Apple files new patents for iPhone
The iPhone can be used as a virtual reality controller
VR headsets should be possible too
Apple files new patents in the area of virtual reality
Apple recently received some patents in the field of virtual reality (VR) from the US patent office, as reported by t3n. According to MacTechNews, patents in this field filed by the iPhone manufacturer in the past include protective documents in relation to data gloves, smart finger rings, or haptic feedback socks. Currently, two special documents are of special interest: the iPhone, on the one hand, as a display and, on the other, as a controller.
iPhone instead of VR controller
In the future, the iPhone could act as an interface to the virtual reality environment and thus serve as a controller for virtual reality games. According to t3n, Apple would give users familiar devices and at the same time save them from buying and learning new devices. With previous leaders in this direction, the problem arose time and again that calculating the exact position of the cell phone through the virtual reality glasses did not work. It is precisely this deficiency that the patent seeks to remedy. A mark on the physical screen of the iPhone could serve as an orientation for the virtual reality glasses, as the system uses the marker to calculate the position in virtual space and track it. It should also be possible to detect the rotation of the “controller”. According to the patent, the control signal enables the “second device”, the iPhone, to be used as a three-dimensional control, as a 3D pointer, or as a user interface input device.
Das iPhone als Display fr VR-Headset
According to t3n, the second document is Apple’s 16 patent, which describes a virtual reality headset in which an iPhone can be integrated. Engineers speak of a “display device with an optical combiner” that can also be mounted on the head. The combination to be located in the area of mixed reality is intended to make visible real and computer generated images at the same time. In addition, it can be seen from the document that the combiner also shows the real environment, so it does not act as a screen that only shows images of the real environment, but rather like glasses.
Also, a reflector should bring the synthetic models of the cell phone into the picture. Apple mentions several deployment options in this regard. In one of the arrangements, the front camera is superimposed by an optical component that serves as a partial mirror. In another, the desired effects are achieved through different layers that are applied to the screen. In addition, the patent also talks about sensors and cameras that scan the environment and record the direction in which the user is looking.
Thomas Weschle / editors finanzen.net
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