Augmented reality and location determination methods and apparatus

• US 8,502,659 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gravity Jack, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Gravity Jack, Inc.
• Inventors: Richey, Luke, Greaves, Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): MCNALLY, KERRI L
• Application Number:
  US12/847,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20120025974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/22 by selection of a specific region containing or referencing a pattern; Locating or processing of specific regions to guide the detection or recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

Augmented reality and location determination methods and apparatus are disclosed according to some aspects of the description. In one aspect, a location determination method includes accessing first location information regarding a location of a user interaction device in a physical world, wherein the user interaction device is configured to generate an augmented reality representation with respect to the physical world, using the first location information, identifying a plurality of wireless communication devices which are proximately located with respect to the user interaction device, initiating wireless communications between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices, after the initiating, accessing information regarding the wireless communications of the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices, and using the information regarding the wireless communications, determining second location information regarding the location of the user interaction device, and wherein the second location information has increased accuracy with respect to the location of the user interaction device in the physical world compared with the first location information.

Claims

1. A location determination method comprising:

accessing first location information regarding a location of a user interaction device in a physical world, wherein the user interaction device is configured to generate an augmented reality representation with respect to the physical world;

using the first location information, identifying a plurality of wireless communication devices which are proximately located with respect to the user interaction device;

initiating wireless communications between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices;

after the initiating, accessing information regarding the wireless communications of the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices; and

using the information regarding the wireless communications, determining second location information regarding the location of the user interaction device, and wherein the second location information has increased accuracy with respect to the location of the user interaction device in the physical world compared with the first location information.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating comprises initiating the wireless communications including communications of electromagnetic waves.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating comprises initiating the wireless communications including communications of sounds waves.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the initiating comprises instructing the user interaction device to operate as a sender to transmit a wireless communications signal and instructing the wireless communication devices to individually operate as a receiver to receive the wireless communications signal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user interaction device transmits the wireless communications signal at one moment in time, and further comprising instructing the wireless communication devices to individually operate as the sender to transmit additional wireless communications signals at other moments in time and instructing the user interaction device and non-transmitting ones of the wireless communications devices to individually operate as a receiver to receive the additional wireless communications signals.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the accessing the information regarding the wireless communications comprises accessing information regarding a moment in time when the user interaction device transmitted the wireless communications signal and information regarding a plurality of moments in time when the wireless communications devices received the wireless communications signal.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining lengths of time between the transmission and receptions of the wireless communications signal, and wherein the determining the second location information comprises determining using the lengths of time.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the determining comprises determining the second location information using information regarding a length of time between the transmission of the wireless communications signal by the user interaction device and the reception of the wireless communications signal by the wireless communications devices.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessing information regarding the wireless communications includes accessing the information regarding a plurality of moments in time regarding communication of a wireless communications signal between the user device and the wireless communications devices.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising establishing a common timing reference between the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying comprises identifying at least one of the wireless communication devices comprising a Wi-Fi device which is positioned at a static location.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the wireless communication devices comprises another user interaction device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the accessings, the identifying, the initiating and the determining are implemented using a management device which is in wireless communication with the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

storing augmented data using the management device; and

communicating the augmented data comprising the augmented reality representation to the user interaction device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining comprises determining using location information regarding one of the wireless communication devices.

16. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating the second location information to the user interaction device.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

using the first location information, identifying a marker which is proximately located with respect to the location of the user interaction device; and

communicating the marker to the user interaction device.

18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

accessing an image generated by the user interaction device;

using the first location information, identifying an image of a marker which is proximately located with respect to the location of the user interaction device; and

processing the image with respect to the image of the marker, and wherein the determining the second location information comprises determining using the processing.

19. A location determination method comprising:

using a user interaction device, outputting initial location information regarding a location of the user interaction device to a management device which is external of the user interaction device;

using the user interaction device, receiving a control signal from the management device as a result of the outputting the initial location information;

using the user interaction device, emitting a wireless communications signal at a first moment in time as a result of the reception of the control signal;

using a plurality of portable wireless communication devices which are individually configured to be moved during wireless communications, receiving the wireless communications signal emitted by the user interaction device at a plurality of second moments in time; and

using the first and second moments in time, determining refined location information regarding the location of the user interaction device.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the emitting comprises emitting the wireless communications signal in the form of an electromagnetic wave.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the emitting comprises emitting the wireless communications signal in the form of a sound wave.

22. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

using one of the wireless communication devices, emitting another wireless communications signal at a third moment in time; and

using the user interaction device, receiving the another wireless communications signal at a fourth moment in time, and wherein the determining comprises determining the location of the user interaction device using the third and fourth moments in time.

23. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

using the user interaction device, communicating information regarding the first moment in time to the management device which is external of the user interaction device; and

using the wireless communication devices, communicating information regarding the second moments in time to the management device, and wherein the determining comprises processing the information regarding the first and second moments in time using the management device.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein the determining comprises determining using the management device which is external of the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the determining comprises determining using the user interaction device.

26. A computing system comprising:

communications circuitry configured to implement communications externally of the computing system; and

processing circuitry coupled with the communications circuitry, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access first location information regarding a location of a user interaction device in a physical world, to use the first location information to identify a plurality of wireless communications devices which are proximately located with respect to the location of the user interaction device, to control the communications circuitry to output a control signal which is configured to initiate wireless communications between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices, to access information regarding the wireless communications between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices, and to use the information regarding the wireless communications to determine second location information regarding the location of the user interaction device and which has increased accuracy with respect to the location of the user interaction device in the physical world compared with the first location information.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the control signal which is configured to initiate the wireless communications comprising communications of an electromagnetic wave between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices.

28. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to generate the control signal which is configured to initiate the wireless communications comprising communications of a sound wave between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices.

29. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to output the control signal comprising an instruction to cause the user interaction device to operate as a sender to transmit a wireless communications signal and to cause the wireless communication devices to individually operate as a receiver to receive the wireless communications signal.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to output additional control signals to cause the wireless communications devices to individually operate as a sender to transmit additional wireless communications signals and to cause the user interaction device and non-transmitting ones of the wireless communications devices to individually operate as a receiver to receive the additional wireless communications signals.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the communications circuitry receives the information regarding the wireless communications comprising information regarding a moment in time when the sender transmitted the wireless communications signal and information regarding a plurality of additional moments in time when the receivers received the wireless communications signal.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine lengths of time between the transmission of the wireless communications signal and the reception of the wireless communications signal by the receivers to determine the second location information.

33. The system of claim 29 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the second location information using the information regarding the wireless communications signal comprising lengths of time between the transmission of the wireless communications signal and the receptions of the wireless communications signal by the receivers.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to access the information regarding the wireless communications including information regarding a plurality of moment in times when the wireless communications signal was transmitted and received.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to establish a common timing reference between the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices.

36. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify at least one of the wireless communication devices comprising a Wi-Fi device which is positioned at a known location.

37. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify at least one of the wireless communication devices comprising another user interaction device.

38. The system of claim 26 wherein the communications circuitry is configured to receive augmented data from the user interaction device and to communicate the augmented data to the another user interaction device.

39. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the second location information using location information regarding one of the wireless communication devices.

40. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate the second location information to the user interaction device.

41. The system of claim 26 wherein the communications circuitry is configured to implement wireless communications with the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices.

42. The system of claim 26 further comprising storage circuitry configured to store augmented data comprising an augmented reality representation, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to control the communications circuitry to communicate the augmented data to the user interaction device.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein the augmented data representation comprises a virtual object.

44. The system of claim 26 wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the first location information to identify a marker which is proximately located with respect to the location of the user interaction device, and to control the communications circuitry to communicate the marker to the user interaction device.

45. The system of claim 26 wherein the communications circuitry receives a plurality of images generated by the user interaction device, and wherein the processing circuitry is configured to use the first location information to identify an image of a marker which is proximately located with respect to the location of the user interaction device and to process the images with respect to the image of the marker to determine the second location information.

46. A location determination method comprising:

using a user interaction device, outputting initial location information regarding a location of the user interaction device to a management device which is external of the user interaction device;

using the user interaction device, receiving a control signal from the management device as a result of the outputting the initial location information;

using the user interaction device, emitting a wireless communications signal at a first moment in time as a result of the reception of the control signal;

using a plurality of wireless communication devices, receiving the wireless communications signal emitted by the user interaction device at a plurality of second moments in time; and

using the first and second moments in time, determining refined location information regarding the location of the user interaction device.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising, using the management device, identifying the wireless communication devices using the initial location information regarding the location of the user interaction device.