METHOD, APPARATUS AND SYSTEM PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE REALITY ENVIRONMENT

1 . Apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to:

provide image information to a wearable display device to produce a displayed image on a surface of the wearable display device that includes a first computer generated image (CGI) and a second CGI, wherein

the first CGI represents a virtual object in a first position in the displayed image to coincide with a first shadow image associated with the virtual object from a point of view of the wearable display device and included in a background display visible through the surface; and

the second CGI represents an image corresponding to the background display and in a second position in the displayed image to hide a portion of a second shadow image included in the background display, the second shadow image associated with the virtual object from a point of view different from the point of view of the wearable display device.

2 . The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to produce the image information including information representing the first CGI in the first position in the displayed image and the second CGI in the second position in the displayed image.

3 . A head mounted display (HMD) or mobile device or server comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .

4 . A system comprising:

a HMD including the apparatus of claim 1 ;

a tracking device producing tracking information indicating a position of a user wearing the HMD;

a second display device;

a server configured to:

provide second image information representing the background display to the second display device to produce the background display including the first and second shadow images;

determine the first and second positions based on the tracking information and the background display; and

produce the image information to represent the first CGI in the first position in the displayed image and the second CGI in the second position in the displayed image.

5 . A system comprising:

a mobile device including the apparatus of claim 1 ;

a tracking device producing tracking information indicating a position of a user wearing the wearable display device;

a second display device;

a server configured to:

provide second image information representing the background display to the second display device to produce the background display including the first and second shadow images;

determine the first and second positions based on the tracking information and the background display; and

produce the image information to represent the first CGI in the first position in the displayed image and the second CGI in the second position in the displayed image.

6 . A system comprising:

a server according to claim 3 ;

a tracking device producing tracking information indicating a position of a user wearing the wearable display device; and

a second display device;

wherein the one or more processors being configured to:

provide second image information representing the background display to the second display device to produce the background display including the first and second shadow images;

determine the first and second positions based on the tracking information and the background display;

produce the image information including the first CGI and the second CGI; and

provide the image information to the wearable display device.

7 . Apparatus of claim 1 wherein:

the surface of the wearable display device enables viewing both the displayed image including the image information and the background display through the surface;

the background display represents an alternative reality environment;

the first CGI represents the virtual object within the alternative reality environment; and

the first shadow image appears to be aligned with the first CGI from a viewing perspective of the user wearing the wearable display device, thereby enhancing an apparent opacity of the virtual object represented by the first CGI.

8 . A system according to claim 4 further comprising

a second wearable display device worn by a second user; wherein

the first CGI represents the virtual object viewed from a perspective of the first user;

the system provides third image information to the second wearable display device representing a second displayed image including a third CGI and a fourth CGI;

the third CGI represents the virtual object viewed from the perspective of the second user and positioned to coincide with the second shadow image; and

the fourth CGI replicates a second portion of the background display visible to the second user and positioned to hide a portion of the first shadow image visible in the second wearable display.

9 . A system according to claim 8 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to filter at least one of the first image information and the second image information to reduce an image artifact corresponding to an edge of at least one of the first shadow image and the second shadow image and visible in at least one of the first and second wearable display devices.

10 . A system according to claim 4 wherein the second display device comprises one or more video walls displaying the background display.

11 . A system according to claim 4 wherein the second display device comprises a plurality of video display surfaces forming an alternative reality cave including one or more of a plurality of video walls of the cave and a video floor of the cave and a video ceiling of the cave.

12 . A method comprising:

producing image information representing a first computer generated image (CGI) and a second CGI; and

providing the image information to a wearable display device to produce a displayed image on a surface of the wearable display device that includes the first CGI and the second CGI, wherein

the first CGI represents a virtual object in a first position in the displayed image to coincide with a first shadow image associated with the virtual object from a point of view of the wearable display device and included in a background display visible through the surface; and

the second CGI represents an image corresponding to the background display and in as second position in the displayed image to hide a portion of a second shadow image included in the background display, the second shadow image being associated with the virtual object from a point of view different from the point of view of the wearable display device.

13 . The method of claim 12 further comprising:

before producing the image information, processing location information indicating a location of a user wearing the wearable display device; and

determining the first position and the second position based on the location information.

14 . The method of claim 13 further comprising:

processing the location information to determine a third position for the first shadow image in the background display and a fourth position for the second shadow image in the background display;

producing second image information representing the background display including the first and second shadow images in the third and fourth positions, respectively; and

providing the second information to a second display device to produce the background display.

15 . A non-transitory computer readable medium storing executable program instructions to cause a computer executing the instructions to perform a method according to claim 12 .