IP Library Granted Patent US 12,100,080
Granted Patent B2
US 12,100,080 · App. 17/831,217 · Granted Sep 24, 2024

Virtual reticle for augmented reality systems

Inventors: Paul Armistead Hoover (Bothell, WA); Sam Baker (Seattle, WA); Jennifer M. R. Devine (Plantation, FL)
Assignee: MAGIC LEAP, INC.
G06T11/60G02B27/017G06F3/005G06F3/011G06F3/012G06F3/013G06F3/017G06F3/04812G06F3/04815G06T19/006G06V20/20G06V40/193
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,100,080
App. No.
17/831,217
Granted
Sep 24, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods for displaying a virtual reticle in an augmented or virtual reality environment by a wearable device are described. The environment can include real or virtual objects that may be interacted with by the user through a variety of poses, such as, e.g., head pose, eye pose or gaze, or body pose. The user may select objects by pointing the virtual reticle toward a target object by changing pose or gaze. The wearable device can recognize that an orientation of a user's head or eyes is outside of a range of acceptable or comfortable head or eye poses and accelerate the movement of the reticle away from a default position and toward a position in the direction of the user's head or eye movement, which can reduce the amount of movement by the user to align the reticle and target.

Claims (43)

1. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to obtain an orientation of a head and/or eyes of a user of the system;

non-transitory memory configured to store orientation data;

a display configured to be positioned in front of an eye of a user, and configured to project a virtual reticle toward the eye of the user within a field of view (FOV) of the user, wherein the FOV changes as a head pose of the user changes;

a hardware processor in communication with the sensor, the display, and the non-transitory memory, the hardware processor programmed to:

recognize an orientation of the user's head and/or eyes;

determine whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses; and

at least partly in response to determining that the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, reduce a degree to which the user needs to reorient the user's neck to align the virtual reticle and a target object by:

accelerating movement of the virtual reticle away from a default position and toward a position in a direction of the user's head and/or eye movement.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses further comprises determining whether the acceptable head and/or eye poses satisfies a first orientation threshold.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein while the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an offset and pose data.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the orientation of the user's head is outside of a range of acceptable head poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an easing function and pose data.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein while the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a far end limit of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, the hardware processor is programmed to cause the display to maintain the virtual reticle at a fixed offset position within the FOV that is offset from the default position.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual reticle comprises a movable indicator identifying a position within in the FOV.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the head pose is determined in an axial plane of the user, a coronal plane of the user, and a sagittal plane of the user.

8. A system comprising:

a sensor configured to obtain an orientation of a head and/or eyes of a user of the system;

non-transitory memory configured to store orientation data;

a display configured to be positioned in front of an eye of a user, and configured to project a virtual reticle toward the eye of the user within a field of view (FOV) of the user, wherein the FOV changes as a head pose of the user changes;

a hardware processor in communication with the sensor, the display, and the non-transitory memory, the hardware processor programmed to:

recognize an orientation of the user's head and/or eyes;

determine whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses;

at least partly in response to determining that the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, reduce a degree to which the user needs to reorient the user's neck to align the virtual reticle and a target object by:

causing the virtual reticle to move away from a default position and toward a position in a direction of the user's head and/or eye movement; and

at least partly in response to determining that the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are within the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses causing the display to render a virtual reticle at a fixed location within the FOV.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein determining whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses further comprises determining whether the acceptable head and/or eye poses satisfies a first orientation threshold.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein while the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an offset and pose data.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein when the orientation of the user's head is outside of a range of acceptable head poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an easing function and pose data.

12. The system of claim 8 , wherein while the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a far end limit of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, the hardware processor is programmed to cause the display to maintain the virtual reticle at a fixed offset position within the FOV that is offset from the default position.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the virtual reticle comprises a movable indicator identifying a position within in the FOV.

14. The system of claim 8 , wherein the head pose is determined in an axial plane of the user, a coronal plane of the user, and a sagittal plane of the user.

15. A method of adjusting a position of a virtual reticle identifying a position within a field of view (FOV) corresponding to a display of a display system, the method comprising:

recognizing an orientation of a user's head and/or eyes based at least on data from one or more sensors;

determining whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses;

at least partly in response to determining that the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, reducing a degree to which the user needs to reorient the user's neck to align the virtual reticle and a target object by:

accelerating movement of the virtual reticle away from a default position and toward a position in a direction of the user's head and/or eye movement; and

at least partly in response to determining, that the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are within the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses causing the display to render a virtual reticle at a fixed location within the FOV.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses further comprises determining whether the acceptable head and/or eye poses satisfies a first orientation threshold.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein while the orientation of the uses head and/or eyes are outside of a range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an offset and pose data.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein when the orientation of the user's head is outside of a range of acceptable head poses, a location of the virtual reticle is based at least in part on an easing function and pose data.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein while the orientation of the user's head and/or eyes are outside of a far end limit of the range of acceptable head and/or eye poses, the method further comprises causing the display to maintain the virtual reticle at a fixed offset position within the FOV that is offset from the default position.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the virtual reticle comprises a movable indicator identifying a position within in the FOV.

21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the head pose is determined in an axial plane of the user, a coronal plane of the user, and a sagittal plane of the user.

Assignments (5)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Oct 29, 2025
From: MAGIC LEAP, INC.; MENTOR ACQUISITION ONE, LLC; MOLECULAR IMPRINTS, INC.
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073430/0225 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2024
From: DEVINE, JENNIFER M.R.
To: MAGIC LEAP, INC.
Reel/Frame 068116/0120 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2024
From: GIRLING KELLY DESIGN GROUP, LLC D.B.A. ARTEFACT
To: MAGIC LEAP, INC.
Reel/Frame 068116/0134 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2024
From: HOOVER, PAUL ARMISTEAD; BAKER, SAM
To: GIRLING KELLY DESIGN GROUP, LLC D.B.A. ARTEFACT
Reel/Frame 068173/0573 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jul 1, 2022
From: MAGIC LEAP, INC.; MENTOR ACQUISITION ONE, LLC
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 060560/0438 →