Stereoscopic 3D Camera For Virtual Reality Experience

What is this patent about?

’693 is related to the field of stereoscopic imaging and virtual reality. It addresses the problem of capturing and displaying high-quality 3D video, particularly with wide fields of view, for immersive VR experiences. The background includes challenges in manufacturing consistent stereoscopic camera systems, compensating for lens distortions, and stabilizing video captured by moving cameras. Existing VR systems often struggle with these issues, leading to a less realistic and comfortable user experience.

The underlying idea behind ’693 is to enhance the VR experience by improving the quality and stability of stereoscopic 3D video. This is achieved through a combination of techniques, including using wide-angle lenses to capture a large field of view, embedding calibration data into the video stream to correct for manufacturing variances, and applying video stabilization algorithms to compensate for camera motion. The core insight is that by addressing these issues, a more immersive and realistic VR experience can be created.

The claims of ’693 focus on methods for processing stereoscopic video data to improve its quality and stability. Specifically, claim 1 covers a method for mapping stereoscopic data from a 3D space to a 2D space and filtering motion data. This involves obtaining a video stream from a stereoscopic camera, identifying a reference frame and surrounding frames, characterizing motion by comparing frames, filtering the motion, calculating matrices based on the filtered motion and camera parameters, and applying these matrices to the reference frame to obtain a modified, stabilized frame. Claim 5 is similar, but more general, and covers video playback.

In practice, the invention uses a stereoscopic camera equipped with two wide-angle lenses, each paired with an image sensor. The camera captures video streams along with metadata about the camera's parameters and any detected motion. This metadata is then used to correct for lens distortions and stabilize the video. The motion filtering process analyzes frames before and after a reference frame to estimate and compensate for unwanted camera movement, resulting in a smoother and more stable video playback.

The invention differentiates itself from prior approaches by embedding calibration data directly into the video stream, allowing for real-time correction of lens distortions and manufacturing variances. Furthermore, the video stabilization algorithm uses a combination of frame analysis and motion sensor data to achieve a high level of stability, even when the camera is in motion. This combination of features results in a more immersive and comfortable VR experience, with a wider field of view and reduced motion sickness.