Systems and methods for adaptive transmission of data

• US 8,471,783 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rhodes, Charles C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US13/453,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20120319928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 345 7- 9, 345/156, 345/1.2, 348/14.01, 348/14.03, 348/14.05, 348/14.12, 348/115
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597

Abstract

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for transmitting, receiving, and displaying data. The systems and methods may be directed to providing a constant or substantially constant data transmission rate (e.g., frame rate per second) to a device and controlling bandwidth by presenting information directed to an area of interest to a user. Bandwidth can be lowered, for example by presenting high resolution data directed to the area of interest to the user (e.g., an area to which the user is looking or “gazing” using a heads-up display), and lower resolution data directed to other areas. Data can be transmitted and received at a constant frame rate or substantially constant frame rate, and gaze direction and progressive compression/decompression techniques can be used to transmit data focused on areas directed to an area of interest to the user.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information indicating an image of interest associated with a wearable device, wherein the image of interest is within a field of view of the wearable device;

receiving prioritization instructions indicating a priority of contents of the image of interest;

determining data indicative of the contents of the image of interest that is encoded for transmission in time frame slots and configured in a determined order based on the prioritization instructions;

sending the encoded data in the time frame slots based on the determined order until completion of transmission of data associated with the image of interest or until receipt of another request for data from the wearable device; and

maintaining a substantially constant data transmission rate by controlling time allocated to encoding data for each time frame slot.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the encoded data in the determined order such that data that pertains to the image of interest having a first priority is sent in a first time frame slot followed by data that pertains to the image of interest having a second priority in a second time frame slot, wherein the first priority is higher than the second priority.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information indicating one or more of a location of the wearable device and a gaze direction associated with the wearable device; and

based on one or more of the location of the wearable device and the gaze direction associated with the wearable device, determining the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a gaze direction associated with a user of the wearable device; and

based on the gaze direction associated with the user of the wearable device, determining the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a location associated with audio captured by the wearable device; and

based on the location associated with audio captured by the wearable device, determining the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving information indicating a direction associated with motion of the wearable device; and

based on the direction associated with motion of the wearable device, determining the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving prioritization instructions indicating priority of contents of the image of interest after sending at least a portion of data associated with the image of interest in the determined order;

based on the prioritization instructions, determining a new order of transmission of data associated with the image of interest; and

sending the encoded data associated with the image of interest in the new order.

8. A transmitter comprising:

one or more computing devices; and

a memory configured to store instructions executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to;

receive information indicating an image of interest associated with a wearable device, wherein the image of interest is within a field of view of the wearable device;

receiving prioritization instructions indicating a priority of contents of the image of interest;

determining data indicative of the contents of the image of interest that is encoded for transmission in time frame slots and configured in a determined order based on the prioritization instructions;

send the encoded data in the time frame slots based on the determined order until completion of transmission of data associated with the image of interest or until receipt of another request for data from the wearable device; and

maintain a substantially constant data transmission rate by controlling time allocated to encoding data each time frame slot.

9. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive information indicating a location of the wearable device; and

based on the location of the wearable device, determine the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

10. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive information indicating a gaze direction associated with the wearable device; and

based on the gaze direction associated with the wearable device, determine the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

11. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive information indicating a location associated with audio captured by the wearable device; and

based on the location associated with audio captured by the wearable device, determine the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

12. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive information indicating a direction associated with motion of the wearable device; and

based on the direction associated with motion of the wearable device, determine the order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest.

13. The transmitter of claim 8, wherein the instructions are executable by the one or more computing devices to cause the one or more computing devices to:

receive prioritization instructions indicating priority of contents of the image of interest after sending at least a portion of data associated with the image of interest in the determined order;

based on the prioritization instructions, determine a new order of transmission of the encoded data associated with the image of interest; and

send the encoded data associated with the image of interest in the new order.

14. A method comprising:

receiving information indicating an image of interest associated with a wearable device, wherein the image of interest is within a field of view of the wearable device;

receiving prioritization instructions indicating a priority of contents of the image of interest;

determining data indicative of the contents of the image of interest that is encoded for transmission in time frame slots and configured in a determined order based on the prioritization instructions; and

sending the encoded data in the time frame slots based on the determined order until completion of transmission of data associated with the image of interest or until receipt of another request for data from the wearable device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving prioritization instructions indicating the priority of contents of the image of interest comprises:

determining a direction that the wearable device is facing; and

determining the prioritization instructions based on the direction.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving prioritization instructions indicating the priority of contents of the image of interest comprises:

determining a geographic location of the wearable device; and

determining the prioritization instructions based on the geographic location.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving prioritization instructions indicating the priority of contents of the image of interest comprises:

determining a gaze direction of a user of the wearable device; and

determining the prioritization instructions based on the gaze direction.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving prioritization instructions indicating the priority of contents of the image of interest comprises:

receiving one or more outputs from a sensor coupled to the wearable device, wherein the one or more outputs are indicative of audio-based data for an ambient environment of the wearable device;

determining content within the image of interest in a vicinity of audio based on the audio-based data; and

determining the prioritization instructions based on a direction or a location of the audio.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving prioritization instructions indicating the priority of contents of the image of interest comprises:

receiving one or more outputs from a sensor coupled to the wearable device, wherein the one or more outputs are indicative motion of the wearable device; and

determining the prioritization instructions based on the motion of the wearable device.