CN110020250A - The browsing method of virtual reality web page contents and the electronic device for applying it - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for browsing virtual reality web page content and an electronic device using the same, the method for browsing virtual reality web page content comprising the following steps: identifying device information of a VR helmet through a native application; sending a notification message through a first browser when detecting browsing of a VR web page; capturing web page information corresponding to the VR web page in response to the notification message through an expansion element of the first browser, and providing the web page information to the native application; judging through the native application whether the first browser supports the VR helmet to present the VR content of the VR web page according to the device information; when judging that the first browser does not support the VR helmet to present the VR content, the native application opens the VR web page through a second browser according to the web page information, wherein the second browser supports the VR helmet to present the VR content of the VR web page.

Description

Browsing method of virtual reality webpage content and electronic device using the same

technical field

The present invention relates to a method for browsing virtual reality (VR) webpage content and an electronic device applying the same.

Background technique

Currently, there are many virtual reality (VR) headsets on the market that can browse VR web pages (such as WebVR) content. However, the browsers supported by various VR headsets are mostly different. If users want to experience VR web pages, they must first know which browsers are supported by their VR headsets. Therefore, it often happens that users do not know how to match or need to use a browser that they are not familiar with to use the VR headset at hand. This not only increases the complexity of the operation, but also reduces the user's enjoyment of browsing VR web pages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for browsing virtual reality (VR) web content and an electronic device using the same, which can automatically detect the type of the user's VR helmet and search for the browser supported by the VR helmet, and When it is found that the browser currently used by the user cannot support the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the browser that supports the VR headset is automatically used to present the VR content. In this way, even if the user does not know which browsers are supported by the VR headset at hand, or is unfamiliar with the operating methods of the browsers supported by the VR headset, they can still browse through the familiar browsers easily. VR web content.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for browsing VR web content is provided, which includes the following steps: identifying device information of a VR helmet through a native application; When a web page is displayed, a notification message is sent; through the extension element of the first browser, the web page information corresponding to the VR web page is retrieved in response to the notification message, and the web page information is provided to the native application; through the native application , according to the device information to determine whether the first browser supports the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage; when it is determined that the first browser does not support the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the native application According to the webpage information, the VR webpage is opened through a second browser, wherein the second browser supports the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores at least one instruction. The processor is coupled to the memory, and executes the at least one instruction to perform the following steps: identifying the device information of the VR helmet through the native application; sending notification information through the first browser when it is detected that the VR webpage is browsed ; Through the extension element of the first browser, in response to the notification information, retrieve the webpage information corresponding to the VR webpage, and provide the webpage information to the native application; through the native application, determine according to the device information Whether the first browser supports the VR helmet to present the VR content of the VR web page; when it is determined that the first browser does not support the VR helmet to present the VR content of the VR web page, the native application program transmits the content of the VR web page according to the web page information. Open the VR webpage through a second browser, wherein the second browser supports the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage.

The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but is not intended to limit the present invention.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for browsing VR webpage content according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation of a VR webpage content browsing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation of a VR webpage content browsing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

where the reference number

10: Electronics 13: VR headsets

102: Job Platform NA: Native Apps

BR1～BRN, BR2’: Browser EP1: Expansion element

T1: Tab Page T2: Tab Page

MT: Correspondence table SB: Reminder image

S202, S204, S206, S208,

S210, S212, S214: steps

Detailed ways

The present invention relates to a method for browsing virtual reality (VR) webpage content and an electronic device using the same. For example, a VR webpage refers to a webpage with VR content, such as a webpage provided based on the WebVR technology. Users can browse VR web pages through a browser, and enjoy the VR content presented by the VR web pages by wearing a VR headset supported by the browser.

The VR webpage content browsing method of the present invention can be implemented by an electronic device. The electronic device includes, for example, a memory and a processor. The memory stores at least one instruction. The processor is coupled to the memory, and can execute the VR webpage content browsing method of the present invention by executing the at least one instruction. The processor is, for example, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital logic circuit, or a field programmable logic gate. Array (field programmable gate array, FPGA), or other hardware elements with arithmetic processing functions. The browsing method of VR webpage content of the present invention can also be implemented as a software program, and the software program can be stored in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium, such as a hard disk, an optical disk, a pen drive , memory, etc., when the processor loads the software program from the non-transitory computer readable storage medium, the method for browsing the VR webpage content of the present invention can be executed.

FIG. 1 is a system architecture diagram of an electronic device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The electronic device 10 is, for example, a notebook computer, a personal computer, a tablet computer, a portable mobile device, and the like. The VR helmet 13 generally refers to any head-mounted VR display device, which can be connected to the electronic device 10 through a wired (eg, USB slot) or wireless (eg, Bluetooth, WiFi, or other wireless communication protocol) manner. The user can operate the electronic device 10 to browse the VR webpage, and experience the VR content provided by the VR webpage by wearing the VR headset 13 .

The electronic device 10 has a work platform 102 . The operating platform 102 is, for example, Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, or other existing or customized operating systems. The workbench 102 is loaded with a native application NA of the workbench 102 and N browsers BR1 to BRN, where N is a positive integer. The native application NA, for example, refers to a software development kit (Software Development Kit, SDK) or a suggested development method provided by the operating platform 102 manufacturer itself. If the operating platform 102 is a Windows operating system, the native application is, for example, a Win 32/64 application. The browsers BR1 to BRN may be any form of web browser, such as Google Chrome, Chromium, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Oculus, and the like. One or more of the browsers BR1 to BRN may install corresponding extension components. Taking FIG. 1 as an example, the browser BR1 is installed with a corresponding extension element EP1. If the browser BR1 is Google Chrome, the extension element EP1 is an extension element of Chrome.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for browsing VR webpage content according to an embodiment of the present invention. The VR webpage content browsing method can be implemented by, for example, the electronic device 10 in FIG. 1 . It should be noted that the methods described herein need not be performed in the order described (or any particular order). Furthermore, the various activities described for the methods identified herein can be performed in series or in parallel.

Step S202 , the native application NA identifies the device information of the VR helmet 13 . For example, when the user connects the VR headset 13 to the electronic device 10 in a wired manner, or the VR headset 13 establishes a wireless connection with the electronic device 10 , the native application NA will identify the VR headset 13 . The device information of the VR helmet 13 may be any information used to identify the type and model of the device of the VR helmet 13 . In one embodiment, the device information of the VR helmet 13 includes, for example, a product ID (product ID) and a vendor ID (vendor ID) of the VR helmet 13 . After identifying the device information of the VR helmet 13, the native application NA can further record the device information for future identification.

Step S204, when the browser BR1 detects that the VR webpage is browsed, it will send notification information. For example, when the user browses a VR webpage with VR content through the browser BR1, the browser BR1 will trigger a VR display event and send out corresponding notification information.

In step S206, the extension element EP1 of the browser BR1 retrieves the webpage information corresponding to the VR webpage in response to the notification information, and provides the webpage information to the native application NA. The extension element EP1 may, for example, register the VR display event with the browser BR1 in advance, so as to receive notification information sent by the browser BR1.

In some cases, the extension element EP1 may be prohibited from directly capturing the web page information of the VR web page based on system security considerations. At this time, the native application NA and the extension element EP1 can be registered with the operating platform 102 first, so as to allow the extension element EP1 to capture the webpage information of the VR webpage and provide the webpage information to the native application NA.

In one embodiment, when the extension element EP1 receives the notification information, the extension element EP1 will display an operational query window on the screen to ask the user whether to enter the VR immersive operation. If the user confirms to enter the immersive operation, the expansion element EP1 will respond to the confirmation operation for the query window, and provide the webpage information of the VR webpage to the native application NA. The web page information includes, for example, a web address of the VR web page (eg, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL)) and a web page content (eg, a VR web page content code).

In step S208 , the native application NA determines whether the browser BR1 supports the VR helmet 13 to present the VR content of the VR webpage according to the device information of the VR helmet 13 .

In one embodiment, the native application NA can obtain a correspondence table, wherein the correspondence table indicates the VR headset types supported by multiple different browsers under multiple operating platforms. The native application NA can search for a browser that supports the VR headset 13 to browse the VR webpage from the correspondence table by comparing the device information of the VR headset 13 with the correspondence table. The correspondence table may be stored in the electronic device 10 or a cloud space, for example.

The correspondence table may, for example, include the following contents of Table 1:

Table I

According to Table 1, when the native application NA recognizes that the VR headset 13 connected to the electronic device 10 is a WindowsMixed Reality VR headset, it can be determined that under the Windows operating platform, the browser Microsoft Edge can support the VR headset 13 to display VR web pages. VR content.

It should be noted that the content of Table 1 is only used to illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. The information in Table 1 should be adjusted according to the actual compatibility of browsers and/or VR headsets. In addition, the types and quantities of browsers, operating platforms and VR headset types presented in Table 1 are also non-limiting, and the content in the corresponding table should be based on published/to-be-published VR headset product information and browser information. Make corresponding adjustments.

If the determination in step S208 is yes, that is, it is determined that the browser BR1 supports the VR headset 13 to present the VR content of the VR web page, in step S210, the native application NA will keep browsing the VR web page through the browser BR1.

If the judgment in step S208 is NO, that is, it is judged that the browser BR1 does not support the VR headset 13 to present the VR content of the VR webpage, in step S212, the native application NA will browse through another browser according to the webpage information of the VR webpage. A browser (eg, browser BR2) opens the VR webpage, wherein the other browser supports the VR headset 13 to present the VR content of the VR webpage. The native application NA can further send a message to the extension element EP1 to notify to hide the display window of the browser BR1.

Step S214, during the browsing of the VR web page via the other browser (that is, the browser supporting the VR helmet 13), a monitoring program (such as a watch dog) can be used to monitor whether the status of the other browser or the VR helmet 13 is satisfied. a browsing suspension condition, and when the browsing suspension condition is satisfied, close the other browser, and/or restore the screen of the browser originally used by the user (eg browser BR1) to the foreground display, allowing the user to resume use Familiar browser. The browsing suspension conditions include, for example, ending the browsing of the VR web page, turning off the VR headset 13 or entering a sleep state, and the like.

Through the above method, even if the user does not know which browsers the VR headset 13 supports, or is unfamiliar with the browsers supported by the VR headset 13, the user can still operate the familiar browser (such as browsing BR1) to browse VR web content conveniently. In addition, after the user finishes browsing the VR webpage, the electronic device 10 can automatically switch the browser (eg browser BR2 ) back to the browser originally operated by the user (eg browser BR1 ) without forcing the user to operate unfamiliar browser.

In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the contextual intentions of FIGS. 3 and 4 are supplemented for description.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation of a VR webpage content browsing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the example of FIG. 3 , the user connects to a VR web page through the browser BR1 (represented by an example URL https://webvr.infor/ in the figure). In the window of the browser BR1, the tab page T1 displays the VR webpage, and the tab page T2 is hidden behind the tab page T1. In addition, since the tab page T1 displays a VR webpage, a reminder image SB for reminding the user to enter the VR webpage may also be displayed in the window of the tab page T1.

According to the example of FIG. 3, the browser BR1 loads the extension element EP1. When the user browses to the VR webpage through the browser BR1, the browser BR1 will trigger a VR display event to notify the extension element EP1. In response to the notification of the browser BR1, the extension element EP1 will display a query window to ask the user whether to enter the VR immersion mode to experience the VR content of the VR webpage. If the user chooses to enter the VR immersion mode, the extension element EP1 will capture the webpage information of the VR webpage and provide it to the native application NA. On the contrary, if the user chooses to refuse to enter the VR immersion mode, the extension element EP1 does not perform further actions, so as to maintain the operation through the browser BR1.

In one embodiment, the extension element EP1 can also omit the step of displaying the query window, and directly provide the captured web page information of the VR web page to the native application NA after receiving the notification information from the browser BR1.

The native application NA can detect the device information of the VR helmet 13, and search for browsers that support the VR helmet 13 from the corresponding table MT according to the device information. For example, the native application NA can determine, according to the information in the corresponding table MT, that the browsers BR1-BR4 installed on the operating platform 102, the browser BR2 supports the VR headset 13 for VR web content experience.

When the native application NA determines that the currently used browser BR1 does not support the VR helmet 13, the native application NA will automatically open a browser that supports the VR helmet 13 (eg browser BR2) according to the aforementioned judgment result, and will expand the The webpage information captured by the element EP1 is substituted into the browser BR2 to browse the VR webpage through the browser BR2 and present the VR content of the VR webpage.

In one embodiment, when the native application NA determines that the currently used browser BR1 does not support the VR headset 13, and cannot find a browser that supports the VR headset 13 from the corresponding table MT, the native application NA will display message to notify the user that no browser that supports the VR headset 13 is currently installed on the operating platform 102 . The native application NA can further display a suggestion message for the user to refer to which browsers currently support the VR headset 13 .

During the period when the user browses the VR webpage through the browser BR-2, a monitoring program installed on the operating platform 102 will monitor in the background whether the browser BR2 is closed, or whether the VR headset 13 is in a non-use state such as closed or sleep. And when the aforementioned situation is detected (that is, the browsing suspension condition is satisfied), the screen of the browser BR-2 is hidden or the browser BR2 is closed, and the screen of the browser BR1 originally used by the user is restored to the foreground display, so that The user replies to use a familiar browser.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a situation of a VR webpage content browsing method according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the previous embodiment is that in this embodiment, the work platform 102 includes a browser BR2'. The browser BR2' is, for example, a Chromium browser or other simple web browser. Developers can build in the browser BR2' the driving parameters of various VR headsets (such as the source code released by VR headset manufacturers) to support multiple VR headsets for VR web pages at the same time. VR content browsing. Through the browser BR2', once the native application NA determines that the currently used browser (such as the browser BR1) does not support the VR headset 13, it can directly open the VR webpage through the browser BR2'. Since the browser BR2' can be implemented through a simple VR web browser, it can occupy less system resources, and the user only needs to install the familiar browser and the browser BR2' on the operating platform 103 to support the market All kinds of VR headset products.

In summary, the present invention proposes a method for browsing VR web content and an electronic device using the same, which can automatically detect the user's VR headset type and search for browsers supported by the VR headset, and finds that the user is currently using When the browser that supports the VR headset cannot support the VR headset to render the VR content of the VR webpage, the browser that supports the VR headset will automatically render the VR content. In this way, even if the user does not know which browsers are supported by the VR headset at hand, or is unfamiliar with the operating methods of the browsers supported by the VR headset, they can still browse through the familiar browsers easily. VR web content.

Of course, the present invention can also have other various embodiments, without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention, but these corresponding Changes and deformations should belong to the protection scope of the appended claims of the present invention.

Claims (20)

1. A browsing method of virtual reality webpage content, executed by an electronic device comprising a processor, wherein the browsing method of this VR webpage comprises the following steps: Identify the device information of a VR headset through a native application; Through a first browser, when it is detected that a VR webpage is browsed, a notification message is sent; Retrieve a webpage information corresponding to the VR webpage in response to the notification information through an extension element of the first browser, and provide the webpage information to the native application; Determine, through the native application, whether the first browser supports the VR headset to present a VR content of the VR webpage according to the device information; and When it is determined that the first browser does not support the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the native application opens the VR webpage through a second browser according to the webpage information, wherein the second browser The VR content of the VR webpage is supported by the VR headset. 2. browsing method according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises: Obtaining a correspondence table through the native application, the correspondence table indicating the VR headset types supported by multiple browsers under different operating platforms; Through the native application, the device information of the VR helmet and the corresponding table are compared to search for the second browser that supports the VR helmet from the corresponding table. 3. browsing method according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises: When it is determined that the first browser supports the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the native application program maintains browsing the VR webpage through the first browser. 4. browsing method according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises: In response to the notification message, a query window that can be operated is displayed through the extension element; and In response to a confirmation operation for the query window, the web page information is provided to the native application through the extension element. 5. browsing method according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises: Through the extension element, a VR display event is registered with the first browser. 6. browsing method according to claim 1, is characterized in that, further comprises: The native application and the extension element are registered with an operating platform to allow the extension element to capture the webpage information of the VR webpage and provide the webpage information to the native application. 7. The browsing method according to claim 1, further comprising: During the browsing of the VR webpage through the second browser, monitoring through a monitoring program whether the status of the second browser or the VR headset satisfies a browsing suspension condition; and When the browsing suspension condition is satisfied, the screen of the first browser is restored to the foreground display through the native application. 8 . The browsing method of claim 1 , wherein the device information includes a product identification code and a vendor identification code of the VR helmet. 9 . 9 . The browsing method of claim 1 , wherein the web page information comprises a website address of the VR web page and a web page content. 10 . 10 . The browsing method of claim 1 , wherein the second browser has built-in driving parameters of a plurality of VR headsets. 11 . 11. An electronic device, characterized in that, comprising: a memory that stores at least one instruction; and a processor, coupled to the memory, and executing the at least one instruction for: Identify the device information of a virtual reality headset through a native application; Through a first browser, when it is detected that a VR webpage is browsed, a notification message is sent; Retrieve a webpage information corresponding to the VR webpage in response to the notification information through an extension element of the first browser, and provide the webpage information to the native application; Determine, through the native application, whether the first browser supports the VR headset to present a VR content of the VR webpage according to the device information; and When it is determined that the first browser does not support the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the native application opens the VR webpage through a second browser according to the webpage information, wherein the second browser The VR content of the VR webpage is supported by the VR headset. 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: Obtain a correspondence table, the correspondence table indicates the VR headset types supported by multiple browsers under different operating platforms; Through the native application, the device information of the VR helmet and the corresponding table are compared to search for the second browser that supports the VR helmet from the corresponding table. 13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: When it is determined that the first browser supports the VR headset to present the VR content of the VR webpage, the native application program maintains browsing the VR webpage through the first browser. 14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: In response to the notification message, a query window that can be operated is displayed through the extension element; and In response to a confirmation operation for the query window, the web page information is provided to the native application through the extension element. 15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: Through the extension element, a VR display event is registered with the first browser. 16. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: The native application and the extension element are registered with an operating platform to allow the extension element to capture the webpage information of the VR webpage and provide the webpage information to the native application. 17. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: During the browsing of the VR webpage through the second browser, monitoring through a monitoring program whether the status of the second browser or the VR headset satisfies a browsing suspension condition; and When the browsing suspension condition is satisfied, the screen of the first browser is restored to the foreground display through the native application. 18. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the device information comprises a product identification code and a vendor identification code of the VR helmet. 19 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the webpage information comprises a website address of the VR webpage and a webpage content. 20 . 20 . The electronic device of claim 11 , wherein the second browser has built-in driving parameters of a plurality of VR headsets. 21 .