Display method

• US 8,957,916 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chi, Liang-Yu Tom, Wheeler, Aaron Joseph, Hedman, Elliott Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, M Good
• Application Number:
  US13/429,026
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• 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 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0693 Calibration of display systems
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/144 the light being ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects

Abstract

Methods and systems are disclosed herein that may help to present graphics in a see-through display of a head-mountable display. An exemplary method may involve: (a) receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD); (b) analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD; (c) determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and (d) causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD, and wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises determining a portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of ambient light;

determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the portion of the real-world field of view having more than the threshold level of ambient light.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view further comprises determining that a predetermined relationship exists between at least one visual characteristic of a given portion of the real-world field of view and at least one visual characteristic of the at least one graphic object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises analyzing one or more point-of-view images from a camera that is attached to the HMD.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD, wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises determining a portion of the real-world field of view having at least a first color with an undesirable relationship to at least a second color that is present in the at least one graphic object;

determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the portion of the real-world field of view having at least the first color with the undesirable relationship to at least the second color that is present in the at least one graphic object.

5. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD, and wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises determining a portion of the real-world field of view having a particular visual pattern with an undesirable relationship to a visual aspect of at least one graphic object;

determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the portion of the real-world field of view having the particular visual pattern with the undesirable relationship to the visual aspect of the at least one graphic object.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the particular visual pattern is a pattern corresponding to a face.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD; and

wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises determining at least one portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of movement;

determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the at least one portion of the real-world field of view having more than the threshold level of movement.

8. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to;

receive image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

analyze the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD, and wherein the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprises a portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of ambient light;

determine at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

cause the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the portion of the real-world field of view having more than the threshold level of ambient light.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to analyze the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise:

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to analyze the image data to determine a portion of the real-world field of view having a predetermined visual characteristic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined visual characteristic is a particular color.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the predetermined visual characteristic is a particular visual pattern.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the particular visual pattern is a pattern corresponding to a face.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to analyze the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise:

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to determine at least one portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of movement.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to analyze the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise:

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer-readable medium and executable by at least one processor to determine that a predetermined relationship exists between at least one visual characteristic of a given portion of the real-world field of view and at least one visual characteristic of the at least one graphic object.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having program instructions stored thereon that are executable by at least one processor, the program instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving image data that is indicative of a real-world field of view associated with a head-mountable display (HMD);

instructions for analyzing the image data to determine at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view, wherein the at least one undesirable portion is undesirable as a background for display of at least one graphic object in a graphic display of the HMD, wherein analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion comprises determining at least one portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of movement;

instructions for determining at least one undesirable area of the graphic display that corresponds to the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view; and

instructions for causing the at least one graphic object to be displayed in an area of the graphic display such that the graphic object substantially avoids the at least one undesirable area that corresponds to the at least one portion of the real-world field of view having more than the threshold level of movement.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise instructions for determining a portion of the real-world field of view having more than a threshold level of ambient light.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise instructions for determining a portion of the real-world field of view having a predetermined visual characteristic.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the predetermined visual characteristic is a particular color.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the predetermined visual characteristic is a particular visual pattern.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the particular visual pattern is a pattern corresponding to a face.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for analyzing the image data to determine the at least one undesirable portion of the real-world field of view comprise instructions for determining that a predetermined relationship exists between at least one visual characteristic of a given portion of the real-world field of view and at least one visual characteristic of the at least one graphic object.