CONTROLLING OBJECTS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

• US 20120306924A1
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: WILLOUGHBY, CHRISTOPHER HARLEY, EVERTT, JEFFREY JESUS, CLARK, JUSTIN AVRAM, HINDLE, BEN JOHN, SARRETT, PETER GLENN, DEAGUERO, JOEL
• Granted Patent: US 9,724,600 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/641
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1087 comprising photodetecting means, e.g. a camera
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6045 for mapping control signals received from the input arrangement into game commands
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/6607 for animating game characters, e.g. skeleton kinematics
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-storage media having computer-usable instructions embodied thereon, for controlling objects in a virtual environment are provided. Real-world objects may be received into a virtual environment. The real-world objects may be any non-human object. An object skeleton may be identified and mapped to the object. A user skeleton of the real-world user may also be identified and mapped to the object skeleton. By mapping the user skeleton to the object skeleton, movements of the user control the movements of the object in the virtual environment.

Claims

1. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying an object in a virtual environment;

mapping an object skeleton to the object, wherein the object skeleton is a pre-defined template;

receiving a user skeleton, wherein the user skeleton is an image of a skeleton of a user; and

mapping the user skeleton to the object skeleton such that the object is controlled by the user.

2. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the object is a non-human object.

3. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein mapping the object skeleton to the object comprises:

identifying a center of the object skeleton;

identifying a center of mass of the object; and

imposing the center of the object skeleton onto the center of mass of the object.

4. The one or more computer storage media of claim 3, further comprising:

resizing the object to fit the object skeleton.

5. The one or more computer storage media of claim 4, wherein resizing the object to fit the object skeleton comprises:

aligning a bottom of the object with a bottom of the object skeleton; and

aligning a top of the object with a top of the object skeleton such that the top of the object skeleton is a predetermined distance below the top of the object skeleton.

6. The one or more computer storage media of claim 5, wherein the predetermined distance below the top of the object skeleton is ten percent (10%) below the top of the object skeleton.

7. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the object is a real-world object that has been digitized and received in the virtual environment.

8. The one or more computer storage media of claim 1, wherein the object is controlled by the user such that the object'"'"'s movements minor those of the user.

9. A system for controlling objects in a virtual environment, comprising:

a computing device associated with one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media;

a data store coupled with the computing device; and

a controlling engine that

identifies one or more skeletons including a user skeleton and an object skeleton,

maps the user skeleton to the object skeleton, and

manages the object skeleton such that an object is manipulated to minor movements of the user skeleton.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the object is a non-human object.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the controlling engine identifies the user skeleton from a plurality of template poses by comparing a pose of the user with the plurality of template poses and identifying one of the plurality of template poses that corresponds with the pose of the user.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the controlling engine is further configured to map the object skeleton to the object.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the controlling engine operates in real-time.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the object skeleton is identified from a plurality of template object skeletons by comparing properties of the object with the plurality of template object skeletons.

15. One or more computer storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by one or more computing devices, cause the one or more computing devices to perform a method, the method comprising:

identifying an object in a virtual environment, wherein the object is a real-world object that has been digitized into a virtual form;

mapping an object skeleton to the object by identifying a center of mass of the object and imposing a center of the object skeleton onto the center of mass of the object, wherein the object skeleton is a pre-defined template;

resizing the object to correspond to a size of the object skeleton such that a bottom of the object skeleton is aligned with a bottom of the object;

receiving a user skeleton, wherein the user skeleton is a skeleton of a user;

mapping the user skeleton to the object skeleton such that one or more joint angles of the object skeleton mirror one or more joint angles of the user skeleton, wherein a joint angle represents a degree of an angle between one or more joints;

identifying a movement of the user; and

in response to identifying the movement of the user, moving the object such that the object'"'"'s movements minor the movement of the user.

16. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the mapping is performed in real-time.

17. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the user skeleton is mapped to the object each time a user movement is detected.

18. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein receiving the user skeleton comprises:

identifying the user within an image;

comparing a pose of the user with a plurality of template poses;

identifying a template pose of the plurality of template poses that corresponds to the pose of the user; and

identifying one or more joint angles of the template pose.

19. The one or more computer storage media of claim 18, wherein mapping the user skeleton to the object skeleton includes associating the one or more joint angles of the template pose with the object skeleton such that the object skeleton'"'"'s one or more joint angles minor the one or more joint angles of the template pose representing the user.

20. The one or more computer storage media of claim 15, wherein the object is a non-human object.