Virtual reality systems with human interface device emulation and related methods

• US 10,281,977 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Acer, Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Chao-Kuang, Chuang, Tzu-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US15/604,831
• Publication Number:
  US 20180341326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 712 Days
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

Virtual reality (VR) systems with human interface device (HID) emulation and related methods are provided. A representative VR system includes: a VR head mounted display having a head piece and a display, the head piece being configured to be worn by a user to position the display, the display being configured to display the 3D content to the user, the head mounted display being configured to provide movement information corresponding to movement of the head mounted display; and emulation circuitry configured to: receive the movement information; convert the movement information into emulated HID movement information compatible with the 3D content; and use the emulated HID movement information to facilitate interaction of the user within a VR environment, associated with the 3D content, displayed on the display of the head mounted display.

Claims

1. A virtual reality (VR) system for displaying three-dimensional (3D) content to a user, the 3D content being configured to respond to inputs provided by a human interface device (HID), the system comprising:

a VR head mounted display (HMD) having a head piece and a display, the head piece being configured to be worn by a user to position the display, the display being configured to display the 3D content to the user, the head mounted display being configured to provide movement information corresponding to movement of the head mounted display; and

emulation circuitry configured to;

receive the movement information;

convert the movement information into emulated HID movement information compatible with the 3D content; and

use the emulated HID movement information to facilitate interaction of the user within a VR environment, associated with the 3D content, displayed on the display of the head mounted display;

wherein;

the 3D content is configured to respond to HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs, but not configured to respond to HID roll inputs;

the movement information comprises HMD pitch information, HMD roll information, and HMD yaw information; and

the emulation circuitry is further configured to;

convert the HMD pitch information and the HMD yaw information into emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs, respectively;

use the emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs to facilitate interaction of the user within the VR environment displayed by the head mounted display such that the VR environment responds to the emulated HID pitch inputs and the emulated HID yaw inputs; and

reconfigure image data associated with the 3D content such that the VR environment responds to the HMD roll information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the emulated HID movement information and HID movement information from an HID are used to facilitate the interaction of the user with the 3D content displayed on the HMD.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the system further comprises a personal computer having a display and an HID, the display being configured to display the 3D content, the HID being configured to provide HID movement information to facilitate interaction of the user with the 3D content displayed on the display of the personal computer; and

the emulation circuitry is configured to default, in response to detection of the HID movement information, to use of the HID movement information for interacting with the 3D content.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the emulation circuitry is resident on the personal computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the emulation circuitry is carried by the head mounted display.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the 3D content is based on OPENGL®

3D or MICROSOFT®

DIRECT3D®

3D platform.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the emulation circuitry is further configured to determine settings associated with the 3D content and automatically calibrate the system accordingly.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the emulation circuitry is further configured to receive an adjustment signal corresponding to a system-level adjustment and to adjust a parameter of the system in response thereto.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the head mounted display is configured to detect a user input corresponding to a request for the system-level adjustment and to provide the adjustment signal.

10. A virtual reality (VR) method for displaying three-dimensional (3D) content to a user, the 3D content being configured to respond to inputs provided by a human interface device (HID), the method comprising:

receiving movement information corresponding to movement of a VR head mounted display;

converting the movement information into emulated HID movement information compatible with the 3D content;

using the emulated HID movement information to facilitate interaction of the user within a VR environment, associated with the 3D content, displayed by the head mounted display;

converting the HMD pitch information and the HMD yaw information into emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs, respectively;

using the emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs to facilitate interaction of the user within the VR environment displayed by the head mounted display such that the VR environment responds to the emulated HID pitch inputs and the emulated HID yaw inputs; and

reconfiguring image data associated with the 3D content such that the VR environment responds to the HMD roll information;

wherein;

the 3D content is configured to respond to HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs, but not configured to respond to HID roll inputs; and

the movement information comprises HMD pitch information, HMD roll information, and HMD yaw information.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising using HID movement information provided by an HID, instead of the emulated HID movement information, to control the 3D content such that the VR environment responds to the HID movement information.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatically adjusting system settings according to settings associated with the 3D content.

13. A virtual reality (VR) system for displaying three-dimensional (3D) content to a user, the 3D content being configured to respond to inputs provided by a human interface device (HID), including HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs, but not configured to respond to HID roll inputs, the system comprising:

a VR head mounted display (HMD) configured to provide movement information corresponding to movement of the HMD, the movement information including HMD pitch information corresponding to pitch of the HMD, HMD yaw information corresponding to yaw of the HMD, and HMD roll information corresponding to roll of the HMD; and

emulation circuitry configured to;

receive the movement information;

convert the movement information into emulated HID movement information compatible with the 3D content such that the HMD pitch information and the HMD yaw information are converted to emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs, respectively;

use the emulated HID movement information to facilitate interaction of the user within a VR environment, associated with the 3D content, displayed by the HMD such that the VR environment responds to the emulated HID pitch inputs and the emulated HID yaw inputs; and

reconfigure image data associated with the 3D content such that the VR environment responds to the HMD roll information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the system further comprises a frame buffer configured to store the image data corresponding to a frame of the VR environment to be displayed; and

the emulation circuitry, in reconfiguring the image data, is further configured to display less than all of the image data provided to the frame buffer for a frame of the image data to be displayed such that the image data to be displayed is spatially translatable in response to the HMD roll information.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the emulation circuitry is further configured to receive an adjustment signal corresponding to a system-level adjustment and to adjust a parameter of the system in response thereto.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the HMD is configured to detect a user input corresponding to a request for the system-level adjustment and to provide the adjustment signal.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the system further comprises a personal computer having a display and an HID, the display being configured to display the 3D content, the HID being configured to provide HID movement information including HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs to facilitate interaction of the user with the 3D content displayed on the display of the personal computer; and

the emulation circuitry is further configured to;

use HID pitch inputs, if provided, instead of emulated HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs, if provided, instead of emulated yaw inputs to facilitate the interaction of the user with the 3D content.

18. A virtual reality (VR) method for displaying three-dimensional (3D) content to a user, the 3D content being configured to respond to inputs provided by a human interface device (HID), including HID pitch inputs and HID yaw inputs, but not configured to respond to HID roll inputs, the method comprising:

receiving movement information corresponding to movement of a VR head mounted display (HMD), the movement information including HMD pitch information corresponding to pitch of the HMD, HMD yaw information corresponding to yaw of the HMD, and HMD roll information corresponding to roll of the HMD;

converting the HMD pitch information and the HMD yaw information into emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs, respectively;

using the emulated HID pitch inputs and emulated HID yaw inputs to facilitate interaction of the user within a VR environment, associated with the 3D content, displayed by the HMD such that the VR environment responds to the emulated HID pitch inputs and the emulated HID yaw inputs; and

reconfiguring image data associated with the 3D content such that the VR environment responds to the HMD roll information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein reconfiguring further comprises spatially translating displayed images corresponding to the image data in response to the HMD roll information.