Abstract:
A motion capture environment includes at least one sensor-tracker for tracking a location of a tracked object within the motion capture environment and one or more computers collectively operable to generate a virtual reality environment including a virtual control panel having a virtual control that, when actuated, effects a predetermined result in the virtual reality environment; determine a virtual location of the tracked object within the virtual reality environment; and determine when the virtual location of the tracked object coincides with the location of the virtual control to actuate the virtual control. The motion capture environment further includes a display device for displaying the virtual reality environment to an actor within the motion capture environment.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to the control of virtual environments. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Virtual reality is a technology which allows a user or “actor” to interact with a computer-simulated environment, be it a real or imagined one. Most current virtual reality environments are primarily visual experiences, displayed either on a computer screen or through special stereoscopic displays. An actor can interact with a virtual reality environment or a virtual artifact within the virtual reality environment either through the use of standard input devices, such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices, such as a wired glove. 
     One particular shortcoming of conventional virtual reality environments is that an operator, who is outside of the virtual environment, operates the virtual reality environment. The actor cannot control the virtual reality environment independently from the outside operator. 
     There are ways of controlling virtual reality environments well known in the art; however, considerable shortcomings remain. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, the invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the leftmost significant digit(s) in the reference numerals denote(s) the first figure in which the respective reference numerals appear, wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a stylized, exemplary, perspective view of an actor within a studio of a motion capture environment; 
         FIG. 2  is an enlarged view of the actor of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 3  is a stylized, exemplary view of a representation of a virtual control panel within a virtual reality environment. 
     
    
    
     While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the invention to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrative embodiments of the invention are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer&#39;s specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure. 
     In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , in a virtual reality environment or virtual reality scene, one or more users or actors  101  interact with one or more physical objects  103  and/or  105  in a physical or real environment and/or one or more virtual artifacts  107  and/or  109  in the virtual reality environment. The one or more actors  101  are physically present in a three-dimensional space, known as a studio  111  in which the one or more actors  101  may move the one or more physical objects  103  and/or  105 . A motion capture environment  113  is contained by studio  111 . Motion capture environment  113  includes one or more computers  115  and software resident on the one or more computers  115  that are operable to generate virtual reality scenes. Motion capture environment  113  further includes a framework  117 , upon which to mount tracker-sensors  119  and/or tracker-sensor combinations, which are described in greater detail herein. The software includes one or more computer programs that interpret information from the tracker-sensors and one or more computer programs that create the virtual reality scenes or environment. 
     A virtual representation of studio  111  exists in motion capture environment  113 , which hosts the virtual reality environment. The one or more actors  101  use display devices, for example, headset viewers, such as a headset viewer  201  of  FIG. 2 ; monitors, such as a monitor  121 ; or the like, to view the virtual reality environment. The virtual reality environment is the scene that the one or more actors  101 , or other such observers, see via the display devices. The virtual reality environment may be a virtual representation of the studio or the virtual reality environment may be a virtual representation of any other real or imagined three dimensional space. Moreover, the virtual reality environment may be a combination of a virtual representation of the studio and a virtual representation of another real or imagined three-dimensional space. 
     Physical objects, such as physical objects  103  and  105 , that are disposed within studio  111  and that are moved by the one or more actors  101 , are tracked using motion capture environment  113 . These “tracked objects” may be tracked by a variety of sensor methodologies, including, but not limited to, reflectors, such as reflectors  123  and  125  and reflector  203  of  FIG. 2 ; inertial measurement units; and the like. Examples of such inertial measurement units include, but are not limited to, ring laser gyroscopes, accelerometers, ultrasonic emitter-receptors, and the like. Referring to  FIG. 2 , examples of tracked objects include, but are not limited to, wands, such as a wand  205 ; gloves, such as a glove  207 ; hats, such as a hat  209 ; head mounted displays, such as headset viewer  201 ; boots, such as boot  211 ; and the like. 
     Tracker-sensors, such as tracker sensors  119 , interface with motion capture environment  113  and determine where a tracked object, such as physical objects  103  and  105 , is located within the physical space of the studio. Such tracker-sensors may comprise a single unit or a plurality of units. The tracker-sensors may be attached to a framework, such as framework  117 , which defines the physical limits of the studio or may be attached to the tracked objects, or both. While tracker-sensors may utilize various methodologies for tracking tracked objects, certain tracker-sensors use inertial acceleration with subsequent integration to provide rate and displacement information, ultrasonic measurement, optical measurement, near infrared measurement, as well as methods that use other bands of radiation within the electromagnetic spectrum. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , a virtual control panel, such as the displayed representation of a virtual control panel  127 , also known as a synthetic remote control, exists as a virtual artifact only in the virtual reality environment and is produced by motion capture environment  113 . Virtual control panel  127  is a virtual object displayed by the display device, such as headset viewer  201  of  FIG. 2 , used by actor  101  to see the virtual reality environment. Virtual control panel  127  may also be displayed on other display devices, such as monitor  121  of  FIG. 1 , that can be viewed by those that are not actors. In one embodiment, virtual control panel  127  is a virtual means for inputting information to motion capture environment  113  by actor  101 . For example, as shown in  FIG. 3 , virtual control panel  127  comprises a plurality of controls that may be manipulated by actor  101 . For example, in the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the controls include, but are not limited to, buttons  301 ,  303 , and  305 ; switches  307  and  309 ; and knobs  311  and  313 , which may be manipulated by actor  101 . It should be noted that virtual control panel  127  may include additional or alternative controls that may be manipulated by actor  101 . 
     Moreover, virtual control panel  127  may include one or more means for providing information from motion capture environment  113  to actor  101 . For example, virtual control panel  127  may provide information relating to a simulation being performed to actor  101 , such as a color scale or graph  315  representing certain parameter levels or a textual display  316  providing other such information. Moreover, virtual control panel  127  may comprise other tools which can be utilized by actor  101  in the virtual reality environment. For example, virtual control panel  127  may provide a virtual ruler  317 , which can be used by actor  101  to measure virtual artifacts, distances between virtual artifacts, or the like. 
     It should be noted that the virtual control panel is able to “float” in virtual space at a location specified by actor  101  and may be moved from one place in the virtual environment to another place in the virtual environment by actor  101 . The controls may be manipulated by actor  101 &#39;s virtual hand, defined by a glove, such as glove  207 , best shown in  FIG. 2 . Representations or “markers”  319 ,  321 ,  323 , and  325 , corresponding to a reflector from a glove worn by actor  101 , are also illustrated in  FIG. 3 . The manipulation of the control is detected by interpreting the motion of the actor&#39;s virtual hand when the actor&#39;s virtual hand is in “touching” proximity to the control, as determined by motion capture environment  113 . Motion capture environment  113  determines how the control has been manipulated and reacts to the manipulation appropriately. 
     In one embodiment, actor  101  in studio  111  manipulates a virtual hand in the virtual reality environment by wearing and physically moving glove  207 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , which is a tracked object. Motion capture environment  113  interprets the motion of the glove and determines where actor  101 &#39;s virtual hand is located in the virtual reality environment and how the virtual hand is oriented. In this embodiment, actor  101  wears headset viewer  201 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , that is equipped with a synthetic vision viewer. The synthetic vision viewer displays to actor  101  the virtual reality environment and the location of the virtual hand within the virtual reality environment. Thus, actor  101  can see the virtual hand in the context of the scene of the virtual reality environment. 
     In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , actor  101  is wearing headset viewer  201  and glove  107 . Actor  101  is reaching into empty physical space to press a button, such as one of buttons  301 ,  303 , or  305 , of virtual control panel  127 . 
     Virtual control panel  127  is preferably positioned at some starting location within the virtual reality environment or may be opened and displayed at any convenient location within the virtual reality environment when actor  101  issues a command “summoning” virtual control panel  127 . Tracker-sensors  119  track the location of glove  207 , best shown in  FIG. 2 , and, thus, the virtual hand in the virtual reality environment and compare the location of the virtual hand in the virtual reality environment to the locations of the virtual control panel&#39;s controls in the virtual reality environment. When a collision is detected between the virtual hand and a virtual control of virtual control panel  127 , the virtual hand is deemed to be touching the control. Motion capture environment  113  responds to the motion of the virtual hand and a mapping of a control state to a desired action causes the desired action to occur, just as if a physical or real hand had manipulated a physical or real control. Actor  101  can operate a virtual control of virtual control panel  127  in the same way actor  101  can physically operate a tangible, physical object or control capable of being physically touched and physically manipulated. It should be noted that touching buttons, knobs, switches, and the like of the virtual control panel is but one way of interacting with the virtual control panel. 
     Virtual control panel  127  provides many advantages to a virtual reality experience. For example, virtual control panel  127  can be configured to operate motion capture environment  113  and, thus, the virtual reality environment. Actor  101  can operate the virtual reality environment from within the environment. An external observer or operator is not required to operate the virtual reality environment. 
     Moreover, virtual control panel  127  can grow and shrink in size and capability without limit. Furthermore, virtual control panel  127  can be made to disappear or reappear at the will of actor  101 , without interfering with the scene in the virtual reality environment. Virtual control panel  127  is able to float at any location and orientation desired by actor  101 . 
     It should be noted that motion capture environment  113  comprises one or more computers, such as computer  115 , executing software embodied in a computer-readable medium that is operable to produce and control the virtual reality environment. The scope of the invention encompasses, among other things, motion capture environment, such as motion capture environment  113  of  FIG. 1 ; the software operable to produce and control the virtual reality environment; and the method for producing and controlling the virtual reality environment, carried out by motion capture environment  113 . 
     The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the invention may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. Furthermore, no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown, other than as described in the claims below. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the claims below. It is apparent that an invention with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present invention is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.