Stabilizing motion of an interaction ray

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9606364-B2
Application number	US-201414485542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2014
Priority date	Sep 12, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

Technology for stabilizing an interaction ray based on variance in head rotation is disclosed. One aspect includes monitoring orientation of a person's head, which may include monitoring rotation about an axis of the head, such as recording an Euler angle with respect to rotation about an axis of the head. The logic determines a three-dimensional (3D) ray based on the orientation of the head. The 3D ray has a motion that precisely tracks the Euler angle over time. The logic generates an interaction ray that tracks the 3D ray to some extent. The logic determines a variance of the Euler angle over time. The logic stabilizes the interaction ray based on the variance of the Euler angle over time despite some rotation about the axis of the head. The amount of stabilizing may be inversely proportional to the variance of the Euler angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a sensor; and
logic that monitors orientation of a person's head using the sensor, including monitoring rotation about an axis of the head, including recording an Euler angle with respect to rotation about the axis of the head;
the logic configured to determine a three-dimensional (3D) ray based on the orientation of the head, the 3D ray has a motion that precisely tracks the Euler angle over time;
the logic configured to generate an interaction ray that tracks the 3D ray to some extent;
the logic configured to determine a variance of the Euler angle over a recent time period, the variance being based on differences between an Euler angle for the present time and the Euler angle with respect to rotation about the axis of the head for different points in time over the recent time period;
the logic configured to stabilize the interaction ray based on the variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period despite some rotation about the axis of the head, an amount of stabilizing being inversely proportional to the variance of the Euler angle; and
the logic configured to determine a collision of the interaction ray with a 3D coordinate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a near-eye, see-through display;
wherein the logic is configured to present a holographic image on the near-eye, see-through display, the logic is configured to determine a collision of the interaction ray with respect to the holographic image.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the 3D ray is a first 3D vector that originates from the head, the interaction ray is a second 3D vector that originates from the head.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic is configured to:
modify the interaction ray based on the variance and a present position of the 3D ray, wherein the interaction ray is stabilized when the variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period is low despite some motion of the head about the axis, the interaction ray closely tracks the 3D ray when the variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period is high.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the variance is based on a mean average of the differences between the Euler angle for the present time and the Euler angles with respect to rotation about the axis of the head over the recent time period.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein when the logic is configured to monitor orientation of a person's head using the sensor, determine variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period, and stabilize the interaction ray based on the variance of the Euler angle, the logic is configured to:
track a first rotation about a first axis of the head to determine a first Euler angle;
track a second rotation about a second axis of the head to determine a second Euler angle;
determine a first variance of the first Euler angle over the recent time period;
determine a second variance of the second Euler angle over the recent time period;
track the interaction ray tracks to the 3D ray with respect to the first axis to a degree that is proportional to the first variance of the first Euler angle over the recent time period and stabilizes the interaction ray tracks inversely proportional to the first variance of the first Euler angle over the recent time period; and
track the interaction ray tracks to the 3D ray with respect to the second axis to a degree that is proportional to the second variance of the second Euler angle over the recent time period and stabilizes the interaction ray tracks inversely proportional to the second variance of the second Euler angle over the recent time period.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the first Euler angle tracks pitch of the head and the second Euler angle tracks yaw of the head.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic is further configured to:
track translation of the person's head; and
determine a variance of the translation of the head over the recent time period;
wherein the logic is configured to alter how closely the interaction ray tracks the 3D ray based on the variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period and the variance of the translation of the head over the recent time period, the logic is configured to stabilize the interaction ray based on the variance of the translation of the head over the recent time period despite some translation of the head during the recent time period.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the variance is a mathematical variance.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the logic is further configured to determine a largest difference between the present Euler angle and the Euler angles for the recent time period and a smallest difference between the present Euler angle and the Euler angles for the recent time period, the logic is configured to determine the variance of the Euler angle over the recent time period further based on the difference between the largest difference and the smallest difference.

11. A method comprising:
tracking head orientation using a sensor, including tracking rotation about an axis of the head;
recording values for an angle of rotation about the axis of the head over a recent time interval;
determining a first three-dimensional (3D) ray based on actual orientation of the head, the first 3D ray has a motion that tracks the actual orientation of the head over time, the first 3D ray has a direct correspondence of the rotation about the axis of the head;
determining a variance of the recorded angle over the recent time interval based on differences between an Euler angle for the present time and the Euler angle with respect to rotation about the axis of the head for different points in time over the recent time interval;
generating a second 3D ray based on actual position of the first 3D ray and the variance of the recorded angle over the recent time interval, including stabilizing motion of the second 3D ray to a degree that is inversely proportional to the variance; and
determining a collision of the second 3D ray with a 3D coordinate.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tracking orientation of a head includes:
tracking pitch and yaw of the head orientation, the first 3D ray is a first 3D vector that originates from the head, the second 3D ray is a second 3D vector that originates from the head.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
presenting a holographic image in a head mounted display, the holographic image comprising 3D objects, the determining a collision of the second 3D ray with a 3D coordinate includes determining a collision of the second 3D ray with a first 3D object of the 3D objects.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the second 3D ray is a cursor, further comprising:
receiving a selection of the first 3D object.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tracking rotation about an axis of the head, the determining variance of the recorded angle over the recent time interval, and the stabilizing motion of the second 3D ray to a degree that is inversely proportional to the variance includes:
tracking a first rotation about a first axis of the head;
recording values for a first angle of rotation about the first axis over the recent time interval;
tracking a second rotation about a second axis of the head;
recording values for a second angle of rotation about the second axis over the recent time interval;
determining a first variance of the recorded first angle over the recent time interval;
determining a second variance of the recorded second angle over the recent time interval; and
stabilizing the motion of the second 3

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Burns Aaron

Classifications

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• G06F3/012 Primary

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G06F3/0346 Primary

  with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title