Visual Odometry Activation for VR Positional Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computing devices face challenges in accurately detecting positional motion with sufficient frequency and resource efficiency, particularly in virtual reality applications on mobile devices with limited computing resources and power, which are exacerbated by the demands of VR environment generation and image rendering.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method utilizing one or more inertial sensors and an image sensor, where visual odometry is selectively activated and deactivated based on user activity during a VR session, with inertial sensors providing orientation information when odometry is deactivated and image data used for positional control when activated, to conserve resources and power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual odometry is continuously activated to detect positional motion accurately, then measurement precision is improved, but use of energy and computing resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic activation of visual odometry based on detected user activity patterns. The system alternates between active visual odometry processing and inactive states, activating only when user motion is detected and deactivating during periods of minimal activity. This periodic operation maintains measurement precision when needed while significantly reducing power consumption during idle periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the operational state of visual odometry based on real-time analysis of user activity. The activation threshold and sensitivity parameters are dynamically modified according to the current VR session context, user behavior patterns, and system resource availability, allowing the system to optimize between precision and energy usage adaptively.
2Productivity
If visual odometry is continuously activated to detect positional motion with sufficient frequency, then productivity is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic sampling of user activity data to determine when high-frequency positional motion detection is necessary. Visual odometry operates at high frequency only during periods when user activity exceeds predetermined thresholds, otherwise it operates at reduced frequency or remains inactive, thereby maintaining productivity during active use while conserving energy during idle periods.
3Ease of operation
If visual odometry is activated to provide positional control in VR session, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and isolates the visual odometry functionality as a separate, selectively-executable module within the VR system. By decoupling this complex computational task from the core VR rendering pipeline and implementing it as an independent activity-triggered process, the system provides enhanced positional control capability only when needed, while keeping the base system simpler and more manageable during inactive periods.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing device 2, such as a general-purpose smartphone or general-purpose tablet computing device, comprises one or more inertial sensors and an image sensor. The device 2 produces stereoscopic images of a virtual environment on the display during a virtual reality (VR) session controlled by a user of the computing device. The device conducts visual odometry using at least image data received from the image sensor, and selectively activates and deactivates the visual odometry according to activity of the user during the virtual reality session. When the visual odometry is activated, the device controls the virtual reality session by at least position information from the visual odometry. When the visual odometry is deactivated, the device controls the virtual reality session by at least orientation information from the one or more inertial sensors.