Head-Mounted Display Tracker Occlusion Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing head-mounted display (HMD) systems experience slowdowns and occlusion issues due to spectators obstructing the trackable field-of-view (FOV), affecting the determination of position and orientation during video game play.

Innovation Solution

Systems and methods that utilize face detection and stereo or three-dimensional reconstruction to identify spectators obstructing the FOV, modify camera exposure, and generate notifications to remove the obstruction, allowing for improved tracking and game play.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a tracker is used to determine position and orientation of the HMD, then the video game execution can be changed based on head position and orientation, but the trackable FOV may be obstructed by spectators causing slowdowns and occlusion issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo game execution based on head positionVSAvoidtracking determination

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors the FOV for obstructions and provides feedback by notifying the user when a spectator is detected. This feedback loop allows the system to maintain reliable tracking by alerting users to move or reposition, ensuring the tracking determination remains accurate throughout game execution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary detection of spectators before they cause significant occlusion issues. By detecting obstructions in advance and notifying users proactively, the system prevents tracking slowdowns rather than reacting to them after they occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the camera exposure is modified to determine spectator obstruction, then the cause of slowdowns can be identified, but this adds complexity to the system operations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespectator obstruction detectionVSAvoidcamera exposure modification

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes camera exposure parameters dynamically to optimize spectator detection. By adjusting exposure settings based on lighting conditions and spectator position, the system achieves precise obstruction detection without requiring additional hardware complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If notifications are generated to remove obstructions, then the frame rate and gaming experience are enhanced, but this requires additional processing and system resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveframe rateVSAvoidnotification processing

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses the HMD's existing display and notification capabilities to alert users about obstructions. By leveraging already-present hardware resources for notification delivery, the system maintains high frame rates without requiring additional dedicated notification hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP4119206B1Systems and methods for reducing an effect of occlusion of a tracker by people

Publication Date: 2025.09.24 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC

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AI summary

Systems and methods for reducing an effect of occlusion of a tracker by people are described. When a user is playing a video game using a head-mounted display, a field-of-view for tracking the user is obstructed by a spectator. The video game cannot be displayed at a normal frame rate to the user as a result of the obstruction. The systems and methods described herein determine and identify a source of the obstruction, and implement operations to remove the obstruction.