Sensory feedback systems and methods for guiding users in virtual reality environments

• US 10,241,566 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2015
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Original Assignee: Valve Corporation
• Inventors: Sawyer, David, Birdwell, Kenneth, Barnett, Kenneth, Reidford, Tristan, Leiby, Aaron, Ridgway, Emily, Vlachos, Alexander C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Ryan R
• Application Number:
  US14/933,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20160124502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 345633
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0167 Emergency system, e.g. to prevent injuries
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

Sensory feedback (“chaperoning”) systems and methods for guiding users in virtual/augmented reality environments such as walk-around virtual reality environments are described. Exemplary implementations assist with preventing collisions with objects in the physical operating space in which the user acts, among other potential functions and/or uses.

Claims

1. A method for warning a user of a head-mounted display of potential collisions with real-world obstacles, comprising the steps of:

defining the location of said obstacles relative to a reference point;

continually monitoring a location of said user relative to said reference point;

performing a first detection to determine when a first distance between said location of said user relative to a location of one of said obstacles is smaller than a first predetermined alarm threshold;

in response to said first detection, displaying a visual alarm on said head-mounted display to provide an indication to said user of a potential collision with said one of said obstacles; and

continually monitoring a location of an object held by said user, performing a second detection to determine when a second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, and, in response to said second detection, displaying a visual alarm on said head-mounted display to provide an indication to said user of a potential collision between said object and said one of said obstacles,

wherein a step of defining said location of said obstacles relative to said reference point further comprises prompting said user to walk around a portion of the boundaries of a real operating space while holding said object, and detecting said location of said object at a plurality of points in time during an execution of said step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if said first detection determines that the first distance between said location of said user relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, said visual alarm increases in intensity as said user gets closer to said one of said obstacles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said visual alarm is accompanied by a vibratory alarm on said object if said second detection determines that the second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than a second predetermined alarm threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, if said second detection determines that the second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, said visual alarm increases in intensity as said object gets closer to said one of said obstacles.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said visual alarm is accompanied by a vibratory alarm on said head-mounted display if said first detection determines that the first distance between said location of said user relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than a second predetermined alarm threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of detecting an issuance of a repositioning command from said user and, in response, repositioning a virtual representation of said user in a virtual space.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a brightness of said visual alarm after a predetermined period of time.

8. A system for warning a user of a head-mounted display of potential collisions with real-world obstacles, comprising:

one or more location-defining circuits for determining the location of said obstacles relative to a reference point;

one or more circuits for user-location monitoring that continually monitor a location of said user relative to said reference point, perform a first detection to determine when a first distance between said location of said user relative to a location of one of said obstacles is smaller than a first predetermined alarm threshold, and in response to said first detection, display a visual alarm on said head-mounted display to provide an indication to said user of a potential collision with said one of said obstacles; and

one or more circuits for object-location monitoring that continually monitor a location of an object held by said user, perform a second detection to determine when a second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, and, in response to said second detection, display a visual alarm on said head-mounted display to provide an indication to said user of a potential collision between said object and said one of said obstacles,

wherein said one or more location-defining circuits prompt said user to walk around a portion of the boundaries of a real operating space while holding said object, and detect said location of said object at a plurality of points in time as said user walks around said portion.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, if said first detection determines that the first distance between said location of said user relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, said visual alarm increases in intensity as said user gets closer to said one of said obstacles.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said visual alarm is accompanied by a vibratory alarm on said object if said second detection determines that the second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than a second predetermined alarm threshold.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein, if said second detection determines that the second distance between said location of said object relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than said first predetermined alarm threshold, said visual alarm increases in intensity as said object gets closer to said one of said obstacles.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein said visual alarm is accompanied by a vibratory alarm on said head-mounted display if said first detection determines that the first distance between said location of said user relative to said location of said one of said obstacles is smaller than a second predetermined alarm threshold.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising one or more circuits for display repositioning that detect an issuance of a repositioning command from said user and, in response, reposition a virtual representation of said user in a virtual space.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein said one or more circuits for user-location monitoring reduce a brightness of said visual alarm after a predetermined period of time.