1. A fluid valve and fluid connection system comprising a housing having a receiving chamber with a first internal connection element and with a first external connection element, comprising a first movable valve element arranged in the receiving chamber, and comprising an actuating element, which has a fluid communication system with a second internal connection element and with a second external connection element, wherein the first internal connection element cooperates with the second internal connection element and the valve element in order to establish or to block a fluid connection between the first and the second external connection elements.
2. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating element can be moved relative to the housing and can adopt a first position, in which the fluid connection between the first and the second external connection elements is blocked, and can adopt a second position, in which the fluid connection between the first and the second external connection elements is established.
3. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating element has means that cooperate with means of the housing in order to define the first and the second positions.
4. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the means of the actuating element have at least one arm, which has at least one radially inwardly oriented protrusion, and wherein the means of the housing are grooves formed in a housing wall.
5. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the grooves are arranged spaced apart from one another in the axial direction of the housing.
6. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the at least one arm is arranged in the first position in such a way that the at least one protrusion engages with one of the grooves and the at least one arm is arranged in the second position in such a way that the at least one protrusion engages with another of the grooves.
7. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein a blocking element is provided, which when in a first position prevents the actuating element from adopting the second position and which when in a second position allows the actuating element to adopt the second position.
8. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the blocking element is an open ring element, which grasps around the housing and prevents the actuating element from adopting the second position in that the position of the means of the actuating element is limited in such a way that the at least one protrusion cannot engage with the groove associated with the second position.
9. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with fastening means in order to fasten the housing to a second storage vessel.
10. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is provided with the second external connection element in order to establish a fluid connection to the second storage vessel.
11. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating element is provided with fastening means in order to fasten the housing to a first storage vessel.
12. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuating element is provided with the first external connection element in order to establish a fluid connection to the first storage vessel.
13. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening means are formed in the manner of detent arms.
14. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first andor the second external connection element isare formed in the manner of a hollow cannula.
15. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the external connection element is formed with one or with two channels.
16. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first internal connection element is a hollow-cylindrical connecting piece and the second internal connection element is a hollow-cylindrical connecting piece, which engage with one another when moved between the first position and the second position.
17. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second internal connection element is a hollow-cylindrical connecting piece which, when moved between the first position and the second position, acts on the valve element.
18. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve element in the first position of the actuating element blocks the fluid connection between the first and the second external connection elements and the valve element in the second position of the actuating element allows the fluid connection between the first and the second external connection elements.
19. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve element has an approximately cylindrical region with spring arms protruding away from the cylindrical region.
20. The fluid valve and fluid connection system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the valve element is arranged with its approximately cylindrical region in the first internal connection element, wherein the spring arms are each supported on an inner wall of the housing.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus for creating an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
an audio processor operable to create a weighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
associating means operable to associate the weighted audio stream with a datum that represents a location of the portion of the hearing range in the virtual environment, wherein the weighted audio stream and the datum represent the audio scene.
2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the audio processor is further operable to create the weighted audio stream such that it comprises an unweighted audio stream that comprises audio from another object located in the portion of the hearing range of the avatar.
3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the audio processor is operable to create the weighted audio stream in accordance with a predetermined mixing operation, the predetermined mixing operation comprising identification information that identifies the object andor the other objects, and weighting information that can be used by the audio processor to set an amplitude of the audio and unweighted audio stream in the weighted audio stream.
4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein the apparatus further comprises a communication means operable to receive the audio, the unweighted audio stream and the mixing operation via a communication network, the communication network also being operable to send the weighted audio stream and the datum via the communication network.
5. An apparatus operable to create audio information for use in an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
an audio processor operable to create an unweighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
associating means operable to associate the unweighted audio stream with a datum that represents an approximate location of the object in the virtual environment, wherein the unweighted audio stream and the datum represent the audio information.
6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the audio processor is operable to create the unweighted audio stream in accordance with a predetermined mixing operation, the predetermined mixing operation comprising identification information that identifies the object.
7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a communication means operable to receive the audio and the predetermined mixing operation via a communication network, the communication network also being operable to send the unweighted audio stream and the datum via the communication network.
8. An apparatus for obtaining information that can be used to create an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
identifying means operable to determine an identifier of an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar;
weighting means operable to determine a weighting to be applied to audio from the object; and
locating means operable to determine a location of the portion in the virtual environment, wherein the identifier, weighting and the location represent the information that can be used to create the audio scene.
9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a communication means operable to send, via a communication network, the identifier, the weighting and the location to one of a plurality of systems for processing.
10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communication means is further operable to create routing information for the communication network, wherein the routing information is such that it can be used by the communication network to route the audio to the one of the plurality of system for processing.
11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identifying means, the weighting means and the locating means are operable to respectively determine the identifier, the weighting and the location by processing a representation of the virtue environment.
12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identifying means is operable to determine the portion of the hearing range by:
selecting a first of a plurality of avatars in the virtual environment;
identifying a second of the plurality of avatars that is proximate the first of the avatars;
determining whether the second of the avatars can be included in an existing cluster;
including the second of the avatars in the existing cluster upon determining that it can be included therein;
creating a new cluster that includes the second of the avatars upon determining that the second of the avatars cannot be included in the existing cluster to thereby create a plurality of clusters;
determining an angular gap between two of the clusters;
creating a further cluster that is located in the angular gap; and
including at least one of the avatars in the further cluster.
13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the identifying means is operable to determine the portion of the hearing range by:
selecting one of a plurality of avatars in the virtual environment;
determining a radial ray that extends from the avatar to the one of the plurality of avatars;
calculating the absolute angular distance that each of the plurality of avatars is from the radial ray;
arranging the absolute angular distance of each of the avatars into an ascending ordered list;
calculating a differential angular separation between successive ones of the absolute angular distance in the ascending ordered list; and
selecting at least one of the differential angular separation that has a higher value than another differential angular separation; and
determining another radial ray that emanates from the avatar and which bisects two of the avatars that are associated with the differential angular separation.
14. An apparatus for creating information that can be used to create an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
identifying means operable to determine an identifier of an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
locating means operable to determine an approximate location of the object in the virtual environment, wherein the identifier and the approximate location represent the information that can be used to create the audio scene.
15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, further comprising a communication means operable to send, via a communication network, the identifier and the location to one of a plurality of systems for processing.
16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the communication means is further operable to create routing information for the communication network, wherein the routing information is such that it can be used by the communication network to route the audio to the one of the plurality of systems for processing.
17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the identifying means and the locating means are operable to respectively determine the identifier and the location by processing a representation of the virtue environment.
18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the identifying means is operable to determine the approximate location of the object by:
dividing the virtual environment into a plurality of cells; and
determining a location in the one of the cells about which the object is located.
19. An apparatus for rendering an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the apparatus comprising:
obtaining means operable to obtain a weighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar, and a datum that is associated with the weighted audio stream and which represents a location of the portion of the hearing range in the virtual environment; and
a spatial audio rendering engine that is operable to process the weighted audio stream and the datum in order to render the audio scene.
20. A method of creating an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
creating a weighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
associating the weighted audio stream with a datum that represents a location of the portion of the hearing range in the virtual environment, wherein the weighted audio stream and the datum represent the audio scene.
21. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of creating the weighted audio stream is such that the weighted audio stream comprises an unweighted audio stream that comprises audio from another object located in the portion of the hearing range of the avatar.
22. The method as claimed in claim 20, wherein the step of creating the weighted audio stream is carried out in accordance with a predetermined mixing operation, the predetermined mixing operation comprising identification information that identifies the object andor the other objects, and weighting information that can be used by the audio processor to set an amplitude of the audio and unweighted audio stream in the weighted audio stream.
23. The method as claimed in claim 22, further comprises the steps of:
receiving the audio, the unweighted audio stream and the mixing operation via a communication network; and
sending the weighted audio stream and the datum via the communication network.
24. A method of creating audio information for use in an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
creating an unweighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
associating the unweighted audio stream with a datum that represents an approximate location of the object in the virtual environment, wherein the unweighted audio stream and the datum represent the audio information.
25. The method as claimed in claim 24, wherein the step of creating the unweighted audio stream is carried out in accordance with a predetermined mixing operation, wherein the predetermined mixing operation comprising identification information that identifies the object.
26. The method as claimed in claim 25, further comprising the steps of:
receiving the audio and the predetermined mixing operation via a communication network; and
sending the unweighted audio stream and the datum via the communication network.
27. A method of obtaining information that can be used to create an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
determining an identifier of an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar;
determining a weighting to be applied to audio from the object; and
determining a location of the portion in the virtual environment, wherein the identifier, weighting and the location represent the information that can be used to create an audio scene.
28. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising the step of sending, via a communication network, the identifier, the weighting and the location to one of a plurality of systems for processing.
29. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of creating routing information for the communication network, wherein the routing information is such that it can be used by the communication network to route the audio to the one of the plurality of system for processing.
30. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the steps of determining the identifier, the weighting and the location respectively comprise determining the identifier, the weighting and the location by processing a representation of the virtue environment.
31. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising the following steps to determine the portion of the hearing range:
selecting a first of a plurality of avatars in the virtual environment;
identifying a second of the plurality of avatars that is proximate the first of the avatars;
determining whether the second of the avatars can be included in an existing cluster;
including the second of the avatars in the existing cluster upon determining that it can be included therein;
creating a new cluster that includes the second of the avatars upon determining that the second of the avatars cannot be included in the existing cluster to thereby create a plurality of clusters;
determining an angular gap between two of the clusters;
creating a further cluster that is located in the angular gap; and
including at least one of the avatars in the further cluster.
32. The method as claimed in claim 27, further comprising the following steps to determine the portion of the hearing range:
selecting one of a plurality of avatars in the virtual environment;
determining a radial ray that extends from the avatar to the one of the plurality of avatars;
calculating the absolute angular distance that each of the plurality of avatars is from the radial ray;
arranging the absolute distance of each of the avatars into an ascending ordered list;
calculating a differential angular separation between successive ones of the plurality of avatars based on the absolute angular distance;
selecting at least one of the differential angular separation that has a higher value than another differential angular separation; and
determining another radial ray that eminates from the avatar and which bisects two of the avatars which are associated with the differential angular separation.
33. A method of creating information that can be used to create an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
determining an identifier of an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar; and
determining an approximate location of the object in the virtual environment, wherein the identifier and the approximate location represent the information that can be used to create the audio scene.
34. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising the step of sending, via a communication network, the identifier and the location to one of a plurality of systems for processing.
35. The method as claimed in claim 34, further comprising the step of creating routing information for the communication network, wherein the routing information is such that it can be used by the communication network to route the audio to the one of the plurality of systems for processing.
36. The method as claimed in claim 33, wherein the steps of determining the identifier and the approximate location respectively comprises the step of determine the identifier and the location by processing a representation of the virtue environment.
37. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising the following steps to determine the approximate location of the object:
selecting at least once of the differential angular separation that has a higher value than another differential angular separation; and
determining another radial ray that eminates from the avatar and which bisects two of the avatars that are associated with the differential angular separation.
38. A method of rendering an audio scene for an avatar in a virtual environment, the method comprising the steps of:
obtaining a weighted audio stream that comprises audio from an object located in a portion of a hearing range of the avatar, and a datum that is associated with the weighted audio stream and which represents a location of the portion of the hearing range in the virtual environment; and
processing the weighted audio stream and the datum in order to render the audio scene.
39. A computer program comprising at least one instruction for causing a computing device to carry out the method defined in claim 20.
40. A computer readable medium comprising the computer program defined in claim 39.