Method and system for displaying additional content on a heads-up display displaying a virtual reality environment

Abstract

To provide methods and systems for displaying additional content on a heads-up display displaying a virtual reality environment.SOLUTION: The invention provides methods and systems for presenting additional content in virtual reality environments on heads-up displays showing main content without interfering with a user's viewing of the main content. Specifically, a movement of a center of gaze of the user is detected. A visual field of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze is determined. If it is determined that the portion of the virtual reality environment in which the additional content is generated for display corresponds to a foreground area of the user's visual field, the additional content is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a peripheral area of the user's visual field.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. USSN 15 / 140,249, filed April 27, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional systems, it may be desirable to display additional content (e.g., stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, clocks, event schedules) on a display in addition to primary content (e.g., movies, television programs, video games, virtual reality worlds, media guide screens). Unfortunately, displaying the additional content risks obscuring or otherwise interfering with the display of the primary content. This problem may be particularly relevant in virtual reality environments, where the system places emphasis on an immersive experience. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0003] Thus, described herein are methods and systems that reposition additional information (e.g., stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, a clock, a schedule of events) around primary content (e.g., a movie, a television program, a video game, a virtual reality world, a media guide screen) based on a user's needs within a virtual reality environment. For example, a control circuit as described herein may confine the additional information to a peripheral region of the user's field of view and may only reposition the additional information in response to determining that the user desires to exit their immersion within the virtual reality environment. Specifically, the control circuit determines the user's field of view based on a movement of the center of gaze. If the control circuit determines that the portion of the virtual reality environment in which the additional content is generated for display corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view, the control circuit generates the additional content for display in the portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to the peripheral region of the user's field of view. By ensuring that the control circuit generates the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to a peripheral region of the user's field of view, it is possible to ensure that the additional content does not interfere with the user's viewing of the primary content that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view.

[0004] Specifically, in response to detecting the full-body movement, the control circuitry generates additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view. The additional content assists the user in performing the full-body movement. By generating the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view, it is possible to ensure that the additional content is easily visible to the user. The additional content is configured to assist the user in performing the full-body movement without interfering with the user's view of the primary content on the head-up display. For example, when the user is walking, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings, which can assist the user, for example, in avoiding obstacles in the physical surroundings, without the user having to stop viewing the content on the head-up display. Thus, generating the additional content in the foreground region for display allows the user to perform the full-body movement without interfering with the user's view of the content on the head-up display.

[0005] In some aspects, methods and systems are provided herein for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that shows primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content.

[0006] Primary content may be any content intended to be the user's primary object of focus. For example, primary content may be a media asset such as a movie, a television program, a video game, or a virtual reality world. As another example, primary content may be a media guide screen.

[0007] The additional content may be any content that is not the primary content. The additional content may be unrelated to the primary content or related to the primary content. For example, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings, stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, a clock, or a schedule of events.

[0008] A virtual reality environment may be any non-physical content that is displayed to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user to have a material appearance. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user to be the world in which the user is located. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that appears to the user to be superimposed on the physical world. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a speedometer display (or any other display) that is superimposed on what the user sees through the windshield (or any other transparent surface) of their car. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user such that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's field of view.

[0009] A head-up display may be any display capable of displaying non-physical content to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a head-up display may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the user's eyes. The head-mounted display may be configured as glasses, binoculars, a helmet, etc. As another example, a head-up display may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or glasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user through the head-up display. As another example, a head-up display may be a room in which the user is located, with the walls of the room covered within the display screen.

[0010] The method and system include a control circuit configured to generate first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user.

[0011] The control circuitry may be based on any suitable processing circuitry, such as circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or a supercomputer. The processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple processing units of the same type (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor).

[0012] The first primary content may be any portion of the primary content. The first primary content may be a subset of the primary content. For example, the first primary content may be one or more objects or characters within a media asset. As another example, the first primary content may be a particular area within a virtual world. As another example, the first primary content may be a particular portion of a media guide screen.

[0013] The first portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be the top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0014] A user's field of view may be anything visible to the user when the user is in a particular position. For example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the user's field of view may encompass an area within a first degree to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze. For example, the first degree may be equal to or greater than 95 degrees, such as 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the first degree may be less than 95 degrees, such as 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. For example, the second degree may be equal to or greater than 60 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the second degree may be less than 60 degrees, such as 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. For example, the third degree may be equal to or greater than 70 degrees, such as 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the third degree may be less than 70 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree. The field of view may be the portion of the screen of the head-mounted display that is visible to the user. The field of view may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0015] The foreground region of a user's field of view may be any portion of the user's field of view that is visible to the user with normal vision. The foreground region may encompass a subset of the field of view. The foreground region may encompass a region of the field of view that is substantially centered in the user's field of view. The foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the foreground region may be within four degrees to the left or right of the user's center of gaze, within five degrees above the user's center of gaze, and within six degrees below the user's center of gaze. For example, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be equal to or greater than 18 degrees, such as 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be less than 18 degrees, such as 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. The fourth, fifth, and sixth powers may be different. The foreground region may be the portion of the head mounted display screen that is visible to the user in the primary field of view. The foreground region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0016] The control circuitry is further configured to generate second primary content and additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view.

[0017] The second portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be different from the first portion. The second portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0018] The secondary primary content may be any portion of the primary content. The secondary primary content may be a subset of the primary content. For example, the secondary primary content may be one or more objects or characters within a media asset. As another example, the secondary primary content may be a particular area within a virtual world. As another example, the secondary primary content may be a particular portion of a media guide screen.

[0019] The peripheral region of a user's visual field may be any portion of the user's visual field that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may be a region that is substantially at the edge of the user's visual field. The peripheral region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the peripheral field may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the peripheral region may be any portion of the visual field that is not a foreground region. For example, the peripheral region may encompass an area of ​​the visual field within a certain number of degrees of the outer boundary of the visual field. The peripheral region may be a portion of the screen of a head-mounted display that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0020] The control circuitry may further be configured to determine a second field of view of the user based on a movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the control circuitry may determine the second field of view by determining a new center of gaze. For example, the control circuitry may determine the second field of view by detecting a movement of the user's head.

[0021] The control circuitry is further configured to determine that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view. For example, the second portion may correspond to a corner of the first field of view but a center of the second field of view.

[0022] The control circuit is further configured to generate additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view.

[0023] The third portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be different from the first and second portions. The third portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0024] The method and system further include a detection module configured to detect movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the detection module may detect movement of the center of gaze by using light to detect the gaze point of each of the user's eyes. For example, the detection module may detect movement of the center of gaze by detecting movement of the user's head. For example, the detection module may detect movement of the center of gaze by detecting changes in video of the user's physical surroundings as captured with a camera physically coupled to the user. The center of gaze may be any area of ​​the user's field of view where the user's gaze is substantially focused. The center of gaze may be a central portion of what the user sees. The center of gaze may be a midpoint between the gaze points of the user's eyes. For a user with vision impairment in one eye, the center of gaze may be the gaze point of the unaffected eye.

[0025] In some embodiments, the detection module is further configured to detect movement of the center of gaze by detecting a center of gaze of the user. In an embodiment, the detection module is further configured, when detecting the center of gaze of the user, to determine the center of gaze by transmitting light to each of the user's eyes, collecting images of each of the user's eyes, detecting in each image a location of a reflection in the user's eye, determining a location of each of the user's pupils, comparing the location of each pupil to the location of each reflection, determining a gaze point for each of the user's eyes based on the comparison of the location of each pupil to the location of each reflection, and determining a midpoint between the gaze points of each of the user's eyes.

[0026] In one embodiment, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and the detection module is further configured to detect acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer when detecting a movement of the user's center of gaze.

[0027] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the display, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate video of the user's physical surroundings for display when generating the additional content for display.

[0028] In some embodiments, the control circuitry is further configured, when generating the additional content for display, to generate the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture.

[0029] In some embodiments, the control circuitry is further configured, when determining the user's second field of view based on the movement of the center of gaze, to determine a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze, and to determine areas within a first degree to the left and right of the new center of gaze, within a second degree above the new center of gaze, and within a third degree below the new center of gaze.

[0030] In one embodiment, the control circuitry is further configured to determine a foreground region of the second field of view when determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, and the control circuitry is further configured, when determining the foreground region of the second field of view, to determine a region within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is smaller than the first number, the fifth number is smaller than the second number, and the sixth number is smaller than the third number.

[0031] In some embodiments, the systems and methods further include a user interface configured to receive input from a user, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate, in response to the input, additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to the foreground region of the second field of view.

[0032] In an embodiment, the control circuitry is further configured to measure a period of time after the movement of the user's center of gaze during which the center of the user's gaze has not substantially moved when generating the additional content for display, determine that the period of time exceeds a threshold period of time, and generate the additional content for display in response to determining that the period of time exceeds the threshold period of time.

[0033] In some aspects, methods and systems are provided herein for enabling a user to perform full-body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with the viewing of content on the head-up display.

[0034] A virtual reality environment may be any non-physical content that is displayed to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user to have a material appearance. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user to be the world in which the user is located. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that appears to the user to be superimposed on the physical world. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a speedometer display (or any other display) that is superimposed on what the user sees through the windshield (or any other transparent surface) of their car. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user such that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's field of view.

[0035] A head-up display may be any display capable of displaying non-physical content to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a head-up display may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the user's eyes. The head-mounted display may be configured as glasses, binoculars, a helmet, etc. As another example, a head-up display may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or glasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user through the head-up display. As another example, a head-up display may be a room in which the user is located, with the walls of the room covered within the display screen.

[0036] A whole body movement may be any physical movement by a user that requires movement of a substantial part of the user's entire body. For example, a whole body movement may be walking, jumping, standing, sitting, turning their body, etc.

[0037] The system and method includes a control circuit configured to generate primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view.

[0038] The control circuitry may be based on any suitable processing circuitry, such as circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include a multi-core processor (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or a supercomputer. The processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple processing units of the same type (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor).

[0039] The first portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be the top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0040] Primary content may be content that is intended to be the user's primary object of focus. For example, primary content may be a media asset, such as a movie, a television program, a video game, or a virtual reality world. As another example, primary content may be a media guide screen.

[0041] A user's field of view may be anything visible to the user when the user is in a particular position. For example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the user's field of view may encompass an area within a first degree to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze. For example, the first degree may be equal to or greater than 95 degrees, such as 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the first degree may be less than 95 degrees, such as 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. For example, the second degree may be equal to or greater than 60 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the second degree may be less than 60 degrees, such as 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. For example, the third degree may be equal to or greater than 70 degrees, such as 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the third degree may be less than 70 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree. The field of view may be the portion of the screen of the head-mounted display that is visible to the user. The field of view may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0042] The foreground region of a user's field of view may be any portion of the user's field of view that is visible to the user with normal vision. The foreground region may encompass a subset of the field of view. The foreground region may encompass a region of the field of view that is substantially centered in the user's field of view. The foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the foreground region may be within four degrees to the left or right of the user's center of gaze, within five degrees above the user's center of gaze, and within six degrees below the user's center of gaze. For example, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be equal to or greater than 18 degrees, such as 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be less than 18 degrees, such as 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. The foreground region may be the portion of the screen of the head mounted display that is visible to the user with their primary vision. The foreground region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's particular vision impairments.

[0043] The control circuitry is further configured to generate additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view.

[0044] The second portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be different from the first portion. The second portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0045] The additional content assists the user in performing full body movements. For example, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings. As another example, the additional content may be a map of the user's physical surroundings.

[0046] The peripheral region of a user's visual field may be any portion of the user's visual field that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may be a region that is substantially at the edge of the user's visual field. The peripheral region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the peripheral field may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the peripheral region may be any portion of the visual field that is not a foreground region. For example, the peripheral region may encompass an area of ​​the visual field within a certain number of degrees of the outer boundary of the visual field. The peripheral region may be a portion of the screen of a head-mounted display that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0047] The control circuitry is further configured to generate additional content in the first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting full-body movement of the user. The system and method further include a detection module configured to detect full-body movement of the user. For example, the detection module may detect full-body movement by detecting acceleration of a part of the user's body. For example, the detection module may detect steps. As another example, the detection module may detect full-body movement by detecting changes in video of the user's physical surroundings captured using a camera physically coupled to the user.

[0048] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the display, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate video of the user's physical surroundings for display when generating the additional content for display.

[0049] In some embodiments, the control circuitry is further configured, when generating the additional content for display, to generate the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture.

[0050] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, and the detection module includes an accelerometer included within the head-mounted display, and the detection module is further configured to detect a first step taken by the user using the accelerometer when detecting full-body movement of the user.

[0051] In one embodiment, the detection module is further configured to detect a second step taken by the user using the accelerometer, and the control circuitry is further configured to magnify the additional content in response to detecting the second step.

[0052] In some embodiments, the detection module is further configured to detect a second step taken by the user using the accelerometer, and the control circuitry is further configured to perform at least one of decreasing the opacity of the primary content and increasing the opacity of the additional content in response to detecting the second step.

[0053] In one embodiment, the user interface is configured to receive input from a user, and the control circuitry is further configured to remove the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input.

[0054] In some embodiments, the detection module is further configured to detect a change in video of the user's physical surroundings when detecting a full body movement of the user.

[0055] In an embodiment, the detection module is further configured to detect that the user is substantially stationary, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate additional content on a third portion of the display for display in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary.

[0056] In some embodiments, the user interface is configured to present the user with the option to stop playing the primary content.

[0057] It should be noted that the systems and / or methods described above may be applied to or used in accordance with other systems, methods, and / or devices. The present invention provides, for example, the following. (Item 1) 1. A method for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's viewing of the primary content, comprising: generating first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user; generating second primary and secondary content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view; Detecting a movement of the center of gaze of the user; determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze; determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view; generating the additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view; A method comprising: (Item 2) Item 2. The method according to item 1, wherein the step of detecting a movement of the center of gaze includes the step of detecting the center of gaze of the user. (Item 3) The step of detecting the center of the user's gaze includes: transmitting light to each eye of the user; collecting an image of each eye of the user; detecting, within each image, the location of a reflection in the user's eye; determining a location of each pupil of the user; comparing each pupil location with each reflection location; determining a gaze point for each eye of the user based on a comparison of the location of each pupil and the location of each reflection; determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between gaze points of each eye of the user; Item 3. The method according to item 2, comprising: (Item 4) Item 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display includes an accelerometer, and the step of detecting a movement of the user's center of gaze includes the step of detecting an acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer. (Item 5) Item 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 6) Item 10. The method of item 1, wherein generating the additional content for display includes generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 7) The step of determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze includes: determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze; determining a region within a first degree to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, a second degree above the center of the new line of sight, and a third degree below the center of the new line of sight; Item 1. The method according to item 1, comprising: (Item 8) Determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view includes determining a foreground region of the second field of view, wherein determining the foreground region of the second field of view includes: 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining an area within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is less than the first number, the fifth number is less than the second number, and the sixth number is less than the third number. (Item 9) receiving input from the user; generating, in response to the input, the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the second field of view; Item 1, the method of claim 1 further comprising: (Item 10) The step of generating the additional content for display includes: measuring a period of time after the movement of the center of the user's gaze during which the center of the user's gaze has not substantially moved; determining that the time period exceeds a threshold time period; generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the time period exceeds the threshold time period; Item 1. The method according to item 1, comprising: (Item 11) 1. A system for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, comprising: A control circuit, the control circuit comprising: generating first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user; generating second primary and secondary content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view; determining a second field of view of the user based on a movement of a center of gaze of the user; determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view; generating the additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view; a control circuit configured to: a detection module configured to detect movement of the user's center of gaze; A system comprising: (Item 12) Item 12. The system of item 11, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect movement of the center of gaze by detecting a center of gaze of the user. (Item 13) The detection module further includes, when detecting the center of the user's gaze, transmitting light to each eye of the user; acquiring an image of each eye of the user; Detecting, within each image, the location of a reflection in the user's eye; determining a location of each pupil of the user; Comparing the location of each pupil with the location of each reflex; determining a gaze point for each eye of the user based on a comparison of the location of each pupil and the location of each reflex; determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between gaze points of each eye of the user; Item 13. The system of item 12, configured to perform the following: (Item 14) Item 12. The system of item 11, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and the detection module is further configured to detect acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer when detecting a movement of the user's center of gaze. (Item 15) Item 12. The system of item 11, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate video of the user's physical surroundings for display when generating the additional content for display. (Item 16) Item 12. The system of item 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when generating the additional content for display, to generate the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 17) The control circuitry further, when determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze, determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze; determining a region within a first degree to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, a second degree above the center of the new line of sight, and a third degree below the center of the new line of sight; Item 12. The system of item 11, configured to: (Item 18) The control circuitry is further configured to, when determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, determine a foreground region of the second field of view, and when determining the foreground region of the second field of view, Item 18. The system of item 17, configured to determine an area within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is smaller than the first number, the fifth number is smaller than the second number, and the sixth number is smaller than the third number. (Item 19) Item 12. The system of item 11, wherein a user interface is configured to receive input from the user, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate, in response to the input, the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the second field of view. (Item 20) The control circuitry further includes, when generating the additional content for display: measuring a period of time after the movement of the center of gaze of the user during which the center of gaze of the user has not substantially moved; determining that the time period exceeds a threshold time period; generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the time period exceeds the threshold time period; Item 12. The system of item 11, configured to: (Item 21) 1. A system for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, comprising: means for generating first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user; means for generating second primary and secondary content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view; means for detecting movement of the center of gaze of the user; means for determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze; means for determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view; means for generating the additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view; and A system comprising: (Item 22) Item 22. The system of item 21, wherein the means for detecting movement of the center of gaze comprises means for detecting the center of gaze of the user. (Item 23) The means for detecting the center of the user's gaze includes: means for transmitting light to each eye of the user; means for collecting an image of each eye of the user; means for detecting, within each image, the location of a reflection in the user's eye; means for determining a location of each pupil of the user; means for comparing the location of each pupil with the location of each reflex; means for determining a gaze point for each eye of the user based on a comparison of the location of each pupil and the location of each reflection; means for determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between gaze points of each eye of the user; Item 23. The system of item 22, comprising: (Item 24) Item 22. The system of item 21, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display includes an accelerometer, and the means for detecting movement of the user's center of gaze comprises means for detecting acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer. (Item 25) Item 22. The system of item 21, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the means for generating additional content for display comprises means for generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 26) 22. The system of claim 21, wherein the means for generating the additional content for display comprises means for generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 27) The means for determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze includes: means for determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze; means for determining an area within a first degree to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, a second degree above the center of the new line of sight, and a third degree below the center of the new line of sight; Item 22. The system of item 21, comprising: (Item 28) The means for determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view comprises means for determining a foreground region of the second field of view, the means for determining a foreground region of the second field of view comprising: 28. The system of claim 27, further comprising means for determining an area within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is less than the first number, the fifth number is less than the second number, and the sixth number is less than the third number. (Item 29) means for receiving input from said user; means for generating, in response to the input, the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the second field of view; Item 22. The system of item 21, further comprising: (Item 30) The means for generating the additional content for display includes: means for measuring a period of time after the movement of the user's center of gaze during which the center of gaze of the user has not substantially moved; means for determining that the period of time exceeds a threshold period of time; means for generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the period of time exceeds the threshold period of time; Item 22. The system of item 21, comprising: (Item 31) 1. A method for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's viewing of the primary content, comprising: generating, using control circuitry, first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user; generating second primary and secondary content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view; Detecting a movement of the center of gaze of the user; determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze; determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view; generating the additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view; A method comprising: (Item 32) Item 32. The method according to item 31, wherein the step of detecting a movement of the center of gaze includes the step of detecting the center of gaze of the user. (Item 33) The step of detecting the center of the user's gaze includes: transmitting light to each eye of the user; collecting an image of each eye of the user; detecting, within each image, the location of a reflection in the user's eye; determining a location of each pupil of the user; comparing each pupil location with each reflection location; determining a gaze point for each eye of the user based on a comparison of the location of each pupil and the location of each reflection; determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between gaze points of each eye of the user; Item 33. The method according to Item 32, comprising: (Item 34) 34. A method according to any one of items 31-33, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display includes an accelerometer, and the step of detecting a movement of the user's center of gaze includes the step of detecting an acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer. (Item 35) 35. The method of any of items 31-34, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 36) 36. The method of any of items 31-35, wherein generating the additional content for display comprises generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 37) The step of determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze includes: determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze; determining a region within a first degree to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, a second degree above the center of the new line of sight, and a third degree below the center of the new line of sight; 37. The method according to any one of items 31 to 36, comprising: (Item 38) Determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view includes determining a foreground region of the second field of view, wherein determining the foreground region of the second field of view includes: Item 38. The method of item 37, comprising determining an area within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is less than the first number, the fifth number is less than the second number, and the sixth number is less than the third number. (Item 39) receiving input from the user; generating, in response to the input, the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the second field of view; 39. The method of any one of items 31-38, further comprising: (Item 40) The step of generating the additional content for display includes: measuring a period of time after the movement of the user's center of gaze during which the center of gaze of the user has not substantially moved; determining that the time period exceeds a threshold time period; generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the time period exceeds the threshold time period; 40. The method according to any one of items 31 to 39, comprising: (Item 41) 1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's viewing of the primary content, the instructions comprising: instructions for generating first primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user; instructions for generating second primary and secondary content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view; and instructions for detecting movement of the user's center of gaze; instructions for determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze; instructions for determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view; instructions for generating the additional content in a third portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view; and 1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising: (Item 42) Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, wherein the instructions for detecting movement of the center of gaze comprise instructions for detecting a center of gaze of the user. (Item 43) The instructions for detecting a center of gaze of the user include: instructions for transmitting light to each eye of the user; instructions for collecting an image of each eye of the user; instructions for detecting, within each image, the location of a reflection in the user's eye; instructions for determining a location of each pupil of the user; instructions for comparing each pupil location with each reflex location; instructions for determining a gaze point for each eye of the user based on a comparison of the location of each pupil and the location of each reflection; instructions for determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between gaze points of each eye of the user; Item 43. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 42, comprising: (Item 44) Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and the instructions for detecting movement of the user's center of gaze comprise instructions for detecting acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer. (Item 45) Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the instructions for generating the additional content for display comprise instructions for generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 46) Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, wherein the instructions for generating the additional content for display comprise instructions for generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 47) The instructions for determining a second field of view of the user based on the movement of the center of gaze include: instructions for determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze; instructions for determining an area within a first degree to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a second degree above the center of the new line of sight, and within a third degree below the center of the new line of sight; Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, comprising: (Item 48) The instructions for determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view comprise instructions for determining a foreground region of the second field of view, the instructions for determining a foreground region of the second field of view comprising: Item 48. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 47, comprising instructions for determining an area within four degrees to the left and right of a center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is less than the first number, the fifth number is less than the second number, and the sixth number is less than the third number. (Item 49) instructions for receiving input from the user; instructions for generating, in response to the input, the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the second field of view; Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, further comprising: (Item 50) The instructions for generating the additional content for display include: instructions for measuring a period of time after the user's center of gaze has shifted during which the user's center of gaze has not substantially shifted; instructions for determining that the time period exceeds a threshold time period; instructions for generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the time period exceeds the threshold time period; Item 42. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 41, comprising: (Item 51) 1. A method for enabling a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display, comprising: generating primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view; generating additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view; detecting whole body movements of the user; generating the additional content in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting the whole body movement; wherein the additional content assists the user in performing the whole body movement. (Item 52) Item 52. The method of item 51, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 53) Item 52. The method of item 51, wherein generating the additional content for display includes generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 54) Item 52. The method of item 51, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display includes an accelerometer, and the step of detecting the user's whole-body movement includes the step of detecting a first step taken by the user by the accelerometer. (Item 55) detecting a second step taken by the user; augmenting the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 55. The method of item 54, further comprising: (Item 56) detecting a second step taken by the user; responsive to detecting the second step, performing at least one of decreasing opacity of the primary content and increasing opacity of the additional content; Item 55. The method of item 54, further comprising: (Item 57) receiving input from the user; removing the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input; 52. The method of claim 51, further comprising: (Item 58) Item 53. The method of item 52, wherein detecting whole-body movement of the user includes detecting a change in video of the user's physical surroundings. (Item 59) detecting that the user is substantially stationary; generating the additional content for display on a third portion of the display in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary; 52. The method of claim 51, further comprising: (Item 60) 52. The method of claim 51, further comprising presenting the user with an option to stop playing the primary content. (Item 61) 1. A system for enabling a user to perform full-body movement while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display, comprising: A control circuit, the control circuit comprising: generating primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view; generating additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view; generating the additional content in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting whole body movement; a control circuit configured to: a detection module configured to detect whole-body movements of the user; wherein the additional content assists the user in performing the whole body movement. (Item 62) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the control circuitry is further configured to generate video of the user's physical surroundings for display when generating the additional content for display. (Item 63) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein the control circuitry is further configured, when generating the additional content for display, to generate the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 64) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the detection module includes an accelerometer included within the head-mounted display, and the detection module is further configured to use the accelerometer to detect a first step taken by the user when detecting whole-body movement of the user. (Item 65) Item 65. The system of item 64, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect a second step taken by the user using the accelerometer, and the control circuitry is further configured to enlarge the additional content in response to detecting the second step. (Item 66) Item 65. The system of item 64, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect a second step taken by the user using the accelerometer, and the control circuitry is further configured to perform at least one of decreasing the opacity of the primary content and increasing the opacity of the additional content in response to detecting the second step. (Item 67) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein a user interface is configured to receive input from the user, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to remove the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input. (Item 68) Item 63. The system of item 62, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect a change in video of the user's physical surroundings when detecting a full-body movement of the user. (Item 69) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein the detection module is further configured to detect that the user is substantially stationary, and wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate the additional content on a third portion of the display for display in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary. (Item 70) Item 62. The system of item 61, wherein the user interface is configured to present the user with an option to stop playback of the primary content. (Item 71) 1. A system for enabling a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing of content on the head-up display, the system comprising: a control circuit; means for displaying primary content in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view; means for generating additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view; means for detecting whole body movements of the user; means for generating the additional content in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting the whole body movement; wherein the additional content assists the user in performing the whole body movement. (Item 72) Item 72. The system of item 71, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the means for generating additional content for display includes means for generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 73) 72. The system of claim 71, wherein the means for generating the additional content for display comprises means for generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 74) Item 72. The system of item 71, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and the means for detecting the user's whole-body movement includes means for detecting a first step taken by the user by the accelerometer. (Item 75) means for detecting a second step taken by the user; means for expanding the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 75. The system of item 74, further comprising: (Item 76) means for detecting a second step taken by the user; means for performing at least one of decreasing opacity of the primary content and increasing opacity of the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 75. The system of item 74, further comprising: (Item 77) means for receiving input from said user; means for removing the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input; Item 72. The system of item 71, further comprising: (Item 78) Item 73. The system of item 72, wherein the means for detecting whole-body movement of the user comprises means for detecting a change in video of the user's physical surroundings. (Item 79) means for detecting that the user is substantially stationary; means for generating the additional content on a third portion of the display for display in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary; and Item 72. The system of item 71, further comprising: (Item 80) Item 72. The system of item 71, further comprising means for presenting the user with an option to stop playing the primary content. (Item 81) 1. A method for enabling a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display, comprising: generating, using control circuitry, primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view; generating additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view; detecting whole body movements of the user; generating the additional content in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting the whole body movement; wherein the additional content assists the user in performing the whole body movement. (Item 82) Item 82. The method of item 81, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and wherein generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 83) Item 83. The method of item 81 or 82, wherein generating the additional content for display includes generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 84) A method according to any of items 81-83, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display includes an accelerometer, and the step of detecting the user's whole-body movement includes the step of detecting a first step taken by the user by the accelerometer. (Item 85) detecting a second step taken by the user; augmenting the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 85. The method of item 84, further comprising: (Item 86) detecting a second step taken by the user; responsive to detecting the second step, performing at least one of decreasing opacity of the primary content and increasing opacity of the additional content; Item 85. The method of item 84, further comprising: (Item 87) receiving input from the user; removing the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input; 87. The method of any of items 81-86, further comprising: (Item 88) 83. The method of claim 82, wherein detecting whole-body movement of the user includes detecting a change in video of the user's physical surroundings. (Item 89) detecting that the user is substantially stationary; generating the additional content for display on a third portion of the display in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary; 89. The method of any of items 81-88, further comprising: (Item 90) 89. The method of any of items 81-89, further comprising presenting the user with an option to stop playing the primary content. (Item 91) 1. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having machine-readable instructions encoded thereon for enabling a user to perform full-body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display, the non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising: instructions for generating primary content for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment in a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view; instructions for generating additional content for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment in the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view; and instructions for detecting whole body movements of the user; instructions for generating the additional content in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display in response to detecting the whole body movement; wherein the additional content assists the user in performing the whole body movement. (Item 92) Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of Item 91, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the head-mounted display, and the instructions for generating the additional content for display comprise instructions for generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display. (Item 93) Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 91, wherein the instructions for generating the additional content for display comprise instructions for generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture. (Item 94) Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 91, wherein the head-up display is a head-mounted display physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and the instructions for detecting the user's whole-body movement include instructions for detecting a first step taken by the user by the accelerometer. (Item 95) instructions for detecting a second step taken by the user; instructions for expanding the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 95. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of Item 94, further comprising: (Item 96) instructions for detecting a second step taken by the user; instructions for performing at least one of decreasing opacity of the primary content and increasing opacity of the additional content in response to detecting the second step; Item 95. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of Item 94, further comprising: (Item 97) instructions for receiving input from the user; instructions for removing the additional content from the head-up display in response to the input; Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of Item 91, further comprising: (Item 98) Item 93. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 92, wherein the instructions for detecting whole-body movement of the user comprise instructions for detecting changes in video of the user's physical surroundings. (Item 99) instructions for detecting that the user is substantially stationary; instructions for generating the additional content on a third portion of the display for display in response to detecting the user being substantially stationary; Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of Item 91, further comprising: (Item 100) Item 92. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of item 91, further comprising instructions for presenting the user with an option to stop playing the primary content. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0058] These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout.

[0059] [Figure 1] 1-2 show illustrative examples of presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that does not interfere with the user's view of the primary content and shows the primary content. [Figure 2] 1-2 show illustrative examples of presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that does not interfere with the user's view of the primary content and shows the primary content. [Figure 3] 3-4 show illustrative examples that allow a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with the viewing of content on the head-up display. [Figure 4] 3-4 show illustrative examples that allow a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with the viewing of content on the head-up display. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 shows an illustrative head-mounted display for use as a head-up display, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative media listings display according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows another illustrative media listings display according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an illustrative user equipment device according to some embodiments of the disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an illustrative media system according to some embodiments of the disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an illustrative example of one component of a detection module that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is another illustrative example of one component of a detection module that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is another illustrative example of one component of a detection module that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that shows primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for enabling a user to perform full-body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 illustrates a process implemented on a control circuit to present additional content within a virtual reality environment on a head-up display showing primary content without interfering with the user's view of the primary content, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 illustrates a process for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0060]

[0003] Described herein are methods and systems for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a head-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content. Specifically, a movement of a user's center of gaze is detected. A user's field of view based on the movement of the center of gaze is determined. If it is determined that a portion of the virtual reality environment in which the additional content is generated for display corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view, the additional content is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to a peripheral region of the user's field of view. By ensuring that the additional content is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to the peripheral region of the user's field of view, it is possible to ensure that the additional content does not interfere with the user's view of the primary content that corresponds to the foreground region of the user's field of view.

[0061] Additionally, methods and systems are described herein for enabling a user to perform full-body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with viewing content on the head-up display. Specifically, a user's full-body movement is detected. In response to the detection of the full-body movement, additional content is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view. The additional content assists the user in performing the full-body movement. By generating the additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view, it is possible to ensure that the additional content is easily visible to the user. The additional content is configured to assist the user in performing the full-body movement without interfering with the user's viewing of the primary content on the head-up display. For example, when a user is walking, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings, which can assist the user, for example, in avoiding obstacles in the physical surroundings, without the user having to stop viewing the content on the head-up display. Thus, generating the additional content in the foreground region for display enables the user to perform full-body movements without interfering with the user's viewing of the content on the head-up display.

[0062] As referred to herein, the term "virtual reality environment" should be understood to mean any non-physical content that is displayed to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a virtual reality environment may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user as the world in which the user is located. As another example, a virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that appears to the user as being superimposed on the physical world. For example, a virtual reality environment may be a speedometer display (or any other display) that is superimposed on what the user sees through the windshield (or any other transparent surface) of their car. As another example, a virtual reality environment may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user such that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's field of view.

[0063] As referred to herein, the term "heads-up display" should be understood to mean any display capable of displaying non-physical content to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a heads-up display may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the user's eyes. A head-mounted display may be configured as glasses, binoculars, a helmet, etc. As another example, a heads-up display may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or glasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user through the heads-up display. As another example, a heads-up display may be a room in which the user is located, with the walls of the room covered in a display screen.

[0064] As referred to herein, the term "center of gaze" should be understood to mean the central portion of what is visible to the user. The center of gaze may be any area of ​​the user's field of view where the user's gaze is substantially focused. The center of gaze may be the midpoint between the gaze points of the user's eyes. For users with vision impairment in one eye, the center of gaze may be the gaze point of the unaffected eye.

[0065] As referred to herein, the term "field of view" should be understood to mean anything visible to a user when the user is in a particular position. For example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the user's field of view may encompass an area within a first degree to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze. For example, the first degree may be equal to or greater than 95 degrees, such as 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the first degree may be less than 95 degrees, such as 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. For example, the second degree may be equal to or greater than 60 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the second degree may be less than 60 degrees, such as 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. For example, the third degree may be equal to or greater than 70 degrees, such as 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the third degree may be less than 70 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree. The field of view may be the portion of the screen of the head-mounted display that is visible to the user. A user's field of view may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0066] As referred to herein, the term "foreground region" should be understood to mean any portion of a user's field of view that is visible to the user with normal vision. The foreground region may encompass a subset of the field of view. The foreground region may encompass a region of the field of view that is substantially centered in the user's field of view. The foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the foreground region may be within four degrees to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, within a fifth degree above the user's center of gaze, and within a sixth degree below the user's center of gaze. For example, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be equal to or greater than 18 degrees, e.g., 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable degrees. Alternatively, the fourth, fifth, and sixth powers may be less than 18 degrees, such as 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable power. The foreground region may be the portion of the screen of the head mounted display that is visible to the user in the primary field of view. The foreground region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's particular vision impairments.

[0067] As referred to herein, the term "peripheral region" should be understood to mean any portion of a user's visual field that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may be a region that is substantially at the edge of the user's visual field. The peripheral region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the peripheral field may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the peripheral region may be any portion of the visual field that is not the foreground region. For example, the peripheral region may encompass an area of ​​the visual field within a certain number of degrees of the outer boundary of the visual field. The peripheral region may be a portion of the screen of a head-mounted display that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0068] As referred to herein, the term "primary content" should be understood to mean any content that is intended to be a user's primary object of focus. For example, primary content may be a media asset, such as a movie, a television program, a video game, or a virtual reality world. As another example, primary content may be a media guide screen.

[0069] As referred to herein, the term "additional content" should be understood to mean any content that is not the primary content. The additional content may be unrelated to the primary content or related to the primary content. For example, the additional content may be video of the user's physical surroundings, stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, a clock, or a schedule of events.

[0070] As referred to herein, the term "full body movement" should be understood to mean any physical movement by a user that requires movement of a substantial portion of the user's entire body. For example, full body movement may be walking, jumping, standing, sitting, turning their body, etc.

[0071] The amount of content available to users in any given content delivery system can be staggering. As a result, many users desire a form of media guidance through an interface that allows them to efficiently navigate content selections and easily identify potentially desirable content. Applications that provide such guidance are referred to herein as interactive media guidance applications, but may also sometimes be referred to as media guidance applications or guidance applications.

[0072] Interactive media guidance applications may take various forms depending on the content for which they provide guidance. One typical type of media guidance application is an interactive television program guide. Interactive television program guides (sometimes referred to as electronic program guides) are well-known guidance applications that, among other things, allow users to navigate among and identify many types of content or media assets. Interactive media guidance applications may generate graphical user interface screens that allow users to navigate among, identify, and select content. As referred to herein, the terms “media assets” and “content” should be understood to mean electronically consumable user assets, such as television programs, as well as pay programs, on-demand programs (as in video-on-demand (VOD) systems), Internet content (e.g., streaming content, downloadable content, webcasts, etc.), video clips, audio, content information, photos, rotating images, documents, playlists, websites, articles, books, e-books, blogs, advertisements, chat sessions, social media, applications, games, and / or any other media or multimedia, and / or combinations thereof. Guidance applications also allow users to navigate among and identify content. As referred to herein, the term "multimedia" should be understood to mean content that utilizes at least two of the aforementioned different content forms, e.g., text, audio, image, video, or interactive content forms. The content may be recorded, played, displayed, or accessed by a user equipment device, or may also be part of a live performance.

[0073] The media guidance application and / or any instructions for performing any of the embodiments discussed herein may be encoded on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes any medium capable of storing data. The computer-readable medium may be transient, including, but not limited to, propagating electrical or electromagnetic signals, or non-transitory, including, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatile computer memory or storage devices such as hard disks, floppy disks, USB drives, DVDs, CDs, media cards, register memory, processor cache, random access memory ("RAM"), and the like.

[0074] With the advent of the Internet, mobile computing, and high-speed wireless networks, users are accessing media on user equipment devices that they had not previously used. As referred to herein, the terms “user equipment device,” “user equipment,” “user device,” “electronic device,” “electronic equipment,” “media equipment device,” or “media device” should be understood to mean any device for accessing the foregoing content, such as a television, smart TV, set-top box, integrated receiver decoder (IRD) for supporting satellite television, digital storage device, digital media receiver (DMR), digital media adapter (DMA), streaming media device, DVD player, DVD recorder, connectable DVD, local media server, BLU-RAY® player, BLU-RAY® recorder, personal computer (PC), laptop computer, tablet computer, Web TV box, personal computer television (PC / TV), PC media server, PC media center, handheld computer, landline telephone, personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, portable video player, portable music player, portable game console, smartphone, or any other television, computing, or wireless device, and / or combination thereof. In some embodiments, a user equipment device may have a front and rear screen, multiple front screens, or multiple angled screens. In some embodiments, user equipment devices may have front-facing and / or rear-facing cameras. On these user equipment devices, users may be able to navigate among and identify the same content available through televisions. Consequently, media guides may also be available on these devices. The guides provided may be for content available only through televisions, content available only through one or more other types of user equipment devices, or content available through both televisions and one or more other types of user equipment devices.The media guidance application may be provided on a user equipment device as an online application (i.e., provided on a website) or as a stand-alone application or client. Various devices and platforms on which the media guidance application may be implemented are described in more detail below.

[0075] One of the functions of a media guidance application is to provide media guidance data to a user. As referred to herein, the phrases “media guidance data” or “guide data” should be understood to mean any data related to content or data used in operating the guidance application. For example, guide data may include program information, guidance application settings, user preferences, user profile information, media listings, media-related information (e.g., broadcast time, broadcast channel, title, content, rating information (e.g., parental control rating, critics' rating, etc.), genre or category information, actor information, logo data for broadcaster or provider logos, etc.), media format (e.g., standard definition, high definition, 3D, etc.), advertising information (e.g., text, images, media clips, etc.), on-demand information, blogs, websites, and any other type of guide data that helps a user navigate among and identify desired content selections.

[0076] In some embodiments, control circuitry 604, further discussed in connection with FIG. 8 below, executes instructions stored in memory (i.e., storage device 608, further discussed in connection with FIG. 8 below). Specifically, control circuitry 604 may be instructed to perform the functions described above and below. For example, the instructions may cause control circuitry 604 to generate a display as described above and below. In some implementations, any action taken by control circuitry 604 may be based on the instructions.

[0077] 1-2 show illustrative examples of presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that does not interfere with the user's view of the primary content and shows the primary content.

[0078] A virtual reality environment 104 is any non-physical content displayed to a user 124 such that the non-physical content appears to the user 124 to have a material appearance. For example, the virtual reality environment 104 may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user 124 as the world in which the user 124 is located. As another example, the virtual reality environment 104 may be non-physical content that appears to the user 124 as being superimposed on the physical world. For example, the virtual reality environment 104 may be a speedometer display that is superimposed on what the user 124 sees through the windshield of their car. As another example, the virtual reality environment 104 may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user 124 such that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's 124 field of view.

[0079] The head-up display 102 generates the virtual reality environment 104 for display to the user 124. The head-up display 102 may be any display capable of displaying non-physical content to the user 124 such that the non-physical content appears to the user 124 to have a material appearance. For example, the head-up display 102 may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the eyes of the user 124 (e.g., head-mounted display 301 of FIG. 5). As another example, the head-up display 102 may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or eyeglasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user 124 through the head-up display 102. The head-up display 102 may be configured to change the content of the virtual reality environment 104 shown to the user 124 as the user 124 moves. For example, if the user 124 walks forward, the content of the virtual reality environment 104 shown to the user 124 may appear to the user to move closer to the user 124.

[0080] The user 124 has a first field of view 114. The first field of view 114 encompasses what the user 124 sees when the user 124 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1. For convenience, in FIGS. 1-4 and this description, the field of view is illustrated and discussed as varying horizontally, but it should be understood that the field of view also varies vertically. The user's center of gaze is the central portion of what the user sees. In FIG. 1, the center of gaze of the user 124 is at the center of gaze position 128. The user's field of view extends a certain number of degrees (e.g., 95 degrees) to the left and right of the center of gaze position. The field of view includes at least one foreground region and at least one peripheral region. The at least one foreground region encompasses the region of the field of view visible to the user with normal vision. The at least one foreground region encompasses a certain number of degrees (e.g., 60 degrees) of the center of the field of view. The at least one peripheral region encompasses the region of the field of view visible to the user with peripheral vision. At least one peripheral region encompasses a number of degrees (eg, 35 degrees) to the left and right of foreground region 116. First field of view 114 includes foreground region 116, peripheral region 118, and peripheral region 120.

[0081] In FIG. 1 , the heads-up display 102 shows a virtual reality environment portion 142 of the virtual reality environment 104. The virtual reality environment portion 142 of the virtual reality environment 104 includes a first portion 108 and a second portion 110. The first portion 108 includes a portion of the virtual reality environment 104 that corresponds to a foreground region 116 of a first field of view 114. The second portion 110 includes a portion of the virtual reality environment 104 that corresponds to a peripheral region 118 of the first field of view 114. A first primary content 106 (a tree in FIG. 1 ) is generated within the first portion 108 of the virtual reality environment 104 for display. A second primary content 144 (a cloud in FIG. 1 ) and additional content 122 (a video of the user's physical surroundings in FIG. 1 ) are generated within the second portion 110 for display.

[0082] In Figure 2, user 124 has rotated so that the center of user 124's gaze is at center of gaze position 138. User 124 has second field of view 126 when user 124 is in the position shown in Figure 2. Second field of view 126 includes foreground region 130, peripheral region 132, and peripheral region 134.

[0083] 2 , heads-up display 102 presents virtual reality environment portion 140 of virtual reality environment 104 to user 124. Virtual reality environment portion 140 of virtual reality environment 104 includes second portion 110 and third portion 136. Second portion 110 includes a portion of virtual reality environment 104 that corresponds to foreground region 130 of second field of view 126. Third portion 136 includes a portion of virtual reality environment 104 that corresponds to peripheral region 132 of second field of view 126.

[0084] 1 to 2, virtual reality environment portion 140 of virtual reality environment 104 includes not only the portion to the left of virtual reality environment portion 142 of virtual environment 104, but also the portion that is present in both virtual reality environment portion 140 and virtual reality environment portion 142. For example, second portion 110 is present in both virtual reality environment portion 140 and virtual reality environment portion 142, while third portion 136 is present in virtual reality environment portion 140 but not in virtual reality environment portion 142.

[0085] A movement of the center of gaze of the user 124 may be detected (e.g., by the detection module 616 of FIG. 8 ). In some embodiments, detecting the movement of the center of gaze includes detecting a center of gaze. For example, in FIGS. 1-2 , a movement of the center of gaze of the user 124 from the center of gaze position 128 to the center of gaze position 138 is detected. The field of view of the user 124 is determined based on the movement of the center of gaze of the user 124. For example, in FIG. 2 , the second field of view 126 is determined based on the movement of the center of gaze of the user 124 from the center of gaze position 128 to the center of gaze position 138.

[0086] Prior to the shift in the center of gaze of the user 124, additional content 122 was generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment 104 (i.e., second portion 110) that corresponds to the peripheral region (i.e., peripheral region 118) of the field of view of the user 124 (i.e., first field of view 114). A determination is made whether the portion of the virtual reality environment 104 (i.e., second portion 110) in which additional content 122 was generated for display prior to the shift in the center of gaze of the user 124 corresponds to the foreground region (i.e., foreground region 130) of the field of view of the user 124 (i.e., second field of view 126) after the shift in the center of gaze of the user 124. For example, in FIG. 2 , second portion 110 corresponds to the foreground region 130 of the second field of view 126. In response to this determination, additional content 122 is generated for display within a portion of the field of view of the user 124 that corresponds to the peripheral region of the field of view of the user 124 (i.e., second field of view 126). For example, in FIG. 2, additional content 122 is generated for display in a third portion 136 corresponding to peripheral region 132 of second field of view 126 .

[0087] By ensuring that additional content 122 is generated for display in a portion of virtual reality environment 104 that corresponds to a peripheral region of the field of view of user 124, it is possible to ensure that additional content 122 does not interfere with the user's view of primary content that corresponds to a foreground region of the field of view of user 124. For example, in FIGS. 1-2 , if additional content 122 remained generated for display in second portion 110 of virtual reality environment 104 after the user's 124 center of gaze shifted, additional content 122 would interfere with the user's view of second primary content 144 in foreground region 130. Because additional content 122 is generated for display in third portion 136 after the user's 124 center of gaze shifted, additional content 122 does not interfere with the user's view of second primary content 144 in foreground region 130.

[0088] First primary content 106 and second primary content 144 may be any type of content. In some embodiments, primary content 106 provides media guidance data (as discussed in connection with FIGS. 6-7).

[0089] The additional content 122 may be any type of additional content. For example, the additional content 122 may be video of the user's 124 physical surroundings, stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, a clock, a schedule of events, or any other type of additional content. The additional content 122 may not be related to the primary content 106.

[0090] 1-2, the additional content 122 is generated for display as a picture-in-picture. In some embodiments, the additional content 122 is generated for display as an overlay.

[0091] In some embodiments, the additional content 122 is generated for display at a lower image and / or video quality (e.g., lower resolution, frame rate, etc.) than the primary content (e.g., first primary content 106, second primary content 144) shown by the virtual reality environment 104. Generating the additional content 122 at a lower image and / or video quality for display may help the heads-up display 102 conserve power, memory, bandwidth, etc. Additionally, generating the additional content 122 at a lower image and / or video quality for display may not be detrimental to the user's viewing experience because the user 124 may not be able to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality images and / or video viewed within a peripheral region (e.g., peripheral region 118) of the user's field of view (e.g., field of view 114).

[0092] In some embodiments, the virtual reality environment 104 includes portions that show primary content and portions that do not show primary content. For example, a central portion of the virtual reality environment 104 may show primary content (e.g., first primary content 106, second primary content 144), while the remainder of the virtual reality environment 104 does not show primary content. For example, the virtual reality environment 104 may show primary content in a central portion (e.g., 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, etc.) of the horizontal extent of the virtual reality environment 104, but not show primary content in the remainder of the horizontal extent of the virtual reality environment 104. As another example, the virtual reality environment 104 may show primary content in a central portion (e.g., 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, etc.) of the vertical extent of the virtual reality environment 104, but not show primary content in the remainder of the vertical extent of the virtual reality environment 104. As another example, virtual reality environment 104 may not present primary content in both a horizontal and vertical portion of virtual reality environment 104. The remainder of virtual reality environment 104 where primary content is not presented may be blank space or may correspond to peripheral regions (e.g., peripheral regions 118, 120, 132, and 134) of the user's field of view (e.g., fields of view 114 and 126). Additional content 122 may be generated for display in portions of virtual reality environment 104 that do not present primary content. Thus, additional content 122 does not interfere with the primary content, even when additional content 122 is generated for display in portions of virtual reality environment 104 that correspond to peripheral regions of the user's field of view.

[0093] 3-4 show illustrative examples that allow a user to perform full body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with the viewing of content on the head-up display.

[0094] 3-4, heads-up display 202 shows virtual reality environment portion 242 of virtual reality environment 204. Virtual reality environment portion 242 of virtual reality environment 204 includes first portion 208 and second portion 210. First portion 208 includes a portion of virtual reality environment 204 corresponding to foreground region 216 of field of view 214. Second portion 210 includes a portion of virtual reality environment 204 corresponding to peripheral region 218 of field of view 214. Primary content 206 is generated within first portion 208 of virtual reality environment 204 for display. Additional content 222 is generated within second portion 210 of virtual reality environment 204 for display. In FIG. 3, user 224 is seated. In FIG. 4, user 224 is walking.

[0095] A whole body movement of the user 224 may be detected (e.g., by the detection module 616 on FIG. 8). For example, in FIGS. 3-4, a change of the user 224 from a seated position to a walking position is detected. In response to the detection of the user's whole body movement, additional content 222 is generated for display within the first portion 208 of the virtual reality environment 204. The additional content 222 may be any content that assists the user 224 in performing the whole body movement. For example, in FIGS. 3-4, the additional content 222 is a video of the user's 224's physical surroundings. Alternatively, the additional content 222 may be a map of the user's 224's location, or the like.

[0096] Generating the additional content 222 for display within a portion of the virtual reality environment 204 that corresponds to the foreground region 216 can ensure that the additional content 222 is easily visible to the user 224. The additional content 222 is configured to assist the user 224 in performing full-body movement without interfering with the user's view of the primary content on the heads-up display 202. For example, if the user 224 is walking, the additional content 222 can be a video of the user's 224 physical surroundings, which can assist the user 224, for example, in avoiding obstacles in the physical surroundings, without having to stop viewing the content on the heads-up display 202. Thus, generating the additional content 222 within the foreground region 216 for display enables the user 224 to perform full-body movement without interfering with the user's view of the content on the heads-up display 202.

[0097] Primary content 206 may be any type of content. In some embodiments, primary content 206 provides media guidance data (as discussed in connection with FIGS. 6-7).

[0098] 3-4, the additional content 222 is generated for display as a picture-in-picture. In some embodiments, the additional content 222 is generated for display as an overlay.

[0099] In some embodiments, when additional content 222 is generated for display in a portion (e.g., second portion 210) of virtual reality environment 204 that corresponds to a peripheral region (e.g., peripheral region 218) of a user's field of view (e.g., field of view 214), the additional content 222 is generated for display at a lower image and / or video quality (e.g., lower resolution, frame rate, etc.) than the primary content (e.g., primary content 206) shown by virtual reality environment 204. Generating the additional content 222 at a lower image and / or video quality for display may help heads-up display 202 conserve power, memory, bandwidth, etc. Additionally, generating the additional content 222 at a lower image and / or video quality for display may not be detrimental to the user's viewing experience because the user 224 may not be able to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality images and / or video viewed in the peripheral region (e.g., peripheral region 218) of the user's field of view (e.g., field of view 214). When the additional content 222 is generated for display in a portion (e.g., first portion 208) of virtual reality environment 204 that corresponds to a foreground region (e.g., foreground region 216) of a user's field of view (e.g., field of view 214), the image quality and / or video quality of the additional content 222 may be increased. The user 224 may be able to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality images and / or video viewed in the foreground region of the user's field of view. Generating the additional content 222 at a higher image quality and / or video quality for display ensures that the user's view of the additional content 222 is not impaired (e.g., by the user 224 having to view a lower-quality version of the additional content 222).

[0100] In some embodiments, virtual reality environment 204 includes portions that show primary content and portions that do not. For example, a central portion of virtual reality environment 204 may show primary content (e.g., primary content 206), while the remainder of virtual reality environment 204 does not show primary content. For example, virtual reality environment 204 may show primary content in a central portion (e.g., 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, etc.) of the horizontal extent of virtual reality environment 204, but not show primary content in the remainder of the horizontal extent of virtual reality environment 204. As another example, virtual reality environment 204 may show primary content in a central portion (e.g., 95%, 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, etc.) of the vertical extent of virtual reality environment 204, but not show primary content in the remainder of the vertical extent of virtual reality environment 204. As another example, virtual reality environment 204 may not present primary content in both a horizontal and vertical portion of virtual reality environment 204. The remainder of virtual reality environment 204 where primary content is not presented may be blank space or may correspond to peripheral regions (e.g., peripheral regions 218 and 220) of the user's field of view (e.g., field of view 214). Before the user's full-body movement is detected, additional content 222 may be generated for display in portions of virtual reality environment 204 that do not present primary content. Thus, additional content 222 does not interfere with the primary content, even when additional content 222 is generated for display in portions of virtual reality environment 204 that correspond to peripheral regions of the user's field of view. After the user's full-body movement is detected, additional content 222 may be generated for display in portions of virtual reality environment 204 that present primary content.

[0101] 5 shows an illustrative head-mounted display for use as a head-up display, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Head-mounted display 301 includes a headset 303 and a mobile phone 305. Headset 303 includes a display 307, straps 309 and 311, and clips 313 and 315. Mobile phone 305 includes a camera 317. Head-mounted display 301 is physically coupled to the head of a user 319.

[0102] The display 307 is positioned over the eyes of the user 319. Because the display 307 completely covers the eyes of the user 319, the display 307 gives the content it generates for display, i.e., the appearance of reality, to the user 319. Thus, the display 307 operates as a head-up display. The display 307 is physically coupled to straps 309 and 311. The strap 309 wraps around the head of the user 319, and the strap 311 wraps over the head of the user 319. The straps 309 and 311 secure the display 307 over the eyes of the user 319. Other configurations for the headset 303 are also possible. For example, one or both of the straps 309 and 311 may be absent. In some embodiments, the headset 303 is configured as a helmet that sits on the head of the user 319. In some embodiments, the headset 303 is configured as a pair of glasses that rest on the ears of the user 319. In some embodiments, the display 307 is positioned over only one eye of the user 319 .

[0103] The mobile phone 305 is physically coupled to the headset 303 such that the mobile phone 305 is positioned on the side of the display 307 opposite the eye of the user 317. The mobile phone 305 is physically coupled to the headset 303 by clips 313 and 315. Other configurations for the mobile phone 305 are also possible. For example, one or both of the clips 313 and 315 may be absent. The mobile phone 305 may be physically coupled to the headset 303 by fitting snugly into a recess in the headset 303. The mobile phone 305 may be physically coupled to the headset 303 by a strap, screw, adhesive, or any other coupling means. A panel or lip physically coupled to the headset 303 may hold the mobile phone 305 in place. The mobile phone 305 may be inserted into a slot in the headset 303.

[0104] The camera 317 faces outward from the display 307 so that the camera 317 can capture image quality and video of the user's 317 physical surroundings. The camera 317 may feed video of the user's 317 physical surroundings to the head mounted display 301. The video of the user's 317 physical surroundings may be used as additional content 122 or 222. In some embodiments, the video of the user's 317 physical surroundings is fed to the head mounted display 301 by an electrical connection between the head mounted display 301 and the mobile phone 305. For example, there may be an electrical cable with a USB interface serving as the electrical connection. In some embodiments, the video of the user's 317 physical surroundings may be fed to the head mounted display 301 wirelessly, such as via a wireless network or through a Bluetooth® connection. In some embodiments, a screen on the mobile phone 305 displays the video of the user's 317 physical surroundings, and the screen on the mobile phone 305 is visible through the display 307 of the head mounted display 301.

[0105] In some embodiments, the mobile phone 305 is not present and the camera 317 is integrated into the headset 303. In some embodiments, the mobile phone 305 is replaced by another electronic device, such as a tablet device.

[0106] The head-mounted display 301 may provide the user 319 with a more immersive viewing experience than other devices offer. For example, because the display 307 completely covers the user's eyes, content displayed by the display 307 may have a realistic appearance to the user 319. Additionally, the user 319 may view content on the display 307 without being distracted by their physical surroundings.

[0107] However, challenges arise because the display 307 completely covers the eyes of the user 319. For example, the user 319 may want to monitor something in their physical surroundings, such as their children, food being cooked, people entering the room in which the user 319 is located, etc. Monitoring the physical surroundings by the user 319 is difficult when the display 307 completely covers the eyes of the user 319. Therefore, it may be desirable to display additional content (e.g., additional content 122) on the display 307 that consists of a video feed of the user's physical surroundings captured by the camera 317.

[0108] However, challenges arise with displaying video of the user's physical surroundings as additional content on the display 307. The video of the user's physical surroundings may interfere with the user's view of the primary content on the display 307 (e.g., second primary content 144). In particular, if the video of the user's physical surroundings is displayed on a portion of the display 307 that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's 319 field of view, the video of the user's physical surroundings may interfere with the user's view of the primary content on the display 307. Thus, according to the embodiment described above in connection with FIGS. 1-2 , the additional content 122 is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to a peripheral region of the user's field of view. If a change in the user's field of view (e.g., due to a movement of the user's center of gaze) is detected and it is determined that the portion of the virtual reality environment in which the additional content is generated for display corresponds to the foreground region of the user's field of view, the additional content is moved to the portion of the virtual reality environment that corresponds to the peripheral region of the user's field of view.

[0109] Furthermore, challenges arise when the user 319 performs full-body movements while wearing the head-mounted display 301. For example, the user 319 may want to view content on the head-mounted display 301 while walking, but may not be able to see obstacles in their physical surroundings. Thus, according to the embodiment described above in connection with FIGS. 3-4 , additional content 222 is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment 204 that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view. The additional content 222 is configured to assist the user in performing full-body movements. For example, the additional content 222 may be a video of the user's physical surroundings. By generating the additional content 222 for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment 204 that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view, the additional content 222 is easily visible to the user. The user can use the additional content 222 to perform full-body movements, avoiding the need to remove the head-mounted display 301 and interfering with the viewing of the content on the head-mounted display 301.

[0110] 6-7 show illustrative display screens that may be used to provide media guidance data. The display screens shown in FIGS. 6-7 may be implemented on any suitable user equipment device or platform (e.g., head-up display 102 or head-mounted display 301). While the displays in FIGS. 6-7 are illustrated as full-screen displays, they may also be fully or partially overlaid on the displayed content. A user may indicate a desire to access content information by selecting a selectable option (e.g., a menu option, a list option, an icon, a hyperlink, etc.) provided on the display screen or by pressing a dedicated button (e.g., a “Guide” button) on a remote control or other user input interface or device. In response to a user's instruction, the media guidance application may provide a display screen with media guidance data organized in one of several ways, such as by time and channel in a grid, by time, by channel, by source, by content type, by category (e.g., movies, sports, news, kids, or other program categories), or other predetermined, user-defined, or other organization criteria.

[0111] FIG. 6 shows an illustrative grid of program listings display 400 arranged by time and channel, which also allows access to different types of content within a single display. Display 400 may include a grid 402 with: (1) columns of channel / content type identifiers 404, where each channel / content type identifier (cell in a column) identifies a different available channel or type of content, and (2) rows of time identifiers 406, where each time identifier (cell in a row) identifies a time slot for the program. Grid 402 also includes program listing cells, such as program listing 408, where each listing provides the title of the program provided above the listing's associated channel and time. Using a user input device, a user can select a program listing by moving highlight region 410. Information about the program listing selected by highlight region 410 may be provided in program information region 412. Region 412 may include, for example, the program title, program content, the time the program is offered (if applicable), the channel on which the program is broadcast (if applicable), the program's rating, and other desired information.

[0112] In addition to providing access to linear programming (e.g., content scheduled for transmission to multiple user equipment devices at predetermined times and provided according to a schedule), the media guidance application also provides access to nonlinear programming (e.g., content accessible to user equipment devices at any time and not provided according to a schedule). Nonlinear programming may include content from different content sources, including on-demand content (e.g., VOD), Internet content (e.g., streaming media, downloadable media, etc.), locally stored content (e.g., content stored on any of the foregoing user equipment devices or other storage devices), or other content that is not time-sensitive. On-demand content may include movies or any other content provided by a particular content provider (e.g., HBO On Demand, which provides "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm"). HBO ON DEMAND is a service mark owned by Time Warner Company LP et al., and THE SOPRANOS and CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM are trademarks owned by Home Box Office, Inc. Internet content may include web events such as chat sessions or webcasts, or content available on demand as streaming or downloadable content through an Internet website or other Internet access (eg, FTP).

[0113] Grid 402 may provide media guide data for non-linear programming, including on-demand listings 414, recorded content listings 416, and Internet content listings 418. A display that combines media guidance data for content from different types of content sources is sometimes referred to as a “mixed-media” display. Various permutations of the types of media guidance data that may be displayed, different from display 400, may be based on user selection or guide application definition (e.g., displaying only recorded and broadcast listings, displaying only on-demand and broadcast listings, etc.). As illustrated, listings 414, 416, and 418 are shown as spanning the entire time period displayed in grid 402 to indicate that selecting these listings may provide access to a dedicated view of on-demand listings, recorded listings, or Internet listings, respectively. In some embodiments, listings for these content types may be included directly in grid 402. In response to a user selecting one of navigation icons 420, additional media guidance data may be displayed (depressing arrow keys on a user input device may affect the display in a similar manner to selecting navigation icon 420).

[0114] Display 400 may also include video region 422, advertisements 424, and options region 426. Video region 422 may allow the user to watch and / or preview programs that are currently available, will be available, or have been available to the user. The content of video region 422 may correspond to or be independent of one of the listings displayed in grid 402. Grid displays that include a video region are sometimes referred to as picture-in-guide (PIG) ​​displays. PIG displays and their functionality are described in further detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,564,378, issued May 13, 2003 to Satterfield et al., and U.S. Patent No. 6,239,794, issued May 29, 2001 to Yuen et al., which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. PIG displays may also be included in other media guidance application display screens in embodiments described herein.

[0115] Advertisements 424 may provide advertisements for content that is currently available for viewing, will be available for viewing in the future, or may never be available for viewing, depending on the viewer's access rights (e.g., for subscription programming), and may correspond to or be unrelated to one or more of the content listings in grid 402. Advertisements 424 may also be for products or services that are related or unrelated to the content displayed in grid 402. Advertisements 424 may be selectable, provide further information about the content, provide information about the product or service, enable purchase of the content, product, or service, provide content related to the advertisement, etc. Advertisements 424 may be targeted based on user profile / preferences, monitored user activity, the type of display provided, or other suitable targeted advertising basis.

[0116] Although advertisements 424 are shown as rectangular or banner-shaped, advertisements may be provided in any suitable size, shape, and location within the guidance application display. For example, advertisements 424 may be provided as rectangles horizontally adjacent to grid 402. This is sometimes referred to as a panel advertisement. Additionally, advertisements may be overlaid on content or the guidance application display or embedded within the display. Advertisements may also include text, images, rotating images, video clips, or other types of content mentioned above. Advertisements may be stored within the user equipment device having the guidance application, in a database connected to the user equipment, in a remote location (including a streaming media server), or on other storage means or a combination of these locations. Providing advertisements in media guidance applications is discussed in further detail, for example, in U.S. Patent Application No. 2003 / 0110499 to Knudson et al., filed January 17, 2003, U.S. Patent No. 6,756,997 to Ward, III et al., issued June 29, 2004, and U.S. Patent No. 6,388,714 to Schein et al., issued May 14, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. It will be understood that advertisements may be included in other media guidance application display screens in the embodiments described herein.

[0117] Options area 426 may allow a user to access different types of content, media guidance application views, and / or media guidance application features. Options area 426 may be part of display 400 (and other display screens described herein) or may be invoked by the user by selecting an option on the screen or by pressing a dedicated or assignable button on a user input device. Selectable options in options area 426 may relate to features related to program listings in grid 402 or may include options available from a main menu display. Features related to program listings may include finding other broadcast times or reception methods for programs, recording a program, enabling continuous recording of a program, setting a program and / or channel as a favorite, purchasing a program, or other features. Options available from a main menu display may include search options, VOD options, parental control options, Internet options, cloud-based options, device sync options, second screen device options, options for accessing various types of media guidance data views, options for subscribing to premium services, options for editing the user's profile, options for accessing a browser overlay, or other options.

[0118] The media guidance application may be personalized based on user preferences. A personalized media guidance application allows a user to customize the display and features to create a personalized “experience” with the media guidance application. This personalized experience may be created by allowing the user to input these customizations and / or by the media guidance application monitoring user activity to determine various user preferences. Users may access their personalized guidance application by logging in or otherwise identifying themselves to the guidance application. Customizations of the media guidance application may be made according to a user profile. Customizations may include changing the presentation style (e.g., display color scheme, text font size, etc.), the aspect of the content listings displayed (e.g., HDTV programs only or 3D programs only, user-specified broadcast channels based on favorite channel selections, channel display sorting, recommended content, etc.), desired recording characteristics (e.g., recording or continuous recording for a particular user, recording quality, etc.), parental control settings, customized presentation of Internet content (e.g., presentation of social media content, email, electronically distributed articles, etc.), and other desired customizations.

[0119] The media guidance application may allow the user to provide user profile information or may automatically compile user profile information. The media guidance application may, for example, monitor the content the user accesses and / or other interactions the user may have with the guidance application. In addition, the media guidance application may obtain, in whole or in part, other user profiles associated with a particular user (e.g., from other websites on the Internet the user accesses, such as www.allrovi.com, from other media guidance applications the user accesses, from other interactive applications the user accesses, from another of the user's user equipment devices, etc.) and / or obtain information about the user from other sources to which the media guidance application may have access. As a result, a unified guidance application experience can be provided to the user across the user's different user equipment devices. This type of user experience is described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 9. Additional personalized media guidance application features are described in further detail in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005 / 0251827 to Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005, U.S. Patent No. 7,165,098 to Boyer et al., issued January 16, 2007, and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002 / 0174430 to Ellis et al., filed February 21, 2002, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

[0120] Another display arrangement for providing a media guide is shown in FIG. 7. Video mosaic display 500 includes selectable options 502 for content information organized based on content type, genre, and / or other organization criteria. In display 500, television listings option 504 is selected, thus providing listings 506, 508, 510, and 512 as broadcast program listings. In display 500, the listings may provide graphical images including cover art, still images from the content, previews of video clips, live video from the content, or other types of content that indicate to the user the content described by the media guide data in the listing. Each of the graphical listings may also be accompanied by text to provide further information about the content associated with the listing. For example, listing 508 may include more than one portion, including media portion 514 and text portion 516. Media portion 514 and / or text portion 516 may be selectable to watch the content full screen or to view information related to the content displayed in media portion 514 (e.g., to view a listing of the channel on which the video is displayed).

[0121] The listings in display 500 are of different sizes (i.e., listing 506 is larger than listings 508, 510, and 512), although all listings may be the same size if desired. The listings may be different sizes or graphically enhanced to indicate a degree of interest to the user or to highlight certain content, as desired by the content provider or based on user preferences. Various systems and methods for graphically highlighting content listings are discussed, for example, in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010 / 0153885 to Yates, filed November 12, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0122] A user may access content, media guidance applications (and their display screens, described above and below) from one or more of their user equipment devices (e.g., head-up display 102 or head-mounted display 301). FIG. 8 shows a generalized embodiment of an illustrative user equipment device 600. A more specific implementation of a user equipment device is discussed below in connection with FIG. 9. User equipment device 600 may receive content and data via input / output (hereinafter “I / O”) path 602. I / O path 602 may provide content (e.g., broadcast programs, on-demand programs, Internet content, content available over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN), and / or other content) and data to control circuitry 604, which includes processing circuitry 606 and storage device 608. Control circuitry 604 may be used to send and receive commands, requests, and other suitable data using I / O path 602. I / O path 602 may connect control circuitry 604 (specifically, processing circuitry 606) to one or more communication paths (described below). I / O functionality may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but is shown as a single path in FIG. 8 to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0123] Control circuitry 604 may be based on any suitable processing circuitry, such as processing circuitry 606. As referred to herein, processing circuitry is understood to mean circuitry based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, programmable logic devices, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc., and may include multi-core processors (e.g., dual-core, quad-core, hexa-core, or any suitable number of cores) or supercomputers. In some embodiments, processing circuitry may be distributed across multiple separate processors or processing units, for example, multiple processing units of the same type (e.g., two Intel Core i7 processors) or multiple different processors (e.g., an Intel Core i5 processor and an Intel Core i7 processor). In some embodiments, control circuitry 604 executes instructions for an application stored in memory (i.e., storage device 608). Specifically, control circuitry 604 may be instructed by the application to perform the functions described above and below. For example, the application may provide control circuitry 604 with instructions to generate a display. In some implementations, any actions taken by control circuitry 604 may be based on instructions received from a media guidance application.

[0124] In client-server based embodiments, control circuitry 604 may include suitable communications circuitry for communicating with a guidance application server or other network or server. Instructions for implementing the above-described functionality may be stored on the guidance application server. The communications circuitry may include a cable modem, an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) modem, a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem, a telephone modem, an Ethernet card, a wireless modem for communicating with other equipment, or any other suitable communications circuitry. Such communications may involve the Internet or any other suitable communications network or path (described in further detail in connection with FIG. 9). Additionally, the communications circuitry may include circuitry to enable peer-to-peer communication of user equipment devices or communication of user equipment devices at locations remote from each other (described in further detail below).

[0125] The memory may be an electronic storage device provided as storage device 608 that is part of control circuitry 604. As referred to herein, the phrase “electronic storage device” or “storage device” should be understood to mean any device for storing electronic data, computer software, or firmware, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, a hard drive, an optical drive, a digital video disc (DVD) recorder, a compact disc (CD) recorder, a BLU-RAY® disc (BD) recorder, a BLU-RAY® 3D disc recorder, a digital video recorder (DVR, sometimes called a personal video recorder, or PVR), a solid-state device, a quantum storage device, a game console, game media, or any other suitable fixed or removable storage device, and / or any combination thereof. Storage device 608 may be used to store various types of content described herein, as well as the media guidance data mentioned above. Non-volatile memory may also be used (e.g., to launch boot-up routines or other instructions). Cloud-based storage, as described in connection with FIG. 9, may be used to supplement or in place of storage 608.

[0126] The control circuitry 604 may include video generation and tuning circuitry, such as one or more analog tuners, one or more MPEG-2 decoders or other digital decoding circuitry, a high-definition tuner, or any other suitable tuning or video circuitry, or a combination of such circuitry. Encoding circuitry (e.g., for converting over-the-air, analog, or digital signals to MPEG signals for storage) may also be provided. The control circuitry 604 may also include scaling circuitry for upconverting and downconverting content to a preferred output format for the user equipment 600. The circuitry 604 may also include digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion circuitry for converting between digital and analog signals. The tuning and encoding circuitry may be used by the user equipment device to receive and display, play, or record content. The tuning and encoding circuitry may also be used to receive guide data. For example, the circuitry described herein, including tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, scaling, and analog / digital circuitry, may be implemented using software running on one or more general-purpose or specialized processors. Multiple tuners may be provided to accommodate simultaneous tuning functions (e.g., watch and record functions, picture-in-picture (PIP) functions, multi-tuner recording functions, etc.) If storage 608 is provided as a device separate from user equipment 600, tuning and encoding circuitry (including multiple tuners) may be associated with storage 608.

[0127] A user may send commands to control circuitry 604 using user input interface 610. User input interface 610 may be any suitable user interface, such as a remote control, a mouse, a trackball, a keypad, a keyboard, a touch screen, a touchpad, a stylus input, a joystick, a voice recognition interface, or other user input interface. Display 612 may be provided as a stand-alone device or may be integrated with other elements of user equipment device 600. For example, display 612 may be a touch screen or a touch-sensitive display. In such situations, user input interface 610 may be integrated with or combined with display 612. Display 312 may be one or more of a monitor, television, liquid crystal display (LCD) for mobile devices, amorphous silicon display, low-temperature polysilicon display, electronic ink display, electrophoretic display, active matrix display, electrowetting display, electrofluidic display, cathode ray tube display, light-emitting diode display, electroluminescent display, plasma display panel, high performance addressing display, thin film transistor display, organic light-emitting diode display, surface-conduction electron emitter display (SED), laser television, carbon nanotube, quantum dot display, interferometric modulator display, or any other suitable device for displaying visual images. In some embodiments, display 612 may be HDTV-compatible. In some embodiments, display 612 may be a 3D display, and the interactive media guide application and any suitable content may be displayed in 3D. A video card or graphics card may generate output to display 612. The video card may provide various features such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2 / MPEG-4 decoding, TV-out, or the ability to connect multiple monitors. The video card may be any of the processing circuits described above associated with the control circuitry 604 .A video card may be integrated with control circuitry 604. Speakers 614 may be provided as an integration with other elements of user equipment device 600 or may be a stand-alone unit. Audio components of video and other content displayed on display 612 may be played through speakers 614. In some embodiments, audio may be delivered to a receiver (not shown), which processes and outputs the audio via speakers 614.

[0128] The guidance application may be implemented using any suitable architecture. For example, it may be a standalone application implemented entirely on user equipment device 600. In such an approach, the application's instructions are stored locally (e.g., in storage 608), and data for use by the application is periodically downloaded (e.g., from an out-of-band feed, from an Internet resource, or using another suitable approach). Control circuitry 604 may read the application's instructions from storage 608 and process the instructions to generate any of the displays discussed herein. Based on the processed instructions, control circuitry 604 may determine an action to take when input is received from input interface 610. For example, moving a cursor up / down on a display may be indicated by the processed instructions when input interface 610 indicates that the up / down button has been selected.

[0129] In some embodiments, the media guidance application is a client-server-based application. Data for use by a thick or thin client implemented on user equipment device 600 is retrieved on demand by issuing requests to a server remote from user equipment device 600. In one example of a client-server-based guidance application, control circuitry 604 executes a web browser that interprets web pages provided by a remote server. For example, the remote server may store instructions for the application in a storage device. The remote server may use circuitry (e.g., control circuitry 604) to process the stored instructions and generate the displays described above and below. The client device may receive displays generated by the remote server and display the content of the displays locally on equipment device 600. In this manner, the processing of instructions is performed remotely by a server, while the resulting displays are provided locally on equipment device 600. Equipment device 600 may receive inputs from a user via input interface 610 and transmit those inputs to a remote server for processing and generating corresponding displays. For example, the appliance device 600 may transmit a communication to a remote server indicating that an up / down button has been selected via the input interface 610. The remote server may process instructions according to the input and generate a display of the application corresponding to the input (e.g., a display that moves a cursor up / down). The generated display is then transmitted to the appliance device 600 for presentation to the user.

[0130] In some embodiments, the media guidance application is downloaded and interpreted or otherwise invoked by an interpreter or virtual machine (invoked by control circuitry 604). In some embodiments, the guidance application may be encoded in ETV Binary Interchange Format (EBIF), received by control circuitry 604 as part of a suitable feed, and interpreted by a user agent running on control circuitry 604. For example, the guidance application may be an EBIF application. In some embodiments, the guidance application may be defined by a series of JAVA-based files that are received and invoked by a local virtual machine or other suitable middleware executed by control circuitry 604. In some such embodiments (e.g., those employing MPEG-2 or other digital media encoding schemes), the guidance application may be encoded and transmitted, for example, in an MPEG-2 object carousel with the program's MPEG audio and video packets.

[0131] The control circuit 604 includes a detection module 616. The detection module 616 will be discussed in further detail in connection with Figures 10-12.

[0132] User equipment device 600 of FIG. 8 may be implemented in system 700 of FIG. 9 as any other type of user equipment suitable for accessing content, such as user television equipment 702, user computer equipment 704, wireless user communications device 706, head-up display (e.g., head-mounted 301), or non-portable gaming console. For simplicity, these devices may be collectively referred to herein as user equipment or user equipment devices and may be substantially similar to the user equipment devices described above. User equipment devices on which a media guidance application may be implemented may function as stand-alone devices or may be part of a network of devices. Various network configurations of devices may be implemented and are discussed in further detail below.

[0133] User equipment devices utilizing at least some of the system features described above in connection with FIG. 8 may not be classified solely as user television equipment 702, user computing equipment 704, or wireless user communications device 706. For example, user television equipment 702, like some user computing equipment 704, may be Internet-enabled, allowing it to access Internet content, while user computing equipment 704, like some television equipment 702, may include a tuner, allowing it to access television programs. The media guidance application may also have the same layout on various different types of user equipment or may be tailored to the display capabilities of the user equipment. For example, on user computing equipment 704, the guidance application may be provided as a website accessed by a web browser. In another example, the guidance application may be scaled down for wireless user communications device 706.

[0134] In system 700, there is typically more than one user equipment device of each type, but to avoid overcomplicating the drawing, only one of each is shown in Figure 9. Additionally, each user may utilize more than one type of user equipment device and also more than one of each type of user equipment device.

[0135] In some embodiments, a user equipment device (e.g., user television equipment 702, user computer equipment 704, wireless user communications device 706) may be referred to as a “second screen device.” For example, the second screen device may complement the content presented on the first user equipment device. The content presented on the second screen device may be any suitable content that complements the content presented on the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device provides an interface for adjusting settings and display preferences of the first device. In some embodiments, the second screen device is configured to interact with other second screen devices or interact with a social network. The second screen device can be located in the same room as the first device, in a different room from the first device but in the same home or building, or in a different building from the first device.

[0136] Users may also set various settings to maintain consistent media guidance application settings across in-home and remote devices. Settings include the settings described herein as well as favorite channels and programs, program preferences utilized by the guidance application to recommend programs, display preferences, and other desired guidance settings. For example, if a user sets a channel as a favorite on their office computer, e.g., on the website www.allrovi.com, the same channel will appear as a favorite on the user's in-home devices (e.g., user television equipment and user computer equipment) as well as on the user's mobile device, if desired. Thus, changes made on one user equipment device can change the guidance experience on another user equipment device, whether the device is the same type or a different type. Additionally, changes made may be based on setting inputs by the user as well as user activity monitored by the guidance application.

[0137] User equipment devices may be coupled to communications network 714. That is, user television equipment 702, user computer equipment 704, and wireless user communications device 706 are coupled to communications network 714 via communications paths 708, 710, and 712, respectively. Communications network 714 may be one or more networks including the Internet, a cellular network, a mobile voice or data network (e.g., a 4G or LTE network), a cable network, a public switched telephone network, or other types of communications networks, or combinations of communications networks. Paths 708, 710, 712, and 712, separately or together, may include one or more communications paths, such as satellite paths, fiber optic paths, cable paths, paths supporting Internet communications (e.g., IPTV), free space connections (e.g., for broadcast or other wireless signals), or any other suitable wired or wireless communications paths, or combinations of such paths. Path 712 is depicted in the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 9 as a dashed line to indicate that it is a wireless path, and paths 708 and 710 are depicted as solid lines to indicate that they are wired paths (although these paths may also be wireless paths, if desired). Communication with a user equipment device may be provided by one or more of these communication paths, but is shown in Figure 9 as a single path to avoid overcomplicating the drawing.

[0138] Although communication paths are not depicted between the user equipment devices, these devices may communicate directly with each other via communication paths such as those described above in connection with paths 708, 710, and 712, as well as other short-range point-to-point communication paths such as a USB cable, an IEEE 1394 cable, a wireless path (e.g., Bluetooth, infrared, IEEE 802-11x, etc.), or other short-range communication via a wired or wireless path. is a certification mark owned by SIG, INC. User equipment devices may also communicate with each other directly through an indirect path via communications network 714.

[0139] System 700 includes a content source 716 and a media guidance data source 718 coupled to communications network 714 via communications paths 720 and 722, respectively. Paths 720 and 722 may include any of the communications paths described above with respect to paths 708, 710, and 712. Communications with content source 716 and media guidance data source 718 may be exchanged via one or more communications paths, but are shown in FIG. 9 as a single path to avoid overcomplicating the diagram. Additionally, there may be more than one of each of content source 716 and media guidance data source 718, but only one of each is shown in FIG. 9 to avoid overcomplicating the diagram. (Different types of each of these sources are discussed below.) If desired, content source 716 and media guidance data source 718 may be integrated into one source device. Although communication between sources 716 and 718 and user equipment devices 702, 704, and 706 is shown as being through communications network 714, in some embodiments, sources 716 and 718 may communicate directly with user equipment devices 702, 704, and 706 via communications paths (not shown) such as those described above in connection with paths 708, 710, and 712.

[0140] The content sources 716 may include one or more types of content distribution equipment, including television distribution facilities, cable system headends, satellite distribution facilities, program sources (e.g., television broadcast companies such as NBC, ABC, HBO, etc.), intermediate distribution facilities and / or servers, Internet providers, on-demand media servers, and other content providers. NBC is a trademark owned by National Broadcasting Company, Inc., ABC is a trademark owned by American Broadcasting Company, INC., and HBO is a trademark owned by Home Box Office, Inc. The content sources 716 may be content originators (e.g., television broadcast companies, webcast providers, etc.) or non-content originators (e.g., on-demand content providers, Internet providers of broadcast program content for download, etc.). The content sources 716 may include cable sources, satellite providers, on-demand providers, Internet providers, over-the-top content providers, or other content providers. Content sources 716 may also include remote media servers used to store different types of content (including video content selected by the user) at locations remote from any of the user equipment devices. Systems and methods for remotely storing content and providing remotely stored content to user equipment are discussed in further detail in connection with U.S. Patent Application No. 7,761,892 to Ellis et al., filed July 20, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0141] Media guidance data source 718 may provide media guidance data such as the media guidance data described above. The media guidance data may be provided to user equipment devices using any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the guidance application may be a stand-alone interactive television program guide that receives program guide data via a data feed (e.g., a continuous feed or a trickle feed). Program scheduling data and other guidance data may be provided to user equipment on a sideband of a television channel, using an in-band digital signal, using an out-of-band digital signal, or by any other suitable data transmission technique. Program scheduling data and other media guidance data may be provided to user equipment on multiple analog or digital television channels.

[0142] In some embodiments, guidance data from media guidance data source 718 may be provided to user equipment using a client-server approach. For example, the user equipment device may pull media guidance data from a server, or the server may push media guidance data to the user equipment device. In some embodiments, a guidance application client resident on the user's equipment may initiate a session with source 718 and obtain guidance data as needed, for example, when the guidance data is out of date or when the user equipment device receives a request from the user to receive the data. Media guidance may be provided to user equipment at any suitable frequency (e.g., continuously, daily, at a user-specified period, at a system-specified period, in response to a request from the user equipment, etc.). Media guidance data source 718 may provide user equipment devices 702, 704, and 706 with the media guidance application itself or software updates for the media guidance application.

[0143] In some embodiments, media guidance data may include viewer data. For example, viewer data may include current and / or historical user activity information (e.g., content a user typically views, the time of day a user views content, whether a user interacts with social networks, the time a user interacts with social networks and posts information, the type of content a user typically views (e.g., pay TV or free TV), mood, brain activity information, etc.). Media guidance data may also include subscription data. For example, subscription data may identify sources or services to which a given user subscribes and / or sources or services to which a given user previously subscribed but later discontinued access (e.g., whether a user subscribed to premium channels, whether a user added a premium level of service, whether a user increased their internet speed). In some embodiments, viewer data and / or subscription data may identify a given user's patterns for a period of more than one year. Media guidance data may include a model (e.g., a survivor model) used to generate a score indicative of the likelihood that a given user will discontinue access to a service / source. For example, the media guidance application may process the viewer data in conjunction with the subscription data and a model to generate a value or score that indicates the likelihood that a given user will terminate access to a particular service or source. In particular, a higher score may indicate a higher level of confidence that the user will terminate access to a particular service or source. Based on the score, the media guidance application may generate promotions and advertisements that encourage the user to maintain the particular service or source indicated by the score as one that the user will likely terminate access to.

[0144] The media guidance application may be, for example, a stand-alone application implemented on the user equipment device. For example, the media guidance application may be implemented as software or a set of executable instructions that may be stored in storage 608 and executed by control circuitry 604 of user equipment device 600. In some embodiments, the media guidance application may be a client-server application, in which only the client application resides on the user equipment device and the server application resides on a remote server. For example, the media guidance application may be implemented partially as a client application on control circuitry 604 of user equipment device 600 and partially on a remote server as a server application running on the remote server's control circuitry (e.g., media guidance data source 718). When executed by the remote server's control circuitry (such as media guidance data source 718), the media guidance application may instruct the control circuitry to generate guidance application displays and transmit the generated displays to the user equipment device. The server application may instruct control circuitry of media guidance data source 718 to transmit data for storage on the user equipment. The client application may instruct control circuitry in the receiving user equipment to generate a guidance application display.

[0145] The content and / or media guidance data delivered to user equipment devices 702, 704, and 706 may be over-the-top (OTT) content. OTT content delivery allows internet-enabled user devices, including any of the user equipment devices described above, to receive content transmitted over the internet, including any of the content described above, in addition to content received via cable or satellite connections. OTT content is delivered over an internet connection provided by an internet service provider (ISP), although third parties also deliver content. ISPs may not be involved in the viewing capabilities, copyright, or redistribution of the content and may only transmit IP packets provided by the OTT content provider. Examples of OTT content providers include YOUTUBE®, NETFLIX, and HULU, which provide audio and video over IP packets. YOUTUBE is a trademark owned by Google Inc., Netflix is ​​a trademark owned by Netflix, Inc., and Hulu is a trademark owned by Hulu, LLC. OTT content providers may additionally or alternatively provide the media guidance data described above. In addition to the content and / or media guidance data, the provider of the OTT content may distribute a media guidance application (e.g., a web-based application or a cloud-based application), or the content may be displayed by a media guidance application stored on the user equipment device.

[0146] Media guidance system 700 is intended to illustrate several approaches or network configurations by which user equipment devices and sources of content and guidance data may communicate with each other for the purpose of accessing content and providing media guidance. The embodiments described herein may be applied in any one or some of these approaches, or in systems employing other approaches for delivering content and providing media guidance. The following four approaches provide specific illustrations of the general example of FIG. 9:

[0147] In one approach, user equipment devices may communicate with each other within a home network. The user equipment devices can communicate with each other directly via the short-range point-to-point communication methods described above, via an indirect path through a hub or other similar device provided on the home network, or via communications network 714. Multiple individuals within a household may each operate different user equipment devices on the home network. As a result, it may be desirable for various media guidance information or settings to be communicated between different user equipment devices. For example, as described in further detail in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005 / 0251827 to Ellis et al., filed July 11, 2005, it may be desirable for a user to maintain consistent media guidance application settings on different user equipment devices within a home network. Different types of user equipment devices within a home network may also communicate with each other and transfer content. For example, a user may transfer content from a user computer device to a portable video player or portable music player.

[0148] In the second approach, a user may have multiple types of user equipment through which they access content and obtain media guidance. For example, some users may have a home network accessed by in-home and mobile devices. The user may control their in-home devices through a media guidance application implemented on a remote device. For example, a user may access an online media guidance application on a website through a personal computer in the office or a mobile device such as a PDA or web-enabled cell phone. The user may set various settings (e.g., recording, reminders, or other settings) on the online guidance application to control the user's in-home devices. The online guide may control the user's devices directly or by communicating with the media guidance application on the user's in-home devices. Various systems and methods for communication between user equipment devices, where the user equipment devices are located remotely from one another, are discussed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,046,801, issued October 25, 2011 to Ellis et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0149] In a third approach, users of user equipment devices both inside and outside the home can use their media guidance application to communicate directly with content source 716 and access content. Specifically, within the home, users of user television equipment 702 and user computer equipment 704 may access the media guidance application and navigate among and identify desired content. Users may also use wireless user communications devices 706 to access the media guidance application outside the home and navigate among and identify desired content.

[0150] In a fourth approach, user equipment devices may operate within a cloud computing environment and access cloud services. In a cloud computing environment, various types of computing services for content sharing, storage, or distribution (e.g., video sharing sites or social networking sites) are provided by a collection of network-accessible computing and storage resources referred to as the “cloud.” For example, a cloud may include a collection of server computing devices, which may be located in central or distributed locations, that provide cloud-based services to various types of users and devices connected via a network, e.g., the Internet via communications network 714. These cloud resources may include one or more content sources 716 and one or more media guidance data sources 718. Additionally or alternatively, remote computing sites may include other user equipment devices, such as user television equipment 702, user computer equipment 704, and wireless user communications devices 706. For example, the other user equipment devices may provide access to stored copies of videos or streamed videos. In such an embodiment, the user equipment devices may operate in a peer-to-peer manner without communicating with a central server.

[0151] The cloud provides access to services such as content storage, content sharing, or social networking services, as well as access to any of the foregoing content, for user equipment devices, among other examples. Services can be provided in the cloud through a cloud computing service provider or through other providers of online services. For example, cloud-based services can include content storage services, content sharing sites, social networking sites, or other services through which user-supplied content is distributed for viewing by others on connected devices. These cloud-based services may enable user equipment devices to store content in and receive content from the cloud, rather than storing content locally and accessing the locally stored content.

[0152] Users may record content using a variety of content capture devices, such as camcorders, digital cameras with video modes, audio recorders, mobile phones, and handheld computing devices. Users can upload content to a content storage service on the cloud directly, for example, from user computing equipment 704 or from a wireless user communication device 706 with content capture features. Alternatively, users can first transfer content to a user equipment device, such as user computing equipment 704. The user equipment device that stores the content uploads the content to the cloud using a data transmission service on communications network 714. In some embodiments, the user equipment device itself is a cloud resource, and other user equipment devices can access the content directly from the user equipment device on which the user stored the content.

[0153] Cloud resources may be accessed by a user equipment device using, for example, a web browser, a media guidance application, a desktop application, a mobile application, and / or any combination of these access applications. The user equipment device may be a cloud client that relies on cloud computing for application delivery, or the user equipment device may have some functionality without accessing cloud resources. For example, some applications running on the user equipment device may be cloud applications, i.e., applications delivered as a service over the Internet, while other applications may be stored and launched on the user equipment device. In some embodiments, a user device may receive content from multiple cloud resources simultaneously. For example, a user device may stream audio from one cloud resource while downloading content from a second cloud resource. Or, a user device may download content from multiple cloud resources for more efficient downloading. In some embodiments, a user equipment device can use cloud resources for processing operations, such as those performed by the processing circuitry described in connection with FIG. 8.

[0154] As referenced herein, the term "in response to" refers to "initiated as a result of." For example, a first action taking place in response to a second action may include an intervening step between the first and second action. As referenced herein, the term "in direct response to" refers to "caused by." For example, a first action taking place in direct response to a second action may not include an intervening step between the first and second action.

[0155] 10 is an illustrative example of one component of the detection module 616 that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 shows a gaze point detection component 800 that may be used to identify the center of gaze position of a user 808.

[0156] The gaze point detection component 800 includes a processor 802, a light source 804, and an optical sensor 806. The light source 804 transmits light that reaches at least one eye of a user 808, and the optical sensor 806 senses the light that is directed at and reflected from the user 808. The optical sensor 806 transmits collected data to the processor 802, and based on the data received from the optical sensor 806, the processor 802 determines the gaze point of the user 808.

[0157] Processor 802 may be integrated with one or more light sources 804 and one or more optical sensors 806 within a single device. Additionally or alternatively, one light source 804 may transmit light to both eyes of user 808. Additionally or alternatively, one light source 804 may transmit light to one eye of user 808 and another light source 804 may transmit light to the other eye of user 808. Additionally or alternatively, one or more light sources 804 and one or more optical sensors 806 may be stored separately from processor 802 and in wireless or wired communication with processor 802. Processor 802, light source 804, and one or more of optical sensor 806 may be integrated within user equipment device 600.

[0158] Processor 802 may be similar to processing circuit 606 described above. In some embodiments, processor 802 may be processing circuit 606, with processing circuit 606 in communication with light source 804 and optical sensor 806. In other embodiments, processor 802 may be separate from processing circuit 606, but may optionally be in communication with it.

[0159] Light source 804 transmits light to one or both eyes of one or more users. Light source 804 may emit, for example, infrared (IR) light, near-infrared light, or visible light. The light emitted by light source 804 may be collimated or non-collimated. The light is reflected within the user's eye to form, for example, a reflection from the outer surface of the cornea (i.e., a first Purkinje image), a reflection from the inner surface of the cornea (i.e., a second Purkinje image), a reflection from the outer (anterior) surface of the lens (i.e., a third Purkinje image), and / or a reflection from the inner (posterior) surface of the lens (i.e., a fourth Purkinje image).

[0160] The optical sensor 806 collects visual information, such as an image or series of images, of one or both of one or more users' eyes. The optical sensor 806 transmits the collected images to the processor 802, which processes the received images and detects the location of the phosphenes (i.e., corneal reflexes) and / or other reflexes in one or both of the one or more users' eyes. The processor 802 may also determine the location of the pupils of one or both of the one or more users' eyes. For each eye, the processor 802 may compare the location of the pupils with the location of the phosphenes and / or other reflexes to determine a gaze point for each eye. The processor 802 may also store or obtain information describing the location of one or more light sources 804 and / or the location of one or more optical sensors 806 relative to the display 612. Using this information, the processor 802 may determine a gaze point for each of the user's 808 eyes relative to the display 612. The processor 802 may calculate the midpoint between the gaze points of each eye of the user 808 to determine the center of gaze position of the user 808. The processor 802 may compare the current center of gaze position of the user 808 with a previously stored center of gaze position of the user 808 (e.g., in the storage device 608) to determine that the center of gaze of the user 808 has moved.

[0161] In some embodiments, gaze point detection component 800 works best when the user's head position is fixed or relatively stable. In other embodiments, gaze point detection component 800 is configured to take into account the user's head movement, which allows for a more natural viewing experience for the user than if the user's head were fixed in a particular position.

[0162] In some embodiments that take into account the user's head movement, gaze point detection component 800 includes two or more optical sensors 806. For example, two cameras may be arranged to form a stereoscopic system to obtain the 3D position of one or both of the user's eyes. This allows processor 802 to compensate for head movement when determining the user's gaze point. Two or more optical sensors 806 may be part of a single unit or may be separate units. For example, user equipment device 600 may include two cameras used as optical sensors 806, or gaze point detection component 800 communicating with user equipment device 600 may include two optical sensors 806. In other embodiments, user equipment device 600 and gaze point detection component 800 may each include an optical sensor, and processor 802 receives image data from the optical sensor of user equipment device 600 and the optical sensor of gaze point detection component 800. The processor 802 may receive data identifying the location of the optical sensors 806 relative to the display 612 and / or each other and use this information when determining the gaze point.

[0163] In other embodiments that take into account the user's head movement, gaze point detection component 800 includes two or more light sources for generating multiple flaps of light. For example, two light sources 804 may create flaps of light at different locations on the eyes. Having information about the two flaps allows the processor to determine the 3D position of the user's eye or eyes, allowing processor 802 to compensate for head movement. Processor 802 may also receive data identifying the locations of light sources 804 relative to display 612 and / or each other and use this information when determining the gaze point.

[0164] In some embodiments, the gaze point detection component 800 is configured to take into account a user's vision impairment. For example, if the user 808 is blind in one eye, the gaze point detection component 800 may not transmit light to that eye and may not base its determination of the center of gaze on that eye. For example, if the user 808 is blind in the left eye, the center of gaze may be determined to be the gaze point of the right eye. As another example, if the user 808 has amblyopia, the gaze point detection component 800 may not transmit light to that eye and may not base its determination of the center of gaze on that eye. As another example, if the user 808 has amblyopia in the left eye, and movement of the user's left eye 808 is detected, the gaze point detection component 800 may be configured to ignore the movement.

[0165] In some embodiments, other types of gaze point detection components that do not utilize a light source may be used. For example, the optical sensor 806 and processor 802 may track other features of the user's eye, such as retinal blood vessels or other features inside or on the surface of the user's eye, and follow these features as the eye rotates. Any other device or method for determining one or more user gaze points not previously described may be used in addition to or instead of the above-described embodiments of the gaze point detection component 800.

[0166] It should be noted that gaze point detection component 800 is just one type of component that may be incorporated into or accessible by detection module 616. Other types of components that may generate other types of data (e.g., video, audio, text, etc.) are entirely within the bounds of this disclosure.

[0167] FIG. 11 is another illustrative example of one component of detection module 616 that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 shows a head movement detection component 900 that may be used to detect movement of the head of a user 908. The head movement detection component 900 includes a processor 902 and an accelerometer 904. The accelerometer 904 is physically coupled to the user's head. For example, if user equipment device 600 is a head-mounted display (e.g., head-mounted display 301 of FIG. 5) that is physically coupled to the head of the user 908, the accelerometer 904 may be included within the head-mounted display. The accelerometer 904 may be capable of detecting its own acceleration in one, two, or three dimensions. The accelerometer 904 may be a capacitive accelerometer, a piezoelectric accelerometer, a microelectromechanical (MEMS) accelerometer, or any other type of accelerometer.

[0168] Processor 902 may be integrated with one or more accelerometers 904 within a single device. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more accelerometers 904 may be stored separately from processor 902 and in wireless or wired communication with processor 902. Processor 902 and one or more of accelerometers 904 may be integrated within user equipment device 600.

[0169] The processor 902 may be similar to the processing circuit 606 described above. In some embodiments, the processor 902 may be the processing circuit 606, which is in communication with the accelerometer 904. In other embodiments, the processor 902 may be separate from the processing circuit 906, but may optionally be in communication with it.

[0170] If the user's head moves or rotates in a certain direction, the accelerometer 904 will detect the acceleration and transmit an output to the processor 902 that the user's head is accelerating in that direction for a certain amount of time. Additionally, the accelerometer 904 may transmit an output to the processor 902 that the user's head is accelerating with a certain acceleration magnitude.

[0171] The processor 902 may store or obtain information describing the location of one or more accelerometers 904 relative to the display 612. Using this information as well as information about the direction, duration, and magnitude of the acceleration of the user's head received from the accelerometers 904, the processor 902 may determine a new position of the user's 908's head relative to the display 612. The processor 902 may store or obtain information describing the location of one or more accelerometers 904 relative to the eyes of the user 908. Assuming the user 908 is looking straight ahead, the processor 902 may use this information as well as information about the new position of the user's 908's head to detect that the user's 908's center of gaze has moved and determine a new center of gaze position for the user 908.

[0172] Accelerometer 904 may be configured to detect a user's steps by detecting successive upward, forward, and downward movements of the user's head. In some embodiments, accelerometer 904 is configured to detect a user's steps using calibration data. In such embodiments, a user may take steps, and accelerometer 904 may store parameters such as the direction, magnitude, and timing of acceleration during the step. Future movements that substantially match these parameters may be identified as steps by accelerometer 904.

[0173] In response to detecting a step, the accelerometer 904 may output to the processor 902 that the user has taken a step. The processor 902 may determine that the user has taken a whole-body movement based on the output of the accelerometer 904. In some embodiments, in response to detecting a first step, the control circuitry 604 generates additional content (e.g., additional content 222) for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment (e.g., virtual reality environment 104) corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view, as described in connection with FIGS. 3-4 . In some embodiments, in response to detecting a second step, the control circuitry 604 increases the size of the additional content. In some embodiments, in response to detecting the second step, the control circuitry 604 performs at least one of decreasing the opacity of the primary content and increasing the opacity of the additional content. These features may be beneficial, for example, when a user desires to focus more on the additional content and less on the primary content while performing a whole-body movement.

[0174] If the accelerometer 904 does not detect a substantial acceleration of the head of the user 908, the accelerometer 904 may output to the processor 902 that the user is substantially stationary. In some implementations, in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary, the control circuitry 604 generates additional content for display in portions of the display that are not in the foreground region of the user's field of view.

[0175] It should be noted that head movement detection component 900 is just one type of component that may be incorporated into or accessible by detection module 616. Other types of components that may generate other types of data (e.g., video, audio, text, etc.) are also fully within the bounds of this disclosure.

[0176] 12 is another illustrative example of one component of the detection module 616 that may be accessed according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 shows a movement detection component 1000 that may be used to detect movement of a user 1008 by detecting changes in video of the user's physical surroundings. The movement detection component 1000 includes a processor 1002 and a camera 1004. The camera 1004 is physically coupled to the user 1008. For example, the camera 1004 may be coupled to the head of the user 1008. The camera 1004 may be a camera of a mobile phone included in a head-mounted display (e.g., camera 317).

[0177] The camera 1004 is configured to capture image quality and / or video of the user's physical surroundings, compare the captured images / video, and detect user movement. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the camera 1004 captures frame 1006 in the video of the user's physical surroundings and then captures frame 1008 in the video of the user's physical surroundings. The processor 1002 is configured to compare frame 1006 and frame 1008 to detect changes in the video of the user's physical surroundings. In FIG. 12, the processor 1002 would determine that the user 1008 has moved to the right. In response to this determination, the processor 1002 may determine that the user's center of gaze has changed. Additionally or alternatively, in response to this determination, the processor 1002 may determine that the user is performing a full-body movement.

[0178] In some embodiments, an event in the user's physical surroundings (e.g., another person entering the room where the user is located, another person knocking on the door of the house where the user is located, some kind of danger occurring in the user's vicinity, etc.) may be detected. For example, the movement detection component 1000 may be configured to detect an event in the user's physical surroundings by capturing multiple frames of video of the user's physical surroundings, comparing the multiple frames, and detecting changes. In response to detecting an event in the user's physical surroundings, the user input interface 610 may present information about the event to the user. For example, the user input interface 610 may output a sound indicating the event through the speaker 614, or the user input interface 610 may output text indicating the event on the display 612. The indication of the event may be a statement informing the user of the event, e.g., text or a sound stating, "Someone has entered the room." In some embodiments, the user input interface 610 is configured to present the user with options to react to the event (e.g., through the speaker 614 or the display 612). For example, if the event is a knock on a door, user input interface 610 may present the user with the option to automatically open the door. The user may respond to the option by voice, typing on a keyboard, or any other input means. In some embodiments, control circuitry 604 is configured to present additional information (e.g., additional information 122 or 222) to the user to assist the user in reacting to the event. For example, control circuitry 604 may generate additional information for display, including video of the event. For example, if the event is a knock on a door, the additional information may be video of a person at the door. In some embodiments, the additional information is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment (e.g., virtual reality environment 104 or 204) that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view, thus making the additional information readily visible to the user. In some embodiments, the additional information replaces additional information generated for display before the event.

[0179] In some embodiments, events within the user's physical surroundings are detected by one or more sensors (e.g., sound sensors, temperature sensors, etc.). For example, a temperature sensor may detect a person entering a room in which the user is located by detecting increased heat within the room. One or more sensors may be integrated within user equipment device 600 or may be external to user equipment device 600, in which case one or more sensors 600 are configured to transmit sensed information to user equipment device 600, e.g., via a wireless network.

[0180] In some embodiments, the control circuitry 604 is configured to determine a field of view (e.g., second field of view 126) in response to a movement of the user's center of gaze. In some embodiments, the control circuitry 604 determines the user's new center of gaze (e.g., using the gaze point detection component 800 or the head movement detection component 900). The user's field of view encompasses an area within a first degree to the left and right of the new center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze.

[0181] In some embodiments, the first degree is equal to or greater than 95 degrees, e.g., 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable degree. In some embodiments, the first degree is less than 95 degrees, e.g., 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable degree. In some embodiments, the second degree is equal to or greater than 60 degrees, e.g., 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. In some embodiments, the second degree is less than 60 degrees, e.g., 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. In some embodiments, the third degree is equal to or greater than 70 degrees, e.g., 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. In some embodiments, the third degree is less than 70 degrees, e.g., 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree.

[0182] In some embodiments, the control circuitry 604 is configured to determine at least one foreground region of the field of view and at least one peripheral region of the field of view. The control circuitry 604 may determine the foreground region within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the user's gaze, within a fifth degree above the center of the user's gaze, and within a sixth degree above the center of the user's gaze. The fourth, fifth, and sixth numbers may be less than the first, second, and third numbers, respectively. In some embodiments, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees are equal to or greater than 18 degrees, e.g., 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. In some embodiments, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees are less than 18 degrees, e.g., 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees.

[0183] In some implementations, the control circuitry 604 is configured to take into account a user's vision impairment when determining the user's field of view, foreground region, and / or peripheral region. For example, if a user has vision impairment in one eye, such as blindness, the control circuitry 604 may determine the field of view, foreground region, and peripheral region to extend only within a certain power of the unimpaired eye. As another example, if a user has impaired peripheral vision, the control circuitry 604 may determine a peripheral region for the user that is smaller than a user without impaired peripheral vision. The control circuitry 604 may determine each user's field of view, foreground region, and peripheral region using parameters specific to each user. For example, the control circuitry 604 may consider blind spots in the user's eye when determining the field of view, foreground region, and peripheral region.

[0184] In some implementations, the user input interface 610 is configured to receive input from a user, and in response to the input, the control circuitry 604 is configured to generate additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view. For example, in FIG. 2 , in response to receiving input from the user, the control circuitry 604 may generate additional content 122 for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment 104 (e.g., second portion 110) corresponding to the foreground region 130 of the second field of view 126. The user input may be any type of input, such as input via a remote control, a mouse, a trackball, a keypad, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a touchpad, a stylus input, a joystick, a voice recognition interface, or any other user input interface. For example, the user input may consist of the user stating, "Show me more content," or a similar statement. This feature may be beneficial, for example, when a user desires the additional content in the foreground region of the user's field of view to be easily visible and is not concerned that the additional content will interfere with the user's view of the primary content.

[0185] In some implementations, user equipment device 600 further comprises a timer. The timer may be configured to measure a period of time after a movement of the user's center of gaze during which the user's center of gaze has not substantially moved. For example, after a movement of the user's center of gaze, the timer may be configured to measure a time during which the user's center of gaze has not moved by more than 1 mm, 5 mm, 1 cm, 10 cm, 100 cm, >100 cm, or any other suitable distance. Control circuitry 604 may further be configured to compare the period of time to a threshold period of time. For example, the threshold period of time may be 1 millisecond, 10 milliseconds, 100 milliseconds, 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, >10 seconds, or any other suitable period of time. In response to determining that the period measured by the timer exceeds the threshold period, the control circuitry 604 may be configured to generate additional content (e.g., additional content 122) for display in a portion (e.g., second portion 110) of the virtual reality environment (e.g., virtual reality environment 104) corresponding to the peripheral region of the user's field of view (e.g., peripheral region 132 of second field of view 126). In response to determining that the period measured by the timer is less than the threshold period, the control circuitry 604 may be configured not to change the position of the additional content. Measuring a period during which the user's center of gaze has not substantially moved after a movement of the user's center of gaze enables the control circuitry 604 to not move the additional content if the user's center of gaze is moving rapidly. For example, if the user's center of gaze is moving rapidly, the additional content may also disorient and / or distract the user if it moves rapidly in response to the rapid movement of the center of gaze. As another example, a user may wish to view additional content with their primary vision for a short period of time (e.g., 1 ms, 10 ms, 100 ms, 1 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, >10 sec, etc.) and then return to the primary content in the virtual reality environment. For example, if the additional content shows a video of the user's physical surroundings, the user may want to quickly check out something in their physical surroundings, such as a nearby child, and then refocus on the primary content.In such situations, it may be useful for the additional content to stay in place rather than moving as the user's center of gaze shifts to view the additional content and then quickly returns to the primary content.

[0186] In some embodiments, when additional content is generated for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view, the additional content is generated for display at a lower image quality and / or video quality (e.g., lower resolution, frame rate, etc.) than the primary content shown by the virtual reality environment. This may help conserve power, memory, bandwidth, etc. of a heads-up display (e.g., heads-up display 102) showing the virtual reality environment. Additionally, generating the additional content at a lower image quality and / or video quality for display may not be detrimental to the user's viewing experience because the user may not be able to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality images and / or video viewed in the peripheral region of the user's field of view. When the user's center of gaze moves to view the additional content for a short period of time so that the additional content is in a location corresponding to a foreground region of the user's field of view, the image quality and / or video quality of the additional content may be increased. The user may be able to distinguish between high-quality and low-quality images and / or video viewed in the foreground region of the user's field of view. By generating the additional content at a higher image and / or video quality for display, it is ensured that the user's view of the additional content is not impaired (e.g., by the user having to view a lower quality version of the additional content). When the user's center of gaze returns from the additional content to the primary content, the image and / or video quality of the additional content may again be reduced.

[0187] In some implementations, the user input interface 610 is configured to receive input from a user, and in response to the input, the control circuitry 604 is configured to remove the additional content from the heads-up display. For example, in FIG. 4 , in response to the input, the control circuitry 604 may remove the additional content 222 from the heads-up display 222. The user input may be any type of input, such as input via a remote control, a mouse, a trackball, a keypad, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a touchpad, a stylus input, a joystick, a voice recognition interface, or any other user input interface. For example, the user input may consist of the user stating "remove more content" or a similar statement. This feature may be beneficial, for example, if the user does not require assistance from the additional content when performing full-body movements and prefers to view the content on the heads-up display without interference from the additional content. In some implementations, in response to the input, the control circuitry 604 may move the additional content to a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view.

[0188] In some implementations, the user input interface 610 is configured to present the user with an option to stop playback of the primary content being displayed on the heads-up display. The option may be any type of output, such as output via a display or speaker. For example, the option may consist of text or a similar statement on the display stating, "Stop playing video?" This feature may be beneficial, for example, when a user wants to focus on performing a full-body movement and does not want to miss the content being displayed on the heads-up display. Thus, the feature may, for example, provide the user with the option to pause playback of a media asset or any other type of content and then resume playback once the user has completed the full-body movement. Playback of the primary content may resume automatically once it is detected that the user has completed the full-body movement, or the user input interface 610 may present the user with another option to resume playback of the primary content.

[0189] FIG. 13 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that shows primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content.

[0190] Primary content may be any content intended to be the user's primary object of focus. For example, primary content may be a media asset such as a movie, a television program, a video game, or a virtual reality world. As another example, primary content may be a media guide screen.

[0191] The additional content may be any content that is not the primary content. The additional content may be unrelated to the primary content or related to the primary content. For example, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings, stock quotes, sports scores, news information, weather information, a clock, or a schedule of events.

[0192] A virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that is displayed to a user so that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user as the world in which the user is located. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that appears to the user as being superimposed on the physical world. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a speedometer display (or any other display) that is superimposed on what the user sees through the windshield (or any other transparent surface) of their car. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user so that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's field of view.

[0193] A head-up display may be any display capable of displaying non-physical content to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a head-up display may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the user's eyes. The head-mounted display may be configured as glasses, binoculars, a helmet, etc. As another example, a head-up display may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or glasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user through the head-up display. As another example, a head-up display may be a room in which the user is located, with the room being covered within the display screen.

[0194] It should be noted that process 1100, or any step thereof, may occur on or be provided by any of the devices shown in Figures 8-12. For example, process 1100 may be performed by control circuitry 604 (Figure 8).

[0195] In step 1102, first primary content is generated for display in a first portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a first field of view of a user.

[0196] The first primary content may be any portion of the primary content. The first primary content may be a subset of the primary content. For example, the first primary content may be one or more objects or characters within a media asset. As another example, the first primary content may be a particular area within a virtual world. As another example, the first primary content may be a particular portion of a media guide screen.

[0197] The first portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be the top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0198] A user's field of view may be anything visible to the user when the user is in a particular position. For example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the user's field of view may encompass an area within a first degree to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze. For example, the first degree may be equal to or greater than 95 degrees, such as 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the first degree may be less than 95 degrees, such as 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. For example, the second degree may be equal to or greater than 60 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the second degree may be less than 60 degrees, such as 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. For example, the third degree may be equal to or greater than 70 degrees, such as 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the third degree may be less than 70 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree. The field of view may be the portion of the screen of the head-mounted display that is visible to the user. A user's field of view may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0199] The foreground region of a user's field of view may be any portion of the user's field of view that is visible to the user with normal vision. The foreground region may encompass a subset of the field of view. The foreground region may encompass a region of the field of view that is substantially centered in the user's field of view. The foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the foreground region may be within four degrees to the left or right of the user's center of gaze, within five degrees above the user's center of gaze, and within six degrees below the user's center of gaze. For example, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be equal to or greater than 18 degrees, such as 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be less than 18 degrees, such as 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. The foreground region may be the portion of the screen of the head mounted display that is visible to the user with their primary vision. The foreground region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's particular vision impairments.

[0200] In step 1104, second primary content and additional content are generated for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's first field of view.

[0201] The second portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be different from the first portion. The second portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0202] The secondary primary content may be any portion of the primary content. The secondary primary content may be a subset of the primary content. For example, the secondary primary content may be one or more objects or characters within a media asset. As another example, the secondary primary content may be a particular area within a virtual world. As another example, the secondary primary content may be a particular portion of a media guide screen.

[0203] The peripheral region of a user's visual field may be any portion of the user's visual field that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may be a region that is substantially at the edge of the user's visual field. The peripheral region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the peripheral field may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the peripheral region may be any portion of the visual field that is not a foreground region. For example, the peripheral region may encompass an area of ​​the visual field within a certain number of degrees of the outer boundary of the visual field. The peripheral region may be a portion of the screen of a head-mounted display that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0204] In step 1106, movement of the user's center of gaze is detected. The center of gaze may be any region of the user's field of view where the user's gaze is substantially focused. The center of gaze may be the central portion of what the user sees. The center of gaze may be the midpoint between the gaze points of the user's eyes. For a user with vision impairment in one eye, the center of gaze may be the gaze point of the unaffected eye. Movement of the center of gaze may be detected by using light to detect the gaze point of each of the user's eyes. Movement of the center of gaze may be detected by detecting movement of the user's head. Movement of the center of gaze may be detected by detecting a change in video of the user's physical surroundings as captured with a camera physically coupled to the user.

[0205] In step 1108, a second field of view of the user is determined based on the movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the control circuitry may determine the second field of view by determining a new center of gaze. For example, the control circuitry may determine the second field of view by detecting movement of the user's head.

[0206] In step 1110, it is determined that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view. For example, the second portion may correspond to a corner of the first field of view but a center of the second field of view.

[0207] In step 1112, in response to determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view, additional content is generated for display in a third portion of the virtual reality environment, the third portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the second field of view. The third portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be different from the first and second portions. The third portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The third portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0208] In some embodiments, detecting movement of the center of gaze includes detecting a center of gaze of the user. In one embodiment, detecting a center of gaze of the user includes transmitting light to each of the user's eyes, collecting images of each of the user's eyes, detecting a location of a reflection in the user's eye in each image, determining a location of each of the user's pupils, comparing the location of each pupil with the location of each reflection, determining a gaze point for each of the user's eyes based on the comparison of the location of each pupil with the location of each reflection, and determining a center of gaze by determining a midpoint between the gaze points of each of the user's eyes.

[0209] In one embodiment, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and detecting movement of the user's center of gaze includes detecting acceleration of the user's head by the accelerometer.

[0210] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the display, and generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display.

[0211] In some embodiments, generating the additional content for display includes generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture.

[0212] In some embodiments, determining the user's second field of view based on the movement of the center of gaze includes determining a new center of gaze based on the movement of the center of gaze, and determining areas within a first degree to the left and right of the new center of gaze, a second degree above the new center of gaze, and a third degree below the new center of gaze.

[0213] In one embodiment, determining that the second portion corresponds to a foreground region of the second field of view includes determining a foreground region of the second field of view, wherein determining the foreground region of the second field of view includes determining a region within four degrees to the left and right of the center of the new line of sight, within a fifth degree above the new line of sight, and within a sixth degree below the new line of sight, wherein the fourth number is smaller than the first number, the fifth number is smaller than the second number, and the sixth number is smaller than the third number.

[0214] In some embodiments, the process further includes receiving input from a user and, in response to the input, generating additional content for display in a portion of the virtual reality environment corresponding to the foreground region of the second field of view.

[0215] In one embodiment, generating the additional content for display includes measuring a period of time after a movement of the user's center of gaze during which the center of gaze of the user has not substantially moved, determining that the period of time exceeds a threshold period of time, and generating the additional content for display in response to determining that the period of time exceeds the threshold period of time.

[0216] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of illustrative steps for enabling a user to perform full-body movements while viewing a virtual reality environment on a head-up display without interfering with the viewing of the content on the head-up display. The virtual reality environment may be non-physical content displayed to the user such that the non-physical content appears to the user to have a material appearance. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a virtual world (e.g., a virtual world within a game) that appears to the user to be the world in which the user is located. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be non-physical content that appears to the user as superimposed on the physical world. For example, the virtual reality environment may be a speedometer display (or any other display) superimposed on what the user sees through the windshield (or any other transparent surface) of their car. As another example, the virtual reality environment may be a media asset (e.g., a television program or movie) that is presented to the user such that the display of the media asset completely encompasses the user's field of view.

[0217] A head-up display may be any display capable of displaying non-physical content to a user such that the non-physical content appears to the user as having a material appearance. For example, a head-up display may be a head-mounted display that completely covers the user's eyes. The head-mounted display may be configured as glasses, binoculars, a helmet, etc. As another example, a head-up display may be a display (e.g., a display integrated with a windshield or glasses) that superimposes non-physical content onto a view of the physical world seen by the user through the head-up display. As another example, a head-up display may be a room in which the user is located, with the room being covered within the display screen.

[0218] A whole body movement may be any physical movement by a user that requires movement of a substantial part of the user's entire body. For example, a whole body movement may be walking, jumping, standing, sitting, turning their body, etc.

[0219] It should be noted that process 1200, or any steps thereof, may occur on or be provided by any of the devices shown in Figures 8-12. For example, process 1200 may be performed by control circuitry 604 (Figure 8).

[0220] In step 1202, primary content is generated for display in a first portion of a virtual reality environment within a head-up display, the first portion corresponding to a foreground region of a user's field of view.

[0221] The first portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be the top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The first portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0222] Primary content may be content that is intended to be the user's primary object of focus. For example, primary content may be a media asset, such as a movie, a television program, a video game, or a virtual reality world. As another example, primary content may be a media guide screen.

[0223] A user's field of view may be anything visible to the user when the user is in a particular position. For example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the field of view may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the user's field of view may encompass an area within a first degree to the left and right of the user's center of gaze, a second degree above the center of gaze, and a third degree below the center of gaze. For example, the first degree may be equal to or greater than 95 degrees, such as 95 degrees, 100 degrees, 105 degrees, 110 degrees, 115 degrees, 120 degrees, >120 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the first degree may be less than 95 degrees, such as 90 degrees, 85 degrees, 80 degrees, 75 degrees, 70 degrees, <70 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. For example, the second degree may be equal to or greater than 60 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 70 degrees, 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, >85 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the second degree may be less than 60 degrees, such as 55 degrees, 50 degrees, 45 degrees, 40 degrees, <40 degrees, or any suitable degree. For example, the third degree may be equal to or greater than 70 degrees, such as 75 degrees, 80 degrees, 85 degrees, 90 degrees, >90 degrees, or any suitable degree. Alternatively, the third degree may be less than 70 degrees, such as 65 degrees, 60 degrees, 55 degrees, <55 degrees, or any suitable degree. The field of view may be the portion of the screen of the head-mounted display that is visible to the user. The field of view may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0224] The foreground region of a user's field of view may be any portion of the user's field of view that is visible to the user with normal vision. The foreground region may encompass a subset of the field of view. The foreground region may encompass a region of the field of view that is substantially centered in the user's field of view. The foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the foreground region may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the foreground region may be within four degrees to the left or right of the user's center of gaze, within five degrees above the user's center of gaze, and within six degrees below the user's center of gaze. For example, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be equal to or greater than 18 degrees, such as 20 degrees, 25 degrees, 30 degrees, 35 degrees, >35 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. Alternatively, the fourth, fifth, and sixth degrees may be less than 18 degrees, such as 15 degrees, 10 degrees, 5 degrees, <5 degrees, or any suitable number of degrees. The foreground region may be the portion of the screen of the head mounted display that is visible to the user with their primary vision. The foreground region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's particular vision impairments.

[0225] In step 1204, the additional content is generated for display in a second portion of the virtual reality environment within the head-up display, the second portion corresponding to a peripheral region of the user's field of view.

[0226] The second portion of the virtual reality environment may be any portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be a subset of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be different from the first portion. The second portion may be a top, bottom, right, or left portion of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be near or at a boundary or corner of the virtual reality environment. The second portion may be an approximately majority or an approximately minor portion of the virtual reality environment.

[0227] The additional content assists the user in performing full body movements. For example, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings. As another example, the additional content may be a map of the user's physical surroundings.

[0228] The peripheral region of a user's visual field may be any portion of the user's visual field that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may be a region that is substantially at the edge of the user's visual field. The peripheral region may be determined based on movement of the user's head. As another example, the peripheral field may be determined based on movement of the user's center of gaze. For example, the peripheral region may be any portion of the visual field that is not a foreground region. For example, the peripheral region may encompass an area of ​​the visual field within a certain number of degrees of the outer boundary of the visual field. The peripheral region may be a portion of the screen of a head-mounted display that is visible to the user with peripheral vision. The peripheral region may vary from user to user and may depend on each user's specific vision impairments.

[0229] In step 1206, whole body movement of the user is detected. For example, whole body movement may be detected by detecting acceleration of a part of the user's body. For example, the detection module may detect by detecting steps. As another example, whole body movement may be detected by detecting changes in video of the user's physical surroundings captured using a camera physically coupled to the user.

[0230] In step 1208, in response to detecting the user's full-body movement, additional content is generated in a first portion of the virtual reality environment for display. The additional content assists the user in performing the full-body movement. For example, the additional content may be a video of the user's physical surroundings. As another example, the additional content may be a map of the user's physical surroundings.

[0231] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including a camera that feeds video of the user's physical surroundings to the display, and generating the additional content for display includes generating video of the user's physical surroundings for display.

[0232] In some embodiments, generating the additional content for display includes generating the additional content for display as a picture-in-picture.

[0233] In some embodiments, the head-up display is a head-mounted display that is physically coupled to the user's head, the head-mounted display including an accelerometer, and detecting the user's whole-body movement includes detecting a first step taken by the user by the accelerometer.

[0234] In one embodiment, process 1300 further includes detecting a second step taken by the user and expanding the additional content in response to detecting the second step.

[0235] In some embodiments, process 1300 further includes detecting a second step taken by the user and, in response to detecting the second step, performing at least one of decreasing the opacity of the primary content and increasing the opacity of the additional content.

[0236] In one embodiment, the process 1300 further includes receiving an input from a user and, in response to the input, removing the additional content from the head-up display.

[0237] In some embodiments, detecting full body movement of the user comprises detecting a change in video of the user's physical surroundings.

[0238] In one embodiment, process 1300 further includes detecting that the user is substantially stationary and, in response to detecting that the user is substantially stationary, generating additional content on a third portion of the display for display.

[0239] In some embodiments, the process 1300 further includes presenting the user with an option to stop playing the primary content.

[0240] 15 and 16 present a process for a control circuit (e.g., control circuit 604) to present additional content within a virtual reality environment on a head-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the algorithm may be encoded on a non-transitory storage medium (e.g., storage device 608) as a set of instructions to be decoded and executed by a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 606). The processing circuit may, in turn, provide instructions to other sub-circuits contained within control circuit 604, such as tuning, video generation, encoding, decoding, encryption, decryption, scaling, analog-to-digital conversion circuitry, and the like.

[0241] The flowchart in FIG. 15 illustrates a process 1300 implemented on a control circuit (e.g., control circuit 604) for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a head-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0242] In step 1302, the control circuitry 604 will begin detecting movement of the user's center of gaze. In some embodiments, this may occur either directly or indirectly in response to a user action or input (e.g., from the control circuitry 604, the user input interface 610, or a signal received by the detection module 616). For example, the process may begin directly in response to the control circuitry 604 receiving a signal from the detection module 616.

[0243] In step 1304, control circuitry 604 proceeds to determine a value describing a location on the head-up display that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view based on the movement of the center of gaze.

[0244] In step 1306, control circuitry 604 proceeds to read the current instance of the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display. In some embodiments, control circuitry 604 may receive a single primitive data structure that represents the location of the additional content on the heads-up display. In some embodiments, the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display may be stored as part of a larger data structure, and control circuitry 604 may read the value by executing the appropriate accessor method and reading the value from the larger data structure.

[0245] In step 1308, control circuitry 604 proceeds to compare the value describing the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view with the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display. In some embodiments, control circuitry 604 may compare the value describing the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view with the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display directly by accessing the values ​​and performing a value comparison, respectively. In some instances, control circuitry 604 may invoke a comparison function (e.g., for an object-to-object comparison) to compare the value describing the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view with the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display.

[0246] In step 1310, control circuitry 604 compares the value describing the location on the head-up display that corresponds to the foreground region of the user's field of view with the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display to determine whether the location of the additional content on the head-up display is within the location on the head-up display that corresponds to the foreground region of the user's field of view. If the condition is not met, the algorithm may return to step 1302. If the condition is met, the algorithm may instead proceed to step 1312.

[0247] In step 1312, the control circuitry 604 executes a subroutine to generate additional content for display at a location on the head-up display that corresponds to the peripheral region of the user's field of view. After the subroutine is executed, the algorithm may return to step 1302.

[0248] It is contemplated that the description of Figure 15 may be used with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. Additionally, the descriptions provided with respect to the algorithm of Figure 15 may be performed in alternate orders or in parallel, so as to further the objectives of the present disclosure. For example, conditional statements and logical evaluations such as those in 1310 may be performed in any order, in parallel, or simultaneously, so as to reduce delay or increase the speed of a system or method. Furthermore, it should be noted that the process of Figure 15 may be implemented on a combination of appropriately configured software and hardware, and any of the devices or equipment discussed with respect to Figures 8-12 may be used to implement one or more portions of the process.

[0249] The pseudocode in Figure 16 describes a process 1400 for presenting additional content within a virtual reality environment on a head-up display showing primary content without interfering with a user's view of the primary content, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the process described by the pseudocode in Figure 16 may be implemented in any number of programming languages ​​and in a variety of different hardware, and that the style and format should not be construed as limiting, but rather a general template of steps and procedures that would be consistent with code used to implement some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0250] At line 1401, control circuitry 604 invokes subroutines, initializes variables, and prepares to present additional content within the virtual reality environment on a heads-up display that shows the primary content without interfering with the user's view of the primary content. For example, in some embodiments, control circuitry 604 may copy instructions from a non-transitory storage medium (e.g., storage device 608) into RAM or a cache for processing circuitry 606 during the initialization phase. Additionally, in some embodiments, values ​​describing locations on the heads-up display that correspond to foreground regions of the user's field of view that are used for comparison, or tolerance levels for determining whether two values ​​are essentially equivalent, may be read, set, and stored at 1401.

[0251] At line 1405, the control circuitry 604 receives an instance of a location on the heads-up display that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view. The control circuitry 604 may receive the instance of a location on the heads-up display that corresponds to a foreground region of the user's field of view, for example, by receiving a pointer to an array of values ​​that describe locations on the heads-up display that correspond to a foreground region of the user's field of view. In another example, the control circuitry 604 may receive an object of a class such as an iterator object that contains elements of values ​​that describe locations on the heads-up display that correspond to a foreground region of the user's field of view.

[0252] At line 1407, the control circuitry 604 stores in temporary variable “A” a value describing a location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view. In some embodiments, the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view may be stored as part of a larger data structure or class, and the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view may be obtained through an appropriate accessor method. In some embodiments, the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view may be converted from a string or other non-numeric data type to a numeric data type using an appropriate hashing algorithm. In some embodiments, the control circuitry 604 may call a function to perform the comparison between the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view and the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display. In some embodiments, the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view may be encoded as a primitive data structure, and rather than using a temporary variable, the value describing the location on the heads-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view may be used directly in the comparison at line 1409.

[0253] At line 1408, the control circuitry 604 stores a value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display in temporary variable "B." Similar to the value describing the location on the heads-up display that corresponds to the foreground region of the user's field of view, in some embodiments, the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display is stored as part of a larger data structure or class, and the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display may be obtained through an accessor method. In some embodiments, the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display may be converted from a string or other non-numeric data type to a numeric data type using an appropriate hashing algorithm, or the value describing the location of the additional content on the heads-up display may be a primitive data structure and used directly in the comparison at line 1409.

[0254] At line 1409, the control circuit 604 compares the value describing the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view with the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display to determine whether the location of the additional content on the head-up display is within the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view. If the values ​​describing the location on the head-up display describe the top, bottom, left, and right boundaries of the location on the head-up display, with the values ​​increasing as the boundaries proceed from left to right and bottom to top, the step of determining whether the location of the additional content on the head-up display is within the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view is accomplished as follows: The value describing the right boundary of the location of the additional content on the head-up display is subtracted from the value describing the right boundary of the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view. The value describing the top boundary of the location of the additional content on the head-up display is subtracted from the value describing the top boundary of the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view. A value describing the left boundary of the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view is subtracted from a value describing the left boundary of the location of the additional content on the head-up display. A value describing the bottom boundary of the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view is subtracted from a value describing the bottom boundary of the location of the additional content on the head-up display. Each difference value is calculated, and each difference value is compared to a predetermined tolerance level. In some embodiments, the tolerance level may be a set percentage of either the value describing the location on the head-up display corresponding to the foreground region of the user's field of view or the value describing the location of the additional content on the head-up display. In some embodiments, the tolerance level may be a fixed number. For example, setting the tolerance level to a set multiple of computer epsilon may allow the algorithm to account for slight rounding errors that may result from the use of floating-point arithmetic. In some embodiments, the tolerance level may be set to zero.

[0255] At line 1410, the control circuitry 604 executes a subroutine to change the location of additional content on the heads-up display if any of the difference values ​​exceed a predetermined tolerance level. In some embodiments, this may be accomplished by the processing circuitry 606 sending an appropriate signal to the display 612.

[0256] At line 1412, the control circuitry 604 invokes a termination subroutine after the algorithm has performed its function. For example, in some embodiments, the control circuitry 604 may destroy variables, perform garbage collection, free memory in the processing circuitry 606, or clear caches.

[0257] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the process 1400 described by the pseudocode in Figure 16 can be implemented in any number of programming languages ​​and in a variety of different hardware, and that the specific selection and location of primitive functions, logical equivalents, and functional equivalents should not be construed as limiting. It will also be apparent that the code may be refactored or rewritten to manipulate the order of various logical evaluations, perform some iterations in parallel rather than in a single iterative loop, or otherwise manipulate and optimize runtime and performance metrics without fundamentally changing the input or final output. For example, in some embodiments, a break condition may be placed after a line to accelerate the operation, or a conditional statement may be replaced with a case-switch statement.

[0258] The foregoing embodiments of the present disclosure are presented for illustrative purposes, not limitation, and the present disclosure is limited only by the claims that follow. Furthermore, it should be noted that features and limitations described in any one embodiment may be applied to any other embodiment herein, and that flowcharts or examples relating to one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment in a suitable manner, performed in a different order, or performed in parallel. In addition, the systems and methods described herein may be performed in real time. It should also be noted that the systems and / or methods described above may be applied to or used in accordance with other systems and / or methods.

Claims

1. 1. A method, comprising: controlling a head-up display to display first content in a first portion of a field of view of the head-up display, the first content being primary content; controlling the head-up display to display second content in a second portion of the field of view of the head-up display, the second content being additional content; and Detecting a user's movement of the head-up display based on a signal from a motion sensor; controlling the head-up display to display the second content in the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display in response to detecting the movement; A method comprising:

2. the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display corresponds to a non-peripheral region of the user's field of view; The method of claim 1 , wherein the second portion of the field of view of the head-up display corresponds to a peripheral region of the field of view of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the head-up display to display the second content comprises generating the second content for display as a picture-in-picture.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the movement includes detecting a movement of the user's head.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the movement includes detecting whole body movement of the user.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein detecting the whole body movement of the user includes detecting a first step taken by the user.

7. The method comprises: detecting a second step taken by the user; in response to detecting the second step, performing at least one of: enlarging the second content, decreasing the opacity of the first content, or increasing the opacity of the second content; and The method of claim 6 further comprising:

8. The method comprises: receiving an input signal from a user input interface; removing the second content from the head-up display in response to the input signal; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

9. The method comprises: detecting that the user is stationary when an accelerometer does not detect an acceleration of the user's head greater than or equal to a certain amount of acceleration; in response to detecting that the user is stationary, controlling the head-up display to display the second content in a third portion of the field of view of the head-up display, the third portion not being in the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display; The method of claim 1 further comprising:

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the motion sensor comprises one of a capacitive motion sensor, a piezoelectric motion sensor, or a micro-electromechanical motion sensor.

11. 1. A system comprising: A motion sensor; Control circuit and Equipped with The control circuit controlling a head-up display to display first content in a first portion of a field of view of the head-up display, the first content being primary content; controlling the head-up display to display second content in a second portion of the field of view of the head-up display, the second content being additional content; and Detecting a user's movement of the head-up display based on a signal from a motion sensor; controlling the head-up display to display the second content in the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display in response to detecting the movement; A system that is configured to:

12. the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display corresponds to a non-peripheral region of the user's field of view; The system of claim 11 , wherein the second portion of the field of view of the head-up display corresponds to a peripheral region of the field of view of the user.

13. 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry configured to control the head-up display to display the second content is further configured to generate the second content for display as a picture-in-picture.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry configured to detect the movement is configured to detect movement of the user's head.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the control circuitry configured to detect the movement is configured to detect whole body movement of the user.

16. 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the control circuitry configured to detect the whole body movement of the user is further configured to detect a first step taken by the user.

17. The control circuit detecting a second step taken by the user; in response to detecting the second step, performing at least one of: enlarging the second content, decreasing the opacity of the first content, or increasing the opacity of the second content; and The system of claim 16 , further configured to:

18. The control circuit receiving an input signal from a user input interface; removing the second content from the head-up display in response to the input signal; and The system of claim 11 , further configured to:

19. The control circuit detecting that the user is stationary when an accelerometer does not detect an acceleration of the user's head greater than or equal to a certain amount of acceleration; in response to detecting that the user is stationary, controlling the head-up display to display the second content in a third portion of the field of view of the head-up display, the third portion not being in the first portion of the field of view of the head-up display; The system of claim 11 , further configured to:

20. The system of claim 11 , wherein the motion sensor comprises one of a capacitive motion sensor, a piezoelectric motion sensor, or a micro-electromechanical motion sensor.

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