IP Library › Granted Patent US 9,497,501
Granted Patent B2
US 9,497,501 · App. 13/312,604 · Granted Nov 15, 2016

Augmented reality virtual monitor

Inventors: Brian Mount (Seattle, WA); Stephen Latta (Seattle, WA); Adam Poulos (Redmond, WA); Daniel McCulloch (Kirkland, WA); Darren Bennett (Seattle, WA); Ryan Hastings (Seattle, WA); Jason Scott (Kirkland, WA)
Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
H04N21/41407G02B27/017H04N13/004H04N13/0278H04N13/044H04N21/41415H04N21/4223G02B2027/014G02B2027/0138G02B2027/0178G02B2027/0187H04N21/816H04N21/8146
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,497,501
App. No.
13/312,604
Granted
Nov 15, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

A head-mounted display includes a see-through display and a virtual reality engine. The see-through display is configured to visually augment an appearance of a physical space to a user viewing the physical space through the see-through display. The virtual reality engine is configured to cause the see-through display to visually present a virtual monitor that appears to be integrated with the physical space to a user viewing the physical space through the see-through display.

Claims (30)

1. A head-mounted display, comprising:

a see-through display configured to visually augment an appearance of a physical space to a user viewing the physical space through the see-through display;

a virtual reality engine configured to cause the see-through display to visually present a virtual monitor that appears to be integrated with the physical space at a particular physical-space location to the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display, the particular physical-space location mapped to a shared virtual coordinate system useable by other see-through displays to visually present the virtual monitor at the particular physical-space location; and wherein

the virtual reality engine is further configured to play a video stream on the virtual monitor, and further configured to present the virtual monitor as a moving virtual monitor, the moving virtual monitor shaped to match a non-planar shape of an object moving within the physical space, and rendered so as to move relative to real-world objects within the physical space as perceived by the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display.

2. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker, and where the virtual reality engine is further configured to cause the speaker to play an audio stream synced to the video stream.

3. The head-mounted display of claim 2 , where the virtual reality engine is further configured to modulate a volume of the audio stream inversely proportional to a distance between the see-through display and a physical-space location at which the virtual monitor appears to be located to the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display.

4. The head-mounted display of claim 2 , where the virtual reality engine is further configured to modulate a volume of the audio stream in proportion to a directness that the see-through display is viewing a physical-space location at which the virtual monitor appears to be located to the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display.

5. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , further comprising a communication subsystem configured to wirelessly receive the video stream.

6. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , where the virtual reality engine is further configured to present the virtual monitor with a specific orientation in the physical space, such that the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display perceives images displayed on the virtual monitor based on a location and orientation of the user in the physical space relative to a location and orientation of the virtual monitor in the physical space.

7. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor subsystem, where the virtual reality engine is configured to control the virtual monitor responsive to commands recognized via the sensor subsystem.

8. The head-mounted display of claim 7 , where the sensor subsystem includes a microphone, and where the virtual reality engine is configured to control the virtual monitor responsive to audible commands recognized via the microphone.

9. The head-mounted display of claim 7 , where the sensor subsystem includes a camera, and where the virtual reality engine is configured to control the virtual monitor responsive to hand gesture commands recognized via the camera.

10. The head-mounted display of claim 9 , wherein a single virtual monitor is split into two virtual monitors responsive to detection of a karate chop gesture performed by the user.

11. The head-mounted display of claim 7 , where the sensor subsystem includes a camera, and where the virtual reality engine is configured to control the virtual monitor responsive to eye gesture commands recognized via the camera.

12. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , where the virtual monitor displays three-dimensional virtual objects by visually presenting different views to a left eye and a right eye of the user.

13. The head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the moving virtual monitor is not constrained to a stationary real-world object.

14. The head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the moving virtual monitor is constrained to move within boundaries of a moving real-world object.

15. The head-mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the moving virtual monitor is rendered to move within the physical space responsive to movement of the user within the physical space, so as to appear to be at a fixed distance and orientation relative to the user.

16. A method of augmenting reality, the method comprising:

receiving observation information of a physical space from a sensor subsystem;

mapping a virtual reality environment to the physical space based on the observation information, the virtual reality environment including a virtual monitor visually presenting a video stream, the virtual monitor shaped to match a non-planar shape of an object moving within the physical space; and

sending augmented reality display information to a see-through display, the augmented reality display information configured to cause the see-through display to display the virtual reality environment mapped to the physical space so that a user viewing the physical space through the see-through display sees the virtual monitor integrated with the physical space, and such that two or more users viewing the physical space through different see-through displays will see the same virtual monitor in a same physical-space location and with the same orientation.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising sending augmented reality audio information to a speaker, the augmented reality audio information configured to cause the speaker to play an audio stream synced to the video stream.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein the virtual monitor is shaped to match a non-planar shape of another virtual object.

19. A data-holding device holding memory instructions executable by a logic subsystem to:

receive observation information of a physical space from a sensor subsystem;

map a virtual reality environment to the physical space based on the observation information, the virtual reality environment including a virtual monitor visually presenting dynamic display information; and

send augmented reality display information to a see-through display, the augmented reality display information configured to cause the see-through display to display the virtual reality environment mapped to the physical space so that a user viewing the physical space through the see-through display perceives the virtual monitor as a moving virtual monitor, the moving virtual monitor shaped to match a non-planar shape of an object moving within the physical space, and rendered so as to move relative to real-world objects within the physical space as perceived by the user viewing the physical space through the see-through display.

20. The data-holding device of claim 19 , further holding instructions executable by a logic sub system to:

present the virtual monitor such that the virtual monitor moves relative to real world objects in the physical space unconstrained by a surface of a real world object.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 034544/0541 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 12, 2013
From: MOUNT, BRIAN; LATTA, STEPHEN; POULOS, ADAM; MCCULLOCH, DANIEL; BENNETT, DARREN; HASTINGS, RYAN; SCOTT, JASON
To: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 029792/0865 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20130141421A1 · Jun 6, 2013