AR DISPLAY WITH ADJUSTABLE STEREO OVERLAP ZONE

• US 20170171538A1
• Filed: 12/10/2015
• Published: 06/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bell, Cynthia S., Pehserl, Joachim, Steedly, Drew, Poon, Yarn Chee
• Granted Patent: US 10,147,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for use in a virtual reality environment including a head mounted display device and a processing unit. In examples, the processing unit adjusts an amount by which left and right displayed images overlap each other at a given distance, such as the focal distance, from the head mounted display device.

Claims

1. A system for controlling an amount of overlap of displayed left and right images, the displayed left and right images presenting a virtual environment, comprising:

a head mounted display device including one or more displays for displaying the left and right images; and

a processing unit operatively coupled to the display device, the processing unit configured to shift the displayed left image and to shift the displayed right image at least one of horizontally and vertically, to alter at least one of a horizontal and vertical overlap of the left and right images at a defined distance from the head mounted display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit shifts the left and right displayed images to overlap each other at the predefined distance.

3. The system of claim 1, the left displayed image being part of an overall field of native pixels, the overall field of native pixels including a border of pixels around the left displayed image and unused by the displayed image prior to the left image being shifted.

4. The system of claim 3, the processing unit shifting the left image into the border of pixels around the left displayed image.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined distance is a focal distance at which the left and right displayed images are focused.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising left and right optical lens assemblies through which light from the left and right images passes, at least one lens within at least one of the left and right optical lens assembly defining a focal distance at which at least one of the left and right displayed images are focused.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein an amount by which the processing unit shifts the displayed left image and shifts the displayed right image is dependent on a spacing by which the left and right optical lens assemblies are separated.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the predefined distance is a focal distance.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the predefined distance changes with different software applications run by the processing unit, wherein the amount by which the left image is shifted and the amount by which the right image is shifted changes with a change in the predefined distance.

10. A method of displaying left and right images in a system displaying virtual images, the system comprising at least one display for displaying the left and right images and left and right optical lens assemblies through which the left and right images are displayed, method comprising:

(a) determining a focal distance at which the left and right optical assemblies focus the left and right images;

(b) determining an overlap of the left and right images at the focal distance; and

(c) horizontally shifting the left and right images displayed by the at least one display to align horizontally with each other at the focal distance.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of vertically shifting the left and right images displayed by the at least one display to align vertically with each other at the focal distance.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of providing a border of pixels around active pixels used to display the left image, the left image horizontally shifting into the border of pixels.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said steps (a), (b) and (c) are performed at a time when the at least one display and the left and right optical lens assemblies are assembled together.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said step (c) is performed at a time when the left and right images are rendered during use of the system displaying virtual images.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of varying the focal distance after a time when the at least one display and the left and right optical lens assemblies have been assembled together.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein said step (c) is performed by a mechanical actuator shifting the at least one display.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein said step (c) is performed by a software algorithm executed by a processor associated with the at least one display.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 17, said step (d) comprising the step of shifting the first image to completely overlap with the second image, the second image shifted in an equal and opposite direction, in the event there are enough pixels in the border to completely shift the first image.

18. A computer readable storage medium for controlling a processor to perform a method of displaying left and right images in a system displaying virtual images, method comprising:

(a) configuring first and second displays to display first and second images, the first and second image creating a 3D stereopsis effect when viewed by left and right eyes, the first display having an overall field of native pixels that is larger than the first image so that a border of pixels exists at at least one edge of active pixels used to display the first image, the border of pixels not used to display the first image;

(b) determining a distance at which to shift the first and second images to greater overlap each other;

(c) determining an overlap of the first and second images at the distance; and

(d) shifting the first image into the border of pixels to overlap to a greater degree with the second image at the distance.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 18, said step (b) comprising the step of setting a focal distance, the focal distance being the distance at which the first and second images are shifted to overlap each other.