Image generation apparatus and image generation method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10684475-B2
Application number	US-201816160612-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2018
Priority date	Nov 11, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2020
Grant date	Jun 16, 2020

Abstract

Methods and apparatus provide for acquiring information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation of a user's head wearing a head-mounted display; generating an image for the head-mounted display using information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation acquired at a certain point of time; and a correcting process includes receiving updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation at a different point of time and correcting the image generated using the updated information. The generating the image includes using the information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in a first frequency; and the correcting includes receiving updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation in a second frequency corresponding to a frame rate of the head-mounted display. The correcting includes multiple times of correction of the image generated in the first frequency using a plurality of the updated information in the second frequency, which is higher than the first frequency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An image generation apparatus, comprising:
a processor coupled to a memory storing instructions that when executed by the processor, configure the processor to implement:
an acquisition process to acquire information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation of the head of a user who wears a head-mounted display unit;
an image generation process to generate an image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation acquired at a certain point of time by the acquisition process; and
a correction processing process to receive updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation at a different point of time from the acquisition process and correct the image generated by the image generation process using the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation, wherein:
the image generation process generates the image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using the information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in a first frequency; and
the correction processing process receives updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation from the acquisition process in a second frequency corresponding to a frame rate of the head-mounted display unit and performs multiple times of correction of the image generated by the image generation process in the first frequency using a plurality of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation received in the second frequency higher than the first frequency.

2. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processing process receives n (where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) pieces of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in the second frequency higher than the first frequency and performs n times of correction of the same image generated by the image generation process in the first frequency using the n pieces of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation.

3. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processing process receives n (where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) pieces of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in the second frequency higher than the first frequency and performs the first correction of the image generated by the image generation process in the first frequency using the first piece of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation and then performs the i-th (where i=2, . . . , n) correction of the image corrected by the (i-1)-th correction using the i-th piece of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation.

4. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processing process, when the correction of the image causes a missing portion, fills up the missing portion with a color of pixels on an outermost periphery of the image.

5. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processing process, when the correction of the image causes a missing portion, fills up the missing portion with a predetermined single color.

6. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the image generation process renders a region greater than the outermost periphery of the image in advance so that the correction of the image causes no missing portion.

7. The image generation apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the correction processing process performs the correction of the image controlling a movement amount between different time points so that the correction of the image causes no missing portion.

8. The image generation apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the correction processing process limits the movement amount to a predetermined limit value and when the movement amount exceeds the predetermined limit value, performs the correction of the image assuming that the movement amount is the predetermined limit value.

9. The image generation apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the correction processing process, when the movement amount exceeds a predetermined limit value, does not perform the correction of the image but performs an error process.

10. The image generation apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the correction processing process sets a first limit value and a second limit value greater than the first limit value and when the movement amount exceeds the first limit value but is equal to or smaller than the second limit value, performs the correction of the image assuming that the movement amount is the first limit value, and when the movement amount exceeds the second limit value, does not perform the correction of the image but performs an error process.

11. An image generation method, comprising:
acquiring information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation of the head of a user who wears a head-mounted display unit;
generating an image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation acquired at a certain point of time by the acquiring; and
receiving updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation at a different point of time and correcting the image generated by the generating using the updated information relating to the position and the rotation, wherein:
the generating the image generates the image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using the information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in a first frequency; and
the receiving and correcting receives updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation in a second frequency corresponding to a frame rate of the head-mounted display unit and performs multiple times of correction of the image generated by the generating the image in the first frequency using a plurality of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation received in the second frequency higher than the first frequency.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores therein a program causing a computer to execute an image generation method, the method comprising:
acquiring information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation of the head of a user who wears a head-mounted display unit;
generating an image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation acquired at a certain point of time by the acquiring; and
receiving updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation at a different point of time and correcting the image generated by the generating using the updated information relating to the position and the rotation, wherein:
the generating the image generates the image to be displayed on the head-mounted display unit using the information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation in a first frequency; and
the receiving and correcting receives updated information relating to at least one of a position and a rotation in a second frequency corresponding to a frame rate of the head-mounted display unit and performs multiple times of correction of the image generated by the generating the image in the first frequency using a plurality of the updated information relating to at least one of the position and the rotation received in the second frequency higher than the

Assignees

• Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc
• Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe Ltd

Inventors

• Oto Tomohiro
• Benson Simon Mark
• Bickerstaff Ian Henry

Classifications

• G06T15/20

  Perspective computation · CPC title

• G06T19/003

  Navigation within 3D models or images · CPC title

• G02B27/017 Primary

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G06F3/012 Primary

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title