Omnibearing treadmill for virtual reality and driving method thereof

Abstract

The present invention relates to an omni-directional treadmill for virtual reality, comprising: a pedal part frame deformed into a hemispherical shape; the pedal part can rotate around the pedal part frame in all directions; and a housing and a fixing part. A virtual reality user needs to move at different moving speeds and in multiple directions, in reality, movement of the user is counteracted through movement of the floor surface, the user is made to stay at an original point, in-situ movement in reality is achieved, but free movement in virtual reality can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and a driving method thereof, and more particularly, to a motor-driven omnidirectional treadmill that enables a user to move at different moving speeds and in multiple directions in virtual reality, wherein the user's movement in reality is offset by the movement of a floor surface, and the user stays at an origin, so that the user can move in place in reality but can move freely in a vast world in virtual reality. Background Art

[0002] Generally, a treadmill is a device on which a pedal made of a wide belt is rotated by a motor and the user walks or runs thereon, and the treadmill is generally used for walking or running exercises in a narrow space such as a gym or home.

[0003] Treadmills like these have recently been produced in both powered and non-powered types, and the movement of the floor surface counteracts the user's walking or running motion in a straight line, allowing the user to move in place at a desired speed.

[0004] In addition, in recent years, with the development of virtual reality technology, many devices that can be worn on the head to view the virtual reality world have been released, such as "Oculus Quest" and "PlayStation VR". In order to explore the space in virtual reality, a range of motion similar to that in reality must be guaranteed. These physical limitations limit the ability to express the vast world in virtual reality, so a device that can move in place is needed, such as the treadmill mentioned above.

[0005] However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional treadmill, it can only move in a straight line direction, so there are some problems in using it as a virtual reality treadmill that requires all-round movement such as forward, backward, left, and right.

[0006] In order to solve these problems, various solutions have been proposed, and the most advanced virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill to date has launched several products such as the "Virtuix Omni". These products make the floor shape slightly concave to reduce friction as much as possible, fix the user's torso at the waist, and make the user's soles slide on the floor. The working principle is to reflect the movement in reality to virtual reality by recognizing the movement of the wheels installed on special shoes or the position of the sensor.

[0007] However, since the above-mentioned existing omnidirectional treadmill works in a way that the user slides on the ground, it gives people a feeling different from pushing the ground while walking in reality, and also requires a support member like a sling to fix the body to ensure that the user can stay in place without slipping, which greatly restricts the user's actions of sitting or jumping. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues to be solved The present invention is proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a treadmill that can offset the moving distance by rotating the bottom of the treadmill in a direction opposite to the user's 360-degree all-round moving direction, thereby allowing the user to exercise in place at the origin regardless of the moving speed or direction.

[0009] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a method in which a hemispherical frame and a surface pedal surrounding the frame are separated by a lubricant to reduce friction between them and to evenly distribute the lubricant along the hemispherical shape.

[0010] In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a working principle using a linear motor as a main power source, eliminating the complex mechanical structure for floor rotation and achieving a fast response speed.

[0011] Technical Solution In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides a virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill and a driving method thereof, which are characterized by comprising: a pedal portion, on which the user steps on to exercise like stepping on the ground; a driving portion, which provides power to rotate the pedal portion in a direction opposite to the user's moving direction and speed; a shell and a fixing portion, which are used to fix the pedal portion and the driving portion at a specific position and support them for smooth operation; and a sensor portion, which is used to analyze the user's moving direction and speed and transmit the movement speed and direction to the driving portion.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the pedal part has a pedal part frame which has a semicircular shape but maintains an overall shape, a pedal which completely surrounds the pedal part frame and performs rotational motion, and a lubricant which allows the pedal part frame and the pedal to be spaced a predetermined distance apart and to rotate smoothly.

[0013] In addition, according to the present invention, it is characterized in that when the pedal completely surrounds the semicircular pedal portion frame, the pedal portion frame is divided into an upper side of the pedal portion frame that the user steps on like the ground and a lower side that receives power, the sum of the arc lengths of the upper side and the lower side is constructed to be exactly the same, and when the pedal is unfolded, the surface of the pedal portion frame can be deformed accordingly without stretching or expanding the pedal.

[0014] The pedal part includes: a housing and a fixing part; a lower supporting ball bearing fixed by a plurality of ball bearing devices for supporting the load of the user and the pedal part; an upper fixing ball bearing fixed at the upper end for preventing the horizontal separation of the pedal part, and a plurality of upper fixing ball bearings are installed at an angle of more than 90 degrees to each other. In addition, the pedal of the pedal part must be freely rotated in multiple directions, and therefore, the lower supporting ball bearing and the upper fixing ball bearing are constructed to be freely rotated in multiple directions like a ballpoint pen, while the pedal part is firmly fixed by multiple point contacts.

[0015] Furthermore, a driving part is provided at the lower side of the pedal, the driving part serving as a stator of a linear motor, a permanent magnet inserted into the pedal serving as a mover, and configured to obtain power for rotating the pedal from the surface of the pedal part frame.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the plurality of linear motors of the driving portion are installed so as to be orthogonal to each other with respect to the "X" axis and the "Y" axis on the plane coordinates, and the output of each linear motor is controlled or combined so that the pedal can rotate in all directions on the surface of the pedal portion frame. For example, if the user wants to move to the left, 100% of the output is provided to the "X" axis linear motor so that the pedal rotates in the direction opposite to the direction the user wants to move, and further, when the user tries to move at a 45 degree angle to the left, the outputs of the "X" axis and "Y" axis linear motors are each distributed and combined by 50% so that the pedal rotates in the direction opposite to the user's movement.

[0017] At this time, according to the present invention, a lubricant is used to prevent the pedals rotating along the surface of the pedal part frame from coming into close contact with each other and generating friction, and due to the shape characteristics of the pedal part and gravity, the lubricant can accumulate at the bottom. In order to solve this problem, a magnetic fluid is used as the lubricant, but due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet inserted into the pedal, the magnetic fluid can be evenly distributed between the pedal part frame and the pedal.

[0018] Beneficial Effects As described above, the omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention offsets the moving distance by rotating the bottom of the treadmill in the direction opposite to the user's 360-degree omnidirectional movement direction. Regardless of the purpose of using the treadmill, that is, the user's moving speed and direction, the user can exercise in situ and experience the vast virtual reality world even in a small space.

[0019] In addition, the omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention prevents friction from being generated at the joint between the hemispherical pedal portion frame and the pedal that wraps the frame by filling a lubricant, that is, filling a magnetic fluid. The magnetic fluid responds to the magnetism of the permanent magnet inserted in the pedal, overcomes gravity, and is evenly distributed on the surface of the hemispherical pedal portion frame through the contraction pressure of the pedal.

[0020] In addition, the driving method of the omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention is that a vertically or horizontally installed linear motor is used as a stator, and a permanent magnet inserted in the pedal is used as a mover to generate a linear driving force. A mechanical motion converter is not used, which has the effect of simplifying the structure.

[0021] In addition, the driving method of the omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention is to install multiple linear motor stators vertically and horizontally, and freely distribute and combine power on each linear motor stator, so that the pedals stepped by the user can perform omnidirectional rotational motion or move at a specific speed.

[0022] In addition, the driving method of the omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention measures the user's moving speed and direction in real time through a speed / direction detection sensor, and immediately reflects it on the rotation speed of the pedal, so that the user can walk or run freely without separate operation.

[0023] In addition, the driving method for a virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill of the present invention has a motion capture camera to measure and transmit the user's movement or action in real time so that it is immediately reflected on the character in the virtual reality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A front view illustrating the operating principle of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view showing the features of the deformed shape of the sphere of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 A perspective view showing an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 A top view of an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality according to the present invention is shown.

[0028] Figure 5 A cross-sectional view showing an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view showing a pedal for a virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill according to the present invention.

[0030] Figure 7A top view showing a driving method of an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality according to the present invention.

[0031] Figure 8 A top view showing a driving method of an omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality according to the present invention.

[0032] Fig. 9 An enlarged view showing the arrangement of permanent magnets inserted into the pedals of the driving part and the pedal part of the virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill of the present invention.

[0033] Reference numerals 100: Example of the internal movement of a sphere, 110: The deformed shape of the sphere of the present invention; 111: length of the hemispherical arc, 112: length of the spherical deformation arc; 200: Omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality, 210: Pedal unit; 211: pedal, 212: permanent magnet (mover); 213: lubricant (magnetic fluid), 214: pedal frame; 220: driving unit, 221: "Y" axis linear motor (stator); 222: "X" axis linear motor (stator); 230: housing and fixing part, 231: housing cover; 232: sensor cover, 233: upper fixed ball bearing; 234: lower support ball bearing, 235: structure; 240: sensor and control unit, 241: speed / direction sensing sensor, 242: motion capture camera. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill and the driving method thereof of the present invention are characterized in that they include: a pedal part, on which the user steps on to exercise like stepping on the ground; a driving part, which provides power to rotate the pedal part in a direction opposite to the user's moving direction and speed; a shell and a fixing part, which are used to fix the pedal part and the driving part at a specific position and support them to enable smooth operation; and a sensor part, which is used to analyze the user's moving direction and speed and transmit the movement speed and direction to the driving part.

[0035] The pedal part has a pedal part frame which has a semicircular shape but maintains an overall shape, a pedal which completely surrounds the pedal part frame and performs a rotational motion, and a lubricant which allows the pedal part frame and the pedal to be spaced a predetermined distance apart and to rotate smoothly.

[0036] In addition, according to the present invention, it is characterized in that a driving part is provided on the lower side of the pedal, the driving part serves as a stator of a linear motor, a permanent magnet inserted into the pedal serves as a mover, and is configured to obtain power for rotating the pedal from the surface of the pedal part frame.

[0037] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of the present invention.

[0038] First, it should be noted that in the drawings, the same elements or components are indicated by the same reference numerals as much as possible. When describing the present invention, in order not to obscure the main points of the present invention, the detailed description of the related disclosed functions or configurations is omitted.

[0039] First, if Figure 1 As shown in the example 100 of the movement inside the sphere, if the user enters the sphere and walks or jumps in a specific direction, the sphere can roll freely in the direction the user wants to move, that is, it can roll freely in all directions. Figure 1 , Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the spherical deformation shape 110 of the present invention is deformed into a state where the sphere is folded in half and stacked together, however, based on the center line, the bottom, that is, by making the length 111 of the hemispherical arc exactly the same as the sum of the length 112 of the upper end, that is, the spherical deformation arc, the pedal 211 is deformed without shrinking or expanding the surface area, and the surface of the pedal portion frame 214 can rotate freely.

[0040] In addition, if Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill 200 of the present invention includes: a pedal part 210, on which the user can stand up and exercise as if stepping on the floor; a driving part 220, which provides power to rotate the pedal part 210 in a direction opposite to the user's moving direction and speed; a shell and a fixing part 230, which is used to fix the pedal part 210 and the driving part 220 at a specific position and support them to operate smoothly; a sensor and a control unit 240, which is used to analyze the user's moving direction and speed, and transmit the moving speed and direction to the driving part 220.

[0041] At this time, the pedal part 210 includes: a pedal part frame 214 having a semicircular shape but maintaining an overall shape; a pedal 211 that completely surrounds the pedal part frame 214 and rotates; and a lubricant 213. The pedal part frame 214 and the pedal 211 are spaced a predetermined distance apart to allow them to rotate smoothly.

[0042] In addition, if Figure 5As shown, the pedal part 210 includes: a housing and a fixing part 230; a lower supporting ball bearing 234, which is fixed by a plurality of ball bearing devices and is used to support the load of the user and the pedal part; an upper fixing ball bearing 233, which is fixed at the upper end and is used to prevent the horizontal separation of the pedal part, and a plurality of upper fixing ball bearings 233 are installed at an angle of more than 90 degrees to each other. In addition, the pedal 211 of the pedal part 210 must be freely rotated in multiple directions, so the lower supporting ball bearing 234 and the upper fixing ball bearing 233 are constructed to be freely rotated in multiple directions like a ballpoint pen, while the pedal part 210 is firmly fixed by multiple point contacts.

[0043] In addition, if Figure 6 As shown, the driving part 220 is located at the lower part of the pedal part 210, and the driving part 220 is used as the stator of the linear motor. Figures 6 to 9 As shown, since the permanent magnet 212 with N poles and S poles arranged crosswise is inserted into the pedal 211 and used as a mover, the driving part 220 and the permanent magnet 212 of the pedal 211 electrically interact to provide power to rotate the pedal 211 on the surface of the pedal part frame 214.

[0044] In particular, Figures 7 and 8 As shown, the plurality of linear motors of the driving portion 220 are installed so as to be orthogonal to each other with respect to the "X" axis 222 and the "Y" axis 221 on the plane coordinates, and the output of each linear motor is controlled or combined so that the pedal 211 can rotate in all directions on the surface of the pedal portion frame 214. For example, if the user wants to move to the left, 100% of the output is provided to the "X" axis linear motor 222 so that the pedal 211 rotates in the direction opposite to the direction the user wants to move, and further, when the user tries to move at an angle of 45 degrees to the left, the outputs of the "X" axis 222 and the "Y" axis linear motor 221 are each distributed and combined at 50% so that the pedal 211 rotates in the direction opposite to the direction the user moves.

[0045] At this time, lubricant 213 is used to prevent the pedals 211 rotating along the surface of the pedal part frame 214 from coming into close contact with each other and generating friction, and due to the shape characteristics and gravity of the pedal part 210, the lubricant 213 can accumulate at the bottom. In order to solve this problem, magnetic fluid 213 is used as the lubricant 213, but due to the magnetic force of the permanent magnet 212 inserted into the pedal 211, the magnetic fluid 213 can be evenly distributed between the pedal part frame 214 and the pedal 211.

[0046] The effects of the present invention thus constituted will be described below.

[0047] First, the sensor and control unit 240 senses the moving direction and speed of the user and analyzes the data to supply power to the “X” axis 222 and the “Y” axis linear motor 221 of the driving unit 220 .

[0048] At this time, the power provided to the "X" axis 222 and the "Y" axis linear motor 221 may be selectively distributed according to the moving direction and speed.

[0049] As described above, when power is supplied to the “X” axis 222 and “Y” axis linear motor 221 of the driving portion 220 , the permanent magnets 212 inserted into the pedal 211 around the surface of the pedal portion frame 214 electrically interact to generate a linear driving force.

[0050] In addition, the pedal portion frame 214 is spaced apart from the pedal 211 by a predetermined distance through the lubricant 213 , thereby reducing surface friction of the connection portion, so that the pedal 211 can freely rotate on the surface of the pedal portion frame 214 .

[0051] The pedal portion frame 214 has a shape deforming a complete sphere, and is transmitted from the driving portion 220 by combining linear driving forces in both directions of the “X” axis and the “Y” axis, so that the movement is offset in response to all movement directions and speeds of the user.

[0052] In this way, the virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill and driving method of the present invention respond to all movement directions and speeds of the user, meeting the purpose of using the treadmill, that is, the user can walk or run at the origin, thereby realizing a vast virtual reality world that can be explored even in a narrow real space.

[0053] Industrial availability The virtual reality omnidirectional treadmill and driving method of the present invention are installed in home or commercial VR experience centers, gyms, etc., and can be applied to all VR virtual reality games, tourism, etc.

Claims

1. An omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and a driving method thereof, characterized in that: have: a pedal portion frame deformed into a hemispherical shape to have the same surface area as a sphere; A pedal portion, comprising a pedal capable of omnidirectional rotation around the pedal portion frame; as well as The housing and the fixing part are used to fix the pedal part at a specific position and make it run smoothly.

2. The omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and the driving method thereof according to claim 1, characterized in that: include: A permanent magnet, which is inserted into the pedal in a manner in which the N pole and the S pole are crossed; A driving unit, which provides linear driving through the action of the permanent magnet and electromagnetic force; The drive portion acts as a stator of a linear motor, but is arranged in two or more directions to distribute and combine outputs, thereby enabling the pedal to rotate in a specific direction.

3. The omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and the driving method thereof according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensor and control unit can detect the user's movement in real time and control the rotation direction and speed of the pedal part in the driving unit.

4. The omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and the driving method thereof according to claim 1, characterized in that: The user's movements are reflected in virtual reality by setting up a motion capture camera.

5. The omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and the driving method thereof according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pedal frame is filled with lubricant to reduce the friction between the pedal frame and the pedal engaging surface.

6. The omnidirectional treadmill for virtual reality and the driving method thereof according to claim 5, characterized in that: Since the pedal portion frame has a hemispherical shape, the filled lubricant is prevented from being gathered at the bottom due to gravity using magnetic fluid and is evenly distributed on the hemispherical pedal portion by the magnetic force of the permanent magnet inserted in the pedal.

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