Transition between virtual and augmented reality

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11112856-B2
Application number	US-201916421335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 23, 2019
Priority date	Mar 13, 2016
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

In an embodiment there is provided a user interface device for interfacing a user with a computer, the computer comprising at least one processor to generate instructions for display of a graphical environment of a virtual reality simulation. The user interface device includes a sensor for detecting activation and/or a sensor for detecting proximity of a body part of the user (e.g., hand). At least partially based on detection by one of these sensors, a transition between virtual reality states is triggered.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computer, are configured to cause the computer to:
receive, from a computer peripheral device, an identifier;
identify an image of the computer peripheral device, wherein the image of the computer peripheral device includes a composite of a plurality of layers for displaying the computer peripheral device within a virtual reality environment and wherein the plurality of layers are stored at a location defined within a lookup table;
use the identifier to index into the lookup table; and
obtain, using the lookup table and the identifier, image data for visually representing layers of the plurality of layers within the virtual reality environment.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the virtual reality environment has a plurality of states including a virtual reality display state and an augmented reality display state.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2 wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to cause the computer to:
transition between two of the plurality of states in response to receiving a trigger signal from the computer peripheral device.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3 wherein the trigger signal from the computer peripheral device corresponds to either:
a detected activation of an input element on the computer peripheral device; or
a detected activation of a proximity sensor on the computer peripheral device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 3 wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two of an indicia layer, an input element layer, a device body layer, a proximal layer, a body part layer and a highlight layer, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is modified upon the transition between states.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 5 wherein the image of the computer peripheral device has one of the layers modified a period of time after the transition.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the computer to:
display the plurality of layers in a head mounter display (HMD).

8. A system comprising:
one or more processors;
one or more non-transitory computer-readable mediums storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
receive, from a computer peripheral device, an identifier;
identify an image of the computer peripheral device, wherein the image of the computer peripheral device includes a composite of a plurality of layers for displaying the computer peripheral device within a virtual reality environment and wherein the plurality of layers are stored at a location defined within a lookup table;
use the identifier to index into the lookup table; and
obtain, using the lookup table and the identifier, image data for visually representing layers of the plurality of layers within the virtual reality environment.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the virtual reality environment has a plurality of states including a virtual reality display state and an augmented reality display state.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer-executable instructions are further configured to cause the computer to:
transition between two of the plurality of states in response to receiving a trigger signal from the computer peripheral device.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the trigger signal from the computer peripheral device corresponds to either:
a detected activation of an input element on the computer peripheral device; or
a detected activation of a proximity sensor on the computer peripheral device.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two of an indicia layer, an input element layer, a device body layer, a proximal layer, a body part layer and a highlight layer, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is modified upon the transition between states.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the image of the computer peripheral device has one of the layers modified a period of time after the transition.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the instructions are further configured to cause the system to: display the plurality of layers in a head mounted display (HMD).

15. A computer-implemented method comprising:
receiving, from a computer peripheral device, an identifier;
identifying an image of the computer peripheral device, wherein the image of the computer peripheral device includes a composite of a plurality of layers for displaying the computer peripheral device within a virtual reality environment and wherein the plurality of layers are stored at a location defined within a lookup table;
using the identifier to index into the lookup table; and
obtaining, using the lookup table and the identifier, image data for visually representing layers of the plurality of layers within the virtual reality environment.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15 wherein the virtual reality environment has a plurality of states including a virtual reality display state and an augmented reality display state.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16 further comprising: transitioning between two of the plurality of states in response to receiving a trigger signal from the computer peripheral device.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 wherein the trigger signal from the computer peripheral device corresponds to either:
a detected activation of an input element on the computer peripheral device; or
a detected activation of a proximity sensor on the computer peripheral device.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17 wherein the plurality of layers includes at least two of an indicia layer, an input element layer, a device body layer, a proximal layer, a body part layer and a highlight layer, wherein at least one of the plurality of layers is modified upon the transition between states.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19 wherein the image of the computer peripheral device has one of the layers modified a period of time after the transition.

Assignees

• Logitech Europe Sa

Inventors

• Rouvinez Thomas
• Kehoe Aidan
• Gutierrez Mario
• Jalil Vincent
• O'Sullivan Damien
• Meisser Mathieu
• Ramond Nicolas
• Croisonnier Regis

Classifications

• G06T19/006

  Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00) · CPC title

• G06F3/011 Primary

  Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00) · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title