Amusement devices: games – Including means for processing electronic data – Player-actuated control structure
Reexamination Certificate
1997-12-31
2001-08-07
Martin-Wallace, Valencia (Department: 3713)
Amusement devices: games
Including means for processing electronic data
Player-actuated control structure
C463S037000, C463S030000, C463S031000, C463S034000, C463S038000, C463S039000, C472S059000, C472S060000, C345S156000, C345S157000, C345S167000, C345S164000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06270414
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a system, apparatus and method for enabling a participant to interact in a virtual environment and, particularly, a system, apparatus and method for enabling a participant to control multi-dimensional kinetics of an avatar in a virtual environment.
Virtual environments comprise computer-generated, generally three-dimensional representations of a real, physical setting. The setting can be a city, a mall, an individual store, a building, a suite of offices, an individual office or some other space. The representations can be more or less realistic both in terms of their rendering of the real world and in terms of the human senses that are supported.
In any case, a virtual environment generally comprises virtual objects, the objects typically including entities that either are animate or inanimate. Inanimate entities may include features of the environment, e.g. a wall in a virtual office that is always an inanimate wall in the office. Animate entities may include so-called avatars and bots. Bots are images that, generally, operate autonomously from the participants to perform predetermined tasks or provide features within the environment. A bot can include, for example, a wall that transforms to deliver incoming messages. An avatar, by comparison, is an image that represents, and is controlled by, a participant and that typically supports one or more of the following: (i) arm, hand and other body gestures or movements, (ii) facial expressions, (iii) speech and (iv) motion.
However configured, a virtual environment generally beckons its participants to become immersed in the sensory experience it provides. To do so, the participants interact with the environment's objects. As an example, social interaction between participants is conducted by interaction among such participants' avatars, the interaction occurring, e.g., as the avatars' paths converge during a stroll in a virtual park. As another example, a participant can interact with a group of avatars, a timekeeper/umpire bot and a soccer object in a virtual soccer match.
In both such examples, a participant exercises their avatar by moving its location relative to the other objects in the environment (hereafter referred to as “avatar kinetics”). To do so, the participant typically operates one or more conventional input devices of the participant's computing station. These input devices typically include a keyboard, pointing devices, virtual reality gloves, body-sensing suits or other sensing attire.
These input devices are acceptable for controlling certain avatar movement (e.g. movement of an avatar's hand to wave). However, they have shortcomings with respect to avatar kinetics. Pointing devices and virtual reality gloves, for example, are hand-operated. By comparison, avatar kinetics correlate to the biomechanics of the participant's lower body movements (e.g., hips, legs and feet). To enhance correlation between participant biomechanics and avatar kinetics, body-sensing suits and other such attire (e.g., virtual reality socks) may be used. Even so, the participants, so attired, are compelled to actually travel around their physical surroundings in order to control the kinetics of their respective avatars.
Such travel, a shortcoming in itself, also tends to be inconsistent with the virtual experience. As an example, the participant is generally tethered to its computing station either by a cable or by the maximum distance limiting radio-based connections. As another example, the participant's physical surroundings are unlikely to match the virtual environment of the participant's avatar. Due to the tether and/or the surroundings, then, the participant may encounter an abrupt encumbrance to continued motion while the participant's avatar is encountering unencumbered space.
One solution is a treadmill. However, a treadmill has it own shortcomings. One such shortcoming is that treadmills generally rely on a belt which travels freely in only a single dimension. Indeed, the travel freedom typically is along only one direction in that single dimension. Another such shortcoming is that treadmills tend to have inertia associated with the mass of the drums supporting the belt. This fly-wheel type inertia requires substantial power to control which power must come either (i) from the participant themselves, which is potentially dangerous, or (ii) from a substantial motor which requires significant control mechanisms and, therefore, potentially is both expensive and dangerous.
In general, the quality of the participant's experience is largely determined by the level and quality of interaction supported by the environment. In some cases, however, interaction supported by the environment can be exploited only with the proper resources being available to the participant at the participant's computing station. In the specific case of avatar kinetics, conventional input devices simply are insufficient resources.
Accordingly, a need exists for proper resources directed to controlling multi-dimensional avatar kinetics in a virtual environment. More particularly, a need exists for enhanced input devices that correlate such kinetics to a participant's lower body movements, while liberating the participant from actual motion in their physical surroundings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of this invention is to overcome the limitations associated with conventional input devices as respects participants' control of multi-dimensional avatar kinetics in a virtual environment.
Another object of this invention is to provide enhanced input devices which devices correlate multi-dimensional avatar kinetics to a participant's lower body movements, while liberating the participant from actual motion in their physical surroundings.
According to one aspect of the invention, an apparatus is provided that enables a participant to control the multi-dimensional kinetics of their avatar in a virtual environment. The participant accomplishes this control by selectably transitioning among various movements (“motion states”) from which are derived avatar motions and motion-related positions. The participant's motion states not only comprise interaction data and are correlated to avatar motion, but also are associated with selected, minimal actual motion in the participant's physical surroundings.
The apparatus comprises a mount, a motion base and a support. The mount interfaces with the participant, enabling the participant to have a selected range of motion. The motion base is disposed relative to the mount so as to enable contact with the participant and, associated with such contact, provides for detection of the motion states. The support couples the mount and the motion base so as to provide the relative disposition thereof.
In one embodiment, the apparatus' mount is implemented so that the selected range of motion enables the participant to perform movements establishing and transitioning among motion states, while restraining the participant from selected undesirable motion in the physical environment.
In another embodiment, the apparatus' support comprises a selected number of terrain cells. Each such cell includes a terrain actuator. Each terrain actuator is operable independently and selectably cooperatively with one or more of the other terrain actuators, so as to provide for adjusting the relative positions of the respective terrain cells in and about one or more coordinates. In doing so, the terrain cells impart to the motion base terrain-like features correlative to terrain of the virtual environment.
In yet another embodiment, the apparatus also comprises at least one of a motion detect control and a haptic control.
In a second aspect of the invention, a system is provided for enabling a virtual environment as previously described with reference to the apparatus aspect. The system comprises a computing station and a kinetic control device coupled to the computing station, the kinetic control device com
Martin-Wallace Valencia
Nguyen Binh-An
Tsiang Harold
U.S. Philips Corporation
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