Augmented reality environment with environmental condition control

• US 10,445,934 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2016
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Worley, III, William Spencer, Crump, Edward Dietz, Weatherford, William Thomas, Coley, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhai, Kyle
• Application Number:
  US15/276,507
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/012 Walk-in-place systems for allowing a user to walk in a virtual environment while constraining him to a given position in the physical environment
• 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: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388

Abstract

An architecture includes a system to create an augmented reality environment in which images are projected onto a scene and user movement within the scene is captured. The augmented reality environment is hosted within a surrounding area in which various ambient conditions, external to the augmented reality environment, persist. The architecture monitors the external conditions and controls secondary devices that selectively modify the conditions as desired in cooperation with operation of the augmented reality environment to effectively enhance user experience. Alternatively or additionally, the architecture may inform the user of what changes to make, and the user manually makes the adjustments.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a speaker;

a microphone;

a communication interface configured to exchange information with a remote computing device that is configured to communicate with a secondary device that controls an environmental condition within a predefined environment;

one or more sensors to detect the environmental condition within the predefined environment;

one or more processors; and

memory to store computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to;

receive, via the microphone, a user request to set a parameter of the environmental condition at a first value;

determine, based at least partly on first data from the one or more sensors, a second value of the parameter of the environmental condition;

determine that the second value of the parameter differs from the first value of the parameter by more than a threshold amount;

output, via the speaker, a notification of a proposed change to the parameter, the proposed change to physically alter the predefined environment;

generate, based at least in part on a voice input received via the microphone, second data indicative of a user response to the notification;

send the second data indicative of the user response to the remote computing device to cause the remote computing device to send a signal to the secondary device to initiate the proposed change;

determine, based at least in part on third data from the one or more sensors, a third value of the parameter of the environmental condition; and

determine that the third value of the parameter does not differ from the first value by more than the threshold amount.

2. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further configured to provide wireless communication with the secondary device, and wherein the electronic device is located outside of the predefined environment and the secondary device is located within the predefined environment.

3. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises ambient temperature within the predefined environment, and wherein the secondary device comprises an ambient temperature regulator configured to alter the ambient temperature of the predefined environment in response to the signal from the remote computing device.

4. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises ambient light within the predefined environment, and wherein the secondary device is configured to alter the ambient light of the predefined environment in response to the signal from the remote computing device.

5. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises ambient humidity within the predefined environment, and wherein the secondary device comprises a humidity regulator configured to alter the ambient humidity of the predefined environment in response to the signal from the remote computing device.

6. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises air flow within the predefined environment, and wherein the secondary device comprises a fan configured to alter air movement within the predefined environment in response to the signal from the remote computing device.

7. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein the environmental condition comprises a noise level in the predefined environment, and wherein the secondary device comprises a noise cancellation system configured to reduce an audible impact of sounds within the predefined environment in response to the signal from the remote computing device.

8. The electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the electronic device is configured to output a message associated with a user activity; and

the secondary device is configured to cause the proposed change to the parameter of the environmental condition based at least in part on the output of the message.

9. A system comprising:

a first device including a speaker, a sensor, and a microphone, the first device to receive, via the microphone, a user request to set, to a first value, a parameter associated with an environmental condition of a predefined environment associated with the first device, wherein the first device is in communication with a remote computing device, the remote computing device in communication with a second device to controllably alter the parameter associated with the environmental condition;

the first device to;

determine, based at least in part on first data obtained from the sensor, a current value the parameter;

determine that the current value of the parameter differs from the first value of the parameter by more than a threshold amount;

output, via the speaker, a notification of a proposed change to the parameter;

generate, based at least in part on a voice input received via the microphone, second data indicative of a user response to the notification; and

provide instructions to the remote computing device to cause the remote computing device to instruct the second device to implement the proposed change.

10. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the second device includes at least one of an ambient temperature regulator, a humidity regulator, or an air movement mechanism to implement the proposed change in accordance with the voice input.

11. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein the first device is located outside of the predefined environment and the second device is located within the predefined environment.

12. A method comprising:

identifying first voice input captured by a microphone of a first device to change a parameter associated with an environmental condition to a first value;

determining, based least in part on sensor data generated by the first device, a current value of the parameter;

determining, based at least in part on the first value and the current value differing by more than a threshold amount, a proposed change to the parameter;

outputting, via a speaker of the first device, a notification of the proposed change to the parameter;

determining, based at least in part on a second voice input captured by the microphone of the first device, a user response to the notification of the proposed change to the parameter; and

sending, to a remote computing device and based at least partly on the user response, a signal to cause the remote computing device to instruct a second device implement the proposed change to the parameter.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining a location associated with the proposed change to the environmental condition.

14. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining biometric data of an individual;

performing an analysis of the biometric data of the individual with respect to previous biometric data of the individual; and

wherein the proposed change to the parameter is based at least partly on the analysis of the biometric data of the individual.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, wherein the proposed change to the parameter corresponds to a change to an ambient temperature of the location, and the change to the ambient temperature is based at least partly on at least one of a body temperature of the individual or a heart rate of the individual.

16. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising obtaining third voice input related to interactions with images projected into an environment associated with the first device.

17. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising:

determining, based at least partly on biometric data of an individual, that the individual exhibits a characteristic of sleepiness; and

determining an additional change to the environmental condition based at least in part on at least one of the biometric data or third voice input.