System and method for intuitive interactive navigational control in virtual environments

• US 20090058850A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Wey Fun
• Original Assignee: Wey Fun
• Inventors: Fun, Wey
• Application Number:
  US11/897,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058850A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/211 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers or gyroscopes
• 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 13/245 specially adapted to a particular type of game, e.g. steering wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/428 involving motion or position input signals, e.g. signals representing the rotation of an input controller or a player's arm motions sensed by accelerometers or gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/833 Hand-to-hand fighting, e.g. martial arts competition A63F13/837 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/837 Shooting of targets
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/105 using inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1062 being specially adapted to a type of game, e.g. steering wheel
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8029 Fighting without shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8076 Shooting
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• 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 3/017 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 3/04815 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

Abstract

A human-computer-interface design scheme makes possible the creation of an interactive intuitive user navigation system that allows user to issue his intended direction and speed for traversing in the virtual environment with just appropriately positioning a tracker within the operating space. The interface system contains the information about the boundary and center of an arbitrarily-defined static zone within the operating space of the tracker. If the tracker is positioned inside this static zone, the system would interpret it as no traverse is intended. When the user decides to move in a particular direction, he just needs to move the tracker outside the static zone in that direction, and the computer would be able to calculate the intended traverse vector by finding the vector from the center of the static zone to the position of the tracker. The further the tracker is positioned from the static zone, the greater the speed of the intended traverse.

Claims

1. A method for providing interactive user navigation in a real-time three dimensional simulation, comprising:

Specifying a reference point pinned relative to a navigation tracker as representative of said tracker'"'"'s position in the real world;

specifying a static zone within the operating space of said navigation tracker;

specifying the center and boundary of said static zone; and

determining the direction and magnitude of the user'"'"'s traverse in said simulation using the bearing vector from the center of said static zone to said navigation tracker'"'"'s position when said tracker is positioned outside the boundary of said static zone.

2. A system for providing interactive user navigation in a real-time three dimensional simulation, comprising:

a navigation tracker providing its pose in the real physical world;

a database that stores the set of parameters defining the boundary and center of a static zone within the operating space of said navigation tracker; and

An algorithm for calculating direction and magnitude of the user'"'"'s traverse in said real-time three-dimensional simulation using the bearing vector from the center of said static zone to said navigation tracker'"'"'s position when said navigation tracker'"'"'s position is outside the boundary of said static zone.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one display device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the representative avatar of said tracker is displayed in said display device.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the representative avatar of said static zone is displayed in said display device.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said static zone is a 3D sphere.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising an algorithm to real-time compute the user'"'"'s perspective view point in said simulation as changed by said bearing vector.

8. The system of claim 2, further comprising at least one manipulation tracker.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said navigation tracker provides the user'"'"'s head'"'"'s pose.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said navigation tracker provides the user'"'"'s trunk'"'"'s pose.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein:

said static zone is a two-dimensional planar static zone lying on a 2D plane within the operating space of said navigation tracker;

further comprising a step to calculate said navigation tracker'"'"'s projected position on said two-dimensional planar static zone; and

said algorithm calculates the direction and magnitude of the user'"'"'s traverse in said simulation using the bearing vector from the center of said static zone to said navigation tracker'"'"'s projected position when said navigation tracker'"'"'s projected position is outside the boundary of said two-dimensional planar static zone.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said two-dimensional planar static zone is a circle.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said 2D plane is the floor where the user stands on.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said navigation tracker provides only two translational degrees-of-freedom along the directions of the two dimensions of said two-dimensional planar static zone.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said navigation tracker provides three translational degrees-of-freedom.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one display device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the representative avatar of said tracker and said static zone are displayed in the said display device.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising at least one manipulation tracker.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said navigation tracker provides the user'"'"'s head'"'"'s pose.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein said navigation tracker provides the user'"'"'s trunk'"'"'s pose.