Headset Camera Integration for AR Vision and Object Highlighting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional virtual reality head-mounted devices lack integrated visual aids such as cameras, which limits their ability to provide users with visual inputs from their surroundings or body positioning during VR sessions.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a headset camera that captures images and feeds them into the VR display, allowing users to select and highlight objects, including 3-D rendered controllers or real-world visuals, and enabling the display of these images on the headset's view screen in augmented reality or camera through vision mode.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a headset camera is added to provide visual aids in VR, then visual feedback capability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual feedback capabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the headset camera with the existing VR display system, merging the camera module into the headset structure. The camera feeds visual information directly into the VR display pipeline, integrating real-world visual aids with the virtual reality environment through a unified processing system that combines both VR graphics and camera feeds.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The headset camera serves multiple functions: it provides camera through vision for navigation, enables augmented reality overlays, supports object highlighting, and allows photo/video capture. This multi-functional approach maximizes the utility of the added camera component, justifying the increased device complexity through enhanced versatility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If CT or AR vision mode is integrated into the display, then user interaction capability is improved, but processing requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interaction capabilityVSAvoidprocessing requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically switches between different vision modes (standard VR, CT vision, AR vision) based on user selection. The processing pipeline adapts its behavior depending on the active mode, enabling object highlighting in CT/AR modes while maintaining standard VR performance in traditional modes. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to meet varying processing demands based on the current operational context.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies selective processing to the camera feed based on the active vision mode. In CT or AR modes, the system performs additional processing such as object detection and highlighting, but only when needed. This partial action approach applies enhanced processing only during specific operations rather than continuously, reducing overall processing requirements while maintaining enhanced interaction capability when required.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentUS11852812B1Incorporating camera through or augmented reality vision into a headset

Publication Date: 2023.12.26 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC

AI summary

Incorporating camera through (CT) or augmented-reality (AR) vision into a display of a headset, including: displaying the CT or AR vision on a view screen of the display of the headset, when the CT or AR vision is selected by a user; prompting the user to enter or select at least one object to be highlighted on the view screen in a CT or AR vision mode; and highlighting the at least one selected object on the view screen.