SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUGMENTED REALITY

• US 20160259404A1
• Filed: 03/05/2016
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Woods, Michael J.
• Application Number:
  US15/062,104
• Publication Number:
  US 20160259404A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• 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: 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 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Configurations are disclosed for presenting virtual reality and augmented reality experiences to users. An augmented reality display system comprises a handheld component housing an electromagnetic field emitter, the electromagnetic field emitter emitting a known magnetic field, the head mounted component coupled to one or more electromagnetic sensors that detect the magnetic field emitted by the electromagnetic field emitter housed in the handheld component, wherein a head pose is known, and a controller communicatively coupled to the handheld component and the head mounted component, the controller receiving magnetic field data from the handheld component, and receiving sensor data from the head mounted component, wherein the controller determining a hand pose based at least in part on the received magnetic field data and the received sensor data.

Claims

1. An augmented reality (AR) display system, comprising:

an electromagnetic field emitter to emit a known magnetic field;

an electromagnetic sensor to measure a parameter related to a magnetic flux at the electromagnetic sensor as a result of the emitted known magnetic field, wherein world coordinates of the electromagnetic sensor are known;

a controller to determine pose information relative to the electromagnetic field emitter based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the magnetic flux at the electromagnetic sensor; and

a display system to display virtual content to a user based at least in part on the determined pose information relative to the electromagnetic field emitter.

2. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic field emitter resides in a mobile component of the AR display system.

3. The AR display system of claim 2, wherein the mobile component is a hand-held component.

4. The AR display system of claim 2, wherein the mobile component is a totem.

5. The AR display system of claim 2, wherein the mobile component is a head-mounted component of the AR display system.

6. The AR display system of claim 1, further comprising a head-mounted component that houses the display system, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is operatively coupled to the head-mounted component.

7. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the world coordinates of the electromagnetic sensor is known based at least in part on SLAM analysis performed to determine head pose information, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is operatively coupled to a head-mounted component that houses the display system.

8. The AR display system of claim 7, further comprising one or more cameras operatively coupled to the head-mounted component, and wherein the SLAM analysis is performed based at least on data captured by the one or more cameras.

9. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensors comprise one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs).

10. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the pose information corresponds to at least a position and orientation of the electromagnetic field emitter relative to the world.

11. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the pose information is analyzed to determine world coordinates corresponding to the electromagnetic field emitter.

12. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the controller detects an interaction with one or more virtual contents based at least in part on the pose information corresponding to the electromagnetic field emitter.

13. The AR display system of claim 12, wherein the display system displays virtual content to the user based at least in part on the detected interaction.

14. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises at least three coils to measure magnetic flux in three directions.

15. The AR display system of claim 14, wherein the at least three coils are housed together at substantially the same location, the electromagnetic sensor being coupled to a head-mounted component of the AR display system.

16. The AR display system of claim 14, wherein the at least three coils are housed at different locations of the head-mounted component of the AR display system.

17. The AR display system of claim 1, further comprising a control and quick release module to decouple the magnetic field emitted by the electromagnetic field emitter.

18. The AR display system of claim 1, further comprising additional localization resources to determine the world coordinates of the electromagnetic field emitter.

19. The AR display system of claim 18, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a GPS receiver.

20. The AR display system of claim 18, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a beacon.

21. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a non-solid ferrite cube.

22. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a stack of ferrite disks.

23. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a plurality of ferrite rods each having a polymer coating.

24. The AR display system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a time division multiplexing switch.

25. A method to display augmented reality, comprising:

emitting, through an electromagnetic field emitter, a known magnetic field;

measuring, through an electromagnetic sensor, a parameter related to a magnetic flux at the electromagnetic sensor as a result of the emitted known magnetic field, wherein world coordinates of the electromagnetic sensor are known;

determining pose information relative to the electromagnetic field emitter based at least in part on the measured parameter related to the magnetic flux at the electromagnetic sensor; and

displaying virtual content to a user based at least in part on the determined pose information relative to the electromagnetic field emitter.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic field emitter resides in a mobile component of the AR display system.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the mobile component is a hand-held component.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the mobile component is a totem.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the mobile component is a head-mounted component of the AR display system.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising housing the display system in a head-mounted component, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is operatively coupled to the head-mounted component.

31. The method of claim 25, wherein the world coordinates of the electromagnetic sensor is known based at least in part on SLAM analysis performed to determine head pose information, wherein the electromagnetic sensor is operatively coupled to a head-mounted component that houses the display system.

32. The method of claim 31, capturing image data through one or more cameras that are operatively coupled to the head-mounted component, and wherein the SLAM analysis is performed based at least on data captured by the one or more cameras.

33. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensors comprise one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs).

34. The method of claim 25, wherein the pose information corresponds to at least a position and orientation of the electromagnetic field emitter relative to the world.

35. The method of claim 25, wherein the pose information is analyzed to determine world coordinates corresponding to the electromagnetic field emitter.

36. The method of claim 25, further comprising detecting an interaction with one or more virtual contents based at least in part on the pose information corresponding to the electromagnetic field emitter.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising displaying virtual content to the user based at least in part on the detected interaction.

38. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises at least three coils to measure magnetic flux in three directions.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the at least three coils are housed together at substantially the same location, the electromagnetic sensor being coupled to a head-mounted component of the AR display system.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the at least three coils are housed at different locations of the head-mounted component of the AR display system.

41. The method of claim 25, further comprising decoupling the magnetic field emitted by the electromagnetic field emitter through a control and quick release module.

42. The method of claim 25, further comprising determining the world coordinates of the electromagnetic field emitter through additional localization resources.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a GPS receiver.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a beacon.

45. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a non-solid ferrite cube.

46. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a stack of ferrite disks.

47. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a plurality of ferrite rods each having a polymer coating.

48. The method of claim 25, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises a time division multiplexing switch.

49. An augmented reality display system, comprising:

a handheld component housing an electromagnetic field emitter, the electromagnetic field emitter emitting a known magnetic field;

a head mounted component having a display system that displays virtual content to a user, the head mounted component coupled to one or more electromagnetic sensors that detect the magnetic field emitted by the electromagnetic field emitter housed in the handheld component, wherein a head pose is known; and

a controller communicatively coupled to the handheld component and the head mounted component, the controller receiving magnetic field data from the handheld component, and receiving sensor data from the head mounted component, wherein the controller determines a hand pose based at least in part on the received magnetic field data and the received sensor data,

wherein the display system modifies the virtual content displayed to the user based at least in part on the determined hand pose.

50. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the handheld component is mobile.

51. The AR display system of claim 50, wherein the handheld component is a totem.

52. The AR display system of claim 50, wherein the handheld component is a gaming component.

53. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the head pose is known based at least in part on SLAM analysis.

54. The AR display system of claim 53, further comprising one or more cameras operatively coupled to the head-mounted component, and wherein the SLAM analysis is performed based at least on data captured by the one or more cameras.

55. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises one or more inertial measurement units (IMUs).

56. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the head pose corresponds to at least a position and orientation of the electromagnetic sensor relative to the world.

57. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the hand pose is analyzed to determine world coordinates corresponding to the handheld component.

58. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the controller detects an interaction with one or more virtual contents based at least in part on the determined hand pose.

59. The AR display system of claim 58, wherein the display system displays the virtual content to the user based at least in part on the detected interaction.

60. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein the electromagnetic sensor comprises at least three coils to measure magnetic flux in three directions.

61. The AR display system of claim 60, wherein the at least three coils are housed together at substantially the same location.

62. The AR display system of claim 60, wherein the at least three coils are housed at different locations of the head-mounted component.

63. The AR display system of claim 49, further comprising a control and quick release module to decouple the magnetic field emitted by the electromagnetic field emitter.

64. The AR display system of claim 49, further comprising additional localization resources to determine the hand pose.

65. The AR display system of claim 64, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a GPS receiver.

66. The AR display system of claim 64, wherein the additional localization resources comprises a beacon.

67. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein at least one of the one or more electromagnetic sensors comprises a non-solid ferrite cube.

68. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein at least one of the one or more electromagnetic sensors comprises a stack of ferrite disks.

69. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein at least one of the one or more electromagnetic sensors comprises a plurality of ferrite rods each having a polymer coating.

70. The AR display system of claim 49, wherein at least one of the one or more electromagnetic sensors comprises a time division multiplexing switch.