Sixense Entertainment, Inc.

Penumbra, Inc.

Sixense Enterprises Inc.

Amir Rubin

Alejandro Santiago Diaz

Oded Y Zur

Owen Walter Pedrotti

Igor Khalfin

Michael D Collins

Danny G Woodall

Steven L Braman

Jeffrey Peter Bellinghausen

Ron Barak

Cameron J Mahon

William R Herrera

Ran Bar-On

Christian Laursen

Andrew Yumul Huertas

Danilo Moura Silva

Branislav Vasilijevic

Joel Breton

Ariel Z Rubin

Scott C Duensing

Real-time two-way communication between a user immersed in a virtual reality (VR) environment and another party who is not in the VR environment. The sequence of video frames being presented to the VR user on, e.g., a head mounted display, i.e., the VR user's 'field of view' in the VR environment, is shown to a guest user on their computing device. Simultaneously, video from a camera in a guest user computing device is shown to the VR user in a window in the VR environment. Audio is also exchanged in real time between the VR user and guest user by use of a microphone and loudspeaker in both the VR system and the guest user computing device. The VR user's system can also support both rotational and translational user movement thus properly changing the VR user's apparent distance from objects displayed in the VR environment.

Method and apparatus for real-time data communication in full-presence immersive platforms

A method and apparatus for reducing magnetic tracking error in the position and orientation determined in a magnetic tracking system having a magnetic field generator. In some embodiments, the measured position and orientation of a sensor is compared to an expected theoretical position and orientation. Any error is assumed to be from 'floor distortion,' i.e., eddy currents in the floor caused by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field transmitter. The floor distortion is modeled as being caused by eddy currents caused by a second magnetic field transmitter that is a reflection of the actual transmitter. An algorithm iteratively searches over a parameter space to minimize the difference between the measured position and orientation and the theoretical position and orientation, and applies a correction to the measured position and orientation. The measurements and corrections of the position and orientation run in real-time with no additional hardware or calibration required.

Method and apparatus for reducing magnetic tracking error due to floor distortion

A method and apparatus for reducing magnetic tracking error in the position and orientation determined in an electromagnetic tracking system is disclosed. In some embodiments, a corrected position and orientation is blended with an uncorrected position and orientation based upon the calculated probability of each. To determine a corrected position and orientation, data from an IMU in the receiver is used to obtain a constraint on the orientation. In other embodiments, the amount of detected error due to electromagnetic distortion is measured. Any error is first assumed to be from 'floor distortion,' and a correction is applied. If the error is still deemed too great, a constraint is again obtained from IMU data. Using this constraint, another correction for the distortion is made. The solution from this correction may be blended with a standard solution and the solution from the floor distortion to arrive at a final solution.

Method and apparatus for reducing magnetic tracking error

A method and apparatus is disclosed for allowing a magnetic tracking system to detect, and operate in close proximity in the same physical environment with, additional magnetic tracking systems. The first user's magnetic tracking system that becomes active in the physical space becomes the master system, and assigns time slots for its own transmitting antennas to generate the magnetic field which is used to determine the position and orientation of the user's limbs relative to the user's head. The master system also determines when other magnetic tracking systems become active in the physical space and assigns to those systems identification codes and time slots for their transmitting antennas to generate a magnetic field so that the position and orientation of the user's hands relative to the user's head for each of those systems may be determined. By requiring each magnetic tracking system to operate in different time slots, there is no interference between the systems.

Method and apparatus for synchronizing multiple magnetic tracking systems

A method and apparatus for self-relative body tracking in virtual reality systems using magnetic tracking is disclosed, which allows more accurate tracking of a user's body relative to the user's field of vision. A head-mounted magnetic tracking (HMMT) system is used, in which other parts of a user's body are tracked relative to the HMD on the user's head, rather than relative to a base station. This results in less distortion of the magnetic field used for tracking and thus allows for more accurate determination of the position and orientation of a user's body parts relative to the user's field of vision, so that a more accurate avatar may be presented on the HMD to the user. This allows the avatar of the user's body part to be shown in a location that corresponds closely to its physical position. In an alternative embodiment, multiple portions of the user's body may be tracked.

Method and apparatus for multiple user self-relative tracking for augmented reality systems using magnetic tracking

Method and apparatus for multiple user self-relative tracking using magnetic tracking

Method and apparatus for self-relative tracking using magnetic tracking

Method and apparatus for self-relative body tracking for virtual reality systems using magnetic tracking

A method and apparatus is disclosed for assisting a user, wearing a head mounted display (HMD) that covers a user's field of vision and has a tracker providing information regarding the position and orientation of the HMD, in locating a physical controller located on a physical base station. A processor causes the HMD to display a virtual world, including a virtual representation of the physical base station and physical controller along with a virtual hand that helps guide the user to the physical base station to allow the user to pick up the physical controller. Another embodiment allows an area in the physical world to be defined within which the user should remain, for example to avoid physical obstacles. The processor causes the HMD to display a warning, such as a virtual fence, to alert the user if the user approaches to within a preselected distance of the boundary.

System and method for assisting a user in remaining in a selected area while the user is in a virtual reality environment

System and method for assisting a user in locating physical objects while the user is in a virtual reality environment

An alternating current (AC) electromagnetic tracker system with increased operational range and an ability to compensate for electromagnetic distortion in the local operating environment. The system uses multiple 'N' sources/transmitters located at known positions in a common reference frame. A sensor receives the generated signal of each of the sources and a processor computes a position and orientation of the sensor from each. The processor further uses the known relative position and orientation between the N sources to compensate for distortion in the operating environment.

Electromagnetic tracker (AC) with extended range and distortion compensation capabilities employing multiple transmitters

Separate active and passive controllers each detect a generated magnetic field. The active controller phase corrects the detected magnetic field information transmitted from the passive controller and uses that to calculate the position and orientation of the passive controller. The active controller also phase corrects its own detected magnetic field information and uses that to calculate its position and orientation. The active controller transmits each of these calculated positions and orientations to a video game system directly or indirectly through the source of the generated magnetic field. The video game system is thus informed of the position and orientation of each of the active and passive controllers. Alternatively, the active controller creates a signal matrix using the phase corrected information and the position and orientation of a controller is calculated by either the source of the generated magnetic field or the video game system using the signal matrix.

Passive and active video game controllers with magnetic position sensing

In processing a game scene for display, in one embodiment input controller position information from a host memory is provided directly to a graphics processor rather than first being processed by a 3D application in a host processor. This results in more direct and timely processing of position information and reduces the number of 3D processing pipeline steps the controller position information must pass through thus reducing the user's perceived latency between moving the input controller and seeing the displayed results. In another embodiment, the input controller position information is provided directly from an input controller to a graphics card or subsystem rather than first going through a host processor or memory. This results in even more direct and timely processing of position information by further reducing the number of 3D processing pipeline steps the controller position information must pass through thus further reducing the user's perceived latency.

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Los Gatos, CA, United States of America

Amir Rubin