Patent Application
20140160001
Mixed reality or augmented reality display devices, such as head-mounted display devices, may be used in a variety of real-world environments and contexts. Such devices provide a view of a physical environment that is augmented by a virtual environment including virtual images, such as two-dimensional virtual objects and three-dimensional holographic objects, and/or other virtual reality information. Such devices may also include various sensors for collecting data from the surrounding environment.
A mixed reality device may display virtual images that are interspersed with real-world physical objects to create a mixed reality environment. A user of the device may desire to interact with a virtual or physical object using the mixed reality device. However, the development of a simple and intuitive paradigm that provides for user engagement with such objects via mixed reality devices has proven elusive.
Various embodiments are disclosed herein that relate to presenting a mixed reality environment via a mixed reality display device. For example, one disclosed embodiment provides a method for presenting a mixed reality environment via a head-mounted display device. The method includes using head pose data from the device to generally identify one or more gross selectable targets. The targets are identified within a sub-region of a spatial region occupied by the mixed reality environment. The method further includes specifically identifying a fine selectable target from among the gross selectable targets based on eye-tracking data from the device. Gesture data from the device is then used to identify a gesture, and an operation associated with the identified gesture is performed on the fine selectable target.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure.
The mixed reality presentation program 14 may generate a virtual environment 34 for display on a display device, such as the head-mounted display (HMD) device 42, to create a mixed reality environment 40. The virtual environment 34 includes one or more virtual images, such as two-dimensional virtual objects and three-dimensional holographic objects. In the present example virtual environment 34 includes virtual objects in the form of selectable virtual object 44 and selectable virtual object 46. As described in more detail below with respect to
The computing device 22 may take the form of a desktop computing device, a mobile computing device such as a smart phone, laptop, notebook or tablet computer, network computer, home entertainment computer, interactive television, gaming system, or other suitable type of computing device. Additional details regarding the components and computing aspects of the computing device 22 are described in more detail below with reference to
The computing device 22 may be operatively connected with the HMD device 42 using a wired connection, or may employ a wireless connection via WiFi, Bluetooth, or any other suitable wireless communication protocol. Additionally, the example illustrated in
With reference now also to
With reference to
The transparent display 50 may also be configured to enable a user to view a physical, real-world object in the physical environment 52 through one or more partially transparent pixels that are displaying a virtual object representation. In one example, the transparent display 50 may include image-producing elements located within lenses 204 (such as, for example, a see-through Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display). As another example, the transparent display 50 may include a light modulator on an edge of the lenses 204. In this example the lenses 204 may serve as a light guide for delivering light from the light modulator to the eyes of a user. Such a light guide may enable a user to perceive a 3D holographic image located within the physical environment that the user is viewing, while also allowing the user to view physical objects in the physical environment.
The HMD device 42 may also include various sensors and related systems. For example, the HMD device 42 may include an eye-tracking sensor system 54 that utilizes at least one inward facing sensor 216. The inward facing sensor 216 may be an image sensor that is configured to acquire image data in the form of eye-tracking information from a user's eyes. Provided the user has consented to the acquisition and use of this information, the eye-tracking sensor system 54 may use this information to track a position and/or movement of the user's eyes.
In one example, the eye-tracking system 54 includes a gaze detection subsystem configured to detect a direction of gaze of each eye of a user. The gaze detection subsystem may be configured to determine gaze directions of each of a user's eyes in any suitable manner. For example, the gaze detection subsystem may comprise one or more light sources, such as infrared light sources, configured to cause a glint of light to reflect from the cornea of each eye of a user. One or more image sensors may then be configured to capture an image of the user's eyes. Images of the glints and of the pupils as determined from image data gathered from the image sensors may be used to determine an optical axis of each eye. Using this information, the eye-tracking sensor system 54 may then determine a direction and/or at what physical object or virtual object the user is gazing. Such eye-tracking data 70 may then be provided to the mixed reality presentation program 14. It will be understood that the gaze detection subsystem may have any suitable number and arrangement of light sources and image sensors.
The HMD device 42 may also include sensor systems that receive physical environment data 72 from the physical environment 52. For example, the HMD device 42 may include an optical sensor system 58 that utilizes at least one outward facing sensor 212, such as an optical sensor. Outward facing sensor 212 may detect movements within its field of view, such as gesture-based inputs or other movements performed by a user or by a person or physical object within the field of view. Outward facing sensor 212 may also capture two-dimensional image information and depth information from a physical environment and physical objects within the environment. For example, outward facing sensor 212 may include a depth camera, a visible light camera, an infrared light camera, and/or a position tracking camera.
The HMD device 42 may include depth sensing via one or more depth cameras. In one example, each depth camera may include left and right cameras of a stereoscopic vision system. Time-resolved images from one or more of these depth cameras may be registered to each other and/or to images from another optical sensor such as a visible spectrum camera, and may be combined to yield depth-resolved video.
In other examples a structured light depth camera may be configured to project a structured infrared illumination, and to image the illumination reflected from a scene onto which the illumination is projected. A depth map of the scene may be constructed based on spacings between adjacent features in the various regions of an imaged scene. In still other examples, a depth camera may take the form of a time-of-flight depth camera configured to project a pulsed infrared illumination onto a scene and detect the illumination reflected from the scene. It will be appreciated that any other suitable depth camera may be used within the scope of the present disclosure.
Outward facing sensor 212 may capture images of physical environment 52 in which a user is situated. As discussed in more detail below, such images may be part of the physical environment data 72 that is received by the HMD device 42 and provided to the computing device 22. In one example, the mixed reality presentation program 14 may include a 3D modeling system that uses such input to generate the virtual environment 34 that models the physical environment data 72 that is captured.
The HMD device 42 may also include a position sensor system 62 that utilizes one or more motion sensors 224 to enable position tracking and/or orientation sensing of the HMD device. For example, the position sensor system 62 may be utilized to determine a head pose orientation of a user's head. In one example, position sensor system 62 may comprise an inertial measurement unit configured as a six-axis or six-degree of freedom position sensor system. This example position sensor system may, for example, include three accelerometers and three gyroscopes to indicate or measure a change in location of the HMD device 42 within three-dimensional space along three orthogonal axes (e.g., x, y, z), and a change in an orientation of the HMD device about the three orthogonal axes (e.g., roll, pitch, yaw).
As described in more detail below, such head pose data may be used to determine the boundaries of a sub-region within the spatial region occupied by the mixed reality environment 40. Position sensor system 62 may also support other suitable positioning techniques, such as GPS or other global navigation systems. Further, while specific examples of position sensor systems have been described, it will be appreciated that other suitable position sensor systems may be used.
In some examples, motion sensors 224 may also be employed as user input devices, such that a user may interact with the HMD device 42 via gestures of the neck and head, or even of the body. The HMD device 42 may also include a microphone system 64 that includes one or more microphones 220. In other examples, audio may be presented to the user via one or more speakers 228 on the HMD device 42.
The HMD device 42 may also include a processor 230 having a logic subsystem and a storage subsystem, as discussed in more detail below with respect to
It will be appreciated that the HMD device 42 and related sensors and other components described above and illustrated in
With reference now to
As viewed by the user 304, the physical environment 52 combines with the virtual environment 34 to create the mixed reality environment 40 in the living room. As shown in
Using head pose data 56 received from the position sensor system 62, the mixed reality presentation program 14 determines an orientation of the user's head 312 with respect to the physical environment 52 and spatial region 308. The mixed reality presentation program 14 then defines a sub-region 316 within the spatial region 308 that corresponds generally to the direction the user 304 is facing. Given that the user 304 is facing the sub-region 316, this sub-region may correspond to the portion of the spatial region 308 in which the user 304 is currently interested. It also follows that the user's attention may be focused on one or more physical and/or virtual objects in sub-region 316. As shown in
One or more of the physical and/or virtual objects in sub-region 316 may be selectable by the user 304 via the HMD device 42. Accordingly, the mixed reality presentation program 14 may be configured to generally identify the selectable objects within the sub-region 316, whether virtual or physical, as gross selectable targets.
In this example, the gross selectable targets include a selectable physical object in the form of framed picture 320. In other examples two or more selectable physical objects may be identified within a sub-region. The gross selectable targets also include selectable virtual objects in the form of the two-dimensional virtual menu 324 and the three-dimensional holographic jukebox 328. Other virtual and/or physical objects within sub-region 316, such as window 332 and couch 336, may not be selectable. For purposes of this disclosure, “selectable” means that one or more operations may be performed on the object. Examples of such operations include, but are not limited to, launching an application via the object, displaying a menu of operations and/or other actions related to the object, performing word processing operations related to the object, searching operations, browsing operations, image capture operations, altering the display of the object, etc.
To provide feedback to the user 304 that the gross selectable targets are selectable, each of the framed picture 320, virtual menu 324 and holographic jukebox 328 are displayed with a gross visual highlight. In one example, the gross visual highlight may comprise a colored halo that encircles each of the objects, such as a green halo 340. It will be appreciated that any other suitable visual highlight may be used to provide such feedback within the scope of the present disclosure. It will also be appreciated that objects within the spatial region 308 but outside of the sub-region 316, such as the virtual menu 344 and holographic wizard 348, are also visible to the user 304 but are not presented with a gross visual highlight.
It will also be appreciated that as the user's head 312 moves, the spatial region 308 and sub-region 316 correspondingly move and may capture other objects within their fields of view. For example, as the user's head 312 rotates to the left, the sub-region 316 may capture the holographic wizard 348 and the physical lamp 352. In one example where the holographic wizard 348 is a selectable virtual object, as the left boundary of the sub-region 316 passes over the wizard, the wizard is displayed with a gross visual highlight. Similarly, when the sub-region 316 no longer captures a selectable object, the gross visual highlight for that object is not displayed.
Using eye-tracking data 70, the mixed reality presentation program 14 may more specifically identify a fine selectable target from among the gross selectable targets at which the user 304 is gazing. In the present example and with reference also to
In this example, the PLAY item comprises a sub-target within the gross selectable target of the virtual menu 324. It will be appreciated that in other examples, a gross selectable target may not include a sub-target, in which case the gross selectable target may also be identified as the fine selectable target.
As shown in
Upon identifying the fine selectable target, the mixed reality presentation program 14 displays the fine selectable target with a fine visual highlight that is different from the gross visual highlight. In the present example, the PLAY item may be displayed with a red halo 408 that contrasts with the larger green halo 340 encircling the menu 324. In this manner, the user 304 receives visual feedback indicating that the PLAY item is targeted and available for selection. It will be appreciated that any other fine visual highlight that provides a visual distinction from the gross visual highlight may also be used and is within the scope of the present disclosure.
With reference now also to
As shown in
In the present example, the operation performed on the PLAY item may comprise selecting the PLAY item to start playback of a holographic movie. As noted above, any other operation that is associated with the identified gesture may be performed on the fine selectable target that is identified. It will also be appreciated that fine selectable targets may include physical objects, such as the framed picture 320. For example, an operation such as capturing an image of the framed picture 320 may be performed.
In the present example and with reference again to
With reference to
At 816 the method 800 includes displaying the one or more gross selectable targets with a gross visual highlight. At 820 the method 800 includes specifically identifying a fine selectable target from among the one or more gross selectable targets based on eye-tracking data 70 from one or more of the sensors. In one example indicated at 824, the fine selectable target may comprise a sub-target within one of the one or more gross selectable targets. At 828 the method 800 includes displaying an eye-tracking visual cue 404 based on eye-tracking data 70. In one example indicated at 832, the eye-tracking visual cue 404 is displayed at a distance from a focal point 360 on the fine selectable target.
At 836 the method 800 includes displaying the fine selectable target with a fine visual highlight that is different from the gross visual highlight. At 840 a gesture is identified based on gesture data 74 from one or more of the sensors. As indicated at 844, the gesture data corresponds to depth information. At 848 the depth information may be received from a gesture target that is outside the sub-region 316. With reference now to
It will be appreciated that method 800 is provided by way of example and is not meant to be limiting. Therefore, it is to be understood that method 800 may include additional and/or alternative steps than those illustrated in
Advantageously, the above-described embodiments of a mixed reality presentation system 10 and related method 800 provide a simple and intuitive paradigm that facilitates user engagement with a mixed reality environment 40. Feedback provided by a mixed reality device, such as HMD device 42, enables a user to easily navigate among virtual and physical objects in the mixed reality environment 40. Using a simple gesture, the user may cause the system to perform an operation on a selected object.
As shown in
Logic subsystem 904 may include one or more physical devices configured to execute one or more instructions. For example, the logic subsystem 904 may be configured to execute one or more instructions that are part of one or more applications, services, programs, routines, libraries, objects, components, data structures, or other logical constructs. Such instructions may be implemented to perform a task, implement a data type, transform the state of one or more devices, or otherwise arrive at a desired result.
The logic subsystem 904 may include one or more processors that are configured to execute software instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the logic subsystem may include one or more hardware or firmware logic machines configured to execute hardware or firmware instructions. Processors of the logic subsystem may be single core or multicore, and the programs executed thereon may be configured for parallel or distributed processing. The logic subsystem may optionally include individual components that are distributed throughout two or more devices, which may be remotely located and/or configured for coordinated processing. One or more aspects of the logic subsystem may be virtualized and executed by remotely accessible networked computing devices configured in a cloud computing configuration.
Storage subsystem 908 may include one or more physical, persistent devices configured to hold data and/or instructions executable by the logic subsystem 904 to implement the herein described methods and processes. When such methods and processes are implemented, the state of storage subsystem 908 may be transformed (e.g., to hold different data).
Storage subsystem 908 may include removable media and/or built-in devices. Storage subsystem 908 may include optical memory devices (e.g., CD, DVD, HD-DVD, Blu-Ray Disc, etc.), semiconductor memory devices (e.g., RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.) and/or magnetic memory devices (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, tape drive, MRAM, etc.), among others. Storage subsystem 908 may include devices with one or more of the following characteristics: volatile, nonvolatile, dynamic, static, read/write, read-only, random access, sequential access, location addressable, file addressable, and content addressable.
In some embodiments, aspects of logic subsystem 904 and storage subsystem 908 may be integrated into one or more common devices through which the functionally described herein may be enacted, at least in part. Such hardware-logic components may include field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), program- and application-specific integrated circuits (PASIC/ASICs), program- and application-specific standard products (PSSP/ASSPs), system-on-a-chip (SOC) systems, and complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), for example.
It is to be appreciated that storage subsystem 908 includes one or more physical, persistent devices. In contrast, in some embodiments aspects of the instructions described herein may be propagated in a transitory fashion by a pure signal (e.g., an electromagnetic signal, an optical signal, etc.) that is not held by a physical device for at least a finite duration. Furthermore, data and/or other forms of information pertaining to the present disclosure may be propagated by a pure signal via computer-readable communication media.
When included, display subsystem 912 may be used to present a visual representation of data held by storage subsystem 908. As the above described methods and processes change the data held by the storage subsystem 908, and thus transform the state of the storage subsystem, the state of the display subsystem 912 may likewise be transformed to visually represent changes in the underlying data. The display subsystem 912 may include one or more display devices utilizing virtually any type of technology. Such display devices may be combined with logic subsystem 904 and/or storage subsystem 908 in a shared enclosure, or such display devices may be peripheral display devices. The display subsystem 912 may include, for example, the display system 48 and transparent display 50 of the HMD device 42.
When included, communication subsystem 916 may be configured to communicatively couple computing system 900 with one or more networks and/or one or more other computing devices. Communication subsystem 916 may include wired and/or wireless communication devices compatible with one or more different communication protocols. As nonlimiting examples, the communication subsystem 916 may be configured for communication via a wireless telephone network, a wireless local area network, a wired local area network, a wireless wide area network, a wired wide area network, etc. In some embodiments, the communication subsystem may allow computing system 900 to send and/or receive messages to and/or from other devices via a network such as the Internet.
Sensor subsystem 920 may include one or more sensors configured to sense different physical phenomenon (e.g., visible light, infrared light, sound, acceleration, orientation, position, etc.) as described above. Sensor subsystem 920 may be configured to provide sensor data to logic subsystem 904, for example. As described above, such data may include eye-tracking information, image information, audio information, ambient lighting information, depth information, position information, motion information, user location information, and/or any other suitable sensor data that may be used to perform the methods and processes described above.
When included, input subsystem 922 may comprise or interface with one or more sensors or user-input devices such as a game controller, gesture input detection device, voice recognizer, inertial measurement unit, keyboard, mouse, or touch screen. In some embodiments, the input subsystem 922 may comprise or interface with selected natural user input (NUI) componentry. Such componentry may be integrated or peripheral, and the transduction and/or processing of input actions may be handled on- or off-board. Example NUI componentry may include a microphone for speech and/or voice recognition; an infrared, color, stereoscopic, and/or depth camera for machine vision and/or gesture recognition; a head tracker, eye tracker, accelerometer, and/or gyroscope for motion detection and/or intent recognition; as well as electric-field sensing componentry for assessing brain activity.
The term “program” may be used to describe an aspect of the mixed reality presentation system 10 that is implemented to perform one or more particular functions. In some cases, such a program may be instantiated via logic subsystem 904 executing instructions held by storage subsystem 908. It is to be understood that different programs may be instantiated from the same application, service, code block, object, library, routine, API, function, etc. Likewise, the same program may be instantiated by different applications, services, code blocks, objects, routines, APIs, functions, etc. The term “program” is meant to encompass individual or groups of executable files, data files, libraries, drivers, scripts, database records, etc.
It is to be understood that the configurations and/or approaches described herein are exemplary in nature, and that these specific embodiments or examples are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. The specific routines or methods described herein may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies. As such, various acts illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in other sequences, in parallel, or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of the above-described processes may be changed.
The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various processes, systems and configurations, and other features, functions, acts, and/or properties disclosed herein, as well as any and all equivalents thereof.
