U.S. Patent No. 11,023,095: Providing a first person view in a virtual world using a lens
Issued June 1, 2021, to Cinemoi North America LLC
Filed/Priority to July 12, 2019
Overview:
U.S. Patent No. 11,023,095 (the ‘095 patent) relates to providing a first-person view, to a user, from the perspective of an avatar in a virtual world having avatars. The ‘095 patent details a method of providing an avatar’s point of view in a virtual world by adjusting a location and orientation, including a point of gaze, of an avatar as it moves through a virtual world. The first location and point of gaze is identified and a second point of gaze is determined using an eye-tracking system which monitors the eye movements of the user. The first point of gaze is adjusted based on the second point, and based on the adjusted gaze, the lens of at least one remote camera is also adjusted. Image data is collected using the adjusted lens and corresponds to at least one real-world object in a real environment. Then a scene of the virtual world, as seen by the avatar, is generated, communicating from the computing device to the user device the scene and causing the user device to display the generated scene. The ‘095 patent could offer the option to view from the perspective of in-game avatars to users navigating a virtual world.
Abstract:
An interactive virtual world having avatars. Scenes in the virtual world as seen by the eyes of the avatars are presented on user devices controlling the avatars. In one approach, a method includes identifying a location of an avatar in a virtual world, and a point of gaze of the avatar; adjusting, based on the point of gaze, a lens that directs available light received by the lens so that the lens can focus on objects at all distances; collecting, using the adjusted lens, image data; and generating a scene of the virtual world as seen by the avatar, the scene based on the collected image data, the location of the avatar, and the point of gaze of the avatar.
Illustrative Claim:
- A method, comprising: adjusting, by a computing device, a location of an avatar and an orientation of the avatar based on input received in a user device, wherein the location of the avatar changes as the avatar moves through a virtual world, and the orientation includes a point of gaze; identifying, by the computing device, a first location of the avatar in the virtual world, and a first point of gaze of the avatar; determining, using an eye-tracking system, a second point of gaze of a user of the user device, wherein the eye-tracking system monitors one or more eye movements of the user; adjusting the first point of gaze of the avatar based on the determined second point of gaze of the user; adjusting, at least based on the adjusted first point of gaze, at least one lens of at least one remote camera; receiving image data collected using the adjusted lens, the image data corresponding to at least one real-world object in a real-world environment; generating a scene of the virtual world as seen by the avatar, the scene based on the collected image data, the first location of the avatar in the virtual world, and the orientation of the avatar in the virtual world; communicating, by the computing device to the user device, the generated scene; and causing the user device to display the generated scene.