Fixed size augmented reality objects

• US 9,934,614 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2015
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Ramsby, Scott, Osborn, Dan, Wright, Shawn, Gavriliuc, Anatolie, Gouin, Forest Woodcroft, Saunders, Megan, Rapczak, Jesse, Latta, Stephen, Poulos, Adam G., McCulloch, Daniel, Zhang, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): McCulley, Ryan D
• Application Number:
  US14/717,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254905A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• 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 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting

Abstract

An example wearable display system includes a controller, a left display to display a left-eye augmented reality image with a left-eye display size at left-eye display coordinates, and a right display to display a right-eye augmented reality image with a right-eye display size at right-eye display coordinates, the left-eye and right-eye augmented reality images collectively forming an augmented reality object perceivable at an apparent real world depth by a wearer of the display system. The controller sets the left-eye display coordinates relative to the right-eye display coordinates as a function of the apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object. The function maintains an aspect of the left-eye and right-eye display sizes throughout a non-scaling range of apparent real world depths of the augmented reality object, and the function scales the left-eye and right-eye display sizes with changing apparent real world depth outside the non-scaling range.

Claims

1. A wearable, head-mounted display system comprising:

a left near-eye, see-through display configured to display a left-eye augmented reality image with a left-eye display size at left-eye display coordinates;

a right near-eye, see-through display configured to display a right-eye augmented reality image with a right-eye display size at right-eye display coordinates, the left-eye augmented reality image and right-eye augmented reality image collectively forming an augmented reality object perceivable at an apparent real world depth by a wearer of the head-mounted display system; and

a controller to set the left-eye display coordinates relative to the right-eye display coordinates as a function of the apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object, the function maintaining an aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout a non-scaling range of apparent real world depths of the augmented reality object, and the function scaling the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with changing apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object outside the range of apparent real world depths.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality object comprises virtual user markings.

3. The display system of claim 2, wherein maintaining the aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size comprises maintaining a line thickness of the virtual user markings throughout the non-scaling range.

4. The display system of claim 3, further comprising scaling a line length of the virtual user markings as a function of apparent real world depth throughout the non-scaling range.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the function decreases a distance between the left-eye display coordinates and the right-eye display coordinates with decreasing apparent real world depth.

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein maintaining the aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout the non-scaling range of apparent real world depths comprises changing an apparent real world size of a corresponding aspect of the augmented reality object throughout the non-scaling range of apparent real world depths, such that the augmented reality object occupies a constant proportion of the wearer'"'"'s field of view.

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality object comprises a user interface control element.

8. The display system of claim 1, wherein the function decreases the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size at apparent real world depths greater than the non-scaling range, and increases the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size at apparent real world depths less than the non-scaling range.

9. The display system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality object is a first augmented reality object, and wherein the controller sets left-eye coordinates of a second augmented reality object relative to right-eye coordinates of the second augmented reality object as a second function of apparent real world depth of the second augmented reality object.

10. The display system of claim 9, wherein the second function maintains an aspect of a left-eye display size and a right-eye display size of the second augmented reality object throughout a second, different non-scaling range of apparent real world depths of the second augmented reality object.

11. The display system of claim 1, wherein the augmented reality object is a child of a parent augmented reality object, and wherein the function scales a left-eye display size and a right-eye display size of the parent augmented reality object with changing apparent real world depth of the parent augmented reality object throughout the non-scaling range of apparent real world depths of the parent augmented reality object.

12. A method for a wearable, head-mounted display system comprising:

displaying, on a left near-eye, see-through display, a left-eye augmented reality image with a left-eye display size at left-eye display coordinates according to a scaling function;

displaying, on a right near-eye, see-through display, a right-eye augmented reality image with a right-eye display size at right-eye display coordinates according to the scaling function, the left-eye augmented reality image and right-eye augmented reality image collectively forming an augmented reality object perceivable at an apparent real world depth by a wearer of the head-mounted display system;

the scaling function setting the left-eye display coordinates relative to the right-eye display coordinates as a function of the apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object;

the scaling function maintaining an aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout a non-scaling range of apparent real world depths of the augmented reality object; and

the scaling function scaling the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with changing apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object outside the non-scaling range of real world depths.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein scaling the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with changing apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object outside the non-scaling range comprises increasing the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with decreasing apparent real world depth and decreasing the left-eye display size and right-eye display size with increasing apparent real world depth outside the non-scaling range of real world depths.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein maintaining an aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout the non-scaling range comprises maintaining the augmented reality object as a constant proportion of a field of view of the wearer throughout the non-scaling range.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein maintaining the augmented reality object as a constant proportion of the field of view of the wearer comprises changing a real world size of the augmented reality object relative to real world objects at a same depth of the augmented reality object as the apparent real world depth of the augmented reality object changes.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the augmented reality object comprises a virtual user marking, and wherein maintaining an aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout a non-scaling range of apparent real world depths comprises maintaining a line thickness of the virtual user marking.

17. A wearable, head-mounted display system comprising:

a left near-eye, see-through display configured to display a first left-eye augmented reality image and a second left-eye augmented reality image, the first and second left-eye augmented reality images displayed with different left-eye display sizes at different left-eye display coordinates;

a right near-eye, see-through display configured to display a first right-eye augmented reality image and a second right-eye augmented reality image, the first and second right-eye augmented reality images displayed with different right-eye display sizes at different right-eye display coordinates, the first left-eye and first right-eye augmented reality images collectively forming a first augmented reality object, the second left-eye and second right-eye augmented reality images collectively forming a second augmented reality object, the first and second augmented reality objects perceivable at respective apparent real world depths by a wearer of the head-mounted display system; and

a controller to set the left-eye display coordinates relative to the right-eye display coordinates as a function of the apparent real world depths for both the first and second augmented reality objects,

the function maintaining an aspect of the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size throughout a non-scaling range of apparent real world depths for only the first augmented reality object,

the function scaling the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with changing apparent real world depth for both the first and second augmented reality objects outside the non-scaling range of apparent real world depths, and

the function scaling the left-eye display size and the right-eye display size with changing apparent real world depth throughout the non-scaling range of apparent real world depths for only the second augmented reality object.

18. The display system of claim 17, wherein the first augmented reality object comprises a user interface control element, and wherein the second augmented reality object comprises a holographic game element.

19. The display system of claim 17, wherein the first augmented reality object is a child of the second augmented reality object.

20. The display system of claim 17, wherein the function includes a first, segmented function applied to the first augmented reality object and a second, linear function applied to the second augmented reality object.