This week's VR & Augmented Reality category includes 3 granted patents from Adeia (1), Apple (1), and MediaTek (1).
Apple's patent describes a wireless video pipeline that splits rendering workload between a headset and base station, using techniques like foveated rendering and dynamic frame adjustment to maintain performance without physical tethering. Adeia's technology creates dynamic personal boundary zones in VR that automatically adjust to user body dimensions and track movement in shared spaces to prevent physical collisions. MediaTek's patent covers adaptive frame rate control for SLAM processors in XR devices, scaling image processing demands to reduce power consumption while preserving tracking performance.
Apple received 1 patent describing a wireless mixed reality system that offloads intensive rendering tasks to a base station rather than processing everything on the headset itself. The pipeline uses warp space resampling and gaze-driven foveation to reduce the amount of data that needs to cross the wireless link, while monitoring connection quality in real time and adjusting compression accordingly. When the wireless link degrades or fails, the headset can fall back to local rendering, and the system fills in missing frames to maintain visual continuity during dropouts.
Adeia received 1 patent for dynamic safety boundaries in virtual reality environments that adapt to individual users and move with them through physical space. Instead of requiring users to manually trace out guardian zones at the start of each session, these personal bubbles automatically size themselves based on the user's body measurements and reposition as the headset moves. In multi-user settings, the system coordinates boundaries across devices to prevent overlapping zones, maintaining collision protection without forcing users to exit their experience and reconfigure manually.
MediaTek received 1 patent for frame rate management in SLAM systems used for positional tracking in extended reality headsets. The technology continuously evaluates operating conditions like environmental complexity and device state, then adjusts how frequently the SLAM processor analyzes camera frames accordingly. This feedback-driven approach tailors processing intensity to current needs rather than running the tracking pipeline at a constant rate, conserving battery and reducing heat generation in devices where both are constrained.
All data sourced from USPTO patent filings. Google Patents may take several weeks to index recent publications. If a link is unavailable, search for the patent number at USPTO Patent Public Search.