Virtual reality simulation apparatus

• US 6,102,832 A
• Filed: 08/06/1997
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Shiraito Tani
• Original Assignee: Tani Shiraito
• Inventors: Tani, Norimasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrison, Jessica J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kasick, Julie
• Application Number:
  US08/907,025
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 73/488, 73/514.39, 73/865.6, 345/8, 345/158, 482/1, 482/4, 482/8, 482/9, 482/51, 482/52, 482/53, 482/54, 482/900, 482/902
• US Class Current: 482/4
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0666 worn on the head or face, e.g. combined with goggles or glasses
• 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: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/279 the virtual viewpoint locations being selected by the viewers or determined by tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/289 Switching between monoscopic and stereoscopic modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/296 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/378 for tracking rotational head movements around an axis perpendicular to the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/902 Employing specific graphic or video display

Abstract

A virtual reality simulation apparatus providing participants with simulations of horizontal walk and walk on slopes and steps with full reality in their feelings in their bodies. The apparatus comprises a walk surface mechanism including a pair of walk plates supporting a participant'"'"'s feet, a foot bottom-position detecting device for detecting positions of feet-bottoms of the participant moved away from the walk plates, and a walk-plate horizontally-driving device, which horizontally shifts the walk plate, correspondingly to movements of the participant'"'"'s feet, to cause the foot-bottom to be contacted on the walk plate and keep the participant'"'"'s trunk in a fixed position. The apparatus has a miniature space and camera mechanism including a miniature space and a camera device which is movable in the miniature space to be placed in a direction imitating a view of the participant and take an image in the miniature space. A control device mixes a previously programmed image and an image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism to transmit the composite image to an image display and show it to the participant, and controls the walk surface mechanism while causing the same to correspond to the images.

Claims

1. A virtual reality simulation apparatus comprising:

an image display showing participants programmed images;

a walk surface mechanism for detecting a foot-bottom position of a participant, and for performing a horizontal walk simulation in which a pair of walk plates, on which left and right feet of the participant are placed separately, are individually horizontally shifted forward, backward, leftward and rightward, a simulation of walk on slopes in which the pair of walk plates are individually slanted, and a simulation of walk on steps in which the pair of walk plates are individually raised or lowered; and

a control device which transmits the programmed images to the image display and controls the walk surface mechanism while causing the walk surface mechanism to correspond to the programmed images,

wherein the walk surface mechanism is provided with a foot bottom-position detecting means which is for detecting specific positions of the participant'"'"'s feet-bottoms and includes a signal transmission member provided on each shoe associated with each foot of the participant and a sensor provided on each of the walk plates to receive a signal from the signal transmission member.

2. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the display is a head-mounted display to be mounted on the head of a participant.

3. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the walk surface mechanism includes left and right walk plates and a walk-plate drive connected to and supporting the walk plates.

4. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the walk-plate drive is arranged in a pit formed on a floor of a play room.

5. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein each of the walk plates has a foot-position regulating frame for regulating the participant'"'"'s feet in a predetermined position.

6. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein the walk-plate drive includes a horizontally-driving means for shifting each of the left and right walk plates individually and horizontally forward, backward, leftward and rightward, a slantwise-driving means for slanting each of the left and right walk plates individually and slantwise forward, backward, leftward and rightward, and a raising and lowering means for raising and lowering each of the left and right walk plates individually.

7. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the raising and lowering means for the walk plates employs a raising and lowering cylinder which changes the height of the left and right walk plates individually.

8. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the horizontally-driving means comprises a rotation cylinder fit to a piston rod of the raising and lowering means, a swinging cylinder for swinging the raising and lowering means forward and backward, and a swinging cylinder for swinging the raising and lowering means leftward and rightward.

9. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 6, wherein the slantwise-driving means comprises a longitudinally swinging cylinder and a widthwise swinging cylinder for swinging the walk plates in their longitudinal direction and widthwise respectively.

10. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the signal transmission member is provided at plural points on each walk plate.

11. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the signal transmission member employs a signal transmission member transmitting an ultrasonic signal.

12. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the walk surface mechanism includes a walk base plate freely tilted, the walk plates held by the walk base plate and being freely horizontally shiftable and rotatable, and a walk-plate slantwise-driving means which supports one end of the walk base plate.

13. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the walk surface mechanism includes the walk plates, a walk-plate support base supporting each walk plate, and a walk-plate horizontally-driving means for horizontally shifting the walk-plate support bases, the horizontally-driving means including a bendable linkage mechanism and a rotation cylinder disposed at a joint in the linkage mechanism.

14. A virtual reality simulation apparatus comprises:

an image display showing images to participants;

a miniature space and camera mechanism provided with a miniature space imitating a space in which a participant moves virtually, and with a camera device which is freely shifted in the miniature space to be placed in a direction imitating a view of the participant and take an image in the miniature space;

a walk surface mechanism to simulate movement of the participant, the walk surface mechanism including a pair of walk plates and a foot bottom detecting means including a signal transmission member provided in each shoe used by the participant and a sensor in each of the walk plates, for detecting positions of feet-bottoms of the participant moved away from the walk plates; and

a control device which transmits to the image display a previously programmed image, an image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism or a composite image including the programmed image and the image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism and controls the walk surface mechanism to correspond to the images.

15. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 14, wherein the image display is a head-mounted display to be mounted on the head of a participant.

16. A virtual reality simulation apparatus comprises:

an image display showing images to participants;

a walk surface mechanism including a pair of walk plates, which are shiftable at least forward, backward, leftward and rightward and support feet of a participant, a foot bottom-position detecting means, including a signal transmission member provided in each shoe used by the participant and a sensor in each of the walk plates, for detecting positions of feet-bottoms of the participant moved away from the walk plates, a walk-plate horizontally-driving means, which shifts the walk plate to allow the foot-bottom of the participant to be placed in a predetermined position and direction on the walk plate and pulls back the walk plate, on which the foot-bottom has trodden or been contacted, toward a trunk of the participant correspondingly to kinds of exercises such as walk and running to keep the participant'"'"'s trunk in a fixed or constant position, and a walk-plate slantwise-driving means which slants the walk plates to provide simulation of movement on slopes;

a miniature space and camera mechanism including a miniature space imitating a space in which the participant moves virtually, and a camera device which is freely movable in the miniature space to be placed in a direction imitating a view of the participant and take an image in the miniature space; and

a control device which transmits to the image display a previously programmed image, an image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism or a composite image including the programmed image and the image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism, and controls the walk surface mechanism while causing the same to correspond to the images.

17. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the image display is a head-mounted display to be mounted on the head of the participant.

18. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the walk surface mechanism has a walk-plate raising and lowering means for raising and lowering the walk plates individually to provide simulation of movement on steps.

19. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 16, wherein the walk surface mechanism has a walk-plate raising and lowering means for raising and lowering the walk plates individually to provide simulation of movement on steps.

20. A virtual reality simulation apparatus comprises:

an image display showing images to participants;

a view-direction detecting means for detecting specific directions of views of a participant;

a miniature space and camera mechanism including a miniature space imitating a space in which the participant moves virtually, and a camera device which is freely movable in the miniature space to be placed in a direction imitating a view of the participant and take an image in the miniature space;

a walk surface mechanism to simulate movement of the participant, the walk surface mechanism including a pair of walk plates and a foot bottom detecting means, including a signal transmission member provided in each shoe used by the participant and a sensor in each of the walk plates, for detecting positions of feet-bottoms of the participant moved away from the walk plates; and

a control device which transmits to the image display a previously programmed image, an image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism or a composite image including the programmed image and the image taken by the miniature space and camera mechanism and controls the walk surface mechanism to correspond to the images.

21. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the view-direction detecting means comprises a plurality of signal transmission members provided on a cap to be mounted on the head of the participant, and a plurality of sensors which are disposed above the head of the participant correspondingly to arrangement of the signal transmission members to receive signals from the corresponding signal transmission members.

22. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 21, wherein the image display is a head-mounted display to be mounted on the head of the participant.

23. A virtual reality simulation apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the image display is a multi-screen.