Method executed on computer for providing object in virtual space, program for executing the method on the computer, and computer apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018253902-A1
Application number	US-201715846651-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2017
Priority date	Dec 20, 2016
Publication date	Sep 6, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method includes defining a virtual space including a light source, a first object, and a second object. The method includes identifying a position of each of the light source, the first object, and the second object. The method includes identifying an irradiation direction of light radiated from the light source. The method includes identifying a first region and a second region of the virtual space illuminated by the light from the light source based on the position of the light source and the irradiation direction. The method includes determining whether the first object is visible in the virtual space based on the identified position of the first object and the location of each of the first and second regions. The method includes determining whether the second object is visible based on the identified position of the second object and the location of each of the first and second regions.

First claim

1 - 8 . (canceled)

9 . A method, comprising:
defining a virtual space, wherein the virtual space comprises a light source, and a first object; identifying a position of the light source, and a position of the first object in the virtual space; identifying an irradiation direction of light radiated from the light source; identifying a first region of the virtual space illuminated by the light from the light source based on the position of the light source and the irradiation direction; identifying a second region of the virtual space, which is a region other than the first region in the virtual space; determining whether the first object is visible in the virtual space based on the identified position of the first object and the location of each of the first region and the second region.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying an intensity of the light; identifying a third region in the virtual space in which the intensity of the light is equal to or larger than a threshold value as the first region; and identifying a fourth region in the virtual space in which the intensity of the light is smaller than the threshold value as the second region.

11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is visible in response to a determination that the first object is located in the third region.

12 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is invisible in response to a determination that the first object is located in the fourth region.

13 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises:
determining that a first part of the first object located in the first region is visible; and determining that a second part of the first object located in the second region is invisible.

14 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
moving the position of the first object from the first region to the second region; and changing the first object from being visible in the first region to being invisible in the second region.

15 . The method according to claim 14 , further comprising:
outputting a sound associated with the first object based on movement of the first object while the first object is arranged in the first region; continuing output of the sound associated with the first object after the first object is invisible.

16 . The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
continuing the output of the sound based on continued movement of the first object after the first object is invisible; and ending the output of the sound based on an end of the movement of the first object in response to ending of the movement of the first object.

17 . The method according to claim 14 ,
wherein the virtual space further comprises a second object, and wherein the method further comprises:
identifying a position of the second object in the virtual space;
determining whether the second object is visible in the virtual space based on the identified position of the second object and the location of each of the first region and the second region; and
preventing a sound associated with the second object from being output based on movement of the second object in response to a determination that the second object is in the second region.

18 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
moving the light source; updating the first region and the second region based on the movement of the light source.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , further comprising:
changing the first object from visible to invisible in response to the movement of the light source changing the location of the first object from the first region to the updated second region.

20 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying a color of the first object, wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining whether the first object is visible based on the color of the first object.

21 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is visible in response to the first object being located in the first region and the color of the first object satisfying a given condition.

22 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is invisible in response to the first object being located in the first region and the color of the first object failing to satisfy a given condition.

23 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
identifying a reflectance of the first object, wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining whether the first object is visible based on the reflectance of the first object.

24 . The method according to claim 23 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is visible in response to the first object being located in the first region and the reflectance of the first object satisfying a given condition.

25 . The method according to claim 23 , wherein the determining whether the first object is visible comprises determining that the first object is invisible in response to the first object being located in the first region and the reflectance of the first object failing to satisfy a given condition.

26 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
determining that a first part of the first object located in the first region is visible; determining that a second part of the first objected located in the second region is invisible; and blurring a third part of the first object located between the first part of the first object and the second part of the first object.

27 . The method according to claim 26 , wherein the blurring of the third part of the first object comprises increasing transparency of the third part.

28 . The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
displaying the first region using a head-mounted display (HMD).

Assignees

• Colopl Inc

Inventors

• Inomata Atsushi

Classifications

• G06T19/006 Primary

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• H04N13/344

  with head-mounted left-right displays · CPC title

• G06T7/70

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• H04N13/383

  for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes · CPC title

• G06F3/0346

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title