Virtual/augmented reality transition system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9690374-B2
Application number	US-201514696716-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2015
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A system and method of operating an audio visual system generating a virtual immersive experience may include an electronic user device in communication with a tracking device that may track a user's physical movement in a real world space and translate the tracked physical movement into corresponding movement in the virtual world generated by the user device. The system may detect when a user and the user device are approaching a boundary of a tracking area and automatically initiate a transition out of the virtual world and into the real world. A smooth, or graceful, transition between the virtual world and the real world as the user encounters this boundary may avoid disorientation which may occur as a user continues to move in the real world, while motion appears to have stopped upon reaching the tracking boundary.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of operating a system configured to generate a virtual environment, the method comprising:
activating a tracking device and tracking a position of a user electronic device in an ambient environment;
detecting a transition condition, including
detecting an external input and generating a transition command when the detected external input is recognized as a request from an external party to initiate a transition of the user electronic device between the virtual environment and the ambient environment, or
comparing a distance between the user electronic device and at least one boundary of a tracking area tracked by the tracking device within the ambient environment and generating a transition command when the distance between the user electronic device and the at least one boundary of the tracking area is less than or equal to a preset threshold distance; and

performing a transition process to transition between the virtual environment generated by the user electronic device and the ambient environment in response to the detected transition condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein an area of the ambient environment is greater than a tracking area of the tracking device, such that a system boundary corresponds to a boundary of the tracking area of the tracking device within the ambient environment, detecting a transition condition including:
comparing a distance between the user electronic device and the boundary of the tracking area of the tracking device within the ambient environment; and
generating the transition command to initiate the transition process when the distance between the user electronic device and the boundary of the tracking area is less than or equal to a preset threshold distance.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein an area of the ambient environment is less than a tracking area of the tracking device, such that a system boundary corresponds to a physical boundary of the ambient environment, detecting a transition condition including:
comparing a distance between the user electronic device and the physical boundary of the ambient environment; and
generating the transition command to initiate the transition process when the distance between the user electronic device and the physical boundary of the ambient environment is less than or equal to a preset threshold distance.

4. The method of claim 1 ,
detecting an external input including detecting a physical gesture implemented by an external party, an audio command generated by an external party, an approach of an external party, or an eye gaze of an external party, and
comparing a distance between the user electronic device and at least one boundary of a tracking area tracked by the tracking device including determining at least one of a direction, a speed, or an acceleration of movement of the user electronic device based on a comparison of a current position to at least one previous position of the electronic device detected by the tracking device, and
performing a transition process including:
replacing virtual image output displayed on a display of the user electronic device in the virtual environment with transition image output displayed on the display, the transition image output including at least one of a monochromatic display, a pass through image of the ambient environment captured by a camera of the user electronic device, or a fading out of the virtual image output of the virtual environment and a fading in of the transition image output, or
replacing virtual audio output generated by the user electronic device in the virtual environment with transition audio output, the transition audio output including at least one of a preset signal or tone or a pass through of ambient sound captured by a microphone of the user electronic device, or a fading out of the audio output of the virtual environment and a fading in of transition audio output, or
generating at least one of an externally directed visual indicator, an externally directed audible indicator, or an externally directed physical indicator indicating to an external party that the transition process is complete.

5. The method of claim 1 , comparing a distance between the user electronic device and at least one boundary of a tracking area tracked by the tracking device also including:
comparing a current position of the user electronic device detected by the tracking device to at least one previous position of the user electronic device detected by the tracking device; and
determining at least one of a direction of movement of the user electronic device, a speed of movement of the user electronic device, or an acceleration of movement of the user electronic device based on the comparison of the current position to the at least one previous position.

6. The method of claim 5 , performing a transition process to transition between the virtual environment generated by the user electronic device and the ambient environment including:
selecting a transition profile based on at least one of the determined direction, speed or acceleration of movement of the user electronic device, environmental parameters of the virtual environment generated by the user electronic device, or preset user preferences.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein performing a transition process includes:
initiating the transition process in response to the transition command and performing the transition process such that the transition between the virtual environment and the ambient environment is complete at or before the user electronic device reaches the at least one boundary of the tracking area.

8. The method of claim 7 , performing the transition process also including:
detecting that the user electronic device has crossed the at least one boundary and is outside of the tracking area of the tracking device;
detecting that the user electronic device has moved from the outside of the tracking area and across the at least one boundary of the tracking area and has re-entered the tracking area; and
transitioning back into the virtual environment when the tracking device detects that the user electronic device has re-entered the tracking area.

9. The method of claim 1 , detecting a transition condition including:
detecting physical obstacle in a movement path of the user electronic device in the ambient environment, within a tracking area of the tracking device within the ambient environment;
comparing a distance between the user electronic device and the detected obstacle; and
generating a transition command to initiate the transition process when the distance between the user electronic device and the detected obstacle is less than or equal to a preset threshold distance.

10. The method of claim 9 , detecting a physical obstacle in a movement path of the user electronic device in the ambient environment, within a tracking area of the tracking device within the ambient environment including:
intermittently scanning the tracking area and capturing an image of the tracking area;
comparing a current image of the tracking area to at least one previous image of the tracking area captured by the tracking device; and
detecting the physical obstacle in the movement path of the user electronic device in the ambient environment based on at least one change detected when comparing the current image of the tracking area to the at least one previous image of the tracking area.

11. The method of claim 1 , detecting an external input including at least one of:
detecting a physical gesture implemented by an external party,
detecting an audio command generated by an external party,
detecting an approach of an external party, or
detecting an

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Clement Manuel Christian
• Faaborg Alexander James

Classifications

• G06F3/012

  Head tracking input arrangements · CPC title

• G02B27/0093

  with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · 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