Displaying modified stereo visual content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10523912-B2
Application number	US-201815886780-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2018
Priority date	Feb 1, 2018
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

Examples are disclosed that relate to devices and methods for displaying stereo visual content via a head-mounted display (HMD) device. In one example, a method comprises: establishing a default display distance from an origin in a virtual coordinate system; determining a modified display distance from the origin; determining that visual content comprises stereo visual content comprising a left eye image and a right eye image; based on determining that the visual content comprises stereo visual content, scaling the left eye image to a scaled left eye image and scaling the right eye image to a scaled right eye image using a scaling factor that is proportional to a difference between the modified display distance and the default display distance; and displaying the scaled left eye image and the scaled right eye image at the modified display distance.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. At a computing device, a method for displaying visual content via a head-mounted display (HMD) device, the method comprising:
establishing a default display distance from an origin in a virtual coordinate system;
setting a modified display distance from the origin;
determining that the visual content comprises stereo visual content comprising a left eye image and a right eye image;
based on determining that the visual content comprises stereo visual content, scaling the left eye image to a scaled left eye image and scaling the right eye image to a scaled right eye image using a scaling factor that is proportional to a difference between the modified display distance and the default display distance; and
displaying the scaled left eye image and the scaled right eye image at the modified display distance.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the visual content comprises three-dimensional visual content; and
based on determining that the visual content comprises three-dimensional visual content, displaying the three-dimensional visual content at the default display distance.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the modified display distance is approximately 10 meters.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that an occluding object is located between a location of the HMD device in the virtual coordinate system and a location of the visual content at the modified display distance; and
shortening the modified display distance to a shortened modified display distance that is between the occluding object and the location of the HMD device.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the occluding object is a real-world object.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that an occluding object is located between a location of the HMD device in the virtual coordinate system and a location of the visual content at the modified display distance; and
based on determining that the occluding object is located between the location of the HMD device and the location of the visual content, dimming at least the occluding object.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising dimming all real-world objects and other displayed virtual content within a field of view of the HMD device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying a planar surface; and
based on identifying the planar surface, setting the modified display distance to a distance from the origin to the planar surface.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining a misalignment between the left eye image and the right eye image; and
based on determining the misalignment, changing a displayed position of at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image.

10. A computing device communicatively coupled to a head-mounted display (HMD) device, the computing device comprising:
a processor; and
a memory holding instructions executable by the processor to:
establish a default display distance from an origin in a virtual coordinate system;
set a modified display distance from the origin;
determine that visual content comprises stereo visual content comprising a left eye image and a right eye image;
based on determining that the visual content comprises stereo visual content, scale the left eye image to a scaled left eye image and the right eye image to a scaled right eye image using a scaling factor that is proportional to a difference between the modified display distance and the default display distance; and
cause the HMD device to display the scaled left eye image and the scaled right eye image at the modified display distance.

11. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the HMD device comprises a see-through display.

12. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
determine that the visual content comprises three-dimensional visual content; and
based on determining that the visual content comprises three-dimensional visual content, display the three-dimensional visual content at the default display distance.

13. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the modified display distance is approximately 10 meters.

14. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
determine that an occluding object is located between a location of the HMD device in the virtual coordinate system and a location of the visual content at the modified display distance; and
shorten the modified display distance to a shortened modified display distance that is between the occluding object and the location of the HMD device.

15. The computing device of claim 14 , wherein the occluding object is a real-world object.

16. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
determine that an occluding object is located between a location of the HMD device in the virtual coordinate system and a location of the visual content at the modified display distance; and
based on determining that the occluding object is located between the location of the HMD device and the location of the visual content, dim at least the occluding object.

17. The computing device of claim 16 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to dim all real-world objects and other displayed virtual content within a field of view of the HMD device.

18. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
identify a planar surface; and
based on identifying the planar surface, set the modified display distance to a distance from the origin to the planar surface.

19. The computing device of claim 10 , wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to:
determine a misalignment between the left eye image and the right eye image; and
based on determining the misalignment, change a displayed position of at least one of the left eye image and the right eye image.

20. A head-mounted display (HMD) device for displaying visual content, comprising:
a display;
a processor; and
a memory holding instructions executable by the processor to:
establish a default display distance from an origin in a virtual coordinate system;
set a modified display distance from the origin;
determine that visual content comprises stereo visual content comprising a left eye image and a right eye image;
based on determining that the visual content comprises stereo visual content, scale the left eye image to a scaled left eye image and the right eye image to a scaled right eye image using a scaling factor that is proportional to a difference between the modified display distance and the default display distance; and
display the scaled left eye image and the scaled right eye image at the modified display distance.

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Held Robert Thomas
• Crisler Matthew Calbraith

Classifications

• H04N13/344

  with head-mounted left-right displays · CPC title

• H04N13/128 Primary

  Adjusting depth or disparity · CPC title

• G02B2027/011

  comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion · CPC title

• G02B27/0018

  with means for preventing ghost images (anti-reflection coatings G02B1/11) · CPC title

• G02B2027/0132

  comprising binocular systems · CPC title