Digital inter-pupillary distance adjustment

• US 9,600,068 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Stafford, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): D'Agostino, Paul A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRAY, BRANDON RAMON
• Application Number:
  US14/187,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20140274391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: 463/29, 463/30, 463/31, 463/32
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/22 Setup operations, e.g. calibration, key configuration or button assignment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/301 using an additional display connected to the game console, e.g. on the controller
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/8082 Virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0116 comprising devices for correcting chromatic aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0181 Adaptation to the pilot/driver
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 7/12 Adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/327 Calibration thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

Stereoscopic viewing systems may be adjusted for a user'"'"'s inter-pupillary distance (IPD). Software-generated calibration images may be presented on a display having two optics. One or more settings for presentation of the calibration image are adjusted. The settings are related to an inter-pupillary distance (IPD) of the user. An input is received from a user when the user perceives the calibration image to be acceptable at a particular value of the one or more settings. An IPD value that corresponds to the particular value of the one or more settings is then determined. The determined IPD value is used in presenting subsequent software-generated images with the stereoscopic display.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting a calibration image on a display device having two fixed optics that a user looks into to see a stereoscopic 3D image, wherein the fixed optics have a stereo separation distance that is fixed mechanically to a specific inter-pupillary distance;

adjusting one or more settings for presentation of the calibration image with a processor coupled to the display device, wherein the one or more settings are related to an inter-pupillary distance (IPD) of the user;

receiving an input from the user corresponding to the user perceiving the calibration image to be acceptable at a particular value of the one or more settings at the processor;

determining an IPD value corresponding to the particular value of the one or more settings with the processor; and

warping subsequently displayed images with a processor to optimize the subsequently displayed images for the user'"'"'s determined IPD value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input from the user is received from a controller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the controller is a game controller.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the aberrations include geometric lens distortion, chromatic aberration, coma, vignetting or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the setting of IPD for the user in digital memory.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising automatically adjusting images presented on the display using the stored setting of IPD for the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings are adjusted in response to an input from the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings are automatically adjusted by software.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings are adjusted by hardware coupled to the display.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings include a stereoscopic image distance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more settings include an amount of chromatic adjustment due to IPD.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the calibration image includes one or more noticeable parts near an edge of the image, wherein the one or more noticeable parts are configured to attract the user'"'"'s attention and induce the user'"'"'s eyes to rotate to view the edge of the image.

32. A system comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled to the processor;

a stereoscopic display device coupled to the processor, wherein the display device comprises fixed optics, wherein the fixed optics have a stereo separation distance that is fixed mechanically to a specific inter-pupillary distance; and

program instructions embodied in the memory for execution by the processor, the program instructions being configured to implement an IPD adjustment method, the IPD adjustment method comprising any one of the methods of claims 1, 2 through 12 or 14 through 27, or 28 through 31.

33. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions for IPD adjustment on a display device comprising fixed optics, wherein execution of the program instructions by one or more processors of a processing system causes the one or more processors to carry out an IPD adjustment method, the IPD adjustment method comprising any one of the methods of claims 1, 2 through 12 or 14 through 27, or 28 through 31.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer processing system configured, by suitable programming, to perform a method comprising;

presenting a calibration image on a display device having two fixed optics that a user looks into to see a stereoscopic 3D image, wherein the fixed optics have a stereo separation distance that is fixed mechanically to a specific inter-pupillary distance;

adjusting one or more settings for presentation of the calibration image with a processor coupled to the display device, wherein the one or more settings are related to an inter-pupillary distance (IPD) of the user;

receiving an input from the user corresponding to the user perceiving the calibration image to be acceptable at a particular value of the one or more settings at the processor;

determining an IPD value corresponding to the particular value of the one or more settings with the processor; and

using the determined IPD value in presenting subsequent images to the stereoscopic display with the processor, wherein the subsequently displayed image is altered by software warping to optimize said subsequently displayed image for the user'"'"'s IPD.

14. A method comprising:

displaying a calibration image to a user on a stereoscopic image display device comprising fixed optics, wherein the fixed optics have a stereo separation distance that is fixed mechanically to a specific inter-pupillary distance;

adjusting a display setting of the calibration image, wherein the display setting is dependent upon the user'"'"'s inter-pupillary distance (IPD);

receiving an input from the user that corresponds to the display setting of the calibration image being optimized for the user'"'"'s IPD;

storing in memory the display setting of the calibration image that is optimized for the user'"'"'s IPD; and

digitally altering a subsequently displayed image to optimize the subsequently displayed image for the user'"'"'s IPD based on the stored display setting, wherein the subsequently displayed image is altered by software warping to optimize said subsequently displayed image for the user'"'"'s IPD.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said adjusting a display setting of the calibration input includes adjusting the display setting in response to a user adjustment input signal.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said user input is an input on a game controller.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said adjusting a display setting of the calibration image includes a pre-programmed adjustment pattern that corresponds to a calibration sequence.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein said adjusting a display setting of the calibration image includes a series of discrete pre-programmed calibration images including different IPD dependent displays settings.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein said displaying a calibration image includes displaying the calibration image as part of a dedicated calibration sequence.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying the calibration image is integrated into viewing content.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein displaying the calibration image is integrated into videogame content.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising linking identification (ID) data of the user with the display setting of the calibration image that matches the user'"'"'s IPD.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said linking ID data includes linking a login ID of the user with the display setting of the calibration image that matches the user'"'"'s IPD.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the calibration image includes an IPD dependent aberration on a peripheral portion of the calibration image.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the IPD dependent aberration is a chromatic aberration that includes a plurality of colored image elements.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the display setting of the calibration image matching the user'"'"'s IPD corresponds to the user perceiving a plurality of colored image elements merged into a white image element.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the image elements are a plurality of discrete lines.

28. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving an estimation of the user'"'"'s IPD based on a signal received from hardware aligned with the user'"'"'s eyes.

29. The method of claim 14, wherein the calibration image includes an emphasized element on a peripheral portion of the calibration image.

30. The method of claim 14, wherein said adjusting a display setting of the calibration image includes automatically adjusting the calibration image based on a pre-programmed sequence.

31. The method of claim 14, wherein said receiving an input from the user that corresponds to the display setting of the calibration image being optimized for the user'"'"'s IPD includes receiving a timing input from the user that corresponds to a time in the pre-programmed sequence at which the calibration image is perceived to be optimized for the user'"'"'s IPD.