Method for operating a head-mounted electronic display device, and display system for displaying a virtual content

Abstract

A relative movement of a head-wearable electronic display device is determined with respect to a vehicle interior of a vehicle by way of a recording device arranged on the electronic display device and a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device is adapted to virtual content according to the determined relative movement. A recording range of the recording device is limited to the vehicle interior in order to eliminate distortions, resulting from a relative movement of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle surroundings, with regard to the recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior.

Claims

1. A method for operating a head-wearable electronic display device, comprising: determining a relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to a vehicle interior of the vehicle using a recording device arranged on the electronic display device, a recording range of the recording device being limited to the vehicle interior to eliminate distortions resulting from a relative movement of the vehicle with respect to external vehicle surroundings, with regard to recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior by the recording device; adapting a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device to virtual content according to the relative movement determined using the recording device; determining whether the vehicle is moving; and when the vehicle is determined to be moving, limiting the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device, wherein the recording range of the recording device itself is limited to the vehicle interior by a sensor of the recording device having a detection range which is set so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

2. A method for operating a head-wearable electronic display device, comprising: determining a relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to a vehicle interior of a vehicle using a recording device arranged on the electronic display device, a recording range of the recording device being limited to the vehicle interior to eliminate distortions resulting from a relative movement of the vehicle with respect to external vehicle surroundings, with regard to recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior by the recording device; and adapting a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device to virtual content according to the relative movement determined using the recording device, wherein the recording device includes a camera to record the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior, and the recording range of the recording device is limited to the vehicle interior by adjusting a lens setting of the camera so that regions located outside the vehicle interior are set out of focus and only the vehicle interior is recorded by the recording device.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: limiting the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior in response to receiving a predefined user input, by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: limiting the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior in response to execution of an application, by the electronic display device, which is restricted to use in the vehicle, by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining whether the electronic display device is located in the vehicle interior; and when the electronic display device is determined to be located in the vehicle interior, limiting the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior, by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

6. A display system for displaying virtual content, comprising: a head-wearable electronic display device; a recording device, arranged on the electronic display device, configured to determine a relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to a vehicle interior of a vehicle; and a controller configured to limit a recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior to eliminate distortions resulting from a relative movement of vehicle with respect to external vehicle surroundings, with regard to recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior by the recording device, and adapt a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device to virtual content according to the relative movement determined using the recording device, wherein the recording range of the recording device itself is limited to the vehicle interior by a sensor of the recording device having a detection range which is set so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device, the electronic display device is configured to determine whether the vehicle is moving, and when the electronic display device determines the vehicle is moving, the controller is configured to automatically limit the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

7. The display system according to claim 6, wherein the electronic display device includes virtual reality glasses or augmented reality glasses.

8. A display system for displaying virtual content, comprising: a head-wearable electronic display device; a recording device, arranged on the electronic display device, configured to determine a relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to a vehicle interior of a vehicle; and a controller configured to limit a recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior to eliminate distortions resulting from a relative movement of vehicle with respect to external vehicle surroundings, with regard to recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior by the recording device, and adapt a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device to virtual content according to the relative movement determined using the recording device wherein the recording device includes a camera to record the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior, and the controller is configured to adjust a lens setting of the camera so that only the vehicle interior is recorded by the recording device and regions located outside the vehicle interior are set out of focus.

9. The display system according to claim 6, further comprising: the electronic display device includes an interface to receive a predefined user input, and when the interface receives the predefined user input, the controller is configured to limit the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

10. The display system according to claim 6, wherein the electronic display device is configured to execute an application which is restricted to use in the vehicle, and the controller is configured to limit the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior in response to execution of the application by the electronic display device by setting the detection range of the sensor so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

11. A display system for displaying virtual content, comprising: a head-wearable electronic display device configured to detect whether the electronic display device is located inside a vehicle interior or outside the vehicle interior; a recording device, arranged on the electronic display device, configured to determine a relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior of a vehicle; and a controller configured to limit a recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior to eliminate distortions resulting from a relative movement of vehicle with respect to external vehicle surroundings, with regard to recording of the relative movement of the electronic display device with respect to the vehicle interior by the recording device, and adapt a virtual perspective of a wearer of the electronic display device to virtual content according to the relative movement determined using the recording device, wherein when the electronic display device detects the electronic display device is located inside the vehicle interior, the controller is configured to automatically limit the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior, and when the electronic display device detects the electronic display device is located outside the vehicle interior, the controller is configured to set the recording range of the recording device to a recording range which is larger than when the recording range of the recording device is limited to the vehicle interior.

12. The display system according to claim 11, wherein the electronic display device is configured to detect the electronic display device is located inside the vehicle interior based on a signal transmitted from a transponder provided in the vehicle.

13. The display system according to claim 6, further comprising: the vehicle, the vehicle including at least one vehicle sensor which provides positional data of the recording device with respect to the vehicle interior to the controller, and the controller is configured to limit the recording range of the recording device to the vehicle interior based on the positional data of the recording device provided by the at least one vehicle sensor and with reference to known dimensional data of the vehicle interior, by setting the detection range of the sensor of the recording device so that external vehicle surroundings are not able to be recorded by the recording device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) These and other aspects and advantages will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the example embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a display system for displaying virtual content, wherein the display system has virtual reality glasses for displaying the virtual content; and

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a motor vehicle in which a wearer of the virtual reality glasses is sitting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Reference will now be made in detail to examples which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, functionally identical elements have in each case been provided with the same reference signs.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a display system 1 for displaying virtual content. The display system 1 includes a head-wearable electronic display device in the form of virtual reality glasses 2 and a recording device 3 arranged on the virtual reality glasses 2 and that is designed to determine a relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2 with respect to a vehicle interior, not illustrated here, of a vehicle, likewise not illustrated. The display system 1 furthermore also has a control device (controller) 4 that is configured so as to adapt a virtual perspective of a wearer of the virtual reality glasses 2 to the virtual content according to the determined relative movement.

(6) FIG. 2 shows a motor vehicle 5 in which a wearer 6 of the virtual reality glasses 2 is sitting. The control device 4 is configured so as to limit a recording range of the recording device 3, not illustrated in FIG. 2, to the vehicle interior 7 in order to eliminate distortions, resulting from a relative movement of the motor vehicle 5 with respect to the vehicle surroundings 8, with regard to the recording of the relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2 with respect to the vehicle interior 7.

(7) The recording range of the recording device 3 may for example be limited by using a sensor, not illustrated here, of the recording device 3 whose range is limited to the vehicle interior 7 in any case. By way of example, it is possible to use an ultrasound sensor that in any case only has a range such that it is able to record the vehicle interior 7.

(8) As an alternative or in addition, it is also possible to use a sensor, likewise not illustrated here, of the recording device 3 whose range is for example limited to the vehicle interior 7 by the control device 4. This sensor may for example also have a further range by construction, such that it could theoretically also record objects beyond the vehicle interior 7 and thus also record a relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2 with respect to the vehicle surroundings 8. However, in order to limit the recording range of the recording device 3, in the case of the sensor, the range of this sensor is simply restricted to the vehicle interior 7. Such a sensor is thus also able to detect only the vehicle interior 7, such that the vehicle surroundings 8 are completely blended out when recording the relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2.

(9) As an alternative or in addition, it is also possible for the recording range of the recording device 3 to be limited by using a camera, not illustrated in more detail here, of the recording device 3 and in the process to set a region, located outside the vehicle interior 7, in particular the vehicle surroundings 8, out of focus. The camera may for example have an electrically adjustable lens that is able to be driven by way of the control device 4. In this case, the control device 4 is easily able to adjust the lens such that the camera of the recording device 3 is simply able to detect only the vehicle interior 7 in focus. It may also be ensured in this case that only a relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2 with respect to the vehicle interior 7 is able to be detected based on the sensor data provided by way of the recording device 3.

(10) By limiting the recording range of the recording device 3, it is thus able to be ensured that, for example in the case of a moving motor vehicle 5, objects rolling past windows of the motor vehicle 5 and within the vehicle surroundings 8, such as for example trees, buildings or even other vehicles, are not able to be detected at all by the recording device 3. As a result, there is no possibility of distortions with regard to the recording of the relative movement of the virtual reality glasses 2 with respect to the vehicle interior 7, since relative movements of the motor vehicle 5 with respect to the vehicle surroundings 8 are simply irrelevant to the recording device 3, since it is not able to detect such relative movements at all.

(11) By way of example, the virtual reality glasses 2 may themselves record whether the motor vehicle 5 is moving, wherein, if so, the recording range of the recording device 3 is automatically limited to the vehicle interior 7 by way of the control device 4. As an alternative or in addition, it is also possible for the wearer 6 for example to have to press a button on the virtual reality glasses 2 or perform any other predefined user input in order to ensure that the recording range of the recording device 3 is limited to the vehicle interior 7. It is furthermore also possible for the recording range of the recording device 3 to be limited to the vehicle interior 7 as soon as an application that is restricted to use in the motor vehicle 5 is executed by way of the virtual reality glasses 2. By way of example, the virtual reality glasses 2 may be configured so as to execute a type of drive-in cinema application that is restricted to use in the motor vehicle 5. As soon as this application is executed, the recording range of the recording device 3 is automatically limited to the vehicle interior 7.

(12) It is also possible in principle for example for the virtual reality glasses 2 to be able to automatically record whether they are located in the vehicle interior 7, wherein the recording range of the recording device 3 is limited automatically to the vehicle interior 7 if so. If the wearer 6 of the virtual reality glasses 2 is thus not located in the vehicle interior 7, then the recording range of the recording device 3 is also not restricted such that it is able to cover only a region of the size of the vehicle interior 7. The virtual reality glasses 2 may thus switch on and off independently and adapt the recording range of the recording device 3 to the appropriate situation, that is to say whether the virtual reality glasses 2 are already in the vehicle interior 7 or outside the motor vehicle 5.

(13) A description has been provided with reference to various examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 358 F3d 870, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).