Multi-user virtual and augmented reality tracking systems

• US 10,403,050 B1
• Filed: 04/09/2018
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Worldviz LLC
• Original Assignee: Worldviz LLC
• Inventors: Beall, Andrew C., Coffin, Christopher, Hartwig, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Mushambo, Martin
• Application Number:
  US15/948,729
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/292 Multi-camera tracking

Abstract

An aspect of the disclosure relates to an example marker identification and position tracking system configured to interface and work in conjunction with a marker device and camera system and to provide high fidelity tracking of user and object motion in a virtual and/or augmented reality experience. The example computing system enables use case scenarios in which certain computer aided design capabilities enable rapid creation/configuration of a multi-user, interactive, virtual reality, and/or augmented reality slide presentation experience.

Claims

1. A cluster system, comprising:

a plurality of motion tracking cameras, wherein the plurality of motion tracking cameras are placeable in a physical space coincident with a presenter and a first user, the plurality of motion tracking cameras configured to detect infrared light and to communicate position data, corresponding to detected infrared light;

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the cluster system, that when executed by the cluster system, cause the cluster system to;

join a head mounted display of the first user to a virtual reality presentation session in response to receipt of a first control selection by the first user;

render during the virtual reality presentation session, in the head mounted display of the first user, a scene defined by a first slide of a virtual reality slide presentation that comprises a plurality of virtual reality slides, wherein an initial placement of the first user in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation;

join a head mounted display of the presenter to the virtual reality presentation session in response to receipt of a second control selection by the presenter;

render, in the head mounted display of the presenter, the scene defined by the first slide of the virtual reality slide presentation and a representation of the first user;

subsequent to the presenter joining the virtual reality presentation session, render, in the head mounted display of the first user, a representation of the presenter wherein an initial placement of the presenter in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation; and

in response to receipt of a third control selection by the presenter, advance the virtual reality slide presentation to a second slide wherein the second slide causes a corresponding scene change to be rendered in the head mounted display of the presenter and the head mounted display of the first user.

2. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein the cluster system is configured to receive the virtual reality slide presentation from a presentation designer client configured to enable virtual reality slide presentations to be designed using a two dimensional display.

3. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein the cluster system is configured to receive the virtual reality slide presentation from a presentation designer client configured to enable virtual reality slide presentations to be designed and to display a thumbnail version of one or more slides of a virtual reality slide presentation being designed.

4. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of motion tracking cameras are configured to derive an identity of one or more markers from a detected repetitive pattern of infrared light pulses.

5. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the slides of the virtual reality slide presentation comprises a virtual reality recording of a second user presenting using one or more of the slides of the virtual reality slide presentation.

6. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein a portion of the cluster system further comprises one or more computing devices configured in a cloud-based computing environment.

7. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein the cluster system further comprises:

a master computing device; and

wherein the plurality of motion tracking cameras are configured to communicate position data corresponding to detected infrared light to the master computing device.

8. The cluster system of claim 1, wherein the corresponding scene change in response to the slide advance comprises the appearance of an object.

9. A cluster system, comprising:

a first plurality of motion tracking cameras, wherein the first plurality of motion tracking cameras are placeable in a physical space coincident with a presenter, the plurality of motion tracking cameras configured to detect infrared light and to communicate position data, corresponding to detected infrared light;

a second plurality of motion tracking cameras, wherein the second plurality of motion tracking cameras are placeable in a physical space coincident with a first user, the plurality of motion tracking cameras configured to detect infrared light and to communicate position data, corresponding to detected infrared light;

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the cluster system, that when executed by the cluster system, cause the cluster system to;

join a head mounted display of the first user to a virtual reality conference session in response to receipt of a first control selection by the first user;

render during the virtual reality conference session, in the head mounted display of the first user, a scene defined by a first slide of a virtual reality slide presentation comprising a plurality of slides, wherein an initial placement of the first user in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation;

join a head mounted display of the presenter to the virtual reality conference session in response to receipt of a first control selection by the presenter;

render, in the head mounted display of the presenter, the scene defined by the first slide of the virtual reality slide presentation and a representation of the first user;

subsequent to the presenter joining the virtual reality conference session, render, in the head mounted display of the first user, a representation of the presenter wherein an initial placement of the presenter in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation; and

in response to receipt of a third control selection by the presenter, advance the virtual reality slide presentation to a second slide wherein the second slide causes a corresponding scene change to be rendered in the head mounted display of the presenter and the head mounted display of the first user.

10. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein first user is geographically remote from the presenter.

11. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the cluster system further comprises:

a first computing device local to the first plurality of motion tracking cameras;

a master computing device; and

,

wherein the position data corresponding to detected infrared light is transmitted to the master computing device of the cluster system via the first computing device.

12. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the virtual reality slide presentation is designed via a first user interface and the first user interface displays a thumbnail version of one or more slides of the virtual reality slide presentation.

13. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the first plurality of motion tracking cameras and second plurality of motion tracking cameras are configured to derive an identity of one or more markers from a detected repetitive pattern of infrared light pulses.

14. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein a portion of the slides of the virtual reality slide presentation comprises a virtual reality recording of a second user presenting using one or more of the slides of the virtual reality slide presentation.

15. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the cluster system is configured to receive the virtual reality slide presentation from a presentation designer client configured to enable virtual reality slide presentations to be is designed via a computer-aided design user interface.

16. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein a portion of the cluster system further comprises one or more computing devices configured in a cloud-based computing environment.

17. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the cluster system further comprises:

a master computing device; and

wherein the first plurality of motion tracking cameras and the second plurality of motion tracking cameras are configured to communicate position data corresponding to detected infrared light to the master computing device.

18. The cluster system of claim 9, wherein the corresponding scene change in response to the slide advance comprises the appearance of an object.

19. Non-transitory media that stores instructions that when executed by a computer system cause the computer system to perform operations comprising:

render, in a head mounted display of a first user, a scene defined by a first slide of a virtual slide reality presentation comprising a plurality of virtual reality slides, wherein an initial placement of the first user in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation;

link a head mounted display of presenter to a virtual reality slide presentation session in response to receipt of a first control selection by the presenter;

render during the virtual reality slide presentation session, in the head mounted display of the presenter, the scene defined by the first slide of the virtual reality slide presentation and a representation of the first user;

subsequent to the presenter joining the virtual reality slide presentation session, render, in the head mounted display of the first user, a representation of the presenter, wherein an initial placement of the presenter in the scene is defined by the virtual reality slide presentation; and

in response to receipt of a second control selection by the presenter, advance the virtual reality slide presentation to a second slide, wherein the second slide causes a corresponding scene change to be rendered in the head mounted display of the presenter and the head mounted display of the first user.