IP Library Granted Patent US 10,409,392
Granted Patent B1
US 10,409,392 · App. 15/730,523 · Granted Sep 10, 2019

Hand-held controller tracked by LED mounted under a concaved dome

Inventors: Boyd Drew Allin (Seattle, WA); Mark Shintaro Ando (Seattle, WA); Glen Jason Tompkins (Woodinville, WA); Andrew Melim (Redwood City, CA); Robert Carey Leonard (Seattle, WA)
Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
G06F3/0308A63F13/24G06F3/011G06F3/0202G06F3/0346G06F3/04847
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,409,392
App. No.
15/730,523
Filed
Oct 11, 2017
Granted
Sep 10, 2019
Kind
B1
Art Unit
2623
USPC
345/156
Abstract

A hand-held controller is enables a user to manipulate objects in a VR environment with hand movement. The hand-held controller includes a handle, a ring attached to an end of the handle and one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs). The handle has appropriate shape and dimensions so that it can be grasped by the user's hand. The ring has an outer body that includes an inner surface that is formed with one or more concave dome and an outer surface facing away from the inner surface. Each of the one or more LED is mounted under a concaved dome. Light emitted from the LED spreads at the concaved dome to form uniform illuminous intensity. The light transmits out of the body through the outer surface of the outer body. The light can be captured by a camera for tracking the hand-held controller.

Claims (21)

1. A handheld controller, comprising:

a handle shaped and dimensioned to be grasped by a user's hand;

a body attached to an end of the handle, the body having:

an inner surface formed with a plurality of concaved domes, and

an outer surface facing away from the inner surface; and

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting light, each of the LEDs mounted under each of the plurality of concaved domes and facing the concaved dome to emit light into the concaved dome,

wherein the light emitted by the LEDs is spread at the concaved domes and transmitted out of the body through the outer surface for capturing by an imaging device to track a position or orientation of the handheld controller.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein a top surface of each of the LEDs is enclosed by the corresponding concaved dome.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein an opening angle of each of the plurality of concaved domes is 45 to 55 degrees.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of each of the LEDs to a radius of the corresponding concaved dome is approximately 1.3.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein 0.2 mm of each of the LEDs is recessed into the corresponding concaved dome.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface and the inner surface of the body are curved.

7. A method of emitting light to track a handheld controller, comprising:

emitting light from each of a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) to each of a plurality of concaved domes in an inner surface of the handheld controller, at least a portion of each of the LEDs enclosed within the corresponding concaved dome;

spreading the emitted light at the plurality of concaved domes by refraction; and

transmitting the refracted light out of the body through an outer surface of the handheld controller for capturing by an imaging device to track a position or orientation of the handheld controller.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a top surface of each of the LEDs is enclosed by the corresponding concaved dome.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein an opening angle of each of the plurality of concaved domes is 45 to 55 degrees.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein a ratio of a length of each of the LEDs to a radius of the corresponding concaved dome is approximately 1.3.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein 0.2 mm of each of the LEDs is recessed into the corresponding concaved dome.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the outer surface and the inner surface of the body are curved.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jun 8, 2022
From: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
To: META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 060315/0224 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 12, 2018
From: OCULUS VR, LLC
To: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 047178/0616 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 11, 2017
From: ALLIN, BOYD DREW; ANDO, MARK SHINTARO; TOMPKINS, GLEN JASON; MELIM, ANDREW; LEONARD, ROBERT CAREY
To: OCULUS VR, LLC
Reel/Frame 044358/0330 →
Cited By (4)
US 1,086,133 US 12,242,099 US 12,379,527 US 12,591,316