System and method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs

• US 6,181,343 B1
• Filed: 12/23/1997
• Issued: 01/30/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Lyons, Damian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US08/996,678
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 345/358, 345/473, 345/355, 348/42, 348/43, 348/44, 348/46, 348/51, 348/53
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/10 Control of the course of the game, e.g. start, progess, end
• 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 13/40 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 13/65 automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1093 using visible light
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/69 Involving elements of the real world in the game world, e.g. measurement in live races, real video
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs of a system user. The system comprises a computer-readable memory, a video camera for generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user, and a video image display. The video image display is positioned in front of the system user. The system further comprises a microprocessor for processing the video signals, in accordance with a program stored in the computer-readable memory, to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user. The microprocessor constructs three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area on the video image display based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user. The video image display shows three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, and movement by the system user permits apparent movement of the three-dimensional objects displayed on the video image display so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment.

Claims

1. A system for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs of a user of the system, comprising:

a computer-readable memory means;

means for generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user;

means for displaying video images, the video image display means being positioned in front of the system user; and

means for processing the video signals, in accordance with a program stored in the computer-readable memory means, to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user, wherein the video signal processing means constructs three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area on the video image display means based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user, the video image display means displays three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, and movement by the system user permits apparent movement of the three-dimensional objects displayed on the video image display means so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment, wherein when the system user raises his/her hand, the video signal processing means rotates the three-dimensional graphical objects on the video image display means in one of a clockwise and a counterclockwise direction so that the system user appears to be rotating accordingly through the virtual reality environment; and

when the system user lowers his/her hand the rotation stops.

2. A system for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs of a user of the system, comprising:

a computer-readable memory means;

means for generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user;

means for displaying video images, the video image display means being positioned in front of the system user; and

means for processing the video signals, in accordance with a program stored in the computer-readable memory means, to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user, wherein the video signal processing means constructs three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area on the video image display means based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user, the video image display means displays three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, and movement by the system user permits apparent movement of the three-dimensional objects displayed on the video image display means so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment,

wherein when the system user bends at the waist, the video signal processing means rotates the three-dimensional graphical objects on the video image display means so that three-dimensional graphical objects in front of the system user can be seen by the system user.

3. A method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment, the method comprising the steps of:

generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user;

processing the video signals to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user;

constructing three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user; and

displaying three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, wherein movement by the system user permits apparent movement by the three-dimensional objects displayed so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment, wherein when the system user raises his/her hand, rotating the displayed three-dimensional graphical objects so that the system user appears to be rotating through the virtual reality environment.

4. A method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment as recited in claim 3, wherein when the system user lowers his/her hand the rotation stops.

5. A method for permitting three-dimensional navigation through a virtual reality environment using camera-based gesture inputs of a user of a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:

generating video signals indicative of the gestures of the system user and an interaction area surrounding the system user;

processing the video signals to determine the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user including the system user'"'"'s leg;

constructing three-dimensional images of the system user and interaction area based upon the three-dimensional positions of the body and principle body parts of the system user; and

displaying three-dimensional graphical objects within the virtual reality environment, wherein movement by the system user'"'"'s leg permits apparent movement by the three-dimensional objects displayed on the video image display so that the system user appears to move throughout the virtual reality environment,

wherein when the system user bends at the waist, rotating the three-dimensional graphical objects displayed so that three-dimensional graphical objects in front of the system user can be seen by the system user.