Oculus Patent | Fiducial rings in virtual reality

Patent: Fiducial rings in virtual reality

Publication Number: 20180373332

Publication Date: 2018-12-27

Applicants: Oculus

Abstract

A virtual reality system enables a user to interact with virtual objects. The system includes a fiducial ring, an imaging device and a console. The fiducial ring includes a ring body that includes a plurality of fiducial markers that each correspond to a different location on the ring body. An imaging device is configured to capture one or more images of the fiducial ring. The console receives the images that include an image of one or more fiducial markers. Based on the received images of the fiducial markers, the console determines a location on the fiducial ring that corresponds to the imaged fiducial marker. The console determines a position of the fiducial ring based on the determined location of the fiducial marker on the fiducial ring. The console provides content to a head mounted display (HMD) based on the determined position of the fiducial ring.

Background

The present disclosure generally relates to a system for haptic feedback to a user, and specifically to haptic devices that include fiducial markers to track the movement of a user’s fingers in the virtual reality (VR) system.

Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated environment created by computer technology and presented to a user, such as through a VR system. Typically, a VR system includes a head-mounted display (HMD) that provides visual and audio information to the user. Conventional VR systems create virtual body parts (e.g., a virtual finger) in the simulated environment and use a tracking system to track a user movement in a physical space. The simulated environment presented to the user may be updated according to the user movement in the physical space.

Summary

A locator assembly within a virtual reality environment enables a user to interact with virtual objects via individual fingers. The locator assembly includes one or more fiducial rings that can be worn on portion of the user’s body. In some embodiments, a fiducial ring may be worn one, e.g., a finger, an arm, a leg, etc. Each fiducial ring includes a ring body that includes one or more fiducial markers. Each fiducial marker is positioned at a different location on the ring body. The fiducial markers may be configured as a unique combination on every fiducial ring.

An imaging device is configured to capture one or more images of each of the fiducial rings within the locator assembly. The imaging device may be an optical imaging device (e.g., visible light, infrared light, etc.), some other type of imaging device (e.g., radio frequency imaging, acoustic imaging (e.g., ultrasound), etc.), or some combination thereof. In one embodiment, the fiducial ring may include a sensor to sense a motion of the user’s finger. Based on the sensed motion, the locator assembly may send a corresponding output to the console. The console may configure the imaging device to capture one or more images of the motion-sensed fiducial ring.

A console receives the images that include the fiducial markers on each fiducial ring. Based on the received images of the fiducial markers, the console determines a location of the fiducial ring that corresponds to the imaged fiducial marker. The console determines a position of the fiducial ring within the virtual reality environment, based on the determined location of the fiducial marker on the fiducial ring. Based on the determined position of the fiducial rings, the console provides content to a head-mounted display.