and further, where said observer can manipulate said virtual object for manipulation by hand.

5. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a manipulation detection step of detecting a manipulation by said observer of said virtual object for manipulation; and

a changing step of changing rendering attributes of said virtual object so that a manipulation detected in said manipulation detection step is reflected in rendering results of said virtual object associated with said virtual object for manipulation.

6. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 5, wherein said manipulation detection step detects said manipulation based on a region of said observer'"'"'s hand(s) included in an image sensed from a vicinity of said position of a viewpoint of said observer.

7. The control method for mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 1, wherein said display conditions are determined by a distance between said virtual objects and a viewpoint of said observer, a movement velocity of said viewpoint of said observer, or relative velocities of said viewpoint of said observer and said virtual object.

8. A mixed-reality presentation system that presents an observer with a mixed reality by superimposing a virtual object rendered according to a position and orientation of a viewpoint of said observer onto physical space or onto a sensed image of physical space, said mixed-reality presentation system comprising:

a measuring unit adapted to measure said position and orientation of a viewpoint of said observer;

a virtual object detection unit adapted to detect a virtual object included in a view volume based on said position and orientation of a viewpoint obtained by said measuring unit; and

an adding unit adapted to add a virtual object for manipulation to virtual objects to be rendered that satisfy certain display conditions from among virtual objects included in said view volume.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to function as the mixed-reality presentation system according to claim 8.