Showing uncertainty in an augmented reality application

• US 8,681,178 B1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick
• Primary Examiner(s): Welch, David T
• Application Number:
  US12/917,945
• Time in Patent Office: 1,239 Days
• Field of Search: 345/633, 345/629
• US Class Current: 345/633
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00

Abstract

A computer-implemented method involves obtaining electronic information that indicates a location and direction of aim of a user in a virtual space of an augmented reality application running on a computing device, and determining, with one or more computer processors, factors that represent potential uncertainty in the obtained electronic information. The method also involves generating from the factors a combined level of uncertainty for a focus of the user, the focus representing an item within the user'"'"'s field of view in the augmented reality application at which the user is directing attention, generating data for making a graphical indication of the level of uncertainty; and providing the data for making the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty for display as an overlay over an image of the field of view in the augmented reality application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented augmented reality method, comprising:

obtaining electronic information that indicates a geographic location and a direction of aim of a computing device;

identifying, based on the information that indicates the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, a field of view for an augmented reality display;

identifying, from a plurality of points of interest that fall within the field of view for the augmented reality display, a particular point of interest based on;

(i) a frequency of search terms of search activity that is associated with a user of the computing device and that correspond with the plurality of points of interest, and (ii) a user profile associated with the user; and

providing data for causing the computing device to overlay a real-world image of at least a portion of the field of view for the augmented reality display with;

(i) a graphical indication of the particular point of interest, and

(ii) a graphical indication of a level of uncertainty regarding a placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest with respect to an actual location of the particular point of interest.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained electronic information includes global positioning system data generated by the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained electronic information that indicates the direction of aim comprises information from a compass and accelerometer on the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained electronic information includes data from a wireless access point location determination system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is user-selectable in order to cause a display of additional data regarding the particular point of interest.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein the level of uncertainty regarding the placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is based on the level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a size for the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty regarding the placement of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest based on the determined level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein a larger graphical indication of the level of uncertainty represents a higher potential uncertainty than a smaller graphical indication of the level of uncertainty.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty overlaps with the particular point of interest.

9. A tangible, non-transient recordable storage media having recorded thereon instructions, that when executed, perform actions comprising:

obtaining electronic information that includes a geographic location and a direction of aim of a computing device;

identifying, based on the information that indicates the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, a field of view for an augmented reality display;

identifying, from a plurality of points of interest that fall within the field of view for the augmented reality display, a particular point of interest based on;

(i) a frequency of search terms of search activity that is associated with a user of the computing device and that correspond with the plurality of points of interest, and (ii) a user profile associated with the user; and

providing data for causing the computing device to overlay a real-world image of at least a portion of the field of view for the augmented reality display with;

(i) a graphical indication of the particular point of interest, and

(ii) a graphical indication of a level of uncertainty regarding a placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest with respect to an actual location of the particular point of interest.

10. The tangible, non-transient recordable storage media of claim 9, wherein the geographic location is determined from global positioning system data generated by the computing device.

11. The tangible, non-transient recordable storage medium of claim 9, the operations further comprising determining a level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein the level of uncertainty regarding the placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is based on the level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device.

12. The tangible, non-transient recordable storage media of claim 11, the operations further comprising determining a size for the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty regarding the placement of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest based on the determined level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein a larger graphical indication of the level of uncertainty represents a higher potential uncertainty than a smaller graphical indication of the level of uncertainty.

13. The tangible, non-transient recordable storage media of claim 12, wherein the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty overlaps with the particular point of interest.

14. A computer-implemented augmented reality system, comprising:

one or more position sensors for obtaining electronic information that indicates a geographic location and a direction of aim of a computing device;

a positional uncertainty computation module programmed to identify, based on the information that indicates the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, a field of view for an augmented reality display; and

an augmented reality application on the computing device programmed to;

identify, from a plurality of points of interest that fall within the field of view for the augmented reality display, a particular point of interest based on;

(i) a frequency of search terms of search activity that is associated with a user of the computing device and that correspond with the plurality of points of interest, and (ii) a user profile associated with the user, and

provide data for causing the computing device to overlay a real-world image of at least a portion of the field of view for the augmented reality display with;

(i) a graphical indication of the particular point of interest, and

(ii) a graphical indication of a level of uncertainty regarding a placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest with respect to an actual location of the particular point of interest.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more position sensors comprise a global positioning system (GPS) sensor and a compass.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the level of uncertainty regarding the placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is based on a combination of error values for each of the one or more position sensors.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty regarding the placement of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest based on the determined level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device represents an area of a display of the augmented reality application within which a user'"'"'s focus cannot be determined.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the identified information includes data from a wireless access point location determination system.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is user-selectable in order to cause a display of additional data regarding the particular point of interest.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the positional uncertainty computation module is further programmed to determine a level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein the level of uncertainty regarding the placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is based on the level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the positional uncertainty computation module is further programmed to determine a size for the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty regarding the placement of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest based on the determined level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein a larger graphical indication of the level of uncertainty represents a higher potential uncertainty than a smaller graphical indication of the level of uncertainty.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the graphical indication of the level of uncertainty overlaps with the particular point of interest.

23. A computer-implemented augmented reality system, comprising:

one or more position sensors for obtaining electronic information that indicates a geographic location and a direction of aim of a computing device;

means for identifying, based on the information that indicates the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, a field of view for an augmented reality display; and

an augmented reality application on the computing device programmed to;

identify, from a plurality of points of interest that fall within a field of view for the augmented reality display, a particular point of interest based on;

(i) a frequency of search terms of search activity that is associated with a user of the computing device and that correspond with the plurality of points of interest, and (ii) a user profile associated with the user, and

provide data for causing the computing device to overlay a real-world image of at least a portion of the field of view for the augmented reality display with;

(i) a graphical indication of the particular point of interest, and

(ii) a graphical indication of a level of uncertainty regarding a placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest with respect to an actual location of the particular point of interest is located.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the augmented reality application is further programmed to determine a level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device, wherein the level of uncertainty regarding the placement in the real-world image of the graphical indication of the particular point of interest is based on the level of uncertainty in the geographic location and the direction of aim of the computing device.