Method, computer program product and binocular headset controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11650425-B2
Application number	US-202017128424-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	Dec 20, 2019
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

Computer-generated image data is presented on first and second displays of a binocular headset presuming that a user's left and right eyes are located at first and second positions relative to the first and second displays respectively. At least one updated version of the image data is presented, which is rendered presuming that at least one of the user's left and right eyes is located at a position different from the first and second positions respectively in at least one spatial dimension. In response thereto, a user-generated feedback signal is received expressing either: a quality measure of the updated version of the computer-generated image data relative to computer-generated image data presented previously; or a confirmation command. The steps of presenting the updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal are repeated until the confirmation command is received. The first and second positions are defined based on the user-generated feedback signal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method performed in at least one processor, the method comprising:
presenting computer-generated image data on first and second displays of a binocular headset, the computer-generated image data being rendered under a presumption that a user's left eye is located at a first position relative to the first display and the user's right eye is located at a second position relative to the second display, and the computer-generated image data comprising at least one graphical element shown on the first and the second displays respectively;
presenting at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data that is rendered under the presumption that at least one of the user's left and right eyes is located at a position being different from the first and the second positions respectively in at least one spatial dimension;
receiving a user-generated feedback signal comprising either:
a quality measure of the updated version of the computer-generated image data relative to the computer-generated image data presented previously on the first and the second displays, or
a confirmation command;
iterating presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal until the user-generated feedback signal comprising the confirmation command is received, and
defining the first and the second positions based on the user-generated feedback signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:
presenting two or more updated versions of the computer-generated image data before receiving the user-generated feedback signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a subsequent presenting of the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data is based on the quality measure comprised in the user-generated feedback signal such that the subsequent presenting is expected to result in a later received user-generated feedback signal comprising either (i) a further improved quality measure, or (ii) the confirmation command, or a lower quality measure.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
assigning an estimated left eye position for the user based on the latest first position presumed when rendering the computer-generated image data before receiving the user-generated signal comprising the confirmation command; and
assigning an estimated right eye position for the user based on a latest second position presumed when rendering the computer-generated image data before receiving the user-generated signal comprising the confirmation command.

5. The method according to claim 4 , comprising:
iterating presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal until a user-generated feedback signal comprising the confirmation command is received for one eye of the user's left and right eyes before starting to iterate presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal for the other eye of the user's left and right eyes.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the computer-generated image data is presented for the user's left and right eyes (i) in a temporal parallel manner, or (ii) in a temporal interleaved manner, wherein:
at least one iteration of presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal is completed for a first eye of the user's left and right eyes, thereafter
at least one iteration of presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal is completed for a second eye of the user's left and right eyes, and then
at least one iteration of presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data and receiving the user-generated feedback signal is completed for said first eye.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data comprises:
presenting a graphical element at a position being different from the first and the second positions respectively in a first spatial dimension, and
preferably presenting the at least one updated version of the computer-generated image data comprises:
presenting a graphical element at a position being different from the first and the second positions respectively in a second spatial dimension being orthogonal to the first spatial dimension.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of presenting the computer-generated image data on the first and the second displays comprises:
presenting a first graphical element at a first focal plane on the first and the second displays respectively, and
presenting a second graphical element at a second focal plane on the first and the second displays respectively, and wherein
the quality measure comprised in the user-generated feedback signal is configured to indicate when the presenting of the first and the second graphical elements at the first and the second focal planes respectively is perceived by the user as a change in position of the first and the second graphical elements.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at the at least one graphical element has a rectilinear shape extending in two dimensions on each of the first and the second displays respectively, and preferably a number of graphical elements are presented as elements in at least one array, or as elements in a geometric symbol being mirror symmetric about at least two mutually orthogonal axes.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one graphical element comprises a number of identical graphical elements distributed over an area.

11. The method according to claim 1 , after having received the user-generated feedback signal comprising the confirmation command, the method further comprising:
calculating an estimated interpupillary distance between the estimated left and right eye positions for the user as an absolute distance between first and the second coordinates, the first coordinate expressing the first position of a pupil of the user's left eye relative to the first display and the second coordinate expressing the second position a pupil of the user's right eye relative to the second display.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein presenting the computer-generated image data on the first and the second displays comprises:
presenting a two-dimensional pattern of graphical elements at a same first focal distance on the first and the second displays, the two-dimensional pattern being presented under a presumption that, for at least one of the user's left and right eyes, a center-pupil distance separates a position of an eye rotation center from a position of a pupil of the user's eye, the quality measure comprised in the user-generated feedback signal reflecting a degree of mismatch perceived by the user between the two-dimensional pattern presented on the first display and the two-dimensional pattern presented on the second display when the user focuses his/her gaze at a predefined point in the two-dimensional pattern;
wherein in response to the quality measure, presenting the updated version of the computer-generated image data comprises:
presenting the two-dimensional pattern of graphical elements under the presumption that the center-pupil distance is different from a previously assigned measure for this distance; and
after having received the user-generated feedback signal comprising the confirmation command, the method further comprises:

Assignees

• Tobii Ab
• Tobil AB

Inventors

• Cooper Geoffrey
• Lundahl Rickard
• Lindén Erik
• Gordon Maria

Classifications

• G06F3/013 Primary

  Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/1423 Primary

  controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display · CPC title

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B27/017

  Head mounted · CPC title

• G02B2027/0198

  System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction · CPC title