Physical Marker Triangulation for Accurate HMD Virtual Object Placement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-mounted displays (HMDs) often place virtual objects at erroneous or non-ideal locations in modified-reality environments, degrading user experience and potentially leading to safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
The HMD uses physical markers in the environment to determine their positions with high precision, allowing accurate placement of virtual objects relative to real-world objects by triangulation and ray-casting techniques, enhancing positional accuracy through multiple vantage point data averaging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the HMD uses a single camera or limited viewpoint to track markers, then the system complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of marker position deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D image plane coordinates to 3D spatial coordinates by introducing depth information through multiple viewpoints. The system captures marker positions from multiple cameras at different spatial locations and reconstructs three-dimensional positions, thereby improving measurement precision by adding a dimensional aspect rather than simply increasing the number of cameras in a single plane.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces computational algorithms as an intermediary between the raw camera data and the final marker position determination. The system uses image processing algorithms to detect marker features, triangulation algorithms to compute 3D positions from multiple viewpoints, and filtering algorithms to reduce noise. This intermediary computational layer enables high precision measurement without requiring an overly complex physical camera array.
2Measurement precision
If the HMD uses multiple cameras to improve tracking accuracy, then the measurement precision improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses multiple cameras positioned at different spatial locations to capture marker images from different viewpoints. By processing these multi-viewpoint images through triangulation algorithms, the system reconstructs accurate three-dimensional marker positions. This approach improves tracking accuracy by utilizing spatial diversity rather than requiring high-resolution single-viewpoint cameras.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses multiple cameras to create redundant copies of the marker observation from different perspectives. Each camera captures a two-dimensional projection of the three-dimensional marker, and these multiple copies are then processed through computational triangulation to recover the unique three-dimensional position. This copying approach improves measurement reliability and precision without requiring a single overly complex camera system.
3Reliability
If the HMD places virtual objects based on approximate marker positions, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of the modified-reality experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual or approximate virtual object placement methods with automated computational positioning. The system uses computer vision algorithms to automatically detect markers, calculate their precise three-dimensional positions through multi-view triangulation, and consequently determine accurate placement locations for virtual objects. This substitution of automated computational mechanics for manual or approximate methods ensures high reliability of virtual object placement while maintaining ease of operation through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously tracks marker positions in real-time and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust and maintain accurate virtual object placement. By monitoring marker positions across multiple frames and using filtering algorithms to reduce noise, the system provides continuous feedback correction to ensure virtual objects remain correctly positioned relative to physical markers, thereby maintaining high reliability without requiring complex manual intervention.
Data Source
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AI summary
A technique is described herein for determining the position of at least one previously-placed physical marker in a physical environment. In one approach, the technique detects the marker at plural vantage points in the environment, to yield plural instances of marker information. The technique then computes the position of the marker based on the plural instances of marker information collected at the plural vantage points. The technique may also provide a movement indicator that assists the user in moving to specified vantage points in the physical environment. The technique may use the identified position(s) of the marker(s) to accurately place virtual objects relative to real-world objects in a modified-reality world.