Abstract: Technology is provided for a tracking constellation assembly for use in a virtual reality system. The tracking constellation assembly includes a translucent panel having an outward facing surface, and an inward facing surface and a mounting surface each opposite the outward facing surface. The translucent panel is substantially opaque to visible light and translucent to infrared light. The assembly includes a flexible circuit board including first and second opposed surfaces. A spacer interconnects the first surface of the flexible circuit board and the mounting surface of the translucent panel. Infrared light emitting diodes are connected to the flexible circuit board and positioned to direct light through the translucent panel.

Abstract: A head-mounted display assembly with a headphone retention mechanism. The head-mounted display assembly includes a display housing, a headphone assembly, a headphone storage region located on the body of the display housing, and a headphone retention mechanism at the headphone storage region. The headphone retention mechanism includes a magnetic element configured to produce a magnetic field that releasably retains the headphone assembly against the headphone storage region when a user positions the headphone assembly in the vicinity of the headphone storage region.

Abstract: An optical evaluation workstation evaluates quality metrics (e.g., sharpness, blemishes) of eyecup assemblies of a head mounted display (HMD). The workstation includes an eyecup assembly feeder, a camera, and a control module. The eyecup assembly feeder is configured to receive an eyecup assembly of a HMD, the eyecup assembly comprising an optics block rigidly fixed at a first distance to an electronic display panel. The camera is configured to capture one or more images of the one or more test patterns presented by the electronic display panel through the optics block. The control module is configured to modify at least one image of the one or more images using a transform, and determine a quality metric for the modified at least one image.

Abstract: A depth camera assembly (DCA) determines distances between the DCA and objects in a local area within a field of view of the DCA. The DCA includes an illumination source that projects a known spatial pattern modulated with a temporal carrier signal into the local area. An imaging device capture the modulated pattern projected into the local area. The imaging device includes a detector that comprises different pixel groups that are each activated to captured light at different times. Hence, different pixel groups capture different phases of the temporally modulated pattern from the local area. The DCA determines times for light from the illumination source to be reflected and captured by the imaging device from the phases captured by the different pixel groups and also determines distances between the DCA and objects in the local area based on deformation of the spatial pattern captured by the imaging device.

Abstract: An actuator configured to provide haptic feedback to a user. The actuator is located on a plate and is configured to apply various excitations to the plate to generate a mechanical wave propagating in the controlled direction. The excitations can be a translational motion of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator) in two or three perpendicular axes. Alternatively, the excitations can be a non-translational motion (e.g., rotation about an axis) of the actuator (or a portion of the actuator). By generating the mechanical wave traveling in the controlled direction, loss of energy due to scattering of the mechanical wave can be obviated.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) divides an image into a high resolution (HR) inset portion at a first resolution, a peripheral portion, and a transitional portion. The peripheral portion is downsampled to a second resolution that is less than the first resolution. The transitional portion is blended such that there is a smooth change in resolution that corresponds to a change in resolution between a fovea region and a non-fovea region of a retina. An inset region is generated using the HR inset portion and the blended transitional portion, and a background region is generated using the downsampled peripheral portion. The inset region is provided to a HR inset display, and the background region is provided to a peripheral display. An optics block combines the displayed inset region with the displayed background region to generate composite content.

Abstract: A holographic display (“display”) for a head-mounted display (“HMD”). The display includes a source configured to emit at least partially coherent light and a beam conditioner that conditions the light from the source into one or more beams of light. The display also includes one or more spatial light modulators configured to encode the one or more beams of light using a hologram of a virtual reality image. The display further includes an objective lens and a conversion lens. The objective lens is positioned to create an intermediate image at a Fourier plane, and the intermediate image is a Fourier transform of the hologram. The conversion lens performs a Fourier transform of the intermediate image to generate an output hologram. The conversion lens also magnifies a portion of the output hologram and directs the magnified portion of the output hologram to an exit pupil of the HMD.

Abstract: A head mounted display (HMD) in a VR system includes sensors for tracking the eyes and face of a user wearing the HMD. The VR system records calibration attributes such as landmarks of the face of the user. Light sources illuminate portions of the user's face covered by the HMD. In conjunction, facial sensors capture facial data. The VR system analyzes the facial data to determine the orientation of planar sections of the illuminated portions of face. The VR system aggregates planar sections of the face and maps the planar sections to landmarks of the face to generate a facial animation of the user, which can also include eye orientation information. The facial animation is represented as a virtual avatar and presented to the user.

Abstract: A head-mounted display (HMD) is wirelessly coupled to a console or a relay depending on the relative positions of the HMD, the console, and the relay. The HMD communicates wirelessly with the console using a beam that is oriented in a particular direction. As the position of the HMD changes, the quality of the communication link between the HMD and the console may degrades. In response to the degradation, the HMD forms a communication link with a relay, which operates as an intermediary between the HMD and the console. The relay communicates with the HMD over a dedicated communication channel that is isolated from the communication channel over which the relay communicates with the console. An RF signal path with calibration features in the relay iteratively adjusts a feedback reduction parameter until the effects of the undesirable feedback are eliminated.

Abstract: A head-mounted display device includes a display element with a two-dimensional array of pixels, and an enclosure at least partially enclosing the display element. The head-mounted display device also includes a plurality of light sources located on the enclosure for determining a position of the head-mounted display device. Each light source of the plurality of light sources is uniquely identifiable based at least in part on light emitted by the light source.

Abstract: A virtual-reality system includes a head-mounted display system comprising an eye tracker and a display screen comprising an array of pixels. The virtual-reality system monitors movement of a user's eye using the eye tracker. A first plurality of frames for virtual-reality images is displayed on the display screen using a first persistence in accordance with a first display mode. The persistence is a percentage of a frame duration during which the array of pixels is activated. While displaying the first plurality of frames in accordance with the first display mode, a saccade of the user's eye is detected. In response to detecting the saccade, the virtual-reality system switches from the first display mode to a second display mode having a second persistence that is greater than the first persistence. In the second display mode, a second plurality of frames for the virtual-reality images is displayed using the second persistence.

Abstract: An optical device and method for fabricating an optical device. The optical device comprising: a semiconductor material comprising an active layer configured to emit light when an electrical current is applied to the device and/or to generate an electrical current when light is incident on the active layer, wherein the semiconductor material comprises a first surface and an opposed second surface, from which light is emitted from and/or received by the device, and wherein the first surface defines a first structure comprising the active layer and configured to reflect light emitted from the active layer toward the second surface and/or to reflect light received by the device toward the active layer, and the second surface defines a second structure configured to permit light incident on the second surface at an angle outside a critical angle range to the planar normal to pass therethrough.

Abstract: A strap system for a head-mounted display includes a first flexible non-stretchable section to wrap around the head-mounted display and extend laterally towards a user's ears, a second flexible non-stretchable section to extend from a first side of the first flexible non-stretchable section towards the back of the user's first ear and split into an upper portion and a lower portion, and a third flexible non-stretchable section to extend from a second side of the first flexible non-stretchable section to the back of the user's second ear and split into an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the second flexible non-stretchable section substantially mirrors the upper portion of the third flexible non-stretchable section. The lower portion of the second flexible non-stretchable section substantially mirrors the lower portion of the third flexible non-stretchable section.

Abstract: A hand-held controller includes a user-input surface, a grip coupled to the user-input surface, and a cage coupled to the user-input surface at two points without the grip interposed between the user-input surface and the cage. The hand-held controller includes may further include a plurality of illumination sources on an outer surface of the cage.

Abstract: An LED chip for use in an LED chip array forming a continuous array of LEDs. The LED chip comprises an array of LEDs on a substrate. LEDs in a row of the array are longitudinally offset from corresponding LEDs in another row. Adjacent LEDs in each row of the array are separated by a longitudinal pitch. At least part of an end face of the substrate is angled with respect to a transverse axis of the LED chip such that the LED chip is positionable adjacent another LED chip to maintain the longitudinal pitch between adjacent LEDs on different chips.