Creating a viewport in a hybrid-reality system

Abstract

A first position of a hybrid reality system (DHR) relative to a first real-world object is determined and data associated with an occluded object is received. A viewport is established anchored to a first location on the first real-world object and a first image showing a first virtual view of the hidden portion of the occluded object as it would be seen from the first position of the DHR through the viewport is presented on the DHR overlaid on a first view of the first real-world object.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method to display an occluded object to a user on a display of a hybrid reality system (DHR), the method comprising:
 determining, at a first time, a first position of the DHR relative to a first real-world object;   establishing a viewport on the first real-world object by receiving, from the user, an indication of a first location on the first real-world object to use as an anchor point for the viewport;   receiving data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system over a computer network from a device separate from the hybrid reality system, wherein the occluded object is a second real-world object or a part of the first real-world object;   rendering a first image showing a first virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a first perspective of the first position of the DHR using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the DHR.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising receiving a selection of a size and/or shape of the viewport from the user and using the selection in said establishment of the viewport. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the user, a selection of a different size and/or shape of the viewport;   adjusting the viewport to have the different size and or shape; and   presenting a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport having the different size and or shape.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the user, an indication of a second location on the first real-world object;   moving the viewport on the first real-world object to be anchored to the second location; and   presenting a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport anchored to the second location.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 determining, at a second time after the first time, that the DHR is at a second position relative to the first real-world object;   rendering a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a second perspective of the second position of the DHR using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a second view of the first real-world object shown from the second position of the DHR, wherein the viewport is still anchored to the first location on the first real-world object.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a real-world position of one or both of the DHR and the first real-world object changes between the first time and the second time. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving additional data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system over a computer network from the device separate from the hybrid reality system indicating that an aspect of the occluded object has changed,   rendering a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object with the changed aspect from the first perspective using the received additional data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on the first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the DHR.   
     
     
         8 . An article of manufacture comprising a tangible medium, that is not a transitory propagating signal, encoding computer-readable instructions that, when applied to a computer system coupled to a display of a hybrid reality system (DHR), instruct the computer system to perform a method comprising:
 determining, at a first time, a first position of the DHR relative to a first real-world object;   establishing a viewport on the first real-world object by receiving, from the user, an indication of a first location on the first real-world object to use as an anchor point for the viewport;   receiving data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system over a computer network from a device separate from the hybrid reality system, wherein the occluded object is a second real-world object or a part of the first real-world object;   rendering a first image showing a first virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a first perspective of the first position of the DHR using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the DHR.   
     
     
         9 . The article of manufacture of  claim 8 , the method further comprising receiving a selection of a size and/or shape of the viewport from the user and using the selection in said establishment of the viewport. 
     
     
         10 . The article of manufacture of  claim 9 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, from the user, a selection of a different size and/or shape of the viewport;   adjusting the viewport to have the different size and or shape; and   presenting a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport having the different size and or shape.   
     
     
         11 . The article of manufacture of  claim 8 , the method further comprising:
 receiving, from the user, an indication of a second location on the first real-world object;   moving the viewport on the first real-world object to be anchored to the second location; and   presenting a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport anchored to the second location.   
     
     
         12 . The article of manufacture of  claim 8 , the method further comprising:
 determining, at a second time after the first time, that the DHR is at a second position relative to the first real-world object;   rendering a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a second perspective of the second position of the DHR using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a second view of the first real-world object shown from the second position of the DHR, wherein the viewport is still anchored to the first location on the first real-world object.   
     
     
         13 . The article of manufacture of  claim 8 , the method further comprising:
 receiving additional data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system over a computer network from the device separate from the hybrid reality system indicating that an aspect of the occluded object has changed,   rendering a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object with the changed aspect from the first perspective using the received additional data associated with the occluded object; and   presenting at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on the first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the DHR.   
     
     
         14 . A hybrid reality system comprising:
 a display;   a sensor;   a structure, coupled to the display and the sensor, and adapted to position the display in a field-of-view (FOV) of the user;   a human input device;   a computer network interface; and   a processor, coupled to the display, the sensor, the human input device, and the computer network interface, the processor programmed to:   determine, at a first time using the sensor, a first position of the display relative to a first real-world object;   establish a viewport on the first real-world object by receiving, from human input device, an indication of a first location on the first real-world object to use as an anchor point for the viewport;   receive data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system through the computer network interface from a device separate from the hybrid reality system, wherein the occluded object is a second real-world object or a part of the first real-world object;   render a first image showing a first virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a first perspective of the first position of the display using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   present at least a portion of the first image on the display, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the display.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the display is at least partially transparent and the first view of the first real-world object comprises light from the first real-world object passing through the display. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 14 , processor further programmed to receive a selection of a size and/or shape of the viewport through the human input device and use the selection in said establishment of the viewport. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , the processor further programmed to:
 receive, from the user, a selection of a different size and/or shape of the viewport;   adjust the viewport to have the different size and or shape; and   present a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport having the different size and or shape.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 14 , the processor further programmed to:
 receive, from the user, an indication of a second location on the first real-world object;   move the viewport on the first real-world object to be anchored to the second location; and   present a different portion of the first image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport anchored to the second location.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 14 , the processor further programmed to:
 determine, at a second time after the first time, that the DHR is at a second position relative to the first real-world object;   render a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object from a second perspective of the second position of the DHR using the received data associated with the occluded object; and   present at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on a second view of the first real-world object shown from the second position of the DHR, wherein the viewport is still anchored to the first location on the first real-world object.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 14 , the processor further programmed to:
 receive additional data associated with the occluded object at the hybrid-reality system over a computer network from the device separate from the hybrid reality system indicating that an aspect of the occluded object has changed,   render a second image showing a second virtual view of at least some of the occluded object with the changed aspect from the first perspective using the received additional data associated with the occluded object; and   present at least a portion of the second image on the DHR, clipped to fit inside of the viewport and overlaid on the first view of the first real-world object shown from the first position of the DHR.