Sony patents VR headset that keeps virtual objects at the right depth
Sony describes a head-mounted display that creates a virtual 'control plane' based on the distance to real objects around the user. The system uses this plane to calculate the correct depth for virtual images, ensuring they appear at the right distance when overlaid on the real world.
In the filing’s own words
An image processing section of a head-mounted display sets a control plane 350 corresponding to distribution of distances from a user 280 to real objects 354 a and 354 b in a virtual three-dimensional space. The control plane 350 is updated according to movement of the user 280. The image processing section decides a virtual distance ds of a superimposed image in the virtual three-dimensional space on the basis of a distance dc from the user 280 to a control plane in a line-of-sight direction, places the superimposed image in the virtual three-dimensional space, and then renders a view as seen from a virtual camera on a see-through image.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A head-mounted display system that realizes stereoscopic view, the head-mounted display system comprising: one or more storage media storing instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to cause the head-mounted display system to: set a control plane corresponding to a distribution of distances between a user and real objects in a display-target virtual three-dimensional space; determine a virtual distance of a superimposed image to be displayed according to a distance to the control plane in a line-of-sight direction; generate data of a display image including the superimposed image in a state where the superimposed image is placed at the virtual distance in the display-target virtual three-dimensional space; and output the data of the display image to a display panel.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.)
- Official title
- HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY AND IMAGE DISPLAY METHOD
- Publication number
- US20260281292A1
- Application number
- 19157657
- Filed
- Feb 14, 2024
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 4
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04N 13/117 Electricity & electronicsG02B 27/0172 Physics & computingG06T 19/006 Physics & computingH04N 13/239 Electricity & electronicsH04N 13/279 Electricity & electronicsH04N 13/332 Electricity & electronicsMore from Sony in AR, VR & displays
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.