PASSIVE LOCATORS FOR A VIRTUAL REALITY HEADSET

• US 20160203642A1
• Filed: 01/14/2015
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: META Platforms Technologies LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Oculus VR, LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Thomas, Matt Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,659,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0179 Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/12 Reflex reflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30204 Marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/246 using feature-based methods, e.g. the tracking of corners or segments
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods

Abstract

A virtual reality (VR) headset includes a plurality of marker groups each corresponding to a different location on the VR headset. Each marker group includes one or more passive locators having positions relative to each other. Passive locators included in a marker group are configured to reflect one or more bands of light emitted by a source device. A VR system determines positions of passive locators relative to each other in a marker group and bands of light reflected by the passive locators included in the marker group to determine a location on the VR headset. Based on the location on the VR headset, the VR system determines a position of the VR headset and identifies content to provide to the VR headset.

Claims

1. A virtual reality (VR) system comprising:

a VR headset including;

an electronic display configured to present content to a user of the VR headset, and

a plurality of marker groups, each marker group corresponding to a different location on the VR headset and comprising one or more passive locators having positions relative to each other, each passive locator having a reflectance type;

a source device configured to illuminate the VR headset;

an imaging device configured capture a series of images of the VR headset; and

a VR console comprising a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive the series of images from the imaging device, at least one image of the series of images including a marker group that has been illuminated by the source device,

determine a location on the VR headset that corresponds to the marker group included in the at least one image of the series of images based at least in part on a reflectance configuration of the marker group determined from positions of passive locators in the marker group relative to each other and reflectance types of passive locators in the marker group,

determine a position of the VR headset based at least in part on the determined location on the VR headset of the marker group, and

provide content to the VR headset based on the determined position of the VR headset.

2. The VR system of claim 1, wherein each marker group has a unique reflectance configuration based on positions of passive locators relative to each other and one or more reflectance types of passive locators.

3. The VR system of claim 1, wherein the reflectance type identifies a band of light reflected by a passive locator.

4. The VR system of claim 3, wherein the band of light is infrared.

5. The VR system of claim 3, wherein at least one marker group includes at least two passive locators having different reflectance types.

6. The VR system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of marker groups includes at least two marker groups including passive locators having common positions relative to each other.

7. The VR system of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of marker groups includes passive locators having a common reflectance type.

8. The VR system of claim 7, wherein each marker group includes passive locators having different positions relative to each other.

9. A virtual reality (VR) headset comprising:

an electronic display configured to receive content from a VR system, and present the content to a user of the VR headset; and

a plurality of marker groups, each marker group corresponding to a different location on the VR headset and comprising one or more passive locators having positions relative to each other, each passive locator having a reflectance type identifying a reflected band of light and each passive locator configured to reflect light emitted from a source device.

10. The VR headset of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of marker groups has a unique reflectance configuration, a reflectance configuration of a marker group identifying positions of passive locators within the marker group relative to each other and one or more reflectance types of passive locators included in the marker group.

11. The VR headset of claim 9, wherein the reflected band of light is in infrared light.

12. The VR headset of claim 9, wherein at least one marker group includes at least two passive locators having different reflectance types.

13. The VR headset of claim 9, wherein the plurality of marker groups includes at least two marker groups including passive locators having common positions relative to each other.

14. The VR headset of claim 13, wherein a marker group of the at least two marker groups includes a passive locator having a reflectance type differing from a reflectance type of a passive locator included in another marker group of the at least two marker groups.

15. The VR headset of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of marker groups includes passive locators having a common reflectance type.

16. The VR headset of claim 15, wherein each marker group includes passive locators having different positions relative to each other.

17. A virtual reality (VR) headset comprising:

an electronic display configured to receive content from a VR system and present the content to a user of the VR headset; and

a plurality of marker groups, each marker group corresponding to a different location on the VR headset and comprising one or more passive locators having positions relative to each other, each passive locator having a reflectance type identifying a reflected band of light and each passive locator configured to reflect light emitted from a source device,

wherein each marker group has a unique reflectance configuration, a reflectance configuration of a marker group describing positions of passive locators included in the marker group relative to each other and one or more reflectance types for each of passive locators within that marker group.

18. The VR headset of claim 17, wherein at least one marker group includes at least two passive locators having different reflectance types.

19. The VR headset of claim 17, wherein the plurality of marker groups includes at least two marker groups including passive locators having common positions relative to each other.

20. The VR headset of claim 17, wherein the passive locators reflect in the infrared band and an outer surface of the VR headset is transparent in the infrared band but opaque in the visible band.