Patents by Inventor A. Douglas Roberts

A. Douglas Roberts has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11113794
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a computing system may receive current eye-tracking data associated with a user of a head-mounted display. The system may dynamically adjust a focal length of the head-mounted display based on the current eye-tracking data. The system may generate an in-focus image of a scene and a corresponding depth map of the scene. The system may generate a circle-of-confusion map for the scene based on the depth map. The circle-of-confusion map encodes a desired focal surface in the scene. The system may generate, using a machine-learning model, an output image with a synthesized defocus-blur effect by processing the in-focus image, the corresponding depth map, and the circle-of-confusion map of the scene. The system may display the output image with the synthesized defocus-blur effect to the user via the head-mounted display having the adjusted focal length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Lanman, Matthew Steven Chapman, Alexander Jobe Fix, Anton S. Kaplanyan, Lei Xiao
  • Patent number: 11112613
    Abstract: A head-mounted display device for providing augmented reality contents to a wearer includes an eye tracker, a light projector, a beam steerer and a combiner. The eye tracker is configured to determine a position of a pupil of an eye of the wearer. The light projector is configured to project light for rendering images. The beam steerer is configured to change a direction of the light from the light projector based on the position of the pupil. The combiner is configured to combine the light from the light projector and light from an outside of the head-mounted display device for providing an overlap of the rendered image and a real image that corresponds to the light from the outside of the head-mounted display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 7, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Douglas Robert Lanman
  • Patent number: 11106276
    Abstract: A virtual reality (VR) headset adjusts the phase of light of a virtual scene received from a display element using a spatial light modulator (SLM) to accommodate changes in vergence for a user viewing objects in the virtual scene. The VR headset receives virtual scene data that includes depth information for components of the virtual scene and the SLM adjusts a wavefront of the light of the virtual scene by generating a phase function that adjusts the light of the virtual scene with phase delays based the depth values. Individual phase delays shift components of the virtual scene based on the depth values to a target focal plane to accommodate a user at a vergence depth for a frame of the virtual scene. Further, the SLM can provide optical defocus by shifting components of the virtual scene with the phase delays for depth of field blur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Lanman, Alexander Jobe Fix, Nathan Seigo Matsuda, Nicholas Daniel Trail
  • Patent number: 11094075
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system may access a training sample that includes training images and corresponding training depth maps of a scene, with the training images being associated with different predetermined viewpoints of the scene. The system may generate elemental images of the scene by processing the training images and the training depth maps using a machine-learning model. The elemental images are associated with more viewpoints of the scene than the predetermined viewpoints associated with the training images. The system may update the machine-learning model based on a comparison between the generated elemental images of the scene and target elemental images that are each associated with a predetermined viewpoint. The updated machine-learning model is configured to generate elemental images of a scene of interest based on input images and corresponding depth maps of the scene of interest from different viewpoints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Lanman, Matthew Steven Chapman, Alexander Jobe Fix, Anton S. Kaplanyan, Lei Xiao
  • Publication number: 20210240036
    Abstract: A system is provided. The system includes a display configured to output a virtual image. The system also includes a lens assembly optically coupled to the display and including a plurality of optical lenses. The system also includes a controller configured to selectively activate one or more of the plurality of optical lenses, determine a lens center shift between a center of the selectively activated one or more of the plurality of optical lenses and a center of the lens assembly, and determine an image shift based on the lens center shift for shifting the virtual image output from the display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2021
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Afsoon JAMALI, Wanli CHI, Douglas Robert LANMAN
  • Publication number: 20210240051
    Abstract: An astigmatism compensation optical assembly includes a first liquid crystal layer disposed between opposing substrates. The astigmatism compensation optical assembly also includes a first electrode pattern disposed on at least one substrate. The first electrode pattern includes a set of parallel conductors each having a length proportional to the longest dimension of the clear aperture of the liquid crystal lens, and the parallel conductors are configured to generate a voltage distribution within the liquid crystal layer that results in the liquid crystal layer exhibiting cylindrical focal power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2020
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Afsoon Jamali, Brian Wheelwright, Douglas Robert Lanman
  • Publication number: 20210230519
    Abstract: A unit dose glass cleaner concentrate product includes from 5 grams to 50 grams of a concentrated glass cleaning composition encased in a water soluble film. The concentrated glass cleaning composition includes at least one cleaning solvent and at least one surfactant. The total weight percentage of the cleaning solvents and surfactants, expressed on an anhydrous basis, is at least 50% of the weight of the unit dose window cleaner concentrate product. The unit dose glass cleaner concentrate product can be added to a container and diluted to produce a glass cleaning solution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2021
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: Korex Canada Company
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Watson, Sanford Pensler
  • Publication number: 20210219952
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for ultrasonic imaging by sparse sampling are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system comprises an array of ultrasound transducer elements, electronic circuitry in communication with the array of ultrasound transducer elements and configured to select a first receive aperture of the array comprising a plurality of contiguous ultrasound transducer elements and at least one non-contiguous ultrasound transducer element, and a beamformer in communication with the electronic circuitry. Each ultrasound transducer element of the first receive aperture is configured to receive reflected ultrasound echoes and generate an electrical signal representative of imaging data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Sheng-Wen Huang, Changhong Hu, Douglas Robert Maxwell, David Hope Simpson, James Robertson Jago, Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon, Jun Seob Shin, Xiaowen Hu, Unmin Bae
  • Patent number: 11061239
    Abstract: A head-mounted display device for providing augmented reality contents to a wearer includes a light projector and a pancake combiner. The light projector is configured to project a light having a first polarization for rendering images based at least on the augmented reality contents. The pancake combiner is configured to combine the light from the light projector and light from an outside of the head-mounted display device for providing an overlap of the rendered image and a real image that corresponds to the light from the outside of the head-mounted display device. The pancake combiner is also configured to direct the light from the light projector toward a pupil of an eye the wearer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 13, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Lanman, Jacques Gollier
  • Patent number: 11046176
    Abstract: An off-highway recreational includes a frame, a prime mover, a transmission, an intermediate shaft and a main shaft. The transmission is mechanically coupled to receive power from the prime mover and to provide mechanical power at a transaxle output shaft. The intermediate drive shaft is mechanically coupled to the transaxle output shaft, wherein the intermediate drive shaft has a first diameter. The main drive shaft is mechanically coupled to the intermediate drive shaft, wherein the main drive shaft has a second diameter that is greater than the first diameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: Arctic Cat Inc.
    Inventors: Devin Joseph Danielson, Joel Merlyn Braun, Steven Allen Mathison, Gary Orlen Homme, Brent Orlin Magner, Jacob Tyler Crosby, Kevin David Thompson, Douglas Robert Grangroth, Ricky Allen Warne
  • Patent number: 11042187
    Abstract: A head mounted display (HMD) includes a set of one or more lenses defining an optical axis, a display configured to project light through the set of the one or more lenses, a voice coil actuator coupled with the display and configured to move the display along the optical axis, and a first guide that is separate from the first voice coil actuator and coupled with the first display to guide the movement of the first display. The HMD additionally includes a set of one or more position sensors configured to determine a position of the display long the optical axis and an electronic controller configured to receive information identifying a reference position of the display along the optical axis and generate one or more electrical signals for initiating a movement of the first display toward the first reference point along the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joyce Fang, Nicholas Colonnese, Bruce A. Cleary, Ryan Michael Ebert, Douglas Robert Lanman
  • Patent number: 11041525
    Abstract: A system for securing a bearing to a shaft includes a shaft having a raised portion extending radially outward from the shaft. The raised portion includes a first angled face on a first side of the raised portion and a second angled face on a second side of the raised portion. The bearing includes an outer race comprising a bearing surface on an inner face of the outer race, an inner race comprising a bearing surface on an outer face of the inner race and a third angled face on an inner face of the inner race that is configured to mate with the first angled face, and a plurality of rollers disposed between the inner and outer races.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Mueller, Gregory Alan Spruce, Alan Wayne Falls
  • Patent number: 11014419
    Abstract: An off-highway recreational vehicle having a longitudinal centerline includes a frame and a rear suspension. The rear suspension includes a left A-arm, wherein the left A-arm has a pivot axis, the pivot axis being on a right-hand side of the longitudinal centerline.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: ARCTIC CAT INC.
    Inventors: Devin Joseph Danielson, Adam Christian Krone, Nathan Len Wiater, Aaron Lee Swanson, Erick John Halvorson, Douglas Robert Grangroth, Kevin James Miller, Jared Richard Spindler, Leigh Raymond Collyer, Donald Scott Hansen, Joseph Patrick Wood
  • Patent number: 11016301
    Abstract: An auto-focus head-mounted display (HMD) dynamically generates aberration-adjusted images based on measured accommodation of user's eye(s). An aberration-adjusted image is an image distorted to correct aberrations that would otherwise occur at a retina of the user due to image light passing through optics of the HMD. The aberration-adjusted image corrects the aberrations of the HMD and “accounts” for the aberrations of the eye so that the resulting retinal image is free of optical aberrations due to the HMD but preserves correct eye optical aberrations that are correlated with a current accommodative state of the eye.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: William Aaron Nicholls, Marina Zannoli, Douglas Robert Lanman, Nicholas Daniel Trail
  • Patent number: 11009737
    Abstract: A configurable occluder/dimmer for a near-eye display includes an array of polarization rotators and a polarization-selective scatterer downstream of the array of polarization rotators. The array of rotators and the polarization-selective scatterer are disposed between a pair of polarizers. The polarization-selective scatterer only scatters light at one of two orthogonal polarizations, thereby enhancing the achieved extinction ratio of the configurable occluder/dimmer. The configurable occluder/dimmer may be used in the near-eye display to provide occlusion effects rendering added virtual objects opaque, and/or to equalize contrast of the generated virtual imagery across the field of view of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Nathan Matsuda, Douglas Robert Lanman, Afsoon Jamali, Jasmine Soria Sears, Oleg Yaroshchuk, Alireza Moheghi
  • Patent number: 11009713
    Abstract: A head mounted display (HMD) includes a set of one or more lenses defining an optical axis, a display configured to project light through the set of the one or more lenses, a voice coil actuator coupled with the display and configured to move the display along the optical axis, and a first guide that is slidingly coupled with the first voice coil actuator to guide the movement of the first display. The HMD additionally includes a set of one or more position sensors configured to determine a position of the display long the optical axis and an electronic controller configured to receive information identifying a reference position of the display along the optical axis and generate one or more electrical signals for initiating a movement of the first display toward the first reference point along the optical axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joyce Fang, Nicholas Colonnese, Bruce A. Cleary, Ryan Michael Ebert, Douglas Robert Lanman
  • Patent number: 10989926
    Abstract: A near-eye display based on a polarization-selective diffusive combiner includes a polarizer for polarizing impinging ambient light to have a first polarization state, and a polarization-selective scatterer downstream of the polarizer, for passing through the ambient light having the first polarization state substantially without scattering, while scattering impinging display light having a second polarization state orthogonal to the first polarization state. The display light at the second polarization state may be provided by a projector, the polarization-selective scatterer playing the role of a projector screen. A polarization-selective ocular lens may be disposed downstream of the polarization-selective scatterer for viewing images generated by the projector while propagating through orthogonally polarized light from outside environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Nathan Matsuda, Yusufu Njoni Bamaxam Sulai, Ying Geng, Brian Wheelwright, Douglas Robert Lanman, Afsoon Jamali, Jasmine Soria Sears, Alireza Moheghi
  • Patent number: 10989927
    Abstract: A method includes providing frames of video data for being displayed by a head mounted display (HMD). Pixel data is encoded in a pixel of at least some of the video data frames, the encoded pixel data defining a focal state of an optics block of the HMD for displaying the respective frame of the video data to a user. The predetermined focal state is determined from a plurality of available focal states of the optics block, each focal state corresponding to a different focal plane of a virtual image generated based on the video data. The pixel used for encoding may be disposed outside a region of the frame that is displayable by the HMD.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Robert Lanman, Yang Zhao, Bruce A. Cleary, Olivier Mercier, Robert Birch
  • Publication number: 20210116016
    Abstract: A lubrication system includes a primary lubrication system for a gearbox of the aircraft, the primary lubrication system comprising a first lubricant tank, and an emergency lubrication system for the gearbox. The emergency lubrication system includes a second lubricant tank coupled to a gearbox of an aircraft, a passive thermostat coupled between the second lubricant tank and the gearbox via a lubricant line, a conductor coupled between the passive thermostat and the gearbox and configured to conduct heat from the gearbox to the passive thermostat, and wherein the passive thermostat is configured to open in response to the conductor being exposed to a temperature that exceeds a threshold temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Robert MUELLER
  • Publication number: 20210116015
    Abstract: An example of an emergency lubrication system for an aircraft includes a lubricant tank configured to supply a lubricant to a gearbox of the aircraft, a tube coupled between the lubricant tank and the gearbox and comprising a check ball disposed within the tube, a first lubricant line coupled to the tube and a first inlet of the gearbox, and a second lubricant line coupled to the tube and a second inlet of the gearbox.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Applicant: Bell Textron Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Robert MUELLER