Non-overlapped Stereo Imaging for VR Headset Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Virtual reality systems using a single camera struggle to accurately map environments and determine the position of the headset relative to features, leading to inaccurate media presentation.
Innovation Solution
Employing two or more cameras on a virtual reality headset with overlapping and non-overlapping fields of view to capture image data, which is processed to generate a three-dimensional model of the environment, enabling precise localization of the headset and features, and improving the accuracy of media presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single camera is used to map the environment, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of environment mapping and headset positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging function into multiple cameras (at least two cameras) with different fields of view. Each camera captures a portion of the environment, and the processor combines these separate observations to create a comprehensive 3D model, improving measurement precision while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular segmentation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from 2D single-camera imaging to 3D multi-camera stereoscopic imaging. By adding spatial dimensionality through multiple camera angles and using stereo vision algorithms, the system achieves accurate depth perception and 3D environment mapping, resolving the precision issue while the modular approach keeps complexity manageable
2Measurement precision
If two or more cameras with overlapping fields of view are used, then the measurement precision of environment mapping improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each camera serve multiple functions: capturing environment features for 3D mapping, providing overlapping views for stereo correlation, and enabling both wide-area coverage and precise localization. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by maximizing the utility of each camera component
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple cameras as redundant copies with different fields of view, where each camera captures the same type of data (environment features) from different perspectives. The processor correlates these copies to improve precision, and the modular copying approach makes the complexity manageable through standardized processing
Data Source
AI summary
A virtual reality (VR) headset includes a first camera and a second camera capturing image data of an environment of the VR headset. Each camera has a field of view, and a portion of the fields of view of the first and second cameras overlap while a portion of the fields of view do not overlap. A processor receiving the image data from the first and second cameras is configured to identify a first observation of a position of the VR headset in the environment and positions of a plurality of features based on the image data captured by the first camera. The processor also identifies a second observation of the position of the VR headset in the environment and the positions of the features based on the image data captured by the second camera. Based on the first and second observations, the processor determines a model of the environment.