Using a sphere to reorient a location of a user in a three-dimensional virtual reality video

• US 10,681,341 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2018
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lutter, Rory, Walkingshaw, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chio, Tat C
• Application Number:
  US16/157,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20190052869A1
• Time in Patent Office: 607 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/366 using viewer tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/119 Adaptive subdivision aspects, e.g. subdivision of a picture into rectangular or non-rectangular coding blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/162 User input
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/597 specially adapted for multi-view video sequence encoding

Abstract

A method includes generating graphical data for displaying a virtual reality user interface that includes a three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside a sphere. The method further includes determining, based on movement of a peripheral device, that a user selects the sphere in the virtual reality user interface and the user moves the sphere on a head of the user. The method further includes displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the sphere surrounding the head of the user such that the user views a 360 degree environment corresponding to the 3D virtual reality video.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying a virtual reality user interface that includes a three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside a sphere;

determining, based on movement of a peripheral device, a selection of the sphere in the virtual reality user interface;

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in a 360 degree environment as viewed from a first viewing direction that corresponds to a first location within the sphere;

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment;

displaying again, in response to the exit, the virtual reality user interface that includes the 3D virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside the sphere;

receiving, from the peripheral device, data describing a rotation of the sphere within the virtual reality user interface; and

displaying, within the virtual reality user interface, the sphere as being rotated including updating the first viewing direction to a second viewing direction that corresponds to a second location within the sphere.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved closer to a head of a user; and

increasing a size of the sphere as the sphere is moved closer to the head of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

responsive to displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment, removing an edge of the sphere such that the sphere is invisible to the user;

detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that a hand of the user is less than a threshold distance from the head of the user; and

responsive to the hand of the user being less than the threshold distance from the head of the user, displaying an edge of the sphere.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment comprises detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved away from the head of the user by a grabbing motion along the edge of the sphere.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the sphere in a rotated position; and

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment as viewed from a location that corresponds to the rotated position.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a viewing direction of a user based on a configuration of the sphere; and

rendering a first portion of the 3D virtual reality video that corresponds to the viewing direction of the user with a higher resolution than other portions of the 3D virtual reality video that do not correspond to the viewing direction of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, based on movement of the peripheral device, a selection of the rotated sphere in the virtual reality user interface; and

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment as viewed from the second viewing direction that corresponds to the second location within the sphere.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sphere includes an indicator of a progress of the 3D virtual reality video.

9. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory with instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

displaying a virtual reality user interface that includes a three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside a sphere;

determining, based on movement of a peripheral device, a selection of the sphere in the virtual reality user interface;

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in a 360 degree environment as viewed from a first viewing direction that corresponds to a first location within the sphere;

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment;

displaying again, in response to the exit, the virtual reality user interface that includes the 3D virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside the sphere;

receiving, from the peripheral device, data describing a rotation of the sphere within the virtual reality user interface; and

displaying, within the virtual reality user interface, the sphere as being rotated including updating the first viewing direction to a second viewing direction that corresponds to a second location within the sphere.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

determining, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved closer to a head of a user; and

increasing a size of the sphere as the sphere is moved closer to the head of the user.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

responsive to displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment, removing an edge of the sphere such that the sphere is invisible to the user;

detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that a hand of the user is less than a threshold distance from the head of the user; and

responsive to the hand of the user being less than the threshold distance from the head of the user, displaying an edge of the sphere.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment comprises detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved away from the head of the user by a grabbing motion along the edge of the sphere.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

receiving a selection of the sphere in a rotated position; and

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment as viewed from a location that corresponds to the rotated position.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

determining a viewing direction of a user based on a configuration of the sphere; and

rendering a first portion of the 3D virtual reality video that corresponds to the viewing direction of the user with a higher resolution than other portions of the 3D virtual reality video that do not correspond to the viewing direction of the user.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the instructions cause the one or more processors to perform further operations comprising:

determining, based on movement of the peripheral device, a selection of the rotated sphere in the virtual reality user interface; and

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment as viewed from the second viewing direction that corresponds to the second location within the sphere.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium with instructions that, when executed by one or more computers, cause the one or more computers to perform operations, the operations comprising:

displaying a virtual reality user interface that includes a three-dimensional (3D) virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside a sphere;

determining, based on movement of a peripheral device, a selection of the sphere in the virtual reality user interface;

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in a 360 degree environment as viewed from a first viewing direction that corresponds to a first location within the sphere;

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment;

displaying again, in response to the exit, the virtual reality user interface that includes the 3D virtual reality video that is illustrated as being inside the sphere;

receiving, from the peripheral device, data describing a rotation of the sphere within the virtual reality user interface; and

displaying, within the virtual reality user interface, the sphere as being rotated including updating the first viewing direction to a second viewing direction that corresponds to a second location within the sphere.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved closer to a head of a user; and

increasing a size of the sphere as the sphere is moved closer to the head of the user.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment, removing an edge of the sphere such that the sphere is invisible to the user;

detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that a hand of the user is less than a threshold distance from the head of the user; and

responsive to the hand of the user being less than the threshold distance from the head of the user, displaying an edge of the sphere.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

detecting user input to exit the 3D virtual reality video displayed in the 360 degree environment comprises detecting, based on movement of the peripheral device, that the sphere is moved away from the head of the user by a grabbing motion along the edge of the sphere.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a selection of the sphere in a rotated position; and

displaying the 3D virtual reality video in the 360 degree environment as viewed from a location that corresponds to the rotated position.