Method and system for hybrid trackball and immersive navigation in a virtual environment
US7893935B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 30, 2009 |
| Grant date | Feb 22, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F3/04842
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The present invention relates to a system, method, and computer program product for immersive navigation in a virtual environment (VE) suitable for allowing a user to change a view orientation in the VE independently of physical orientation of a user input, such as orientation of the user's head. Specifically, the present invention combines three distinct virtual reality navigation metaphors (trackball navigation, grab navigation, and immersive navigation) into a hybrid navigation approach generating a final virtual-viewpoint that correlates to the characteristics of an intermediate virtual-viewpoint defined by radius, pitch, and heading of a virtual reference sphere (as in trackball navigation), while the final virtual-viewpoint also adjusts the location and gaze direction of the intermediate virtual-viewpoint based on pitch, heading, and roll of the user's head (as in immersive navigation), thus allowing the user to view a point of interest in the VE while simultaneously facing comfortably forward in the physical world.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.