Patents Assigned to Facebook Technologies, LLC
  • Patent number: 11132805
    Abstract: A depth measurement assembly (DMA) includes an illumination source that projects pulses of light (e.g., structured light) at a temporal pulsing frequency into a local area. The DMA includes a sensor that capture images of the pulses of light reflected from the local area and determines, using one or more of the captured images, one or more TOF phase shifts for the pulses of light. The DMA includes a controller coupled to the sensor and configured to determine a first set of estimated radial distances to an object in the local area based on the one or more TOF phase shifts. The controller determines a second estimated radial distance to the object based on an encoding of structured light and at least one of the captured images. The controller selects an estimated radial distance from the first set of radial distances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Hall
  • Patent number: 11132061
    Abstract: A fluidic haptic device includes a chamber, a compressible or incompressible fluid disposed within the chamber, and an actuatable element in hydraulic or pneumatic contact with the fluid. The actuatable element is adapted to be displaced by movement of a user of the device, which can apply pressure to the fluid. The haptic device may interact directly with one or more body parts of a user, including the user's skin, and may be operable without an external pressure source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Arthur Stanley, Nathan Scot Usevitch, Amirhossein Hajiagha Memar, Nicholas Colonnese
  • Patent number: 11128843
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes accessing image-sensor data generated by the image sensor, where the image sensor has a color filter array with a pre-determined number of filter sets, and where each set of filters has a single color, splitting the image-sensor data into a pre-determined number of images, where each image corresponds to a portion of the image-sensor data associated with one of the sets of filters, compressing each of the images using an image compression algorithm, and sending the compressed images to a second computing device, where the second computing device is configured to create an output image based on the compressed images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ohad Meitav, David Vakrat, Vlad Fruchter, Andrey Tovchigrechko
  • Patent number: 11127221
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are related to systems and methods for providing artificial reality. In one aspect, a console receives feedback information indicative of a first completion time from a head wearable display (HWD). The HWD may complete generating a first image frame at the first completion time. The HWD may display the first image frame. In one aspect, the console compares a display time, at which the first image frame is displayed by the HWD, and the first completion time. In one aspect, the console adjusts, according to the comparison, image processing, to adjust a second completion time, at which the console completes generating a second image frame. In one aspect, the console generates, via the adjusted image processing, the second image frame to provide to the HWD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Behnam Bastani, James Randal Hughes, Reza Nourai
  • Patent number: 11127143
    Abstract: System and methods are provided for providing a dynamically-updated musculoskeletal representation of a hand. The system includes a plurality of neuromuscular sensors configured to continuously record a plurality of neuromuscular signals from a user, and at least one computer processor programmed to provide as input to a trained statistical model, the plurality of neuromuscular signals and temporally smooth in real-time an output of the trained statistical model. The system is also programmed to determine, based on the smoothed output of the trained statistical model, position information describing a spatial relationship between two or more connected segments of the musculoskeletal representation, force information describing a force exerted by at least one segment of the musculoskeletal representation, and update the musculoskeletal representation of the hand based, at least in part, on the position information and the force information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tudor Giurgica-Tiron, Adam Al-natsheh, Nathan Danielson
  • Patent number: 11125255
    Abstract: A fluidic device may include inlet ports, input ports, one or more output ports, fluid channels each configured to route fluid from one of the inlet ports to one of the one or more output ports, and pistons. In some examples, each piston may include (1) a restricting gate transmission element configured to block, when the piston is in a first position, and unblock, when the piston is in a second position, one of the fluid channels, (2) a controlling gate transmission element configured to interface with a first control pressure that, when applied to the controlling gate transmission element, forces the piston towards the first position, and (3) an additional controlling gate transmission element configured to interface with a second control pressure that, when applied to the additional controlling gate transmission element, forces the piston towards the second position. Various other related devices and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Arthur Stanley, Erik Roby, Casey Glick
  • Patent number: 11127215
    Abstract: An artificial reality system is described that includes a head mounted display (HMD) configured to output artificial reality content and image capture devices configured to capture image data of a peripheral device positioned within a physical environment, where the image data comprises a plurality of successive image frames and the image capture devices capture each image frame during an exposure window of a respective frame period. The artificial reality system further includes a waveform controller configured to program a pulse waveform for a plurality of emitters on a peripheral device, wherein the pulse waveform specifies a pattern by which the plurality of emitters emit light and a pulse emitter synchronizer configured to synchronize the emission of light by the plurality of emitters according to the pulse waveform with the exposure window over the successive image frames from the image capture devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mauricio Narvaez, Shreyas Narendra Basarge
  • Patent number: 11126850
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes generating a plurality of spatial points based on depth measurements of physical objects within a physical space surrounding a user and determining, based on the spatial points, a location at which a physical object is likely to exist. The method then renders, based on the location of the physical object, a virtual space representing the physical space. This virtual space may include a virtual object representing the physical object. The method displays the virtual space to the user, and, while displaying the virtual space, receives input from the user indicating a boundary of a subspace within the virtual space, and detects that at least a portion of the virtual object is within the subspace. Finally, the method updates the virtual space to indicate that the portion of the virtual object is within the subspace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexandru-Eugen Ichim, Sarthak Ray, Alexander Sorkine Hornung, Gioacchino Noris, Gaurav Chaurasia, Jan Oberländer
  • Patent number: 11120258
    Abstract: A disclosed apparatus may include a line source configured to produce a line of light and a scanning device configured to scan the line of light across a scanning field in a scanning direction. The scanning field may include a receiving portion configured to receive an eye. The apparatus may also include a reflector positioned within the scanning field. During a primary period of a scan, the line of light may scan the receiving portion in a primary direction. During a secondary period of the scan, the reflector may reflect the line of light such that a reflection of the line of light scans the receiving portion in a secondary direction. The apparatus may also include a photodetector positioned to receive (1) an initial reflection during the primary period, and (2) a subsequent reflection during the secondary period. Various other methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Jobe Fix, Andrew Wyman MacDonald, Dmitri Model, Mohammadhossein Daraeihajitooei, Javier San Agustin Lopez, Kirk Erik Burgess, Mohamed Hegazy, Thomas Scott Murdison, Scott Robert Ramsby, Sebastian Sztuk, Evan Gander
  • Patent number: 11119931
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request to create a data pipeline by an operating system executing on a computing device. The operating system allocates a shared virtual memory region for the data pipeline. The shared virtual memory region is mapped to a first virtual address space of a first process and a second virtual address space of a second process. The mapping enables the first process and the second process to share data through the shared virtual memory region. Membership information associated with the data pipeline is updated to include the first process and the second process. An access request for accessing the shared virtual memory region is received from the first process, and the access request is granted or denied based on one or more protection policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christoph Klee, Bernhard Poess
  • Patent number: 11120770
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing system may access a dead pixel position corresponding to a dead pixel of a display. The system may access an image and modify the image by applying a mask to a pixel region of the image containing a particular pixel value with a position that corresponds to the dead pixel position. The mask may include an array of first scaling factors for scaling pixels values in the pixel region. The array of first scaling factors may be configured to brighten one or more of the pixel values surrounding the particular pixel value. The system may cause the modified image to be output by the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Edward Buckley, Romain Bachy
  • Patent number: 11119343
    Abstract: An optical device for providing illumination light includes an optical waveguide and a plurality of polarization selective elements. The plurality of polarization selective elements is disposed adjacent to the optical waveguide so that a respective polarization selective element receives light in a first direction, and redirects a first portion of the light in a second direction. A second portion, distinct from the first portion, of the light undergoes total internal reflection, thereby continuing to propagate inside the optical waveguide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ying Geng, Jacques Gollier, Babak Amirsolaimani
  • Patent number: 11122385
    Abstract: Determination of a set of acoustic parameters for a headset is presented herein. The set of acoustic parameters can be determined based on a virtual model of physical locations stored at a mapping server. The virtual model describes a plurality of spaces and acoustic properties of those spaces, wherein the location in the virtual model corresponds to a physical location of the headset. A location in the virtual model for the headset is determined based on information describing at least a portion of the local area received from the headset. The set of acoustic parameters associated with the physical location of the headset is determined based in part on the determined location in the virtual model and any acoustic parameters associated with the determined location. The headset presents audio content using the set of acoustic parameters received from the mapping server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Philip Robinson, Carl Schissler, Peter Henry Maresh, Andrew Lovitt, Sebastià Vicenç Amengual Gari
  • Patent number: 11119568
    Abstract: In general, this disclosure describes a suspend mode feature for artificial reality systems and, more specifically, system configurations and techniques for generating a suspend mode environment during execution of an artificial reality application, and presenting and controlling user interface (UI) elements within the suspend mode environment. The suspend mode feature enables a user interacting with one or more other users (or one or more avatars corresponding to the one or more other users) within an artificial reality (AR) environment to suspend the AR environment from the user's perspective. While in the suspend mode environment, the user is able to view and select the other users from the AR environment. For example, the user may select another user to friend, message, mute, block, or report that user from the suspend mode environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Arthur Bodolec, Jing Shu, Lindsay Young, Melissa Erin Summers, Andrea Zeller, Seohyun Lee, Ayfer Gokalp
  • Patent number: 11112865
    Abstract: The disclosed eye-tracking systems may include a visible light display having visible light pixels, at least one infrared pixel positioned within bounds of the visible light display, and an infrared sensor positioned and configured to detect infrared light originating from the at least one infrared pixel and reflected from an eye of the user. Related head-mounted display systems and methods for eye tracking are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander Jobe Fix, Andrew Wyman MacDonald, Dmitri Model, Mohammadhossein Daraeihajitooei, Javier San Agustin Lopez, Kirk Erik Burgess, Mohamed Hegazy, Scott Robert Ramsby, Sebastian Sztuk, Robert Cavin
  • Patent number: 11112601
    Abstract: In various embodiments, a pancake lens block may include (i) a first compound retarder comprising a first plurality of retarders oriented to a plurality of first axes of orientation, respectively, where the first compound retarder is configured to selectively transmit a portion of the emitted light, (ii) a partial reflector that receives the portion of emitted light from the first compound retarder and transmits the portion of the emitted light, (iii) a second compound retarder comprising a second plurality of retarders oriented to a plurality of second axes of orientation that are substantially orthogonal to the respective plurality of first axes of orientation, and (iv) a reflective polarizer configured to reflect the portion of the emitted light selectively transmitted by the second compound retarder back to the second compound retarder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Gary Dean Sharp
  • Patent number: 11113128
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes receiving, by a kernel of an operating system executing on a computing device, a request to store a message to communicate from a first process to a second process using a circular buffer. The circular buffer includes a first number of memory segments. An ownership of a first memory segment of the circular buffer is determined, based on a corresponding first ownership segment of an ownership array for the circular buffer. The ownership array includes a second number of ownership segments, where the second number is the same as the first number. Responsive to determining that the first segment is available to the first process, the message is stored in the first memory segment. After the message is stored in the first memory segment, the first ownership segment is changed to indicate the first memory segment is owned by the second process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christoph Klee, Sumit Kamath
  • Patent number: 11115649
    Abstract: The disclosed system may include a communication device configured to receive wireless synchronization information for display content, a lens, an optical device, and a controller configured to determine that the display content is in a field of view of the lens, and in response to determining that the display content is within the field of view of the lens, cause the lens to selectively allow the display content to pass through the lens based on the wireless synchronization information. Various other related methods and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nathan Matsuda, Ryan Michael Ebert, Robert Birch, Bruce A. Cleary
  • Patent number: 11112868
    Abstract: A haptic glove comprises a glove body including a glove digit corresponding to a phalange of a user hand with the glove digit having a bend location that is located along the glove digit. A haptic apparatus is coupled to the glove body at the bend location with the haptic apparatus comprising a plurality of sheets that are flexible and inextensible and a pressure actuator coupled to one or more of the plurality of sheets. The plurality of sheets are stacked and configured to translate relative to each other along the centerline with bending of the glove digit. The pressure actuator is configured to adjust an applied pressure to the plurality of sheets to adjust friction between the sheets. The adjustment of friction is proportional to a bending resistance of the glove digit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Charles Stewart, Raymond King, Nicholas Roy Corson, Sean Jason Keller
  • Patent number: 11113891
    Abstract: Particular embodiments are directed to a passthrough feature. A computing system may display a virtual-reality scene on a device worn by a user. The system may receive a request to display a visual representation of at least a portion of a physical environment surrounding the user. The system may access data associated with the physical environment captured by camera(s) of the device. The system may generate, based the data, depth measurements of one or more objects in the physical environment. The system may generate, based on the depth measurements, one or more models of the one or more objects in the physical environment. The system may render an image based on a viewpoint of the user and the one or more models and, based on the image, generate the visual representation requested by the user. The visual representation may then be displayed with the virtual-reality scene to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gioacchino Noris, Jeng-Weei Lin