Haptics body models mapping

Abstract

Some embodiments of a method may include: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body; determining a first model type of the first haptic body representation; determining a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

Description

HAPTICS BODY MODELS MAPPINGCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application claims benefit of European Patent Application No. EP23307323, entitled “HAPTICS BODY MODELS MAPPING” and filed December 21 , 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Haptics refers to sense of touch and includes two dimensions, tactile and kinesthetic. The first relates to tactile sensations such as friction, roughness, hardness, temperature and is felt through the mechanoreceptors of the skin (Merkel cell, Ruffini ending, Meissner corpuscle, Pacinian corpuscle). The second is linked to the sensation of force / torque, position, motion / velocity provided by the muscles, tendons and the mechanoreceptors in the joints. Haptics is also involved in the perception of self-motion since it contributes to the proprioceptive system (i.e., perception of one’s own body). Thus, the perception of acceleration, speed or any body model could be assimilated as a haptic effect. The frequency range is about 0-1 kHz depending on the type of modality. Most existing devices able to render haptic signals generate vibrations. Examples of such haptic actuators are linear resonant actuator (LRA), eccentric rotating mass (ERM), and voice-coil linear motor. These actuators may be integrated into haptic rendering devices such as haptic suits but also smartphones or game controllers.

[0003] To encode haptic signals, several formats have been defined related to either a high-level description using XML-like formats (for example MPEG-V), parametric representation using json-like formats such as Apple Haptic Audio Pattern (AHAP) or Immersion Corporation’s HAPT format, or waveform encoding (IEEE 1918.1.1 ongoing standardization for tactile and kinesthetic signals). The HAPT format has been recently included into the MPEG ISOBMFF file format specification (ISO / IEC 14496 part 12). Moreover, Graphics Language Transmission Format (gITF) is a royalty-free specification for the efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and models by applications. This format defines an extensible, common publishing format for 3D content tools and services that streamlines authoring workflows and enables interoperable use of content across the industry.SUMMARY

[0004] A first example method in accordance with some embodiments may include: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body; determining a first model type of the first haptic body representation; determining a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0005] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is different than the second haptic body representation.

[0006] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a mask representation of the body.

[0007] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a skeleton representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

[0008] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a skeleton representation of the body.

[0009] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

[0010] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

[0011] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a skeleton representation of the body.

[0012] Some embodiments of the first example method may further include: combining at least two elements of the first haptic body representation; and converting the combined elements of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding one or more elements of the second haptic body representation.

[0013] Some embodiments of the first example method may further include: determining a third model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the second model type to the third model type; converting at least one element of the second haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the thirdhaptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the third haptic body representation.

[0014] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first, second, and third haptic body representations are three different MPEG representations.

[0015] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first resolution, the second haptic body representation corresponds to a second resolution, and the first resolution is different than the second resolution.

[0016] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second model type is linked to an end user rendering device.

[0017] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body, and the second haptic body representation is compatible with a Motion Pictures Expert Group I (MPEG-I) Annex H body model.

[0018] For some embodiments of the first example method, performing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user comprises: decoding the haptic effect; and synthesizing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user.

[0019] For some embodiments of the first example method, the haptic effect is coded using a format defined in ISO / IEC 23090-31 : Haptics Coding.

[0020] A first example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of the methods listed above.

[0021] A second example method / apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body, and wherein the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first model type; selecting a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0022] For some embodiments of the second example method, the first model type is a mesh representation type, and the second model type is either a mask representation type or a skeleton representation type.

[0023] For some embodiments of the second example method, converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation comprises converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of an intermediate haptic body representation and converting the corresponding element of the intermediate haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation.

[0024] For some embodiments of the second example method, an intermediate haptic body representation is used in the converting the intermediate haptic body representation being used between the first haptic body representation and the second haptic body representation.

[0025] For some embodiments of the second example method, the intermediate haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

[0026] A second example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0027] A third example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include at least one processor configured to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0028] A fourth example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0029] A fifth example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0030] A signal in accordance with some embodiments may include a bitstream generated according to any one of the methods listed above.

[0031] In additional embodiments, encoder and decoder apparatus are provided to perform the methods described herein. An encoder or decoder apparatus may include a processor configured to perform the methods described herein. The apparatus may include a computer-readable medium (e.g. a non-transitory medium)storing instructions for performing the methods described herein. In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium (e.g. a non-transitory medium) stores a video encoded using any of the methods described herein.

[0032] One or more of the present embodiments also provide a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for performing bi-directional optical flow, encoding or decoding according to any of the methods described above. The present embodiments also provide a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a bitstream generated according to the methods described above. The present embodiments also provide a method and apparatus for transmitting the bitstream generated according to the methods described above. The present embodiments also provide a computer program product including instructions for performing any of the methods described.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communications system according to some embodiments.

[0034] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A according to some embodiments.

[0035] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example set of interfaces for a system according to some embodiments.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a system diagram illustrating an example set of interfaces for a system according to some embodiments.

[0037] FIG. 3 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating an example MPEG haptics data structure according to some embodiments.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a process diagram illustrating example haptic encoder, decoder, and renderer architectures according to some embodiments.

[0039] FIG. 5 is a set of schematic illustrations showing an example haptic time signal (bottom) and its decomposition in two frequency bands (top) according to some embodiments.

[0040] FIG. 6A is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation mask model according to some embodiments.

[0041] FIG. 6B is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation mesh model according to some embodiments.

[0042] FIG. 6C is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation skeleton model according to some embodiments.

[0043] FIG. 7 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating the hierarchical structure of the skeleton representation according to some embodiments.

[0044] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration showing an example mesh model with mapping to a skeleton / mask model according to some embodiments.

[0045] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for converting between two haptic body representations according to some embodiments.

[0046] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for converting from a common haptic body representation according to some embodiments.

[0047] The entities, connections, arrangements, and the like that are depicted in— and described in connection with— the various figures are presented by way of example and not by way of limitation. As such, any and all statements or other indications as to what a particular figure “depicts,” what a particular element or entity in a particular figure “is” or “has,” and any and all similar statements— that may in isolation and out of context be read as absolute and therefore limiting— may only properly be read as being constructively preceded by a clause such as “In at least one embodiment, ... " For brevity and clarity of presentation, this implied leading clause is not repeated ad nauseum in the detailed description.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an example communications system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system 100 may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system 100 may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications systems 100 may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA(SC-FDMA), zero-tail unique-word DFT-Spread OFDM (ZT UW DTS-s OFDM), unique word OFDM (UW-OFDM), resource block-filtered OFDM, filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), and the like.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit / receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a RAN 104 / 113, a ON 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, any of which may be referred to as a “station” and / or a “STA”, may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (loT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head-mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and applications (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and applications (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or an automated processing chain contexts), a consumer electronics device, a device operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, and the like. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and 102d may be interchangeably referred to as a UE.

[0050] The communications systems 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a gNB, a NR NodeB, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations 114a, 114b are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0051] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104 / 113, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). These frequencies may be in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed andunlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide coverage for a wireless service to a specific geographical area that may be relatively fixed or that may change over time. The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming may be used to transmit and / or receive signals in desired spatial directions.

[0052] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, micrometer wave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0053] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station 114a in the RAN 104 / 113 and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High-Speed UL Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0054] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0055] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR Radio Access , which may establish the air interface 116 using New Radio (NR).

[0056] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, for instance using dual connectivity (DC) principles. Thus, the air interface utilized by WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to / from multiple types of base stations (e.g., a eNB and a gNB).

[0057] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS- 2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like.

[0058] The base station 114b in FIG. 1A may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a roadway, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in FIG. 1 A, the base station 114b may have a direct connection to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not be required to access the Internet 110 via the CN 106.

[0059] The RAN 104 / 113 may be in communication with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and / or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have varying quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as differing throughput requirements, latency requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, and the like. The CN 106 may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1 A, it will be appreciated that the RAN 104 / 113 and / or the CN 106 may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104 / 113, which may be utilizing a NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM, UMTS, CDMA 2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technology.

[0060] The CN 106 may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or the other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include circuit-switched telephonenetworks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and / or the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP / IP internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communications networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN 104 / 113 or a different RAT.

[0061] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with the base station 114a, which may employ a cellularbased radio technology, and with the base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology.

[0062] FIG. 1 B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1 B, the WTRU 102 may include a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a global positioning system (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138, among others. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0063] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. While FIG. 1 B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0064] The transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In anembodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0065] Although the transmit / receive element 122 is depicted in FIG. 1 B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0066] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit / receive element 122. As noted above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as NR and IEEE 802.11, for example.

[0067] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. In addition, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory 130 and / or the removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as on a server or a home computer (not shown).

[0068] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134, and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0069] The processor 118 may also be coupled to the GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information over the air interface 116 from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) and / or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0070] The processor 118 may further be coupled to other peripherals 138, which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs and / or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a Virtual Reality and / or Augmented Reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 may include one or more sensors, the sensors may be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, an orientation sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor; a geolocation sensor; an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, and / or a humidity sensor.

[0071] The WTRU 102 may include a full duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and downlink (e.g., for reception) may be concurrent and / or simultaneous. The full duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and or substantially eliminate self-interference via either hardware (e.g., a choke) or signal processing via a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or via processor 118). In an embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with particular subframes for either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or the downlink (e.g., for reception)).

[0072] Although the WTRU is described in FIGs. 1 A-1 B as a wireless terminal, it is contemplated that in certain representative embodiments that such a terminal may use (e.g., temporarily or permanently) wired communication interfaces with the communication network.

[0073] In representative embodiments, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0074] In view of FIGs. 1A-1 B, and the corresponding description, one or more, or all, of the functions described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all, of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0075] The emulation devices may be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or in an operator network environment. For example, the one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network in order to test other devices within the communication network. The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, or all, functions while being temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device may be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or may performing testing using over-the-air wireless communications.

[0076] The one or more emulation devices may perform the one or more, including all, functions while not being implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in a testing scenario in a testing laboratory and / or a non-deployed (e.g., testing) wired and / or wireless communication network in order to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communications via RF circuitry (e.g., which may include one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0077] FIG. 1 C is a system diagram illustrating an example set of interfaces for a system according to some embodiments. An extended reality display device, together with its control electronics, may be implemented for some embodiments. System 150 can be embodied as a device including the various components described below and is configured to perform one or more of the aspects described in this document. Examples of such devices, include, but are not limited to, various electronic devices such as personal computers, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, digital multimedia set top boxes, digital television receivers, personal video recording systems, connected home appliances, and servers. Elements of system 150, singly or in combination, can be embodied in a single integrated circuit (IC), multiple ICs, and / or discrete components. For example, in at least one embodiment, the processing and encoder / decoder elements of system 150 are distributed acrossmultiple ICs and / or discrete components. In various embodiments, the system 150 is communicatively coupled to one or more other systems, or other electronic devices, via, for example, a communications bus or through dedicated input and / or output ports. In various embodiments, the system 150 is configured to implement one or more of the aspects described in this document.

[0078] The system 150 includes at least one processor 152 configured to execute instructions loaded therein for implementing, for example, the various aspects described in this document. Processor 152 may include embedded memory, input output interface, and various other circuitries as known in the art. The system 150 includes at least one memory 154 (e.g., a volatile memory device, and / or a non-volatile memory device). System 150 may include a storage device 158, which can include non-volatile memory and / or volatile memory, including, but not limited to, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), Programmable Read-Only Memory (PROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), flash, magnetic disk drive, and / or optical disk drive. The storage device 158 can include an internal storage device, an attached storage device (including detachable and non-detachable storage devices), and / or a network accessible storage device, as non-limiting examples.

[0079] System 150 includes an encoder / decoder module 156 configured, for example, to process data to provide an encoded video or decoded video, and the encoder / decoder module 156 can include its own processor and memory. The encoder / decoder module 156 represents module(s) that can be included in a device to perform the encoding and / or decoding functions. As is known, a device can include one or both of the encoding and decoding modules. Additionally, encoder / decoder module 156 can be implemented as a separate element of system 150 or can be incorporated within processor 152 as a combination of hardware and software as known to those skilled in the art.

[0080] Program code to be loaded onto processor 152 or encoder / decoder 156 to perform the various aspects described in this document can be stored in storage device 158 and subsequently loaded onto memory 154 for execution by processor 152. In accordance with various embodiments, one or more of processor 152, memory 154, storage device 158, and encoder / decoder module 156 can store one or more of various items during the performance of the processes described in this document. Such stored items can include, but are not limited to, the input video, the decoded video or portions of the decoded video, the bitstream, matrices, variables, and intermediate or final results from the processing of equations, formulas, operations, and operational logic.

[0081] In some embodiments, memory inside of the processor 152 and / or the encoder / decoder module 156 is used to store instructions and to provide working memory for processing that is needed during encoding or decoding. In other embodiments, however, a memory external to the processing device (for example, the processing device can be either the processor 152 or the encoder / decoder module 152) is used for one or more of these functions. The external memory can be the memory 154 and / or the storage device 158, for example, a dynamic volatile memory and / or a non-volatile flash memory. In several embodiments, an external non-volatile flash memory is used to store the operating system of, for example, a television. In at least one embodiment, a fast external dynamic volatile memory such as a RAM is used as working memory for video coding and decoding operations, such as for MPEG-2 (MPEG refers to the Moving Picture Experts Group, MPEG-2 is also referred to as ISO / IEC 13818, and 13818-1 is also known as H.222, and 13818-2 is also known as H.262), HEVC (HEVC refers to High Efficiency Video Coding, also known as H.265 and MPEG-H Part 2), or WC (Versatile Video Coding, a new standard being developed by JVET, the Joint Video Experts Team).

[0082] The input to the elements of system 150 can be provided through various input devices as indicated in block 172. Such input devices include, but are not limited to, (i) a radio frequency (RF) portion that receives an RF signal transmitted, for example, over the air by a broadcaster, (ii) a Component (COMP) input terminal (or a set of COMP input terminals), (iii) a Universal Serial Bus (USB) input terminal, and / or (iv) a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) input terminal. Other examples, not shown in FIG. 1 C, include composite video.

[0083] In various embodiments, the input devices of block 172 have associated respective input processing elements as known in the art. For example, the RF portion can be associated with elements suitable for (i) selecting a desired frequency (also referred to as selecting a signal, or band-limiting a signal to a band of frequencies), (ii) downconverting the selected signal, (iii) band-limiting again to a narrower band of frequencies to select (for example) a signal frequency band which can be referred to as a channel in certain embodiments, (iv) demodulating the downconverted and band-limited signal, (v) performing error correction, and (vi) demultiplexing to select the desired stream of data packets. The RF portion of various embodiments includes one or more elements to perform these functions, for example, frequency selectors, signal selectors, bandlimiters, channel selectors, filters, downconverters, demodulators, error correctors, and demultiplexers. The RF portion can include a tuner that performs various of these functions, including, for example, downconverting the received signal to a lower frequency (for example, an intermediate frequency or a near-baseband frequency) or to baseband. In one set-top box embodiment, the RF portion and its associated input processing elementreceives an RF signal transmitted over a wired (for example, cable) medium, and performs frequency selection by filtering, downconverting, and filtering again to a desired frequency band. Various embodiments rearrange the order of the above-described (and other) elements, remove some of these elements, and / or add other elements performing similar or different functions. Adding elements can include inserting elements in between existing elements, such as, for example, inserting amplifiers and an analog-to-digital converter. In various embodiments, the RF portion includes an antenna.

[0084] Additionally, the USB and / or HDMI terminals can include respective interface processors for connecting system 150 to other electronic devices across USB and / or HDMI connections. It is to be understood that various aspects of input processing, for example, Reed-Solomon error correction, can be implemented, for example, within a separate input processing IC or within processor 152 as necessary. Similarly, aspects of USB or HDMI interface processing can be implemented within separate interface ICs or within processor 152 as necessary. The demodulated, error corrected, and demultiplexed stream is provided to various processing elements, including, for example, processor 152, and encoder / decoder 156 operating in combination with the memory and storage elements to process the datastream as necessary for presentation on an output device.

[0085] Various elements of system 150 can be provided within an integrated housing, Within the integrated housing, the various elements can be interconnected and transmit data therebetween using suitable connection arrangement 174, for example, an internal bus as known in the art, including the I nter-IC (I2C) bus, wiring, and printed circuit boards.

[0086] The system 150 includes communication interface 160 that enables communication with other devices via communication channel 162. The communication interface 160 can include, but is not limited to, a transceiver configured to transmit and to receive data over communication channel 162. The communication interface 160 can include, but is not limited to, a modem or network card and the communication channel 162 can be implemented, for example, within a wired and / or a wireless medium.

[0087] Data is streamed, or otherwise provided, to the system 150, in various embodiments, using a wireless network such as a Wi-Fi network, for example IEEE 802.11 (IEEE refers to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). The Wi-Fi signal of these embodiments is received over the communications channel 162 and the communications interface 160 which are adapted for Wi-Fi communications. The communications channel 162 of these embodiments is typically connected to an access point or router that provides access to external networks including the Internet for allowing streaming applications and other over-the-topcommunications. Other embodiments provide streamed data to the system 150 using a set-top box that delivers the data over the HDMI connection of the input block 172. Still other embodiments provide streamed data to the system 150 using the RF connection of the input block 172. As indicated above, various embodiments provide data in a non-streaming manner. Additionally, various embodiments use wireless networks other than Wi-Fi, for example a cellular network or a Bluetooth network.

[0088] The system 150 can provide an output signal to various output devices, including a display 176, speakers 178, and other peripheral devices 180. The display 176 of various embodiments includes one or more of, for example, a touchscreen display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a curved display, and / or a foldable display. The display 176 can be for a television, a tablet, a laptop, a cell phone (mobile phone), or other device. The display 176 can also be integrated with other components (for example, as in a smart phone), or separate (for example, an external monitor for a laptop). The other peripheral devices 180 include, in various examples of embodiments, one or more of a stand-alone digital video disc (or digital versatile disc) (DVR, for both terms), a disk player, a stereo system, and / or a lighting system. Various embodiments use one or more peripheral devices 180 that provide a function based on the output of the system 150. For example, a disk player performs the function of playing the output of the system 150.

[0089] In various embodiments, control signals are communicated between the system 150 and the display 176, speakers 178, or other peripheral devices 180 using signaling such as AV.Link, Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), or other communications protocols that enable device-to-device control with or without user intervention. The output devices can be communicatively coupled to system 150 via dedicated connections through respective interfaces 164, 166, and 168. Alternatively, the output devices can be connected to system 150 using the communications channel 162 via the communications interface 160. The display 176 and speakers 178 can be integrated in a single unit with the other components of system 150 in an electronic device such as, for example, a television. In various embodiments, the display interface 164 includes a display driver, such as, for example, a timing controller (T Con) chip.

[0090] The display 176 and speaker 178 can alternatively be separate from one or more of the other components, for example, if the RF portion of input 172 is part of a separate set-top box. In various embodiments in which the display 176 and speakers 178 are external components, the output signal can be provided via dedicated output connections, including, for example, HDMI ports, USB ports, or COMP outputs.

[0091] The system 150 may include one or more sensor devices 168. Examples of sensor devices that may be used include one or more GPS sensors, gyroscopic sensors, accelerometers, light sensors, cameras, depth cameras, microphones, and / or magnetometers. Such sensors may be used to determine information such as user’s position and orientation. Where the system 150 is used as the control module for an extended reality display (such as control modules 124, 132), the user’s position and orientation may be used in determining how to render image data such that the user perceives the correct portion of a virtual object or virtual scene from the correct point of view. In the case of head-mounted display devices, the position and orientation of the device itself may be used to determine the position and orientation of the user for the purpose of rendering virtual content. In the case of other display devices, such as a phone, a tablet, a computer monitor, or a television, other inputs may be used to determine the position and orientation of the user for the purpose of rendering content. For example, a user may select and / or adjust a desired viewpoint and / or viewing direction with the use of a touch screen, keypad or keyboard, trackball, joystick, or other input. Where the display device has sensors such as accelerometers and / or gyroscopes, the viewpoint and orientation used for the purpose of rendering content may be selected and / or adjusted based on motion of the display device.

[0092] The embodiments can be carried out by computer software implemented by the processor 152 or by hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a non-limiting example, the embodiments can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The memory 154 can be of any type appropriate to the technical environment and can be implemented using any appropriate data storage technology, such as optical memory devices, magnetic memory devices, semiconductor-based memory devices, fixed memory, and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. The processor 152 can be of any type appropriate to the technical environment, and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0093] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example of system in which various aspects and embodiments are implemented. In the depicted system, the rendering device 200 may interact with a server 222 providing a content 224 through a communication network 220. This content 224 may take many different forms and may comprise various data and / or files such as audio data, video data, text, graphics, and / or haptics required for its rendering. The content 224 may be generated under control of a content generator 218 that may take different forms according to different context of usage. For example, when the content is a written document, the content generator may be implemented for example as an edition software running on a computer or server. When the content is a flow of interpersonal interactions (e.g., SMS) or social media interactions (e.g., WhatsApp, Twitter),the content generator may be implemented for example as an interaction manager software running on a computer.

[0094] The rendering device 200 is an apparatus that comprises a processor 202. The processor 202 may be a general-purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor may perform data processing such as haptic signal decoding, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the device to operate in an immersive system.

[0095] The processor 202 may be coupled to an input unit 204 configured to convey user interactions. Multiple types of inputs and modalities can be used for that purpose. A physical keypad and a touch sensitive surface are typical examples of input units adapted to this usage although voice control could also be used. In addition, the input unit may also comprise a digital camera able to capture still pictures or video in two dimensions or a more complex sensor able to determine the depth information in addition to the picture or video and thus able to capture a complete 3D representation. The processor 202 may be coupled to a display unit 206 configured to output visual data to be displayed on a screen. Multiple types of displays can be used for that purpose such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit. The processor 202 may also be coupled to an audio unit 208 configured to render sound data to be converted into audio waves through an adapted transducer such as a loudspeaker for example. The processor 202 may be coupled to a communication interface 210 configured to exchange data with external devices. The communication preferably uses a wireless communication standard to provide mobility of the rendering device, such as cellular (e.g., LTE) communications, Wi-Fi communications, and the like. The processor 202 may access information from, and store data in, the memory 212, that may comprise multiple types of memory including random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, any other type of memory storage device. In embodiments, the processor 202 may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the device, such as on a server, a home computer, or another device.

[0096] The processor 202 is coupled to a haptic unit 214 configured to provide haptic feedback to the user (e.g.: vibrations), defined by the haptic effect described in the content 224. The haptic unit 214 may comprise a single haptic actuator or a plurality of haptic actuators located at a plurality of positions on the rendering device.Different haptic units may have a different number of actuators and / or the actuators may be positioned differently on the rendering device.

[0097] In at least one embodiment, the processor 202 is configured to render a haptic signal according to embodiments described further below, in other words to apply a low-level signal to a haptic actuator to render the haptic effect. Such low-level signal may be represented using different forms, for example by metadata or parameters in the description file or by using a digital encoding of a sampled analog signal (e.g., PCM or LPCM).

[0098] The processor 202 may receive power from the power source 216 and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to the other components in the device 200. The power source 216 may be any suitable device for powering the device. As examples, the power source may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), and the like), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like.

[0099] While FIG 2 depicts the processor 202 and the other elements 204 to 216 as separate components, it will be appreciated that these elements may be integrated in an electronic package or chip. It will be appreciated that the rendering device 200 may include any sub-combination of the elements described herein while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The processor 202 may further be coupled to other peripherals or units not depicted in FIG. 2 which may include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals may include sensors such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, and the like.

[0100] Typical examples of a rendering device 200 are smartphones, tablets, computers, game / AR / VR controllers, headphones, or any other object with integrated haptic capabilities able to render a haptic effect.

[0101] Other examples of rendering devices 200 do not comprise any haptic capabilities but are in relation with one or more device able to render a haptic effect such as haptic gloves, haptic chairs, haptic props, and motion platforms. In this case, the rendering device 200 may prepare data for rendering the haptic effect so that another device, such as a haptic prop, can perform the haptic rendering. Examples of such devices are television sets, head-mounted displays, gamepads, or laptops.

[0102] In at least one embodiment, the device does not include a display unit, nor does it include a haptic unit. In such embodiment, the device does not visually render the content 224 and does not render the associatedhaptic effects. However, the device may prepare data for display so that another device, such as a screen, can perform the display and may prepare data for rendering the haptic effect so that another device, such as a haptic prop, can perform the haptic rendering. Examples of such devices are computers, game consoles, optical media players, or set-top boxes.

[0103] In at least one embodiment, the content 224 and associated elements are directly hosted in memory 212 of the rendering device 200 allowing local rendering and interactions. In a variant of this embodiment, the device 200 also comprises the content generator 218 allowing a fully standalone operation, for example without needing any communication network 220 and server 222.

[0104] With the on-going MPEG standardization process on the coded representation of haptics, a new haptic coding format with a reference model of this format has been defined. The coding format and the encoder are detailed herein.MPEG Haptic Format

[0105] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of data structure for the interchange file format describing a haptic effect. The data structure 300 can be decomposed in a set of layers. At the upper layer, metadata 302 describe high- level metadata information regarding the overall haptic experience defined in the data structure 300 and a list of avatars 304 (body representation) later referenced in the file. These avatars allow to specify a target location of haptic stimuli on the body. The haptic effects are described through a list of perceptions 306, 308. These perceptions correspond to haptic signals associated with specific perception modalities such as vibration, force, position, velocity, and / or temperature). A perception comprises metadata 310 to describe the haptic content of the signal, information about devices 312 to describe specifications of the haptic devices for which the signal was designed and a list of haptic tracks 314, 316. A haptic track comprises metadata 318 to describe the content of the track, the associated gain value, a mixing weight, body localization information and a reference to haptic device specification (defined at the perception level). The track finally contains a list of haptic bands 320, 322, each band defining a subset of the signal within a given frequency range. For example, the haptic band 320 may correspond to the range of frequencies from 0 to 50 Hz while the haptic band 322 may correspond to the range of frequencies over 2 kHz. A haptic band comprises band data 324 to describe the frequency range of the band, the type of encoding modality (Vectorial or Wavelet), the type of band (T ransient, Curve and Wave) and optionally the type of curve (Cubic, Linear or unknown) or the window length. A haptic band is defined by a list of haptic effects 326, 328. Finally, a haptic effect comprises a list of keyframes 332, 334 and effect data 330, a keyframebeing defined by a position (a temporal reference), a frequency and an amplitude. The effect data describes the type of base signal selected amongst Sine, Square, Triangle, SawToothllp, and SawToothDown as well as provide temporal references such as timestamps. The low-level haptic signal can then be reconstructed by combining the keyframes of the haptic effects in the different bands, as illustrated in the example of FIG. 5.

[0106] FIG. 4 illustrates examples of processes for encoding and rendering a haptic effect. The encoding process is for example implemented as a module of content generator 218 of FIG. 2 and typically performed on a computer generating the content and comprising a processor. The encoding process may also be implemented on a specific hardware platform dedicated to encoding content. The inputs are a metadata file and at least one low-level haptic signal file (signal file or descriptive file). The metadata file is for example based on the ‘OHM’ haptic object file format. The signal files represent analog signals to be applied to haptic actuators and are conventionally encoded using a pulse coded modulation (PCM) for example based on the WAV file format. The descriptive files are, for example, based on the AHAP, IVS, MPEG H JI F or HAPT file formats.

[0107] The processor extracts metadata from the metadata file, allowing to identify the descriptive files and / or signal files. The processor analyzes and transcodes descriptive files. The signal files are processed by a process that may include decomposing the signal into frequency bands and keyframes or wavelets, as further described in FIGs. 3 and 5.

[0108] The processor may generate an interchange file in compliance with the data format as defined in the MPEG-I Haptics standard ISO / IEC 23090-31 : Haptics Coding. The processor may compress the interchange file to be distributed in a transmission-friendly form such as a distribution file or binary stream, which is more compact than the interchange file format.

[0109] The interchange file is a human readable file for example based on gITF, XML or JSON formats. The distribution file is a binary encoded file or stream for example based on MPEG file formats or streams adapted for streaming or broadcasting to a decoder device.

[0110] The decoding process and the rendering process are, for example, both implemented by a rendering device 200 of FIG. 2 and executed by the processor 202. The decoding process also may be performed by a device separate from - but communicating with - the rendering device, for example by a computer, a set top box, a smartphone, a computing instance in the cloud.

[0111] In the case a distribution file or stream is used, this file needs first to be decoded. The processor performs the binary decompression and generates an interchange file.

[0112] For the rendering process, the interchange file is analyzed by a synthesizer to generate haptic signals as defined in the interchange file.

[0113] FIG. 4 is a process diagram illustrating an example haptic encoder architecture according to some embodiments. The architecture 400 of the encoder, decoder, and renderer is illustrated in FIG. 4. The encoded signal may be exported either as a JSON (human readable) interchange format or as a compressed binary distribution format.

[0114] Descriptive haptics files (. ivs and .ahap) or waveform PCM files (.wav) may be used as inputs into the encoding process. The encoding of these file formats may follow two distinct approaches. For descriptive input files, the encoder analyzes 404 and transcodes 406 the data directly to the Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG) interchange format. For waveform signals, the data is processed using signal analysis methods (such as frequency bands decomposition 410) to generate keyframes and either interpolate between keyframes and / or use wavelet coding (based on SPIHT) to generate a binary encoded stream. For some embodiments, a keyframe extraction process 412 may be used to pass keyframes to the formatting process 408. For some embodiments, wavelet process 414 may be performed and the output may be sent to the formatting process 408. Set Partitioning In Hierarchical Trees (SPIHT) is an algorithm based on Embedded Zerotree Wavelet (EZW) coding. SPIHT exploits the self-similarity of the wavelet coefficients across the bands and bitplanes and operates iteratively on each bitplane of the signal starting with the most significant bit. The output of SPIHT is a binary stream.

[0115] For some embodiments, a formatting process 408 may output the MPEG formatted data in interchange JSON-based format ( hjif). Furthermore, for some embodiments, the MPEG data may undergo binary compression 416 and packetization 418 to generate a file or stream in distribution format (.hmpg or MIHS stream). For some embodiments, metadata may be extracted 402 from an .ohm file. Such metadata may be used to assist with the formatting 408, formatting analysis 404, and signal analysis and processing for some embodiments.

[0116] On the decoder side, interchange file format data may be received and passed to a wavelet decoding process 424 and to a synthesizer process 426. An MIHS stream of .hmpg data may be received by a depacketization process 420. Outputs of the depacketization process 420 may be sent to the wavelet decoding process 424, the synthesizer 426, and the formatting process 422. The synthesizer process 426 may generate .wav data, and the formatting process 422 may generate .hjif Interchange file format data.

[0117] FIG. 5 is a set of schematic illustrations showing an example haptic time signal (bottom) and its decomposition in two frequency bands (top) according to some embodiments. A perception may include a list of tracks in which the data may be decomposed into frequency bands. Each band includes part of the signal in a given frequency range. The band may be described with a list of haptic effects in which each haptic effect includes a list of keyframes. The haptic signal in a track may be reconstructed by combining the data of the different bands. Both bands are time domain signals. The two bands correspond to the original time signal filtered in a low frequency time domain signal part and a high frequency time domain signal part. The combination gives the original signal. FIG. 5 illustrates how a haptic signal may be decomposed into two frequency bands (“Band 1” and “Band 2”). By combining the high and low frequency bands, the original signal may be reconstructed.

[0118] The format described herein uses four types of haptic bands: transient bands, curve bands, vectorial wave bands, and wavelet bands. The top signal of FIG. 5 is an example curve band. The bottom signal of FIG. 5 is an example vectorial wave band. Each band is composed of a series of "effects", which are each defined by a list of "keyframes". The data included in the effects and keyframes may be interpreted differently for different types of haptic bands and encoding modalities.

[0119] For a transient band, each effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position, an amplitude, and a frequency. A keyframe represents a transient event.

[0120] For a curve band, each effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position and an amplitude. The keyframes represents the control points of the curve. The type of interpolation function (cubic or linear) used to generate the band is specified in the metadata of the band.

[0121] For vectorial wave bands, the effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position, an amplitude and a frequency.

[0122] For wavelet wave bands, the effect stores the contents of one wavelet block. Such effects include a keyframe for every coefficient of the wavelet transformed and quantized signal, with only the amplitude value used. The coefficients are scaled to a range of [-1 ,1]. Additionally, the original maximum amplitude is stored in a keyframe, as well as the maximum number of used bits.

[0123] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of haptic signal coded using two haptic bands. With this technique, a low- level haptic signal is encoded using a two frequency bands, a low-frequency band 500 and a high-frequency band 522, each defining a part of the signal in a given frequency range. In this example, the low-frequency band corresponds to frequencies below 72.5 Hz while the high-frequency band corresponds to frequencies equal toor higher than 72.5 Hz. On the rendering side, the device combines the two parts (adds them) to generate the final haptic signal 540.

[0124] The data for a frequency band may be reconstructed based on keyframes and according to a type of haptic band selected amongst Transient, Curve and Wave bands. Additionally, for Wave bands, two types of encoding modalities can be used: Vectorial or Wavelet. Each band is composed of a series of Effects and each Effect is defined by a list of Keyframes that are represented as dots in the figure. The data contained in the effects and keyframes is interpreted differently for different types of haptic bands and encoding modalities.

[0125] For a Transient band, each effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position, an amplitude, and a frequency. A keyframe represents a transient event. The signal may be reconstructed using the type of periodic base signal specified in the effect metadata with the amplitude specified in the keyframe and the period given by the frequency of the keyframe. A transient event is a very short signal generated only for a few periods. The number of generated periods is determined by the decoder.

[0126] For a Curve band, each effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position (a temporal reference) and an amplitude. The keyframes represent control points of a curve and an interpolation is performed to generate the curve from the control points. The type of interpolation function is either cubic or linear and is specified in the metadata of the band. The signal may be reconstructed by performing an interpolation between the amplitudes of keyframes according to their temporal references.

[0127] For Vectorial Wave bands, the effect stores a set of keyframes defining a position (a temporal reference), an amplitude and a frequency. In this case, the signal is generated using the type of periodic base signal specified in the effect metadata with the amplitude specified in the keyframe and the period given by the frequency of the keyframe. The SPIHT wavelet encoding scheme may be used for the Wavelet band or types of wavelet encoding. For example, for the Wavelet band, the effect may store the contents of one wavelet block. It contains a keyframe for every coefficient of the wavelet transformed and quantized signal, indicating the amplitude value of the wavelet. The coefficients are scaled to a range of [-1 ,1]. Additionally, the original maximum amplitude is stored in a keyframe, as well as the maximum number of used bits. In this case, the signal may be reconstructed using the coefficients to perform an inverse wavelet transform.

[0128] The frequency band decomposition may use a low-pass filter and a high-pass filter to split the signal into a low-frequency band and a high-frequency band. The two bands are then processed differently. Various methods can be used for the encoding of the high-frequency part. A first solution is to split the high-frequencysignal into smaller fixed length windows and use Short-time Fourier Transform (STFT) to decompose the signal in the frequency spectrum. Another solution is to use wavelet transforms to encode the high frequencies. The data structure allows to define multiple bands with different frequency ranges. These bands are used to store the coefficients of the Fourier or Wavelet Transforms.

[0129] For the low-frequency part of the signal, the data of this frequency band is stored through a list of keyframe points defined by a timestamp and an amplitude. The data also contains information relative to the type of interpolation used to reproduce the signal of this band. The keyframes (i.e., control points) defining the low-frequency band are obtained by simply extracting the local extrema of the low-frequency signal.

[0130] In the example of the figure, the low-frequency band 500 is defined as a Curve band using a single effect 502. Such representation is particularly adapted to the low-frequency part of the signal. The effect 502 is defined by the keyframes 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514, 516, 518, 520. The signal for the low-frequency band is generated by a cubic interpolation between these keyframes. The high-frequency band 522 is defined by 4 effects 524, 534, 536, 538. The effect 524 is defined as a Vectorial band defined by 4 keyframes 526, 528, 530, 532.

[0131] While the description is based on a set of two bands defining a range for low frequencies and a range for high frequencies, the principles apply also in case more than two ranges of frequencies are used. In this case, the low-frequency band becomes the lowest frequency band, and the high-frequency band becomes the highest frequency band. The lowest frequency band may for example be encoded using a curve band using a single effect, as represented by the low-frequency band 500. Other frequency bands may be encoded with any of the other type of encoding, for example using a vectorial wave band based on wavelets, as represented by the high- frequency band 522 but using multiple instances of encoding, one for each band of frequencies.

[0132] One advantage of this solution with regards to the structure is that the signal data is easy to package and particularly convenient for streaming purposes Indeed, with such linear structure, the data can be easily broken down to small consecutive packages and does not require complicated data-pre-fetching operations. The signal is easily reconstructed by patching the packages back together to ensure a smooth playback of the signal. It may also be reconstructed by only taking the low-frequency part and reconstruct a lower quality (but potentially sufficient) signal without considering the high-frequency band.

[0133] As detailed in the following section, the further sections of this document describe the encoding of haptic signal based on a manually generated signal or of PCM waveform signals, for example carried by input WAV files. In this context, the haptic signal describes a single perception modality and even if the file containsmultiple tracks, the encoder will process each track separately. Therefore, for the sake of clarity in the remainder of the disclosure, the description will describe the coding of a single track.Body Models

[0134] FIG. 6A is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation mask model according to some embodiments. FIG. 6B is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation mesh model according to some embodiments. FIG. 6C is a schematic illustration showing an example user representation skeleton model according to some embodiments.

[0135] The MPEG standards include three different ways to encode localization of haptic effects on the user body: (1) the body part mask (a binary mask with a rough resolution); (2) a custom 3D mesh model representing the body (any resolution can be defined); and (3) a body part target (related to the human skeleton). FIGs. 6A, 6B, 60 depict those three user representation models: mask 600 (FIG. 6A), mesh 620 (FIG. 6B), and skeleton 640 (FIG. 6C).

[0136] The ability to use any model means that the creation tools or the rendering devices may need to translate from one model or another to prevent implementing each system. A manufacturer may implement only one system due to, for example, simplicity, complexity, physical constraint, or cost reasons. Therefore, translation from one model to another model may be used. In addition, an application may use combination of the different models for various reasons. Thus, a method of translating from one representation to another may be necessary to develop various applications or render appropriately the signal.

[0137] From the device perspective, either: (1) each model is implemented and a mapping between the user and devices is done, or (2) only one model is implemented and some conversion from the received model to the implemented one is done. If only one model is implemented, then the most defined model (which may be a mesh model) may be the model that is used, and mapping may be done to such a model. Some embodiments provide different methods to go from one model to another one. Discussed herein are those methods to translate from one representation / model to another representation / model.

[0138] Since mask and skeleton representations are semantically based, the mapping is based on the semantic meanings of the body parts. Bi-directional direct value mappings are given to go between mask and skeleton representations.

[0139] However, the mesh representation does not include semantic information. The MPEG avatar reference model specified in the MPEG standard ISO / IEC 23090-14 Amd1 Annex H and identified by the URN urn:mpeg:sd:2023:avatar may be used. The MPEG reference avatar gives an example mapping of a semantic naming to a list of vertices. If an application uses its own avatar mesh model, the application also defines its own semantic mapping. The MPEG reference avatar model, which provides different resolutions and the mapping, may be used by some applications to ease interoperability for some standardized situations.Mask to Skeleton Mapping

[0140] FIG. 7 is a hierarchy diagram illustrating the hierarchical structure of the skeleton representation according to some embodiments. By combining the different body parts with the logical operators plus and minus, various parts of the body may be represented at different scales. A skeleton representation provides a description of the body parts similar to the body part mask with a more detailed granularity. As a result, combined body parts in a skeleton representation may be mapped to an equivalent binary combination in a mask representation. The table below provides the encoding of the body part corresponding to the hierarchical structure 700 depicted in FIG. 7.

[0141] For the example shown in FIG. 7, the Crane LR 730 has two actuators: Actuator 1 (742) and Actuator 2 (744). Also, the Hallux L 760 has two actuators: Actuator 1 (776) and Actuator 2 (778). Furthermore, for the example shown in FIG. 7, the First Phalanx R 770 has two actuators: Actuator 1 (780) and Actuator 2 (782).

[0142] The following general rules may be used to do a mapping from a mask representation to a skeleton representation.

[0143] Since the skeleton may be more decomposed / higher granularity, there may be a direct mapping from one body part to a skeleton representation. For example, the arm, palm, hand, head, and foot exist in both representations.

[0144] If a binary mask combination is used, a similar combination may be used with the skeleton. For example, the lower body (body part mask 1111 1111 1100 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 in binary or (FFC0 0000) in hex) is mapped to [“Lower”].

[0145] Table 1 gives some examples of a mapping of a mask name / value to skeleton name / value. However, since the number of combinations is huge (4,294,967,296), only a small sample set of examples is provided.Table 1.

[0146] For some embodiments, a mapping may be implemented by determining a table of correspondence (like the one shown in Table 1) for all 4,294,967,296 (2A32) mask possibilities.

[0147] For some embodiments, a mapping may be implemented by using the mesh representation as an intermediate model and going to the mask at the end. A mapping of skeleton -> mesh -> mask may be used. Thus, a skeleton to mesh mapping and a mesh to mask mapping may be defined and used.Skeleton to Mask Mapping

[0148] The following general rules may be used to do a mapping from a skeleton representation to a mask representation. Since a skeleton may be more decomposed than a mask, a direct mapping may be more difficult.

[0149] If the skeleton is more divided, then the corresponding mask encapsulates the skeleton parts. For example, a phalanx corresponds to the fingers.

[0150] If the skeleton is less divided, then a binary combination may be used. For example, a full body skeleton may be mapped to a binary combination corresponding to all body parts (which corresponds to the body part mask 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 1111 in binary or (FFFF FFFF) in hex.

[0151] If a body part of a skeleton does not exist in a mask, an encapsulating body part or the closest part may be selected. For example, the neck may be mapped to the upper chest.

[0152] The skeleton representation also contains operators (plus or minus) to combine skeleton parts. This functionality also may be done with a combination of masks. For example, entity ["Top”, “Minus”, "Left”] (which is equal to the values [10, 254, 13]) in a skeleton may be mapped to a combination of head, torso, and left arm (which is 0000 0000 0010 1010 1010 1011 1111 1111 in binary or (002A ABFF) in hex) in a mask.

[0153] The total number of possible combinations is huge to compute a table. Any combination of parts at each layer may be done for some embodiments. Some embodiments may use a mesh representation as an intermediate model and go to a mask representation at the end. Thus, a mapping of skeleton -> mesh -> mask may be used. A skeleton to mesh mapping and a mesh to mask mapping may be defined and used.Skeleton / Mask to or from Mesh Mapping

[0154] FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration showing an example mesh model with mapping to a skeleton / mask model according to some embodiments. Some embodiments may use the mapping described below to go from (mask or skeleton) to mesh or vice versa. Such mapping may be used if a body mapping is designed with a mask or skeleton, and the receiver implemented a mesh model, for instance. Or, such mapping may be used if a design was done by a third party, and the application wants to convert the design to a mesh.

[0155] For some embodiments, the body parts or skeleton may be mapped to a list of vertices corresponding to a model. For instance, the MPEG reference model (Morgan) provides a semantic definition that is similar to a body parts naming convention.

[0156] FIG. 8 shows a 3D mesh model 800 with colored body parts 802 (corresponding to the ISO / IEC 23090- 14 Amd1 Annex H, MPEG reference model “Morgan”). Table 2 shows a correspondence between the 3D mesh model and body parts in which colors are used to show the mapping / correspondence. In Table 2, the full body is associate to none, the upper body is associated to none, the head is associated to none, the face is associated to white, the Back / Neck / Ears are associated to black, the Mouth Bag is associated to blue-green, the lower jaw is associated to magenta, the upper jaw is associated to a first shade of green, the eye left is associated to dark red, the eye right is associated to a second shade of green, the chest is associated to none, the chest front is associated to a third shade of green, the chest back is associated to purple, the arm left is associated to none, the upper arm left is associated to pink, the Lower Arm Left is associated to red, the hand left is associated to a fourth shade of green, the arm right is associated to none, the Upper Arm Right is associated to a first shade of blue, the Lower Arm Right is associated to dark pink, the Hand Right is associated to a fifth shade of green, the lower body is associated to none, the Abdomen is associated to none, the Abdomen Front is associated to a second shade of blue, the Abdomen Back is associated to gray, the Leg Left is associate to none, the Upper Leg Left is associated to a third shade of blue, the Lower Leg Left is associated to orange, the Foot Left is associated to yellow, the Leg Right is associated to none, the Upper Leg Right is associated to light orange, the Lower Leg Right is associated to a sixth shade of green, and the Foot Right is associated to light yellow. This table is also part of the ISO / IEC 23090-14 Amd1 Annex H, MPEG reference model “Morgan”. FIG. 8 combined with Table 2 shows a mapping between body parts to mesh vertices and face IDs.Table 2.

[0157] For some embodiments, an application or receiver device may implement the same type of conversion shown in Table 2. A list of vertices and faces may be combined as a corollary to operating upon or combining body parts.

[0158] For some embodiments, the rendering of haptic effects may be done with an assumption either that the receiver knows where the devices are on the user or that the actuator mapping of the MPEG haptics standard is used (ISO / IEC 23090-31 : Haptics Coding). As such, the correspondence between the location of the 3D mesh model and the real user and devices may be determined. Furthermore, this application may be used with the MPEG-I Haptics standard (ISO / IEC 23090-31 : Haptics Coding).

[0159] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for converting between two haptic body representations according to some embodiments. For some embodiments, an example process 900 may include obtaining 902 a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation includes a plurality of elements of a body. For some embodiments, the example process 900 may further include determining 904 a first model type of the first haptic body representation. For some embodiments, the example process 900 may further include determining 906 a second model type for a second haptic body representation. For some embodiments, the example process 900 may further include obtaining 908 a mapping of the first model type to the second model type. For some embodiments, the example process 900 may further include converting 910 at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation. For some embodiments, the example process 900 may further include performing 912 a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0160] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example process for converting from a common haptic body representation according to some embodiments. For some embodiments, an example process 1000 may include obtaining 1002 a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation includes a plurality of elements of a body, and wherein the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first model type. For some embodiments, the example process 1000 may further include selecting 1004 a second model type for a second haptic body representation. For some embodiments, the example process 1000 may further include obtaining 1006 a mapping of the first model type to the second model type. For some embodiments, the example process 1000 may further include converting 1008 at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation. For some embodiments, the example process 1000 may further include performing 1010 a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0161] While the methods and systems in accordance with some embodiments are generally discussed in context of multimedia delivery, such methods and systems may be extended to mobile communication, wearable devices, XR, gaming, and sports, among other devices and systems.

[0162] A first example method in accordance with some embodiments may include: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body; determining a first model type of the first haptic body representation; determining a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0163] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is different than the second haptic body representation.

[0164] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a mask representation of the body.

[0165] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a skeleton representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

[0166] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a skeleton representation of the body.

[0167] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

[0168] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

[0169] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a skeleton representation of the body.

[0170] Some embodiments of the first example method may further include: combining at least two elements of the first haptic body representation; and converting the combined elements of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding one or more elements of the second haptic body representation.

[0171] Some embodiments of the first example method may further include: determining a third model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the second model type to the third model type; converting at least one element of the second haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the third haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the third haptic body representation.

[0172] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first, second, and third haptic body representations are three different MPEG representations.

[0173] For some embodiments of the first example method, the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first resolution, the second haptic body representation corresponds to a second resolution, and the first resolution is different than the second resolution.

[0174] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second model type is linked to an end user rendering device.

[0175] For some embodiments of the first example method, the second haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body, and the second haptic body representation is compatible with a Motion Pictures Expert Group I (MPEG-I) Annex H body model.

[0176] For some embodiments of the first example method, performing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user comprises: decoding the haptic effect; and synthesizing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user.

[0177] For some embodiments of the first example method, the haptic effect is coded using a format defined in ISO / IEC 23090-31 : Haptics Coding.

[0178] A first example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of the methods listed above.

[0179] A second example method / apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body, and wherein the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first model type; selecting a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding elementof the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

[0180] For some embodiments of the second example method, the first model type is a mesh representation type, and the second model type is either a mask representation type or a skeleton representation type.

[0181] For some embodiments of the second example method, converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation comprises converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of an intermediate haptic body representation and converting the corresponding element of the intermediate haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation.

[0182] For some embodiments of the second example method, an intermediate haptic body representation is used in the converting the intermediate haptic body representation being used between the first haptic body representation and the second haptic body representation.

[0183] For some embodiments of the second example method, the intermediate haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

[0184] A second example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0185] A third example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include at least one processor configured to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0186] A fourth example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include: a computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0187] A fifth example apparatus in accordance with some embodiments may include at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform any one of the methods listed above.

[0188] A signal in accordance with some embodiments may include a bitstream generated according to any one of the methods listed above.

[0189] This disclosure describes a variety of aspects, including tools, features, embodiments, models, approaches, etc. Many of these aspects are described with specificity and, at least to show the individualcharacteristics, are often described in a manner that may sound limiting. However, this is for purposes of clarity in description, and does not limit the disclosure or scope of those aspects. Indeed, all of the different aspects can be combined and interchanged to provide further aspects. Moreover, the aspects can be combined and interchanged with aspects described in earlier filings as well.

[0190] The aspects described and contemplated in this disclosure can be implemented in many different forms. While some embodiments are illustrated specifically, other embodiments are contemplated, and the discussion of particular embodiments does not limit the breadth of the implementations. At least one of the aspects generally relates to haptics encoding and decoding, and at least one other aspect generally relates to transmitting a bitstream generated or encoded. These and other aspects can be implemented as a method, an apparatus, a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for encoding or decoding haptics data according to any of the methods described, and / or a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a bitstream generated according to any of the methods described.

[0191] In the present disclosure, the terms “reconstructed” and “decoded” may be used interchangeably, the terms “pixel” and “sample” may be used interchangeably, the terms “image,” “picture” and “frame” may be used interchangeably. Usually, but not necessarily, the term “reconstructed” is used at the encoder side while “decoded” is used at the decoder side.

[0192] Various methods are described herein, and each of the methods comprises one or more steps or actions for achieving the described method. Unless a specific order of steps or actions is required for proper operation of the method, the order and / or use of specific steps and / or actions may be modified or combined. Additionally, terms such as “first”, “second”, etc. may be used in various embodiments to modify an element, component, step, operation, etc., such as, for example, a “first decoding” and a “second decoding”. Use of such terms does not imply an ordering to the modified operations unless specifically required. So, in this example, the first decoding need not be performed before the second decoding, and may occur, for example, before, during, or in an overlapping time period with the second decoding.

[0193] Various numeric values may be used in the present disclosure, for example. The specific values are for example purposes and the aspects described are not limited to these specific values.

[0194] Embodiments described herein may be carried out by computer software implemented by a processor or other hardware, or by a combination of hardware and software. As a non-limiting example, the embodiments can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits. The processor can be of any type appropriate to thetechnical environment and can encompass one or more of microprocessors, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, and processors based on a multi-core architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0195] Whether the phrase “decoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader decoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions. For some embodiments, a haptics effect (as described in ISO / IEC 23090-31) may be decoded from a curve, a vectorial, a wave, or a wavelet format.

[0196] . Whether the phrase “encoding process” is intended to refer specifically to a subset of operations or generally to the broader encoding process will be clear based on the context of the specific descriptions. For some embodiments, a haptics effect (as described in ISO / IEC 23090-31) may be encoded as a curve, a vectorial, a wave, or a wavelet.

[0197] When a figure is presented as a flow diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a block diagram of a corresponding apparatus. Similarly, when a figure is presented as a block diagram, it should be understood that it also provides a flow diagram of a corresponding method / process.

[0198] The implementations and aspects described herein can be implemented in, for example, a method or a process, an apparatus, a software program, a data stream, or a signal. Even if only discussed in the context of a single form of implementation (for example, discussed only as a method), the implementation of features discussed can also be implemented in other forms (for example, an apparatus or program). An apparatus can be implemented in, for example, appropriate hardware, software, and firmware. The methods can be implemented in, for example, a processor, which refers to processing devices in general, including, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, or a programmable logic device. Processors also include communication devices, such as, for example, computers, cell phones, portable / personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), and other devices that facilitate communication of information between end-users.

[0199] Reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” or “one implementation” or “an implementation”, as well as other variations thereof, means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” or “in one implementation” or “in an implementation”, as well any other variations, appearing in various places throughout this disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

[0200] Additionally, this disclosure may refer to “determining” various pieces of information. Determining the information can include one or more of, for example, estimating the information, calculating the information, predicting the information, or retrieving the information from memory.

[0201] Further, this disclosure may refer to “accessing” various pieces of information. Accessing the information can include one or more of, for example, receiving the information, retrieving the information (for example, from memory), storing the information, moving the information, copying the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0202] Additionally, this disclosure may refer to “receiving” various pieces of information. Receiving is, as with “accessing”, intended to be a broad term. Receiving the information can include one or more of, for example, accessing the information, or retrieving the information (for example, from memory). Further, “receiving” is typically involved, in one way or another, during operations such as, for example, storing the information, processing the information, transmitting the information, moving the information, copying the information, erasing the information, calculating the information, determining the information, predicting the information, or estimating the information.

[0203] It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following 7”, “and / or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A / B”, “A and / or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A and B). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and / or C” and “at least one of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass the selection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of the second listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listed option (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listed options (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listed options (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listed options (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and B and C). This may be extended for as many items as are listed.

[0204] Implementations can produce a variety of signals formatted to carry information that can be, for example, stored or transmitted. The information can include, for example, instructions for performing a method, or data produced by one of the described implementations. For example, a signal can be formatted to carry the bitstream of a described embodiment. Such a signal can be formatted, for example, as an electromagnetic wave (for example, using a radio frequency portion of spectrum) or as a baseband signal. The formatting can include, for example, encoding a data stream and modulating a carrier with the encoded data stream. The informationthat the signal carries can be, for example, analog or digital information. The signal can be transmitted over a variety of different wired or wireless links, as is known. The signal can be stored on a processor-readable medium.

[0205] We describe a number of embodiments. Features of these embodiments can be provided alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types. Further, embodiments can include one or more of the following features, devices, or aspects, alone or in any combination, across various claim categories and types:• A bitstream or signal that includes one or more of the described syntax elements, or variations thereof.• A bitstream or signal that includes syntax conveying information generated according to any of the embodiments described.• Creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding a bitstream or signal that includes one or more of the described syntax elements, or variations thereof.• Creating and / or transmitting and / or receiving and / or decoding according to any of the embodiments described.• A method, process, apparatus, medium storing instructions, medium storing data, or signal according to any of the embodiments described.• A TV, set-top box, cell phone, tablet, or other electronic device that performs rendering of signals according to any of the embodiments described.

[0206] Note that various hardware elements of one or more of the described embodiments are referred to as “modules” that carry out (i.e., perform, execute, and the like) various functions that are described herein in connection with the respective modules. As used herein, a module includes hardware (e.g., one or more processors, one or more microprocessors, one or more microcontrollers, one or more microchips, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more memory devices) deemed suitable by those of skill in the relevant art for a given implementation. Each described module may also include instructions executable for carrying out the one or more functions described as being carried out by the respective module, and it is noted that those instructions could take the form of or include hardware (i.e., hardwired) instructions, firmware instructions, software instructions, and / or the like, and may be stored in any suitable non-transitory computer-readable medium or media, such as commonly referred to as RAM, ROM, etc.

[0207] Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method comprising: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body; determining a first model type of the first haptic body representation; determining a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first haptic body representation is different than the second haptic body representation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first haptic body representation is a mask representation of the body.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second body representation is one of a skeleton representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first haptic body representation is a skeleton representation of the body.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a mesh representation of the body.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second body representation is one of a mask representation of the body or a skeleton representation of the body.

9. The method of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising: combining at least two elements of the first haptic body representation; andconverting the combined elements of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding one or more elements of the second haptic body representation.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising: determining a third model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the second model type to the third model type; converting at least one element of the second haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the third haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the third haptic body representation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third haptic body representations are three differentMPEG representations.

12. The method of any one of claims 1-11 , wherein the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first resolution, wherein the second haptic body representation corresponds to a second resolution, and wherein the first resolution is different than the second resolution.

13. The method of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the second model type is linked to an end user rendering device.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 -13, wherein the second haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body, and wherein the second haptic body representation is compatible with a Motion Pictures Expert Group I (MPEG-I) Annex H body model.

15. The method of any one of claims 1-14, wherein performing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user comprises: decoding the haptic effect; and synthesizing the haptic effect in conjunction with presenting the one or more image bytes to the user.

16. The method of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the haptic effect is coded using a format defined in ISO / IEC23090-31 : Haptics Coding.

17. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 through 16.

18. A method comprising: obtaining a first haptic body representation, wherein the first haptic body representation comprises a plurality of elements of a body, and wherein the first haptic body representation corresponds to a first model type; selecting a second model type for a second haptic body representation; obtaining a mapping of the first model type to the second model type; converting at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of the second haptic body representation; and performing a haptic effect on a portion of the body corresponding to at least one element of the second haptic body representation.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first model type is a mesh representation type, and wherein the second model type is either a mask representation type or a skeleton representation type.

20. The method of any one of claims 1-19, wherein converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation comprises converting the at least one element of the first haptic body representation to a corresponding element of an intermediate haptic body representation and converting the corresponding element of the intermediate haptic body representation to the corresponding element of the second haptic body representation.

21. The method of any one of claims 1-19, wherein an intermediate haptic body representation is used in the converting the intermediate haptic body representation being used between the first haptic body representation and the second haptic body representation.

22. The method of any one of claims 20-21 , wherein the intermediate haptic body representation is a mesh representation of the body.

23. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions operative, when executed by the processor, to cause the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 18 through 22.

24. An apparatus comprising at least one processor configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-16 and 18-22.

25. An apparatus comprising a computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1 -16 and 18-22.

26. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for causing the at least one processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 -16 and 18-22.

27. A signal including a bitstream generated according to any one of claims 1-16 and 18-22.

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