Method and apparatus for augmented reality

• US 9,196,094 B2
• Filed: 11/30/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Empire Technology Development LLC (Allied Inventors Management, LLC)
• Inventors: Ur, Shmuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier, Jeffery A
• Application Number:
  US13/989,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20140184645A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,089 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• 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: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A method for providing an augmented reality includes capturing a real image from information contained in a visible light; generating a virtual image from the captured image; displaying on an augmented reality device a view selected from the group consisting of the real image and the virtual image; displaying the view of the real image in response to detection of a motion; and displaying the view of the virtual image in the absence of detected motion. An augmented reality device and a computer program product are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for providing an augmented reality comprising:

capturing a real image from information contained in a visible light;

generating a virtual image from the captured image;

displaying on an augmented reality device a view selected from the group consisting of the real image and the virtual image;

displaying the view of the real image in response to detection of a motion; and

displaying the view of the virtual image in the absence of detected motion.

2. The method of claim 1:

wherein the capture of the real image is by a camera; and

wherein the generation of the virtual image from the captured image is by a processor executing an instance of an augmented reality application.

3. The method of claim 2:

wherein the camera is movably located at a local site.

4. The method of claim 3:

wherein the visible light containing the information from which the real image is captured originates from a light source.

5. The method of claim 4:

wherein the display of the real image includes activating the light source and the camera and deactivating the virtual reality generator; and

wherein the display of the virtual image includes deactivating the light source and the camera and activating the virtual reality generator.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

storing the captured real image in a storage device; and

requesting the captured real image from the storage device for display as the virtual image on the augmented reality device.

7. The method of claim 6:

wherein the storage device resides in a device selected from the group consisting of the augmented reality device, a control device, a computing device, and a cloud computer.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining a real orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a projection space;

determining an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a virtual image;

orienting the virtual image displayable on the augmented reality device to the user in response to the real orientation of the augmented reality device; and

displaying the oriented virtual image on the augmented reality device.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining an orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space;

determining an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a virtual image;

displaying the virtual image in the absence of a motion if the orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space and the orientation of the augmented reality device to a virtual image are the same; and

displaying the real image if the orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space is changed from the orientation of the augmented reality device to a virtual image.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining a lighting condition by the light source of a space;

displaying a composite of the virtual image and the real image in the absence of a motion under partial lighting conditions.

11. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

determining an interval of time after detection of a motion;

maintaining the display of the view of the real image during the interval of time;

determining a second motion within the interval of time;

continuing the display of the view of the real image on detection of the second motion for one or more additional intervals of time;

continuing the display of the view of the real image on detection of a subsequent motion within the one or more additional intervals of time; and

wherein the absence of detected motion is the absence of the second motion within the interval of time or the absence of the subsequent motions within the one or more additional intervals of time.

12. An augmented reality device comprising:

a light source for illuminating a space, the visible light containing space information;

a camera for capturing a real image from information in the visible light;

a motion detector for detecting motion within the space;

an augmented reality application for generating a virtual image from the captured real image;

a display for displaying a view selected from the group consisting of the real image and the virtual image;

a processor operatively coupled to the light source, the camera, the motion detector, and the display;

the processor executing an instance of the augmented reality application to generate the virtual image;

wherein the processor is configured by the augmented reality application to activate the light source and the camera and deactivate the virtual reality generator in response to a signal from the motion detector indicating motion;

wherein the processor is configured to deactivate the light source and the camera and activate the virtual reality generator in response to the absence of motion.

13. The augmented reality device of claim 12:

wherein the camera is movably located at a local site.

14. The augmented reality device of claim 12 further comprising:

a storage device for storing the captured real image.

15. The augmented reality device of claim 14:

wherein the storage device resides in a device selected from the group consisting of the augmented reality device, a control device, a computing device, and a cloud computer.

16. The augmented reality device of claim 15:

wherein the augmented reality device is a device selected from the group consisting of glasses, augmented reality contact lenses, an implanted device, implanted contact lenses, and devices capable of being worn by and configured to provide a virtual presentation of a space to a user.

17. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the processor is configured by the augmented reality application to;

determine a real orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a projection space;

determine an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a virtual image; and

orient the virtual image displayable on the augmented reality device to the user in response to the real orientation of the augmented reality device.

18. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the processor is configured by the augmented reality application to;

determine an orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space;

determine an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a virtual image;

display the virtual image in the absence of a motion if the orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space and the orientation of the augmented reality device to a virtual image are the same; and

display the real image if the orientation of the augmented reality device within a space or a portion of a space is changed from the orientation of the augmented reality device to a virtual image.

19. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the processor is configured by the augmented reality application to;

determine a lighting condition of a space by the light source; and

display a composite of the virtual image and the real image in the absence of a motion under partial lighting conditions.

20. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the processor is configured by the augmented reality application to;

determine an interval of time after detection of a motion;

maintain the display of the view of the real image during the interval of time;

determine a second motion within the interval of time;

continue the display of the view of the real image on detection of the second motion for one or more additional intervals of time;

continue the display of the view of the real image on detection of a subsequent motion within the one or more additional intervals of time; and

wherein the absence of detected motion is the absence of the second motion within the interval of time or the absence of the subsequent motions within the one or more additional intervals of time.

21. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the camera is a camera on a chip.

22. The augmented reality device of claim 16:

wherein the light source is a micro light source.

23. The augmented reality device of claim 16 further comprising:

a communication interface for communication with other computing devices.

24. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to perform a method for augmenting reality comprising:

capturing a real image from information contained in a visible light;

generating a virtual image from the captured image;

displaying on an augmented reality device a view selected from the group consisting of the real image and the virtual image;

displaying the view of the real image in response to detection of a motion; and

displaying the view of the virtual image in the absence of detected motion.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 24:

wherein the display of the real image includes activating a light source and a camera for capturing the real image and deactivating the virtual reality generator; and

wherein the display of the virtual image includes deactivating the light source and the camera and activating the virtual reality generator.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, the method further comprising:

determining a real orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a projection space;

determining an orientation of the augmented reality device relative to a virtual image;

orienting the virtual image displayable on the augmented reality device to the user in response to the real orientation of the augmented reality device.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, the method further comprising:

determining an illumination by the light source of a space;

displaying a composite of the virtual image and the real image in the absence of a motion under partial lighting conditions.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, the method further comprising:

determining an interval of time after detection of a motion;

maintaining the display of the view of the real image during the interval of time;

determining a second motion within the interval of time;

continuing the display of the view of the real image on detection of the second motion for one or more additional intervals of time;

continuing the display of the view of the real image on detection of a subsequent motion within the one or more additional intervals of time; and

wherein the absence of detected motion is the absence of the second motion within the interval of time or the absence of the subsequent motions within the one or more additional intervals of time.