Method for providing visual cues in visual content and related product

Abstract

The invention provides a method for providing visual cues in visual content and a related product. The method comprises the following steps: providing visual content by a host, wherein the visual content comprises a virtual bearing object; determining the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearing object by the host; and modifying, by the host, an appearance of the virtual bearer object based on the relative position in response to determining that the relative position satisfies the predetermined condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a mechanism for adjusting visual content, and more particularly, to a method, host, and computer-readable storage medium for providing visual cues in visual content. Background Art

[0002] With the development of virtual reality (VR) technology, the visual content provided in VR services / applications is becoming more and more realistic. However, realistic visual content may cause some unexpected things.

[0003] For example, the visual content may show some virtual objects (e.g., chairs, benches, and / or tables) that may be so realistic that the user forgets that the objects are virtual. In this case, the user may attempt to sit on or lean against the virtual chairs, benches, and / or tables, which may cause the user to fall and injure himself. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, the present invention relates to a method for providing visual cues in visual content, a host and a computer-readable storage medium that can be used to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for providing visual cues in visual content for a host. The method includes: providing visual content by the host, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearing object; determining, by the host, a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearing object; and in response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, modifying, by the host, an appearance of the virtual bearing object based on the relative position.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a host, the host comprising a storage circuit and a processor. The storage circuit stores program code. The processor is coupled to the non-transitory storage circuit and accesses the program code to perform the following steps: providing visual content, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearing object; determining a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearing object; and in response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, modifying the appearance of the virtual bearing object based on the relative position.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which records an executable computer program, and the executable computer program is loaded by a host to perform the following steps: providing visual content, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearing object; determining a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearing object; and in response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, modifying the appearance of the virtual bearing object based on the relative position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0009] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing a host according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 A flow chart showing a method for providing visual cues in visual content according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0011] Figure 3A A schematic diagram showing the determination of the relative position between a reference point and a virtual bearer object according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 3B A schematic diagram showing a method of determining a relative position between a reference point and a virtual bearer object according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 4A A schematic diagram showing how to modify the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 4B A schematic diagram showing how to modify the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing how to modify the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] [Explanation of Symbols]

[0017] 100: Host

[0018] 102: Storage Circuit

[0019] 104: Processor

[0020] 300: Visual content

[0021] 310: Virtual bearer object

[0022] 310a: Overlapping

[0023] 399: User

[0024] A1: Cone area

[0025] A2: Hemispherical area

[0026] A3: Spherical area

[0027] D1, D2: distance

[0028] P1: Point

[0029] P2: Projection point

[0030] S210, S220, S230: Steps DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0032] See also Figure 1 , which shows a schematic diagram of a host according to an embodiment of the present invention. In various embodiments, the host 100 may be any smart device and / or computer device that can provide visual content of reality services such as virtual reality (VR) services, augmented reality (AR) services, mixed reality (MR) services, and / or extended reality (XR) services, but the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the host 100 may be a head-mounted display (HMD) capable of displaying / providing visual content (e.g., AR / VR content) for viewing by the wearer / user. In order to better understand the concept of the present invention, the host 100 is assumed to be an HMD for providing VR content (e.g., VR world) to the user, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0033] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, the host 100 includes a storage circuit 102 and a processor 104. The storage circuit 102 is one or a combination of a fixed or mobile random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk or any other similar device, and has recorded therein a plurality of modules executable by the processor 104.

[0034] The processor 104 may be coupled to the memory circuit 102, and the processor 104 may be, for example, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) circuit, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 104 may access the module stored in the storage circuit 102 to implement the method of providing visual cues in visual content provided in the present invention, which will be further discussed below.

[0036] See also Figure 2 , which shows a flow chart of a method for providing visual cues in visual content according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of this embodiment can be Figure 1 The host 100 in the embodiment is used to execute the above operation, and the following will be combined with Figure 1 The components shown in Figure 2 Details of each step in the.

[0037] First, in step S210, the processor 104 provides visual content, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearing object. In various embodiments, the virtual bearing object may be any virtual object having a virtual bearing surface that visually provides a bearing function. For example, the virtual bearing object may be a virtual chair, a virtual table, a virtual sofa, a virtual bed, or a similar virtual object. In some embodiments, the virtual bearing object may even be a virtual rock, a virtual staircase, a virtual box, or other similar virtual objects.

[0038] In one embodiment, the virtual bearing object with a bearing function can be understood as being visually available for the user to sit on. That is, when immersed in the visual content, the user may want to sit on the virtual bearing object.

[0039] However, since the virtual object only exists in the visual content, the virtual object cannot carry any real-world objects, including the user's body. That is, if the user accidentally tries to sit on the virtual carrying object in the visual content, the user will fall and may be injured. Therefore, the processor 104 can perform the following operations to avoid this danger.

[0040] In step S220, the processor 104 determines the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object. In step S230, in response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, the processor 104 modifies the appearance of the virtual bearer object based on the relative position.

[0041] In different embodiments, the processor 104 may determine whether the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0042] See also Figure 3A , which shows a schematic diagram of determining the relative position between a reference point and a virtual bearer object according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] exist Figure 3A In the embodiment, the host 100 may be an HMD worn by the user 399, and the host 100 may display visual content 300 (e.g., VR content) for viewing by the user 399. In this embodiment, the visual content 300 includes a virtual bearing object 310, which may be a virtual sofa in the visual content 300. Since the virtual sofa only exists in the VR world, the virtual sofa cannot bear any real-world objects.

[0044] exist Figure 3A , the reference point under consideration may be an object representing a user in the visual content, which may be a point P1 that characterizes the user 399 in the visual content. Alternatively, the reference point under consideration may be a projection point P2 of the host 100 on the floor plane in the visual content 300. In one embodiment, the projection point P2 may be a projection point of the point P1 on the floor plane in the visual content 300, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the object representing the user may simply be a point that characterizes the user in the visual content (e.g., a user reference point). Alternatively, the reference point may be a point that characterizes the position / coordinates of the host 100 (e.g., an HMD) in the visual content (e.g., a VR world).

[0045] In one embodiment, the processor 104 may determine whether the specific distance between the reference point and the virtual bearing object 310 is less than a first distance threshold. Figure 3A In the figure, depending on which of point P1 and projection point P2 is used as a reference point, the specific distance considered may be the distance D1 between point P1 and the virtual bearing object 310 or the distance D2 between projection point P2 and the virtual bearing object 310, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0046] In one embodiment, the first distance threshold may be any distance preferred by a designer, such as 1 meter, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0047] In response to determining that the specific distance between the reference point and the virtual bearing object is less than the first distance threshold, the processor 104 may determine that the relative position between the reference point (eg, point P1 or projection point P2 ) and the virtual bearing object 310 satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0048] In contrast, in response to determining that the specific distance between the reference point and the virtual bearing object is not less than the first distance threshold, the processor 104 may determine that the relative position between the reference point (eg, point P1 or projection point P2) and the virtual bearing object 310 does not satisfy a predetermined condition.

[0049] See also Figure 3B , which shows a schematic diagram of determining the relative position between a reference point and a virtual bearer object according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3B In the embodiment of the present invention, the processor 104 may determine a first reference three-dimensional region in the visual content 300 based on the reference point.

[0050] In an embodiment where point P1 is regarded as a reference point, processor 104 may determine cone area A1 in visual content 300 as the first reference 3D area. In this embodiment, cone area A1 may be determined to correspond to the viewing angle of user 399, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0051] In another embodiment where the projection point P2 is regarded as a reference point, the processor 104 may determine a hemispherical area A2 in the visual content 300 as the first reference three-dimensional area, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0052] In the second embodiment, the processor 104 may determine whether the virtual bearing object 310 has an overlapping area that overlaps with the first reference three-dimensional area. In response to determining that the virtual bearing object 310 has an overlapping portion that overlaps with the first reference three-dimensional area, the processor 104 may determine that the relative position between the reference point (e.g., point P1 or projection point P2) and the virtual bearing object 310 satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0053] exist Figure 3B In the scene shown, since the virtual carrying object 310 does not have an overlapping area with the first reference three-dimensional area (for example, the conical area A1 or the hemispherical area A2), the processor 104 may determine that the relative position between the reference point (for example, point P1 or the projection point P2) and the virtual carrying object 310 does not satisfy a predetermined condition, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0054] In other embodiments, the first reference three-dimensional area in the visual content 300 may be designed to have other appearances, such as a cylindrical appearance or a prismatic appearance, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0055] In one embodiment, during the process of modifying the appearance of the virtual bearer object 310 , the processor 104 may determine a specific portion of the virtual bearer object 310 based on the reference point, and modify the appearance of the specific portion of the virtual bearer object 310 .

[0056] In different embodiments, the processor 104 may modify the appearance of the specific portion by replacing the specific portion with a pass-through view, changing the material of the specific portion on the virtual bearing object 310, and / or replacing the specific portion with a corresponding frame outline.

[0057] See also Figure 4A , which shows a schematic diagram of modifying the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] In the third embodiment, the processor 104 may determine the second reference three-dimensional area based on the reference point in the visual content 300. In one embodiment, the processor 104 may directly use the first reference three-dimensional area (e.g., the cone area A1 and / or the hemispherical area A2) as the second reference three-dimensional area. In other embodiments, the processor 104 may determine other three-dimensional areas as the second reference three-dimensional area based on the reference point.

[0059] exist Figure 4A In the embodiment, it is assumed that the spherical area A3 is the second reference three-dimensional area under consideration. In the present embodiment, the finger on the left hand of the user 399 may be regarded as the reference point under consideration, and the processor 104 may determine the spherical area A3 accordingly by using the reference point as the corresponding center, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0060] In one embodiment, the processor 104 may determine whether the virtual bearing object 310 has an overlapping area that overlaps with the second reference three-dimensional area (eg, the spherical area A3). Figure 4A In response to determining that the virtual bearer object 310 has an overlapping portion 310 a overlapping the second reference three-dimensional region, the processor 104 may determine the overlapping portion 310 a as the specific portion.

[0061] In the third embodiment, if Figure 4A As shown, the processor 104 may replace the specific portion (eg, the overlapping portion 310a) with the corresponding frame outline of the specific portion. That is, the user 399 will see that the specific portion becomes transparent, and only the corresponding frame outline is retained.

[0062] In this case, the user 399 will notice that the virtual bearer object 310 is not a real-world object and will not attempt to sit on the virtual bearer object 310 .

[0063] That is, the frame outline of a specific portion (eg, the overlapping portion 310a) may be shown as a visual prompt to remind the user 399 that the virtual bearing object 310 is not real. Therefore, the risk of the user accidentally sitting on the virtual bearing object 310 may be reduced.

[0064] See also Figure 4B , which shows a schematic diagram of modifying the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4B In response to determining that the virtual bearer object 310 has an overlapping portion 310a that overlaps the second reference three-dimensional region, the processor 104 may replace the specific portion (eg, the overlapping portion 310a) with a corresponding frame outline and a perspective view of the specific portion.

[0065] In this embodiment, the host 100 may use the front camera to capture an environmental image of the environment in which the user 399 is located, and the processor 104 may crop an image area corresponding to a specific part from the environmental image, and display the cropped image area at the location of the specific part as a perspective view. Figure 4B The real world scene (which exemplarily shows a real sofa, a real table, and a real floor) is seen in the through perspective view shown. In this case, the user 399 will notice that the virtual bearing object 310 is not a real world object and will not try to sit on the virtual bearing object 310.

[0066] That is, the see-through view for replacing a specific part may be shown as a visual cue for reminding the user 399 that the virtual bearing object 310 is not real. Therefore, the risk of the user accidentally sitting on the virtual bearing object 310 can be reduced.

[0067] Additionally or alternatively, when modifying the appearance of the specific portion, the processor 104 may change the material of the specific portion (e.g., the overlapping portion 310a) on the virtual bearing object 310. For example, assuming that the virtual bearing object 310 is a fabric sofa by default, and after the processor 104 determines the specific portion (e.g., the overlapping portion 310a), the processor 104 may change the material of the specific portion to, for example, metal. In this case, the user 399 will notice that the virtual bearing object 310 is not a real-world object and will not try to sit on the virtual bearing object 310. Therefore, the risk of the user accidentally sitting on the virtual bearing object 310 can be reduced.

[0068] See also Figure 5 , which shows a schematic diagram of modifying the appearance of a virtual bearer object according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0069] In the fifth embodiment, in the process of modifying the appearance of the virtual bearer object 310, the processor 104 may modify the appearance of the virtual bearer object 310 in the second reference three-dimensional area (eg, Figure 3BA perspective view corresponding to the second reference three-dimensional area is shown at the hemispherical area A2) in FIG.

[0070] exist Figure 5 In response to determining that the hemispherical area A2 has an overlapping area with the virtual bearing object 310, the processor 104 may determine that the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearing object 310 satisfies a predetermined condition. In this case, the processor 104 may show a perspective view corresponding to the hemispherical area A2 at the hemispherical area A2, wherein the perspective view in this embodiment may also be cropped from an environment image captured by a front camera of the host 100, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0071] Since the hemispherical area A2 has an overlapping area with the virtual bearing object 310 , the appearance of the virtual bearing object 310 will be modified accordingly because the overlapping area has been replaced by the corresponding perspective view.

[0072] That is, user 399 can Figure 5 The real world scene is seen in the through perspective shown. In this case, the user 399 will notice that the virtual bearing object 310 is not a real world object and will not try to sit on the virtual bearing object 310.

[0073] That is, the see-through view at the hemispherical area A2 may be shown as a visual cue for reminding the user 399 that the virtual bearing object 310 is not real. Therefore, the risk of the user accidentally sitting on the virtual bearing object 310 may be reduced.

[0074] In one embodiment, the processor 104 may determine whether the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object 310 has been updated. For example, in the above embodiment, the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object 310 may be understood as changing in response to the movement of the host 100 and / or the user 399. In this case, when the processor 104 determines that the host 100 and / or the user 399 has moved, the processor 104 may update the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object 310 accordingly, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0075] In one embodiment, in response to determining that the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object has been updated, the processor 104 may update the specific portion on the virtual bearer object 310 accordingly and modify the appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object 310 .

[0076] by Figure 4AFor example, if the processor 104 detects that the user 399 has moved away from the virtual bearing object 310 by, for example, moving to the left, the second reference three-dimensional area (e.g., spherical area A3) will move to the left accordingly. In this case, the processor 104 will update the range of the overlapping portion 310a (e.g., a specific portion) accordingly and modify the appearance of the updated overlapping portion 310a.

[0077] Viewed from another perspective, the range of the specific portion will change in response to the movement of the host 100 and / or the user 399, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0078] The present invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium for executing a method for providing visual cues in visual content. The computer-readable storage medium is composed of a plurality of program instructions (e.g., setting program instructions and deployment program instructions) contained therein. These program instructions can be loaded into a host 100 and executed by the host 100 to execute the method for providing visual cues in visual content and the functions of the above-mentioned host 100.

[0079] In summary, the embodiments of the present invention provide a solution that can modify the appearance of a virtual bearer object when the relative position between a reference point (e.g., an object representing a user in visual content) and a virtual bearer object satisfies a predetermined condition. Therefore, the user will notice that the virtual bearer object is not a real-world object and will not try to sit on the virtual bearer object, and thus the risk of the user accidentally sitting on the virtual bearer object 310 can be reduced.

[0080] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. In summary, the present invention is intended to cover various modifications and changes of the present invention as long as they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for providing visual cues in visual content, applicable to a host, characterized in that: include: providing the visual content by the host, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearer object; The host determines a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearer object; as well as In response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, the host modifies the appearance of the virtual bearer object based on the relative position.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference point corresponds to an object representing a user in the visual content, or a projection point of the host on a floor plane in the visual content.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a first reference three-dimensional region in the visual content based on the reference point; In response to determining that the virtual bearer object has an overlapping portion that overlaps with the first reference three-dimensional area, it is determined that the relative position satisfies the predetermined condition.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In response to determining that the specific distance between the reference point and the virtual bearing object is less than a first distance threshold, it is determined that the relative position satisfies the predetermined condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of modifying the appearance of the virtual bearer object based on the relative position comprises: determining a specific portion on the virtual bearing object based on the reference point; as well as The appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is modified.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of modifying the appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object comprises at least one of the following: Replace the specific portion with a perspective view; changing the material of the specific portion on the virtual bearing object; and The specific portion is replaced with the corresponding frame outline.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the step of determining the specific portion on the virtual bearer object based on the reference point comprises: determining a second reference three-dimensional region in the visual content based on the reference point; In response to determining that the virtual bearer object has an overlapping portion overlapping the second reference three-dimensional area, the overlapping portion is determined as the specific portion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of modifying the appearance of the virtual bearer object based on the relative position comprises: A perspective view corresponding to the second reference three-dimensional area is shown at the second reference three-dimensional area.

9. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: In response to determining that the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object has been updated, the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is updated accordingly and the appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is modified. 10 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the virtual bearing object has a virtual bearing surface that visually provides a bearing function.

11. A host, characterized in that: include: A storage circuit for storing program codes; as well as A processor is coupled to the memory circuit and accesses the program code to perform the following steps: providing visual content, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearer object; Determining a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearer object; as well as In response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, an appearance of the virtual bearer object is modified based on the relative position.

12. The host of claim 11, wherein the reference point corresponds to an object in the visual content representing a user, or a projection point of the host on a floor plane in the visual content.

13. The host of claim 11, wherein the processor further performs the following steps: determining a first reference three-dimensional region in the visual content based on the reference point; In response to determining that the virtual bearer object has an overlapping portion that overlaps with the first reference three-dimensional area, it is determined that the relative position satisfies the predetermined condition.

14. The host of claim 11, wherein the processor further performs the following steps: In response to determining that the specific distance between the reference point and the virtual bearing object is less than a first distance threshold, it is determined that the relative position satisfies the predetermined condition.

15. The host of claim 11, wherein the processor performs the following steps: determining a specific portion on the virtual bearer object based on the reference point; and The appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is modified.

16. The host of claim 15, wherein the processor performs at least one of the following steps: Replace the specific portion with a perspective view; changing the material of the specific portion on the virtual bearing object; and The specific portion is replaced with the corresponding frame outline.

17. The host of claim 15, wherein the processor performs the following steps: determining a second reference three-dimensional region in the visual content based on the reference point; In response to determining that the virtual bearer object has an overlapping portion overlapping the second reference three-dimensional area, the overlapping portion is determined as the specific portion.

18. The host of claim 17, wherein the processor performs the following steps: A perspective view corresponding to the second reference three-dimensional area is shown at the second reference three-dimensional area.

19. The host of claim 15, wherein the processor further performs the following steps: In response to determining that the relative position between the reference point and the virtual bearer object has been updated, the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is updated accordingly and the appearance of the specific portion on the virtual bearer object is modified.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having an executable computer program recorded thereon, wherein the executable computer program is loaded by a host to perform the following steps: providing visual content, wherein the visual content includes a virtual bearer object; Determining a relative position between a reference point and the virtual bearer object; as well as In response to determining that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition, an appearance of the virtual bearer object is modified based on the relative position.

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