Systems and methods for manipulating a virtual environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9864460-B2
Application number	US-201615223968-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 29, 2016
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

One variation of a method for manipulating virtual objects within a virtual environment includes: determining a first position of a touch sensor within real space; based on the first position of the touch sensor within real space, bounding a virtual surface of a virtual object within the virtual environment tractable through inputs across the touch sensor; generating a first force vector comprising a magnitude related to a force magnitude of a first input on the touch sensor surface and a direction related to an orientation of the touch sensor within real space; locating an origin of the first force vector within the virtual environment based on a first location of the first input on the touch sensor surface and the first position of the touch sensor within real space; and manipulating the virtual surface of the virtual object within the virtual environment according to the first force vector.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for manipulating virtual objects within a virtual environment comprising:
at a first time, determining a first position of a touch sensor within a real space, the touch sensor comprising a touch sensor surface;
based on the first position of the touch sensor within the real space at the first time, bounding a virtual surface of a virtual object within the virtual environment tractable through inputs across an area of the touch sensor surface;
generating a first force vector comprising a magnitude related to a force magnitude of a first input on the touch sensor surface and a direction related to an orientation of the touch sensor within the real space at the first time;
locating an origin of the first force vector within the virtual environment based on a first location of the first input on the touch sensor surface and the first position of the touch sensor within the real space; and
manipulating the virtual surface of the virtual object within the virtual environment according to the first force vector.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising serving a sequence of digital frames representing manipulation of the virtual surface of the virtual object within the virtual environment to a virtual reality headset.

3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein locating the origin of the first force vector within the virtual environment comprises projecting the first location of the first input on the touch sensor surface onto a subregion of the virtual surface; and
wherein manipulating the virtual surface within the virtual environment comprises:
virtually coupling a virtual tool representing a handheld device comprising the touch sensor to the subregion of the virtual surface within the virtual environment;
orienting an axis of the virtual tool to the direction of the first force vector within the virtual environment; and
coupling the virtual tool to the virtual object according to the magnitude of the first force vector.

4. The method of claim 3 :
wherein interfacing the virtual tool onto the virtual object according to the magnitude of the first force vector comprises depressing the virtual tool into the virtual surface to a depth related to the magnitude of the first force vector; and
further comprising:
at a second time succeeding the first time, determining a second position of the touch sensor within the real space;
generating a second force vector comprising a magnitude related to a force magnitude of the first input moved to a second location on the touch sensor surface and a direction related to an orientation of the touch sensor within the real space at the second time;
locating an origin of the second force vector within the virtual environment based on the second location of the first input and the second position of the touch sensor within the real space;
projecting the second location of the first input on the touch sensor surface onto a second subregion of the virtual surface;
orienting the axis of the virtual tool to the direction of the second force vector;
drawing the virtual tool across a length of the virtual surface related to a distance between the first location and the second location; and
deforming the virtual object over the length of the virtual surface according to the magnitude of the second force vector.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein bounding the virtual surface of the virtual object comprises: projecting a rectangular reference boundary corresponding to a planar area of the touch sensor surface onto the virtual surface of a three-dimensional virtual object according to the position and the orientation of the touch sensor within the real space; and enabling control of the virtual surface bounded by a projection of the rectangular reference boundary on the virtual object through manipulation of the touch sensor and through inputs across the touch sensor surface.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
in response to movement of the touch sensor in a first direction relative to a user within the real space, increasing a scale of the rectangular reference boundary; and
in response to movement of the touch sensor in a second direction opposite the first direction within the real space, decreasing a scale of the rectangular reference boundary.

7. The method of claim 1 :
wherein locating the origin of the first force vector within the virtual environment comprises projecting the first force vector onto a point on the virtual surface of the virtual object; and
wherein manipulating the virtual surface within the virtual environment comprises moving the virtual object in three dimensions within the virtual environment according to the magnitude of the first force vector acting on the point on the virtual surface in the direction of the first force vector.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein moving the virtual object in three dimensions within the virtual environment comprises moving the virtual object in three dimensions within the virtual environment based on a motion model associated with the virtual object and temporarily deforming the virtual surface of the virtual object proximal the point according to the magnitude and direction of the first force vector.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
at an initial time preceding the first time, serving a prompt to a user to apply a force of subjective qualitative value to the touch sensor surface;
recording a magnitude of an initial force applied to the touch sensor surface responsive to the prompt; and
scaling the magnitude of the first force vector based on the magnitude of the initial force.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the first position of the touch sensor within the real space at the first time comprises, at the first time:
scanning the real space for a handheld device comprising the touch sensor surface and an array of sense elements arranged under the touch sensor surface; and
querying the handheld device for a lateral position, a longitudinal position, and a force magnitude of each discrete input area on the touch sensor surface at substantially the first time, the force magnitude of each discrete input area within a spectrum of force magnitudes sensible by the array of sense elements.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein generating the first force vector comprises writing a virtual magnitude related to a peak force magnitude on the touch sensor surface at substantially the first time to the first force vector; wherein locating the origin of the first force vector comprises locating the origin of the first force vector on the virtual surface based on a location of the peak force magnitude on the touch sensor surface; and wherein manipulating the virtual surface of the virtual object comprises modifying a surface geometry of the virtual surface proximal the origin of the first force vector based on the virtual magnitude of the first force vector.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
at the touch sensor, detecting the first input at the first location on the touch sensor surface at substantially the first time;
at the touch sensor, detecting a second input at a second location offset from the first input on the touch sensor surface at substantially the first time;
labeling the first input and the second input as a grasping input in response to the second input moving relatively toward the first input;
locating a virtual tool within the virtual environment proximal the virtual object based on the first position of the touch sensor;
positioning two virtual elements contiguous with the virtual tool onto opposing sides of the virtual object based on the first location of the first input, the second loc

Assignees

• Sensel Inc
• Sensel Inc

Inventors

• Rosenberg Ilya Daniel
• Zarraga John Aaron
• Grau Alexander Meagher

Classifications

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/04845

  for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour · 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

• G06F2203/04104

  Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger · CPC title

• G06F3/045

  using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact · CPC title