US6009210A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Hands-free interface to a virtual reality environment using head tracking
Assignee: Hewlett Packard Development Co LP
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Filing: 1997-03-05
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Granted: 1999-12-28
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Expires: 2017-03-05
Abstract
Abstract A hands-free navigation system for tracking a head and responsively adjusting the display of a virtual reality environment includes a camera, the camera employed to follow movements of the head, a computer system connected to the camera, the computer system including a memory, a central processing unit (CPU), a digitizer, the digitizer providing a current image of a face of the head, a face tracker, the face tracker including the capability of receiving a reference face image from the digitizer, of receiving the current face image from the digitizer, of determining a head translation and orientation, and of providing the head translation and orientation to a three dimensional virtual environment viewer connected to the computer system for display of the virtual environment at the desired viewpoint.
Inventors
- 👤 Sing Bing Kang
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 20:22
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F3/00; G06F3/01; G06F3/011; G06F3/012; G06V; G06V40/00; G06V40/10; G06V40/16; G06V40/161; A; A63; A63F; A63F2300/00; A63F2300/10; A63F2300/1012; A63F2300/1087; A63F2300/1093; A63F2300/60; A63F2300/66; A63F2300/6661; A63F2300/6676
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
111 words
A hands-free navigation system for tracking a head and responsively adjusting the display of a virtual reality environment, the system comprising: a three-dimensional environment viewer for display of the virtual reality environment; a digitizer for providing two-dimensional images of a face of a head; and a face tracker including: means for receiving a reference face image from the digitizer; means for receiving a current face image from the digitizer; means for determining a head translation and orientation from the reference face image to the current face image; and means for providing the head translation and orientation to the three-dimensional environment viewer, thereby displaying the virtual reality environment at a desired viewpoint.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
111 words
A hands-free navigation system for tracking a head and responsively adjusting the display of a virtual reality environment, the system comprising: a three-dimensional environment viewer for display of the virtual reality environment; a digitizer for providing two-dimensional images of a face of a head; and a face tracker including: means for receiving a reference face image from the digitizer; means for receiving a current face image from the digitizer; means for determining a head translation and orientation from the reference face image to the current face image; and means for providing the head translation and orientation to the three-dimensional environment viewer, thereby displaying the virtual reality environment at a desired viewpoint.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
39 words
The hands-free navigation system of claim 1 further comprising a camera for providing images to the digitizer, wherein the camera is mounted in front of and above the head and is positioned at a tilted angle to the head.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
The hands-free navigation system of claim 1 wherein the means for receiving a reference face image comprises means for receiving a snapshot of the face in a neutral position.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
61 words
The hands-free navigation system of claim 1 wherein the means for determining a head translation and orientation comprises: means for warping the reference face image to minimize a difference between the warped reference face image and the current face image to provide a warping matrix transformation; and means for decomposing the warping matrix transformation to yield the head translation and orientation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
108 words
The hands-free navigation system of claim 4 wherein the means for warping the reference face image comprises: means for producing a two-dimensional motion matrix; means for decomposing the two-dimensional motion matrix into a plurality of warping parameters, the warping parameters including: a displacement variable; a rotational angle about a viewing axis variable; a zoom factor variable; an aspect ratio variable; a skew factor variable; a pinch parameter variable in an x direction; and a pinch parameter variable in a y direction; means for approximating the two-dimensional motion matrix using an affine tracking to determine a limited head pose; and means for tracking a center of an affine patch.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of hands-free navigation for tracking a head and responsively adjusting the display of a virtual reality environment, the method comprising the steps of: providing a digitizer; providing a face tracker; receiving a reference face image in the face tracker from the digitizer; receiving a current face image in the face tracker from the digitizer; determining a head translation and orientation from the reference face image to the current face image; providing the head translation and orientation to a three-dimensional environment viewer to display the virtual reality environment at a desired viewpoint; and repeating the steps of receiving the current face image and providing the head translation and orientation to the three-dimensional environment viewer to continue to display the virtual reality environment at desired viewpoints.
Claim 8
Independent Claim
126 words
A method of hands-free navigation for tracking a head and responsively adjusting the display of a virtual reality environment, the method comprising the steps of: providing a digitizer; providing a face tracker; receiving a reference face image in the face tracker from the digitizer; receiving a current face image in the face tracker from the digitizer; determining a head translation and orientation from the reference face image to the current face image; providing the head translation and orientation to a three-dimensional environment viewer to display the virtual reality environment at a desired viewpoint; and repeating the steps of receiving the current face image and providing the head translation and orientation to the three-dimensional environment viewer to continue to display the virtual reality environment at desired viewpoints.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of hands-free navigation according to claim 6 wherein the step of receiving the reference face image in the face tracker from the digitizer comprises the step of receiving an image of a face in a neutral position.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
62 words
The method of hands-free navigation according to claim 6 wherein the step of determining the head translation and orientation comprises the steps of: warping the reference face image to minimize a difference between the warped reference face image and the current face image to provide a warping matrix transformation; and decomposing the warping matrix transformation to yield the head translation and orientation.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
105 words
The method of hands-free navigation according to claim 8 wherein the step of warping the reference face image comprises the steps of: producing a two-dimensional motion matrix; decomposing the two-dimensional motion matrix into a plurality of warping parameters, the warping parameters including: a displacement variable; a rotational angle about a viewing axis variable; a zoom factor variable; an aspect ratio variable; a skew factor variable; a pinch parameter variable in an x direction; and a pinch parameter variable in a y direction; approximating the two-dimensional motion matrix using an affine tracking to determine a limited head pose; and tracking a center of an affine patch.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-12-27 | 2003-06-28 | 2003-12-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-12-27 | 2007-06-28 | 2007-12-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-12-27 | 2011-06-28 | 2011-12-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |