Virtual reality system and method for controlling operation modes of virtual reality system

• US 9,881,422 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Wei-Chih, Tseng, Mong-Yu, Choi, Iok-Kan, Tseng, Wan-Ju, Wu, Jing-Lung
• Primary Examiner(s): Merouan, Abderrahim
• Application Number:
  US14/943,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20160163110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 805 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• 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: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/20 Analysis of motion motion estimation for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals H04N19/43, H04N19/51
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/60 Analysis of geometric attributes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/73 using feature-based methods
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04

Abstract

A virtual reality system is provided. The virtual reality system includes a host device, a transmission cable, and a head mounted display apparatus worn by a user and coupled to the host device via the transmission cable. The head mounted display apparatus includes a multimedia module, a multi-sensing module, and a peripheral hub. The multimedia module receives multimedia content from the host device via the transmission cable, and displays a video part of the multimedia content. The multi-sensing module obtains sensing information regarding the head mounted display apparatus, the user and an obstruction. The peripheral hub provides the sensing information to the host device via the transmission cable. At least one virtual object of the video part of the multimedia content is adjusted in response to the sensing information.

Claims

1. A virtual reality system, comprising:

a host device;

a transmission cable; and

a head mounted display apparatus worn by a user and electrically connected to the host device via the transmission cable, comprising;

a multimedia module, receiving multimedia content from the host device via the transmission cable, and displaying a video part of the multimedia content;

a multi-sensing module, obtaining sensing information regarding the head mounted display apparatus, the user and an obstruction; and

a peripheral hub, providing the sensing information to the host device via the transmission cable,

wherein the host device adjusts size or amount of virtual objects of the video part of the multimedia content in response to the sensing information from the peripheral hub,

wherein a clear zone corresponding to the obstruction is obtained according to the sensing information, and

wherein a size of the virtual object is adjusted according to a size of the clear zone or an adjustment speed, and the adjustment speed is determined according to movement speed of the user, size of the clear zone, and a distance between the user and the virtual object.

2. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the multi-sensing module comprises:

a position sensing device, obtaining position information corresponding to the head mounted display apparatus;

a user sensing device, obtaining user information of the user; and

an environment sensing device, obtaining environment information corresponding to the obstruction,

wherein the multi-sensing module obtains the sensing information according to the position information, the user information, and the environment information.

3. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the position information comprises movement information, orientation information, tilt angle information, and/or location information of the head mounted display apparatus;

the user information comprises biometrical information about the user and/or eye view information; and

the environment information comprises images/video and/or depth information captured by the environment sensing device.

4. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the environment sensing device comprises at least two cameras disposed in a line, and the two cameras are disposed on the head mounted display apparatus according to a tilt angle, wherein the tilt angle of each of the cameras is determined according to the horizontal line and a center line of field of view of each camera.

5. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the sensing information indicates that a distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is shorter than a specific distance, a warning object is present.

6. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 5, wherein speed and magnification of the warning object displayed by the multimedia module are determined according to movement speed of the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus or the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction.

7. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the warning object is a virtual wall, and a height of the virtual wall is decreased when the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is increased, and the height of the virtual wall is increased when the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is decreased.

8. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the size of the virtual object is directly proportional to a size of the clear zone.

9. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 8, wherein an amount of the virtual objects is directly proportional to the size of the clear zone.

10. The virtual reality system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adjustment speed is inversely proportional to the size of the clear zone when the distance between the user and the virtual object is decreased.

11. A method for controlling operation modes of a virtual reality system, wherein the virtual reality system comprises a host device, a head mounted display apparatus worn by a user, and a transmission cable coupled between the host device and the head mounted display apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving multimedia content from the host device via the transmission cable by a multimedia module of the head mounted display apparatus, wherein the transmission cable is electrically connected between the host device and the head mounted display apparatus;

displaying a video part of the multimedia content by the multimedia module of the head mounted display apparatus;

obtaining sensing information regarding the head mounted display apparatus, the user and an obstruction by a multi-sensing module of the head mounted display apparatus;

providing the sensing information to the host device via the transmission cable by a peripheral hub of the head mounted display apparatus; and

obtaining a clear zone corresponding to the obstruction according to the sensing information;

adjusting size or amount of virtual objects of the video part of the multimedia by the host device in response to the sensing information content from the peripheral hub of the head mounted display apparatus,

wherein a size of the virtual object is adjusted according to a size of the clear zone or an adjustment speed, and the adjustment speed is determined according to movement speed of the user, size of the clear zone, and a distance between the user and the virtual object.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the multi-sensing module comprises:

a position sensing device, obtaining position information corresponding to the head mounted display apparatus;

a user sensing device, obtaining user information of the user; and

an environment sensing device, obtaining environment information corresponding to the obstruction,

wherein the multi-sensing module obtains the sensing information according to the position information, the user information, and the environment information.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the position information comprises movement information, orientation information, tilt angle information, and/or location information of the head mounted display apparatus;

the user information comprises biometrical information about the user and/or eye view information; and

the environment information comprises images/video and/or depth information captured by the environment sensing device.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the environment sensing device comprises at least two cameras disposed in a line, and the two cameras are disposed on the head mounted display apparatus according to a tilt angle, wherein the tilt angle of each of the cameras is determined according to the horizontal line and a center line of field of view of each camera.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the sensing information indicates that a distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is shorter than a specific distance, a warning object is present.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein speed and magnification of the warning object displayed by the multimedia module are determined according to movement speed of the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus or the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the warning object is a virtual wall, and a height of the virtual wall is decreased when the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is increased, and the height of the virtual wall is increased when the distance between the user wearing the head mounted display apparatus and the obstruction is decreased.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11,

wherein a size of the virtual object is directly proportional to a size of the clear zone.

19. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the adjustment speed is inversely proportional to the size of the clear zone when the distance between the user and the virtual object is decreased.