Patent Publication Number: US-2022229966-A1

Title: Method and Apparatus for Locating and Identifying Physical Blocks Within a Grid

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This is a nonprovisional of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/140,207 filed Jan. 21, 2021, incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is related to showing an arrangement of physical blocks on a computer graphic visualization. (As used herein, references to the “present invention” or “invention” relate to exemplary embodiments and not necessarily to every embodiment encompassed by the appended claims.) More specifically, the present invention is related to showing an arrangement of physical blocks on an interactive computer graphic visualization utilizing a grid. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention. The following discussion is intended to provide information to facilitate a better understanding of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that statements in the following discussion are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. 
     When configuring a physical location, it is desirable and helpful to view the possible different configurations of the physical location considered before actually creating them. This not only saves the cost of the actual configuration and the exertion of building and moving the objects, such as furniture or wall placement, but also provides more flexibility and options to consider for the ultimately chosen configuration. Furthermore, it would be even better for considering possible different configurations if the configurations could be viewed from different locations in the configuration itself without having to actually create the configuration. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention pertains to an apparatus for showing an arrangement. The apparatus comprises a plurality of physical blocks which includes a first block having a vertical axis and a second block having a vertical axis, the second block different from the first block. The apparatus comprises a grid upon which the plurality of blocks is placed to form an arrangement of blocks with respect to the grid. The apparatus comprises a computer in communication with the grid. The computer receiving signals from the grid which reveal a location and an identity of the first block about its vertical axis and the second block about its vertical axis. The signals used by the computer to drive an interactive computer graphic visualization of the arrangement of physical blocks with respect to the grid. 
     The present invention pertains to a method for showing an arrangement. The method comprises the steps of placing a first block having a vertical axis upon a grid. There is the step of placing a second block having a vertical axis upon the grid. The second block different from the first block. The first block and the second block placed on the grid form an arrangement of blocks with respect to the grid. There is the step of a computer receiving signals from the grid which reveal a location and an identity of the first block about its vertical axis and the second block about its vertical axis. The computer in communication with the grid. There is the step of the computer using the signals to drive an interactive computer graphic visualization of the arrangement of physical blocks with respect to the grid. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
       In the accompanying drawings, the preferred embodiment of the invention and preferred methods of practicing the invention are illustrated in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows each block contains on its bottom face one of 120 unique 3×3 identifying patterns. 
         FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C  show three layers of traces used to determine the presence, location, identity and orientation of any block.  FIG. 2A  shows the first printed layer, comprised of electrically conductive ink.  FIG. 2B  shows the second printed layer, comprised of an insulating dielectric ink.  FIG. 2C  shows the third printed layer, comprised of an electrically conductive ink. 
         FIG. 3A  shows a first printed layer. 
         FIG. 3B  shows a first printed layer with a second printed layer on top of it. 
         FIG. 3C  shows a first printed layer with a second printed layer on top of it and a third printed layer on top of the second printed layer. 
         FIG. 4  shows the conducting regions on the bottom face of the base of each block. 
         FIG. 5  shows on the upper face of the base of each block, a diode on some of these 9 pairs of electrical connectors which connects the inner region with the outer region. 
         FIG. 6  shows a set of raised ridges imposed on the sensing surface. 
         FIG. 7A  shows a top-down view of blocks upon a sensing surface. 
         FIG. 7B  shows a perspective view of blocks upon a sensing surface. 
         FIG. 7C  shows a corresponding data structure associated with  FIGS. 7A and 7B . 
         FIG. 8  shows a block which initially has the identifier code as shown on the left. 
         FIG. 9A  shows a cross-section of a push-button block in its up (non-pressed) state. 
         FIG. 9B  shows a cross-section of a push-button block in its down (pressed) state. 
         FIG. 10A  shows the bottom of the block of  FIGS. 9A and 9B , which contains nine pairs of connectors. 
         FIG. 10B  shows the bottom of the block of  FIGS. 9A and 9B  showing the two regions of the block where the positive and negative ends of the diode, respectively, make contact with the positive and negative regions, respectively, of the central pair of connectors when the block is in its down (pressed) state. 
         FIG. 11  is a representation of the apparatus of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to similar or identical parts throughout the several views, and more specifically to  FIG. 11  thereof, there is shown an apparatus  10  for showing an arrangement  12 . The apparatus  10  comprises a plurality of physical blocks  14  which includes a first block  16  having a vertical axis  18  and a second block  20  having a vertical axis  22 , the second block  20  different from the first block  16 . The apparatus  10  comprises a grid  24  upon which the plurality of blocks  14  is placed to form an arrangement  12  of blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24 . The apparatus  10  comprises a computer  26  in communication with the grid  24 . The computer  26  receiving signals from the grid  24  which reveal a location and an identity of the first block  16  about its vertical axis  18  and the second block  20  about its vertical axis  22 . The signals used by the computer  26  to drive an interactive computer graphic visualization  27  of the arrangement  12  of physical blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24 . 
     Each block  14  of the plurality of blocks  14  can be oriented in any one of four principal compass directions upon the grid  24 . The signals from the grid  24  reveal the location, the identity and the orientation of the first block  16  about its vertical axis  18  and the second block  20  about its vertical axis  22 . The apparatus  10  may include a virtual reality display  28  upon which the interactive computer graphic visualization  27  of the arrangement  12  of physical blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24  is displayed. 
     Each block  14  may have a bottom face  30  with a unique identifying pattern  33  from every other block, as shown in  FIG. 1 . The unique identifying pattern  33  may be one of 120 unique 3×3 identifying patterns  33 , and for each of these 120 kinds of identifying patterns  33  on the blocks  14 , each block&#39;s rotation about its vertical axis  18  in one of four principal orientations 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees, respectively, can be detected. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, 3A, 3B and 3C , the apparatus  10  may include a scanning sheet  32  having a substrate  34 ; a first printed layer  36  comprised of electrically conductive ink which provides electrical connectivity for individual columns  38  disposed directly on the substrate  34 ; a second printed layer  40  comprised of an insulating dielectric ink which is disposed directly on the first printed layer  36 ; and a third printed layer  42  comprised of an electrically conductive ink which provides electrical conductivity for individual rows disposed on the second printed layer  40 . The second printed layer  40  provides electrical insulation between the first and third layers where the electrically conductive regions of the first printed layer  36  and the second printed layer  40  cross. The first, second and third printed layers  36 ,  40 ,  42  form a printed circuit pattern  44  used to determine presence, location, identity and orientation of any block  14  on the printed circuit pattern  44 . 
     Each block  14  may be disposed atop three successive rows and three successive columns  38  of the printed circuit pattern  44 . Electricity flows through the first printed layer  36  in a north/south direction, and electricity flows through the third layer in the east/west direction. A bottom face  30  of a base of each block  14  is a 3×3 arrangement of pairs of electrical connectors, as shown in  FIG. 4 . A first connector  46  of each pair of electrical connectors may be disposed in an inner region  48  of the bottom face  30  and a second connector  50  of each pair may be disposed in an outer region  52  of the bottom face  30  which surrounds the inner region  48 . On an upper face  54  of the base of each block, at least one of the pairs of electrical connectors has a diode  56  that connects the inner region  48  with the outer region  52 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . 
     The present invention pertains to a method for showing an arrangement  12 . The method comprises the steps of placing a first block  16  having a vertical axis  18  upon a grid  24 . There is the step of placing a second block  20  having a vertical axis  22  upon the grid  24 . The second block  20  different from the first block  16 . The first block  16  and the second block  20  placed on the grid  24  form an arrangement  12  of blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24 . There is the step of a computer  26  receiving signals from the grid  24  which reveal a location and an identity of the first block  16  about its vertical axis  18  and the second block  20  about its vertical axis  22 . The computer  26  in communication with the grid  24 . There is the step of the computer  26  using the signals to drive an interactive computer graphic visualization  27  of the arrangement  12  of physical blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24 . 
     There may be the step of displaying the interactive computer graphic visualization  27  of the arrangement  12  of physical blocks  14  with respect to the grid  24  in a virtual reality display  28 . Each block  14  of the plurality of blocks  14  can be oriented in any one of four principal compass directions on the grid  24 . The signals from the grid  24  may reveal the location, the identity and the orientation of the first block  16  about its vertical axis  18  and the second block  20  about its vertical axis  22 . 
     A method and apparatus  10  are described that allows its users to place physical blocks  14  of different kinds into a rectangular grid  24 , such that each block  14  can be oriented in one of the four principal compass directions, and such that a computer  26  can detect the location, identity and orientation about its vertical axis  18  of each block. This information can be used to drive an interactive computer graphic visualization  27  of the arrangement  12  of physical blocks  14 , which can also be displayed in virtual reality. 
     One application of this invention is in helping its user to design the interior of a house. For this application, the individual blocks  14  can be in the shape of chairs, tables, walls, doorways, lamps and other items that can represent furniture or structural elements. As the user places each block  14  which is in the shape of the item it represents, a computer  26  registers the identity, position within the grid  24 , and north/south/east/west orientation of that block. This information can then be used by computer software, which would be easy to implement by one practiced in the art, to visualize the room either on a computer screen or in a virtual reality world which the user could walk around within. 
     List of Parts: 
     1. Grid  24  with patterned conductive ink 
     2. Computer  26   
     3. Microprocessor to control scanning 
     4. One or more physical blocks  14   
     User Experience: 
     The user places physical blocks  14  within a grid  24  of squares on a surface. The blocks  14  can be of many different shapes, but each block  14  has a square base that fits well into one of the squares of the surface. When the user inserts any block  14  into a square slot of the surface, the user can also see a digital representation of that particular block, with its correct orientation, on a computer screen or in a virtual reality representation. 
     Technical Enablement: 
     In one embodiment, tracking and identification of the blocks  14  is done by having each block  14  contain on its bottom face  30  one of 120 unique 3×3 identifying patterns, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
     Using this approach, up to 120 distinct kinds of blocks  14  can be uniquely identified. For each of these 120 kinds of block, a block&#39;s rotation about its vertical axis  18  can also be detected in one of the four principal orientations 0, 90, 180 and 270 degrees, respectively. 
     In order to determine the presence, location, identity and orientation of any block, in one embodiment a scanning method is implemented via an electrically connected scanning sheet  32  as follows. Three layers of traces are successively printed onto a substrate  34  which can be comprised of flexible plastic. The first printed layer  36 , comprised of electrically conductive ink, provides electrical connectivity for individual columns  38 . The second printed layer  40 , comprised of an insulating dielectric ink, provides electrical insulation between the first and third layers where their electrically conductive regions cross. The third printed layer  42 , comprised of an electrically conductive ink, provides electrical conductivity for individual rows ( FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C ). 
     Each block  14  will sit atop three successive rows and three successive columns  38  of the printed circuit pattern  44 , shown in  FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C . When the first (conductive) layer is printed, electricity is able to flow in the north/south direction. When the second (insulating) layer is printed, the first layer is insulated from the (still to be deposited) third layer. When the third layer is printed, electricity is able to flow in the east/west direction. 
     On the bottom face  30  of the base of each block  14  is a 3×3 arrangement of pairs of electrical connectors. One of these connectors is an inner region  48  and the other is an outer region  52  which surrounds the inner region  48 . In  FIG. 4 , the conducting regions are the non-crosshatched areas. 
     On the upper face  54  of the base of each block, some of these 9 pairs of electrical connectors contain a diode  56  that connects the inner region  48  with the outer region  52 , as shown in  FIG. 5 . The presence of a diode  56  corresponds to the black regions in each of the patterns from  FIG. 1 . In particular, the pattern shown in  FIG. 5  corresponds to the 55th pattern from  FIG. 1 . 
     To keep the blocks  14  physically aligned with the grid  24 , in one embodiment a set of raised ridges  57  is imposed on the sensing surface, as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Scanning of the rows  43  and columns  38  of the sensing surface is performed, as is taught in U.S. patent, US20120086659A1, incorporated by reference herein, the method of which can be adapted by one skilled in the art. In that regard, a microprocessor controls the sequencing, row  43  by row  43 , of the grid  24 , retrieving a value for every column  38  as each row  43  is activated in succession. The computer  26  then receives from the microprocessor an array of (nRows*nColumns) digital values, representing the presence or absence of an electrical connection at each row/column intersection. The microprocessor is electronically connected to the grid  24 . It may or may not be physically attached to the grid  24 . It could just be a separate component attached by wire to the grid  24 . 
     By this technique, for any physical arrangement  12  of blocks  14  upon the sensing surface, a corresponding software data structure can be constructed, where each record identifies the following: (a) a block  14  identifier, which can be an integer from 1 through 120, (b) a row number, (c) a column number, and (d) a block  14  orientation about its vertical axis  18 , which can be an integer from 1 through 4.  FIGS. 7A, 7B and 7C  show seven blocks  14  used to represent an arrangement  12  of six chairs around a table, together with the resulting data representation of those blocks  14 . 
     In one embodiment, the electrical current from the surface can be used to activate lights, motors, audio transducers and/or other electrical devices within any physical block. These components can draw power from the grid  24  below. If the electrical load for any device is so large that it might cause errors in the identification and location of the blocks  14 , then power from the grid  24  should not be used to power the additional components of the block. In such an instance, the block  14  can have an alternative source of power, such as a small battery contained within the block  14  that is used to activate components within the block. 
     In addition, push buttons or other kinds of physical switches can be added to a block. When the user presses down on a push button or otherwise toggles a switch, the movement causes the internal diode  56  of one of the connectors to become connected to its corresponding connector pair at the base of the block. This changes the identifier number of the block. The computer software detects that a block  14  has changed its identifier number, and can use that information to flag the button press. 
     For example, consider a block  14  which initially has the identifier pattern  33  as shown on the left in  FIG. 8 . The push button  65  on the top of this block  14  mechanically connects, via a solid vertically movable shaft  69 , to a diode  56  which is positioned just above the bottom center of the block. This diode  56  is normally in a raised position, and is therefore not electrically connected to the connectors at the base of the block. When the user presses down upon the push button  65  on the top of the block, the movable shaft  69  moves downward, thereby closing an electrical connection between this diode  56  and the connector below it. As a result, while the push button  65  is pressed, the identifier pattern  33  on the block  14  changes to the pattern  33  shown on the right in  FIG. 8 . The described technique does not require the use of any additional power source or other electronic components. 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  show a cross-section of a push-button  65  block  14  in two states. In  FIG. 9A , the block  14  is shown in its up (non-pressed) state, and in  FIG. 9B , the block  14  is shown in its down (pressed) state. Note that the positive and negative ends of the diode  56  make contact with the pair of positive and negative electrical connectors positioned beneath the diode  56  only when the block  14  is in its down (pressed) state. 
       FIGS. 10A and 10B  show the bottom of this same block, which contains nine pairs  71  of connectors. In  FIG. 10A  is depicted the nine pairs  71  of connectors. In  FIG. 10B  is depicted the two regions of the block  14  where the positive and negative ends of the diode  56 , respectively, make contact with the positive and negative regions, respectively, of the central pair  71  of connectors when the block  14  is in its down (pressed) state. 
     This push-button interaction could be used in the architectural interior design example described earlier. For example, the block  14  could represent a generic chair. Each time the user presses on the  65 , the computer software iterates to show another chair from a set of chair visualizations. In this way, the same block  14  can be used as a stand-in for many types of chairs that will be displayed in the accompanying computer visualization  27 . 
     In another example, the block  14  can represent a floor lamp. When the user presses the button  65  on this block, the light in the accompanying computer visualization  27  is toggled. In this way, the user can look at the computer screen or walk around within the accompanying virtual reality simulation to see what is the effect upon room lighting when a lamp in that position within the room is turned on or off. 
     When the configuration is in virtual reality (VR), the viewer within the virtual reality simulation will be able to move around the visualization  27  using techniques of moving their head or using gesture or VR controllers for navigation that are standard in the art for VR, which are very familiar to one practiced in the art in VR. Because each visualized block  14  in the computer graphic representation of the configuration of blocks  14  is in a well-defined location and orientation in the simulation, changes in the user&#39;s virtual position within the simulated world will cause corresponding changes in the user&#39;s view of the configuration, as is standard in the art for VR. The visualized blocks  14  in the simulation can be at any scale. In one embodiment, the width of each physical block  14  is one linear inch, the scale difference between the physical blocks  14  and their virtual representation in the VR world is 1:12, and width of the visual representation of each block  14  in VR is, consequently, one linear foot. 
     Although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing embodiments for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be described by the following claims.