Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Anton Mikhailov

Richard Lee Marks

Eric James Larsen

Ennin Huang

Jeffrey Roger Stafford

Gary M Zalewski

Dominic Saul Mallinson

Glenn T Black

Xiaodong Mao

Brian M Watson

Xiadong Mao

Steven Osman

Ruxin Chen

Gustavo Hernandez-Abrego

A head mounted display is provided. The head mounted display includes an optics block having a display screen. The optics block has a forward-facing region, a lower-facing region, a top-facing region, an inside-facing region, and side regions that extend from the forward-facing region toward the inside-facing region. The display screen is viewable from the inside-facing region. A band adjustment unit is located opposite the optics block. A headband has a front portion and an adjustable portion. The adjustable portion of the headband is connected to the band adjustment unit to contract a size of the headband or expand the size of the headband. The front portion of the headband has a connection to the top-facing region of the optics block that is proximate to the inside-facing region. A pad is disposed inside of the front portion of the headband. The pad provides for at least partial support of the optics block when the head mounted display is worn by a user.

Head mounted display with adjustable headband

A head mounted display (HMD) is provided. The HMD includes a housing and a view port of the housing. The view port has a screen for rendering an augmented reality scene. Included is a communications device for exchanging streaming data over a network. A depth camera integrated in the housing and oriented to capture depth data of an environment in front of the housing is included. A processor is configured to use the depth data captured by the depth camera to identify spatial positioning of real objects in the environment. A real object is rendered into the augmented reality scene, and the real object is tracked such that insertion of augmented reality objects are placed in coordination with movements of the real object shown in the augmented reality scene. The real object captured by the depth camera is the environment where a user wearing the HMD is located.

Head mounted display

A head mounted display is provided. The head mounted display includes an optics block having a display screen. The optics block has a forward-facing region, a lower-facing region, a top-facing region, an inside-facing region, and side regions that extend from the forward-facing region toward the inside-facing region. The display screen is viewable from the inside-facing region. A band adjustment unit is located opposite the optics block. A headband has a front portion and an adjustable portion. The adjustable portion of the headband is connected to the band adjustment unit to contract a size of the headband or expand the size of the headband. The front portion of the headband has a connection to the top-facing region of the optics block that is proximate to the inside-facing region. A pad is disposed inside of the front portion of the headband. The pad provides at least partial support of the optics block.

A method for managing multi-player interactivity with an interactive application is provided, including the following operations: determining locations of a first controller, a second controller, a first user, and a second user; pairing the first controller to the first user based on the location of the first controller and the location of the first user; pairing the second controller to the second user based on the location of the second controller and the location of the second user; presenting a split-screen view of the interactive application, wherein presenting the split-screen view includes setting positions of a first view and a second view within the split-screen view based on one or more of the locations of the first user, the second user, the first controller, or the second controller.

Split-screen presentation based on user location and controller location

A head mounted display (HMD) is provided. In one example configuration, the HMD has housing and a view port. The view port has a screen for rendering a virtual reality scene. The HMD has a communications device for exchanging data over a network. The HMD has a depth camera integrated in the housing and oriented to capture depth data of an environment in front of the housing. A processor is provided and is configured to use the depth data captured by the depth camera to identify real objects in the environment. A real object is rendered into the virtual reality scene. The real object is tracked such that movements of the real object are shown as movements in the virtual reality scene. The real object captured by the depth camera in the environment is a hand of a user wearing the HMD. The hand of the user is rendered as a virtual hand, and movements of the virtual hand are displayed in the screen of the viewport from a perspective that is in front of the user.

A media streaming device is provided. In one configuration, the media streaming device includes an interface for connecting the media streaming device to a display screen. A head mounted display (HMD) output for connecting to an HMD over a wireless connection provide by wireless communication circuitry. A processor for processing received video of interactive content. The processor is configured to format the video of interactive content for rendering on the display screen. A pass-through connection that is configured to interface the video of interactive content to the HMD via the HMD output over the wireless connection. The pass-through connection maintains a left-eye and right-eye format for rendering the video of interactive content in a three-dimensional format in the HMD.

Methods and systems for social sharing head mounted display (HMD) content with a second screen

Methods, systems, and computer programs for obtaining profile data of a user from a wearable device are provided. One example method includes connecting a peripheral device with a base computing device via a data connection. The peripheral device usable for interfacing with a computer game when executed by the base computing device. The method also includes detecting, by the peripheral device, a wearable device of a user that is using the peripheral device. The wearable device having an electronic circuit and a memory for storing information usable to identify a profile of the user. The method further includes reading or obtaining, by the peripheral device, the information from the memory of the wearable device, then sending the information to the base computing device. The information is used by the base computing device to identify the profile of the user. The profile of the user being used to obtain calibration data for the user, to avoid requiring the user to perform calibration each time the user interacts with the computer game.

User identified to a controller

A system and method for operating a head mounted display (HMD) is provided. The HMD has a head attachment portion and a viewing module coupled to the head attachment portion. The viewing module includes an inner side having a view port into a screen configuring for rendering a virtual reality scene and an exterior housing. A communications module for exchanging data with a computer system is provided and the computer system is configured to generate the virtual reality scene for the screen. A depth camera is integrated into the viewing module and is oriented to capture depth data of an environment in front of the exterior housing. One method includes processing, by the computer system, the depth data captured by the depth camera to identify hands of a user wearing the HMD in the environment. The hands are rendered into the virtual reality scene. The hands are tracked such that movements of the hands appear as movements of virtual hands extending into the virtual reality scene.

Methods and systems for processing input by a computing device are presented. One method includes operations for receiving images of a control device that includes an object section, and for determining a location of the control device utilizing image analysis for each captured image. Additionally, the movement of the control device is tracked based on the determined locations, where the tracking of the movement includes receiving inertial sensor information obtained by sensors in the control device, and determining an orientation of the control device based on the sensor information. Additionally, the method includes an operation for translating the movement and orientation of the control device into input for a game executing in the computing device, where the input is translated into a motion and orientation of an object in the game based on the movement of the control device.

Control device for communicating visual information

Methods and systems are provided for head mounted display (HMD) implementations. One example implementation includes a circuit for communicating with a computing system that processes multimedia content for display in the HMD. A front unit of the HMD has a screen for displaying multimedia content, and the front unit has a set of LEDs. A rear section of the HMD has a set of LEDs. A connector is provided for coupling the front unit with the rear section of the HMD, such that adjustment of the connector changes a separation distance between at least one of the set of LEDs of the front unit and at least one of the set of LEDs of the rear section. The computing system processes image data captured of the HMD when worn by a user. The image data includes at least one of the set of LEDs of the front unit and at least one of the set of LEDs of the rear section to identify the separation distance for a current adjustment of the connector.

Methods and systems tracking head mounted display (HMD) and calibrations for HMD headband adjustments

Methods and systems of pairing controllers for game play are presented. In one example, a method of pairing controllers to a base computing device for playing a game executed on the base computing device is provided. The method includes receiving a pairing request from one of a first or a second controller. The pair request is generated in response physical contact between the first and second controllers. The method assigns the first and second controllers as a first pairing for a first player and assigns the first pairing to a first color. The method includes transmitting the first color to the first or second controllers, such that at least one of the first and second controllers for the first pairing is configured to illuminate in the first color. Additional pairs of controllers will be assigned a different color, so that each player has a differentiated color on their respective controller.

Methods for controller pairing with assigned differentiating color/player

Systems and method for processing video frames generated for display on a head mounted display (HMD) to a second screen are provided. In one example, a client system having a processor for generating video frames in response to interactive game play of a video game using the HMD is provided. The generated video frames include in-band regions that include the video game content (VGC) to be displayed on the HMD. A processing device having an input interface for receiving the generated video frames. The processing device including extract logic for extracting a portion of the generated video frames, and a codec unit configured to process the portion of the generated video frames. Further included is a graphics processor unit (GPU) for processing the portion of the generated video frames and formatting for display on the second screen. The portion of the generated video frames processed by the GPU being provided to a first output interface of the processing device. The generated video frames received via the input interface being provided as a pass-through to a second output interface of the processing device. The first output interface of the processing device is connectable to the second screen and the second output interface of the processing device is connectable to the HMD.

An image capture device, including: a housing; a first camera defined along a front surface of the housing; a first camera controller configured to control the first camera to capture images of an interactive environment during user interactivity at a first exposure setting, the captured images from the first camera being analyzed to detect a dynamic range of the interactive environment and to track a user; a second camera defined along the front surface of the housing; a second camera controller configured to control the second camera to capture images of the interactive environment during the user interactivity at a second exposure setting based on the detected dynamic range, the second exposure setting being lower than the first exposure setting and configured to enable capture of objects that are the brightest objects in the interactive environment, the captured images from the second camera being analyzed to track an illuminated object.

Multi-image interactive gaming device

Methods, systems and computer programs for determining the location in a field of play of a game controller are provided. A ball section is attached to the game controller to locate the controller using visual information. The method obtains an image of the field of play where the game controller is present, and then finds pixels in the image associated with the ball section. The method further establishes an area encompassing the found pixels and determines a geometric shape based on the area associated with the ball. The location of the controller is calculated based on the geometric shape, with the center of the geometric shape indicating the horizontal and vertical location of the controller, and the size of the geometric shape determining the depth of the controller within the field of play. The location is stored in memory, which is used to drive an action by the computer.

Controller having visually trackable object for interfacing with a gaming system

A method for executing a game presented on a screen of a head mounted display (HMD) is provided. Execution renders interactive scenes of the game on the screen. The method includes receiving data of the HMD worn by a user to identify an HMD spatial position. The method also includes receiving data of a controller held by the user to identify a controller spatial position. During game play, the method includes rendering a point of view into the interactive scenes of the game on the screen, where the point of view is a volume of space rendered in three-dimensions. The method includes adjusting the point of view as the HMD spatial position is detected to change. The controller can drive interactivity in the game and changes in position of the controller and the HMD are correlated to provide an immersive three-dimensional game play experience.

Growing community of inventors

Campbell, CA, United States of America

Anton Mikhailov