Inconspicuous tag for generating augmented reality experiences

• US 10,496,910 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2018
• Issued: 12/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tout, Nigel David, Goteti, Aditya, Clevenger, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tardif, David
• Application Number:
  US16/227,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20190122085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 348 Days
• Field of Search: 235492
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06046 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0614 the marking being selective to wavelength, e.g. color barcode or barcodes only visible under UV or IR methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers using a selected wavelength, see G06K7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06159 the marking being relief type, e.g. three-dimensional bar codes engraved in a support

Abstract

A system and method for generating virtual objects, the data for the virtual object is retrieved at least in part from a tag. The tag comprises a transparent physical surface and a visually imperceptible structure constructed in the transparent physical surface. The tag encodes the data for the virtual objects in the visually imperceptible structure. When detected by the appropriately configured capture devices, the visually imperceptible structure produces a depth pattern that is reflected in phase shifts between regions in the tag.

Claims

1. A method implemented by an augmented reality device, comprising:

scanning a physical environment;

detecting a physical tag associated with a physical object in the physical environment;

obtaining user interest data from a user profile of a user associated with the augmented reality device;

determining a virtual object to render for display based at least in part on the detecting of the physical tag and the user interest data; and

rendering the virtual object on a display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a viewing location for the virtual object, the viewing location being referenced by the physical tag; and

rendering the virtual object on the display at the viewing location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the viewing location overlays the physical object.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical object comprises a frame and the virtual object comprises video displayed within the frame.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the physical object comprises a document and the virtual object comprises additional information related to content of the document.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the viewing location is outside a view of the physical object.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a request for the virtual object to a network resource referenced by the physical tag; and

receiving, from the network resource, the virtual object.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the physical tag comprises multiple regions and a depth pattern reflected in a phase shift between the multiple regions, the method further comprising detecting the depth pattern to identify the network resource.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the request specifies a file format for the virtual object and the virtual object is received from the network resource in the file format specified in the request.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a user gesture, wherein the rendering of the virtual object on the display is based at least in part on the detecting of the user gesture.

11. A device comprising:

a display;

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the device to perform operations comprising;

scanning a physical environment;

detecting a physical tag associated with a physical object in the physical environment;

obtaining user interest data from a user profile of a user associated with the device;

determining a virtual object to render for display based at least in part on the detecting of the physical tag and the user interest data; and

rendering the virtual object on the display.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a viewing location for the virtual object, the viewing location being referenced by the physical tag; and

rendering the virtual object on the display at the viewing location.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the viewing location overlays the physical object.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the physical object comprises a frame and the virtual object comprises video displayed within the frame.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the physical object comprises a document and the virtual object comprises additional information related to content of the document.

16. The device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

sending a request for the virtual object to a network resource referenced by the physical tag; and

receiving, from the network resource, the virtual object.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the physical tag comprises multiple regions and a depth pattern reflected in a phase shift between the multiple regions, the method further comprising detecting the depth pattern to identify the network resource.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the request specifies a file format for the virtual object and the virtual object is received from the network resource in the file format specified in the request.

19. A system comprising:

a depth camera;

a display;

a processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform operations comprising;

scanning a physical environment;

detecting, by the depth camera, a depth pattern reflected in a phase shift between multiple regions of a physical tag associated with a physical object in the physical environment;

obtaining user interest data from a user profile;

determining a virtual object to render for display based at least in part on the detecting of the depth pattern reflected in the phase shift between the multiple regions of the physical tag and the user interest data; and

rendering the virtual object on the display.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the processor is part of a wrist-mounted device.