Shared virtual reality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9830679-B2
Application number	US-201414225034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 25, 2014
Priority date	Mar 25, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

An immersive three dimensional (3-D) virtual reality sharing system is disclosed. The system comprises a content controller configured to determine the physical locations of a reference point and boundary in a physical space and map them to a corresponding point and boundary in a virtual world. The physical location and orientation of a user device relative to the reference point and boundary are used to determine a corresponding location and orientation in the 3-D virtual world. A representation of a portion of the 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation is rendered at the user device. As the user device is moved in the physical world, a corresponding updated location in the 3-D virtual world is determined, and the rendered representation updated. Thus, the user device acts as a window into the 3-D virtual world.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of displaying a-three dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds, the method comprising:
scaling a first 3-D virtual world to fit a first section of a physical space, and scaling a second 3-D virtual world to fit a second section of the physical space, the second section of the physical space being adjacent to the first section of the physical space and separated from the first section of the physical space by a virtual border;
receiving, at a first user device, mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world scaled to fit the first section of the physical space, the mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world comprising a mapping between a reference point in the physical space and a corresponding point in the first 3-D virtual world;
obtaining, at the first user device, a physical location and orientation of a second user device;
determining, at the first user device, a location and orientation in the first 3-D virtual world of the second user device based on the physical location and orientation of the second user device relative to the reference point in the physical space; and
displaying, at the first user device, a representation of a portion of the first 3-D virtual world corresponding to the determined location and orientation in the first 3-D virtual world of the second user device, wherein responsive to the second user device crossing the virtual border, the second user device changes from the first 3-D virtual world to the second 3-D virtual world.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising initially determining, at the second user device, the physical location and orientation of the second user device by capturing an image of a predetermined picture at a fixed location in the physical space with a camera attached to the second user device and performing image processing at the second user device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the physical location and orientation of the second user device is obtained, at the second user device, with a position detection module, the position detection module comprising at least one of: an image processing module, a motion sensor analysis module, a GPS module, and a signal analysis module.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at a content controller, the mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world scaled to fit the first section of the physical space, and the physical location and orientation of the second user device;
determining, at the content controller, the location and orientation in the first 3-D virtual world of the second user device based on the physical location and orientation of the second user device relative to the reference point in the physical space; and
displaying, at the content controller, the representation of the portion of the first 3-D virtual world corresponding to the location and orientation in the first 3-D virtual world of the second user device determined at the content controller.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
displaying, at the second user device, indexes, descriptions, messages, alarms, or interactive contents related to a certain object, when the second user device approaches the certain object in the first 3-D virtual world.

6. A method of automatically positioning and scaling, at a content controller, three dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds displayed on a plurality of user devices, the method comprising:
receiving a first physical location of a mapping device positioned at a first boundary of a physical space;
receiving a second physical location of another mapping device positioned at a second boundary of the physical space;
scaling a first 3-D virtual world to fit a first section of the physical space defined by the first boundary of the physical space based on the first physical location, and a second 3-D virtual world to fit a second section of the physical space defined by the second boundary of the physical space based on the second physical location, the second section of the physical space being adjacent to the first section of the physical space and separated from the first section of the physical space by a virtual border; and
transmitting, to the plurality of user devices, mapping information of at least one of the first 3-D virtual world and the second 3-D virtual world, wherein responsive to a user device of the plurality of user devices crossing the virtual border, the user device changes from the first 3-D virtual world to the second 3-D virtual world.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
instructing the mapping device to be positioned at a third physical location after the first physical location along the first boundary in the physical space and to transmit the third physical location of the mapping device.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
instructing the mapping device to move along the first boundary in the physical space; and
continuously tracking the mapping device moving along the first boundary in the physical space.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
instructing an additional mapping device to be positioned at a third physical location along the first boundary in the physical space simultaneously with the mapping device at the first physical location and to transmit the third physical location of said additional mapping device.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein said mapping device and said another mapping device are a single mapping device, and the first and second physical locations are generated at different times.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the mapping information comprises first mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world and second mapping information of the second 3-D virtual world, the method further comprising:
generating the first mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world according to scaling of the first 3-D virtual world fitting the first section of the physical space; and
generating the second mapping information of the second 3-D virtual world according to scaling of the second 3-D virtual world fitting the second section of the physical space.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
associating a first group of the plurality of user devices to the first 3-D virtual world; and
associating a second group of the plurality of user devices to the second 3-D virtual world,
wherein the first mapping information is transmitted to the first group of the plurality of user devices, and
wherein the second mapping information is transmitted to the second group of the plurality of user devices.

13. A three dimensional (3-D) virtual reality sharing system, comprising:
a content controller configured to scale a first 3-D virtual world to fit a first section of a physical space and second 3-D virtual world to fit a second section of the physical space, the second section of the physical space being adjacent to the first section of the physical space and separated from the first section of the physical space by a virtual border, and to generate mapping information of the first 3-D virtual world scaled to the first section of the physical space and the second 3-D virtual world scaled to the second section of the physical space, the mapping information comprising a mapping between a reference point in the physical space and a corresponding point in the first 3-D virtual world scaled to the first section of the physical space; and
a plurality of user devices including a first user device and a plurality of other user devices, including a second user device, the first user device configured to display a representation of the first 3-D virtual world scaled to the first section of the ph

Assignees

• Google Inc
• Google Llc

Inventors

• Monk Jason
• Borggaard Geoffrey Allen
• Borovoy Richard Daniel

Classifications

• A63F13/216

  using geographical information, e.g. location of the game device or player using GPS · CPC title

• A63F13/213

  comprising photodetecting means, e.g. cameras, photodiodes or infrared cells (A63F13/219 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A63F13/33

  using wide area network [WAN] connections · CPC title

• A63F13/65

  automatically by game devices or servers from real world data, e.g. measurement in live racing competition · CPC title

• G06T19/006

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