Utilizing content output devices in an augmented reality environment

• US 9,508,194 B1
• Filed: 12/30/2010
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Worley, William Spencer III
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Michelle
• Application Number:
  US12/982,457
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

Techniques for enabling an augmented reality system to utilize existing output devices in an environment are described herein. An augmented reality system may include one or more augmented reality functional nodes (ARFNs) that are configured to project content onto different non-powered and/or powered display mediums. In addition to projecting content in this manner, the ARFN may also utilize existing content output devices within the environment to further enhance a user'"'"'s experience while consuming the content. For instance, the ARFN may identify that a television exists within the environment and, in response, the ARFN may instruct the television to display certain content. For instance, if the ARFN is projecting a particular movie, the ARFN may stream or otherwise provide an instruction to the television to begin displaying the movie if the television would provide a better viewing experience than the projector.

Claims

1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising:

instructing a first display device to project digital content for viewing within an environment, the first display device having a first display characteristic;

causing a camera to capture imagery of at least a portion of the environment;

identifying a second display device located within the environment based at least in part on the imagery captured by the camera;

selecting, based at least in part on the first display characteristic, the second, different, display device having a second display characteristic, wherein the first display characteristic includes at least a first location of the first display device within the environment and the second display characteristic includes at least a second location of the second display device within the environment; and

instructing, based at least in part on a comparison between the first display characteristic and the second display characteristic, (i) the second display device to display the digital content and (ii) the first display device to discontinue projecting.

2. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first display device comprises a projector that projects the digital content onto a non-powered display medium.

3. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the second display device comprises a television, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an electronic book reader device, a portable media player, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the causing the camera to capture the imagery further comprises causing the camera to scan the environment to capture the imagery.

5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying the second display device further comprises receiving an indication that the second display device resides within the environment.

6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying the second display device further comprises receiving an indication from the second display device that the second display device resides within the environment.

7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying the second display device further comprises monitoring wireless signals sent from or received at the second display device.

8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the second display device is controllable via a remote control configured to send infrared signals to the second display device; and

the identifying the second display device further comprises monitoring the infrared signals sent to the second display device via the remote control and identifying the second display device with reference to the infrared signals.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the identifying the second display device further comprises:

sending multiple different wireless signals to the second display device;

determining which wireless signal of the multiple wireless signals results in a response from the second display device; and

identifying the second display device with reference to the wireless signal that results in the response from the second display device.

10. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the display characteristic further includes at least one of a type of a display of the second display device, a size of the display of the second display device, or a resolution of the display of the second display device.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the instructing the second display device to display the digital content comprises sending the digital content to the second display device via a wired or wireless connection or sending an instruction to a third party device that causes the second display device to display the digital content.

12. A method comprising:

under control of one or more computing systems configured with specific executable instructions,

projecting content using a first display device residing in an environment;

determining that a second, different display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content, the second display device located at a second location that is different than a first location associated with the first display device;

determining that the second display device at the second location has an absence of physical obstructions that physically obstruct display of the content on the second display device or that physically obstruct a viewing of the content on the second display device;

selecting the second display device based at least in part on the second location of the second display device, a determined availability of the second display device, and the absence of the physical obstructions;

causing display of content on the second display device within the environment; and

terminating the projecting by the first display device based at least in part on the causing the display of the content on the second display device.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the first display device comprises a projector configured to project content onto a non-powered display medium and wherein the second display device comprises a display device other than a projector.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the selecting is further based at least in part on determined physical obstructions that physically obstruct display of the content on the first display device or that physically obstruct a viewing of the content on the first display device.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising:

causing a camera to capture imagery of the environment; and

analyzing the imagery to determine the physical obstructions that physically obstruct display of the content on the first display device or that physically obstruct a viewing of the content on the first display device.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content displayed by the second display device comprises at least the projected content.

17. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising receiving a request within the environment to display at least a portion of the projected content on the second display device, and wherein the causing the display of the content on the second display device also occurs at least partly in response to the receiving of the request.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the content displayed by the second display device comprises at least a portion of the projected content, and further comprising:

determining that the second display device is better suited for displaying the projected content than the first display device; and

wherein the causing the display of the content on the second display device also occurs at least partly in response to the determining that the second display device is better suited for displaying the projected content.

19. A method as recited in claim 12, further comprising interpreting a gesture from within the environment, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content is based at least in part on the interpreting the gesture, and wherein the gesture identifies at least a location of the second display device.

20. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content comprises scanning the environment with a camera to identify the second display device.

21. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content comprises receiving an indication that the second display device resides within the environment.

22. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content comprises receiving an indication from the second display device that the second display device resides within the environment.

23. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content comprises (i) monitoring wireless signals sent from or received at the second display device, or (ii) sending wireless signals to the second display device.

24. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory;

a projector, coupled to the one or more processors and configured to project content within an environment at a first location;

a display device configured to display the content within the environment;

an ancillary device identification module, stored in or accessible by the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to identify the display device within the environment and configured to display the content in lieu of the projector projecting the content in response to determining that a second location of the display device is at least one of physically unobstructed or closer to a line of sight of a user than the first location associated with the content projected by the projector; and

a content output module, stored in or accessible by the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to send, at least partly in response to the identifying, a first instruction to the display device to display the content and to send a second instruction to the projector to terminate projecting.

25. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the display device is configured to output visual content and audible content.

26. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the content output module is further executable on the one or more processors to provide the content being projected by the projector or displayed by the display device at least partly in response to identifying the display device within the environment.

27. A system as recited in claim 24, further comprising an ancillary device adjustment module, stored in or accessible by the memory and executable on the one or more processors, to adjust, remotely, one or more output settings of the display device.

28. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the one or more output settings comprise a resolution of the display device, a volume of the display device, a contrast of the display device, or a brightness of the display device.

29. A system as recited in claim 27, wherein the ancillary device adjustment module adjusts the one or more output settings with reference to content being output by the display device.

30. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein:

the ancillary device identification module is further executable to identify multiple output devices within the environment that are configured to output the content being projected by the projector; and

the content output module is further executable to send, at least partly in response to the identifying, respective instructions to the multiple output devices to output the content being projected by the projector.

31. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the ancillary device identification module is further configured to identify an audio output device also within the environment and configured to emit audio of the content, and wherein the content output module is further configured to send, at least partly in response to the identifying the audio output device, a third instruction to the audio output device to emit the audio of the content.

32. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein the content output module is further configured to send, at least partly in response to the identifying the audio output device, a fourth instruction to the projector to terminate emitting of the audio of the content.

33. A system as recited in claim 31, further comprising the audio output device.

34. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein the audio output device includes wireless speakers.

35. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the display device comprises a television, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, an electronic book reader device, a portable media player, or a personal digital assistant (PDA).

36. A system as recited in claim 24, wherein the projector includes a first display characteristic and the display device includes a second display characteristic, and wherein the content output module determines, based on a comparison between the first display characteristic and the second display characteristic, to transition the digital content from the projector to the display device.

37. A method comprising:

causing a first display device to display content in an environment, wherein the content includes imagery and audio;

causing an original source to emit the audio associated with the imagery;

determining that a second, different display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying the content;

interpreting a gesture from within the environment, wherein the determining that the second display device also resides within the environment and is available for displaying content is based at least in part on the interpreting the gesture, and wherein the gesture identifies at least a location of the second display device;

causing the second display device to display the content within the environment at least partly in response to the determining; and

causing the second display device to emit the audio of the content.

38. A method as recited in claim 37, further comprising causing an audio device that is different than the projector to emit audio of the content in the environment.

39. A method as recited in claim 37, further comprising continuing, for at least the period of time, to emit the audio of the content from an original source simultaneous with the causing the second display device to display the content.

40. A method as recited in claim 37, wherein the causing a first display device to display content includes causing a projector to project content onto a surface in the environment.