System and method for transitioning between interface modes in virtual and augmented reality applications

• US 8,907,983 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aria Glassworks, Inc. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aria Glassworks, Inc. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Inventors: McArdle, Terrence Edward, Newhouse, Benjamin Zeis
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung, Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Zhengxi
• Application Number:
  US13/269,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20120086728A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

One preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a method for transitioning a user interface between viewing modes. The method of the preferred embodiment can include detecting an orientation of a mobile terminal including a user interface disposed on a first side of the mobile terminal, wherein the orientation of the mobile terminal includes an imaginary vector originating at a second side of the mobile terminal and projecting in a direction substantially opposite the first side of the mobile terminal. The method of the preferred embodiment can also include transitioning between at least two viewing modes in response to the imaginary vector intersecting an imaginary sphere disposed about the mobile terminal at a first latitudinal point having a predetermined relationship to a critical latitude of the sphere.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a processor, an orientation of a user interface, wherein the orientation of the user interface is determined based on a direction of a vector projected from the user interface;

rendering a first view in the user interface in a first viewing mode in response to the direction of the vector being directed less than a predetermined critical angle rotated from a reference vector projected from the user interface, wherein the first view is a full-screen view of an augmented or virtual reality, and wherein the reference vector is substantially aligned with a center axis of a view frustum of the augmented or virtual reality; and

switching to render a second view in the user interface in a second viewing mode in response to the direction of the vector being directed greater than the predetermined critical angle rotated from the reference vector, wherein the second view is a full-screen view of an interactive control interface, and there is no overlapping between the first and the second views.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a location of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting an orientation comprises detecting a pitch value, detecting a roll value, and detecting a yaw value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first viewing mode corresponds to an augmented reality view that comprises computer-generated interactive media superimposed on the first view.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the computer-generated interactive media is superimposed on an image of real space in the first view.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the image of real space comprises an image rendered by a camera connected to the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second viewing mode corresponds to a control mode, and the interactive control interface includes a function to add annotations that are rendered in the first view.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first viewing mode corresponds to a virtual reality view mode and the first view comprises one or more computer-generated.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of an object in the first view;

transitioning from the first viewing mode to the second viewing mode; and

rendering, in the second view, data related to the object selected in the first view.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the critical angle represents an angular difference between the reference vector and a second vector projected from the user interface to a coplanar point on a critical latitude about the user interface.

11. A method comprising:

detecting, by a processor, an orientation of a mobile terminal having a user interface disposed on a first side of the mobile terminal, wherein the orientation of the mobile terminal is determined based on a direction of a vector projected from a second side of the mobile terminal substantially opposite the first side of the mobile terminal;

detecting a change in the direction of the vector corresponding to a change in the orientation of the mobile terminal, wherein the change is an angular change from a reference vector projected from the second side of the mobile terminal, and wherein the reference vector is substantially aligned with a center axis of a view frustum of an augmented or virtual reality; and

transitioning between two viewing modes rendered on the user interface based on the change in the direction of the vector corresponding to the change in the orientation of the mobile terminal from being directed less than a predetermined critical angle to greater than the predetermined critical angle, wherein the two viewing modes are a first viewing mode and a second viewing mode, and wherein the first viewing mode includes a full-screen view of the augmented or virtual reality, the second viewing mode includes a full-screen view of an interactive control interface, and there is no overlapping content between the first and the second viewing modes.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of determining a location of the mobile terminal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein detecting an orientation comprises detecting a pitch value, detecting a roll value, and detecting a yaw value.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the predetermined critical angle corresponds to a predetermined pitch range, a predetermined yaw range, and a predetermined roll range.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined pitch range is more than approximately forty-five degrees below an azimuth.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined yaw range is between zero and one hundred eighty degrees about a line substantially perpendicular to the vector.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the predetermined roll range is more than approximately forty-five degrees below an azimuth.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the transitioning between two viewing modes further comprises rendering a hybrid viewing mode that includes a partial display of a first viewing mode and a second viewing mode.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the critical angle represents an angular difference between the reference vector and a second vector projected from the user interface to a coplanar point on a critical latitude about the user interface.

20. An apparatus comprising:

a user interface having a display configured to render on at least two viewing modes;

an orientation sensor configured to determine a three-dimensional orientation of the user interface, wherein the three-dimensional orientation is determined based on a direction of a vector projected within a three-dimensional space from the apparatus; and

a processor connected to the user interface and the orientation sensor and adapted to detect a change in the direction of the vector from a reference vector projected from the apparatus, wherein the change corresponds to a change in the orientation of the user interface, and wherein the reference vector is substantially aligned with a center axis of a view frustum of an augmented or virtual reality, and manage a transition between two viewing modes of the at least two viewing modes rendered on the user interface based on whether the change in the direction of the vector from the reference vector crosses above a predetermined critical angle, wherein the two viewing modes are a first viewing mode and a second viewing mode, and wherein the first viewing mode includes a full-screen view of the augmented or virtual reality, the second viewing mode includes a full-screen view of an interactive control interface, and there is no overlapping content between the first and the second viewing modes.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a location sensor configured to determine a location of the apparatus.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the location sensor comprises a GPS transceiver.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the orientation sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the inertial measurement unit comprises one of a three-axis magnetometer, a three-axis accelerometer, or a three-axis gyroscope.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the predetermined critical angle corresponds to a predetermined pitch range, a predetermined yaw range, and a predetermined roll range.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the predetermined pitch range is more than approximately forty-five degrees below an azimuth.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the predetermined yaw range is between zero and one hundred eighty degrees about a line substantially perpendicular to the vector.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the predetermined roll range is more than approximately forty-five degrees below an azimuth.

29. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the processor is adapted to render a hybrid viewing mode that includes a partial display of a first viewing mode and a second viewing mode during the transition between two viewing modes.

30. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the critical angle represents an angular difference between the reference vector and a second vector projected from the user interface to a coplanar point on a critical latitude about the user interface.