Defining operating areas for virtual reality systems using sensor-equipped operating surfaces

• US 10,423,241 B1
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pham, Dominick Khanh, Hazlewood, William R., Durbin, Christina Nichole, Dorner, Charles Shearer, Mendili, Alaa-Eddine
• Primary Examiner(s): Earles, Bryan
• Application Number:
  US15/665,170
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0325 using a plurality of light emitters or reflectors or a plurality of detectors forming a reference frame from which to derive the orientation of the object, e.g. by triangulation or on the basis of reference deformation in the picked up image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking

Abstract

An operating area for a virtual reality system may be defined based on the positions of sensors (e.g., infrared sensors) or fiducial markings within an environment where the virtual reality system is to be operated. The sensors or the fiducial markings may be provided on an operating surface in the form of a carpet, a mat or another like floor covering. When the virtual reality system is to be calibrated prior to use, positions of the sensors or the fiducial markings may be sensed by a base station, a headset or another virtual reality system unit, and an operating area may be defined based on virtual boundaries constructed using such positions.

Claims

1. A virtual reality system comprising:

an operating surface having a first plurality of infrared sensors, wherein the first plurality of infrared sensors comprises a first infrared sensor, a second infrared sensor, a third infrared sensor and a fourth infrared sensor;

a headset comprising;

a frame adapted for mounting about a human head, wherein the frame defines an interior cavity having a first opening and a second opening, and wherein the interior cavity is adapted for mating with at least a portion of a face of the human head;

a first display mounted within the first opening of the frame, wherein the first display is adapted to display imaging data for viewing by a left eye of the face;

a second display mounted within the second opening of the frame, wherein the second display is adapted to display imaging data for viewing by a right eye of the face; and

a base station comprising at least one infrared transceiver and at least one computer processor, wherein the at least one computer processor is configured to at least;

emit first infrared light by the infrared transceiver;

determine, in response to the first infrared light, a first position of the first infrared sensor;

determine, in response to the first infrared light, a second position of the second infrared sensor;

determine, in response to the first infrared light, a third position of the third infrared sensor;

determine, in response to the first infrared light, a fourth position of the fourth infrared sensor; and

define an operating area for the virtual reality system based at least in part on the first position, the second position, the third position and the fourth position.

2. The virtual reality system of claim 1, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to at least:

construct a first virtual boundary, wherein the first virtual boundary comprises a first plurality of points within a first planar section defined at least in part by a first line segment extending between the first position and the second position and between a first ray extending vertically upward from the first position and a second ray extending vertically upward from the second position;

construct a second virtual boundary, wherein the second virtual boundary comprises a second plurality of points within a second planar section defined at least in part by a second line segment extending between the second position and the third position and between the second ray and a third ray extending vertically upward from the third position;

construct a third virtual boundary, wherein the third virtual boundary comprises a third plurality of points within a third planar section defined at least in part by a third line segment extending between the third position and the fourth position and between the third ray and a fourth ray extending vertically upward from the fourth position; and

construct a fourth virtual boundary, wherein the fourth virtual boundary comprises a fourth plurality of points within a fourth planar section defined at least in part by a fourth line segment extending between the fourth position and the first position and between the fourth ray and a first ray,

wherein the operating area is defined at least in part by the first virtual boundary, the second virtual boundary, the third virtual boundary and the fourth virtual boundary.

3. The virtual reality system of claim 2, wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to at least:

construct a virtual floor, wherein the virtual floor comprises a fifth plurality of points within a fifth planar section defined by the first line segment, the second line segment, the third line segment and the fourth line segment,

wherein the operating area is defined at least in part by the first virtual boundary, the second virtual boundary, the third virtual boundary, the fourth virtual boundary and the virtual floor.

4. The virtual reality system of claim 1, wherein the headset further comprises at least a fifth infrared sensor, and

wherein the at least one computer processor is further configured to at least:

emit second infrared light by the infrared transceiver;

determine, in response to the second infrared light, a fifth position of the fifth infrared sensor;

determine that the fifth position is not within the operating area; and

cause a display of information on at least one of the first display or the second display, wherein the information comprises an indication that the headset is not within the operating area.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving at least a first signal transmitted by a first sensor and a second signal transmitted by a second sensor, wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor is joined to at least one substrate, and wherein each of the first sensor and the second sensor is separated by a predetermined distance within the at least one substrate;

determining, by at least one computer processor, a first position of the first sensor based at least in part on the first signal;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a second position of the second sensor based at least in part on the second signal;

defining, by the at least one computer processor, a first virtual boundary based at least in part on the first position and the second position; and

establishing, by the at least one computer processor, an operating area for a virtual reality system based at least in part on the first virtual boundary.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the first virtual boundary comprises a first plurality of points within a first planar space defined at least in part by:

a first line segment extending between the first position and these second position;

a first ray extending vertically upward from the first position; and

a second ray extending vertically upward from the second position.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least one substrate is formed from at least one of a wool, a nylon, a polypropylene, a polyester, a rubber, an acrylic, a cotton or a linen.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining an orientation of the at least one substrate based at least in part on the first position, the second position and the predetermined distance,

wherein the first virtual boundary is defined based at least in part on the orientation of the at least one substrate.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a visible surface of the at least one substrate comprises at least one fiducial marking thereon, and

wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

capturing, by at least one imaging device, at least one image of at least a portion of the visible surface; and

recognizing at least a portion of the fiducial marking within the at least one image, wherein the portion of the fiducial marking comprises at least one of an edge, a contour, an outline, a color, a texture, a silhouette or a shape of the fiducial marking, and

wherein at least the first virtual boundary is defined based at least in part on at least the portion of the fiducial marking.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the at least one material layer further comprises at least one haptic feedback element.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein a plurality of sensors is joined to the at least one substrate,

wherein each of the plurality of sensors is arranged in an array, and

wherein the plurality of sensors includes at least the first sensor and the second sensor.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein receiving at least the first signal and the second signal comprises:

receiving a plurality of signals from at least some of the plurality of sensors, wherein the plurality of signals includes at least the first signal and the second signal, and wherein the at least some of the plurality of sensors includes at least the first sensor and the second sensor;

determining positions of the at least some of the plurality of sensors; and

defining a virtual floor based at least in part on the positions of the at least some of the plurality of sensors.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a position of at least a portion of at least one user of the virtual reality system;

determining that the position of at least the portion of the at least one user is not within the operating area; and

in response to determining that the position of at least the portion of the at least one user is not within the operating area,

providing feedback to the at least one user.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 13, wherein determining the position of at least the portion of the at least one user comprises:

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a position of at least one sensor associated with a virtual reality headset worn by the at least one user, and

wherein providing the feedback to the at least one user comprises;

causing a display of information on at least one display of the virtual reality headset, wherein the information comprises an indicator that at least the portion of the at least one user is not within the operating area.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein at least the first sensor is an infrared sensor comprising a photodiode and at least one integrated circuit, and

wherein receiving at least the first signal and the second signal comprises:

receiving the first signal in response to activation of the photodiode by infrared light.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising:

emitting the infrared light by at least one infrared transceiver of a base station of the virtual reality system,

wherein the base station further comprises the at least one computer processor.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the base station further comprises at least one imaging device including at least a portion of the operating area within a field of view, and

wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises:

capturing, by the at least one imaging device, at least one image of at least the portion of the operating area;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, that the at least one image depicts at least a portion of at least one user of the virtual reality system therein; and

determining, by the at least one computer processor, at least one dimension of the least one user based at least in part on;

a distance between the first position and the second position; and

at least the portion of the at least one user depicted in the at least one image.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein receiving at least the first signal transmitted by the first sensor and the second signal transmitted by the second sensor comprises:

receiving a third signal transmitted by a third sensor, wherein the third sensor is not joined to the at least one substrate, and

wherein the computer-implemented method further comprises;

determining, by the at least one computer processor, a third position of the third sensor based at least in part on the third signal; and

defining, by the at least one computer processor, a second virtual boundary based at least in part on the third position,

wherein the operating area is established based at least in part on the second virtual boundary.

19. An operating surface comprising:

a first layer formed at least in part from at least one of a wool, a nylon, a polypropylene, a polyester, an acrylic, a cotton or a linen, wherein the first layer has a width and a length;

a second layer formed at least in part from a rubber, wherein the second layer is joined to the first layer, and wherein the second layer has the width and the length;

a first infrared sensor comprising a first photodiode and a first integrated circuit, wherein the first integrated circuit is configured to generate a first signal in response to activation of the first photodiode by infrared radiation, and wherein at least a portion of the first infrared sensor is joined to at least one of the first layer or the second layer; and

a second infrared sensor comprising a second photodiode and a second integrated circuit, wherein the second integrated circuit is configured to generate a second signal in response to activation of the second photodiode by infrared radiation, and wherein at least a portion of the second infrared sensor is joined to at least one of the first layer and the second layer.

20. The operating surface of claim 19, further comprising:

a plurality of infrared sensors arranged in an array, wherein the plurality of infrared sensors includes the first infrared sensor and the second infrared sensor,

wherein each of the infrared sensors comprises a photodiode and an integrated circuit configured to generate a signal in response to activation of the photodiode by infrared light, and

wherein at least a portion of each of the plurality of infrared sensors is disposed between the first layer.