Augmented reality based user interface configuration of mobile and wearable computing devices

According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for computing device control. The embodiment may include segmenting an augmented reality (AR) view of an environment of a user into distinct segmented areas of the AR view. The AR view is created by an AR device of the user. The segmenting is performed using the AR device. The embodiment may include mapping a computing device within the environment to a distinct segmented area of the AR view. The mapping results in a user interface (UI) of the computing device being displayed within the distinct segmented area of the AR view. The embodiment may include controlling the computing device via the UI of the computing device displayed within the distinct segmented area of the AR view.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, and more particularly to augmented reality and smart device control applications.

Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience or a real-world environment where objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer generated perceptual information across one or more sensory modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory, olfactory). AR may be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. The overlaid sensory information may be constructive (i.e., additive to the real-world environment), or destructive (i.e., masking of the real-world environment). AR may be used to enhance natural environments or situations and offer perceptually enriched experiences. With the help of advanced AR technologies (e.g., adding computer vision, incorporating AR technology into smart device applications) information about the surrounding real world of a user becomes interactive and digitally manipulated. AR techniques are typically performed in real-time and are context aware (i.e., considering situational contexts of users or devices). Hardware components for augmented reality may include a processor, a display, sensors, and input devices. For example, AR displays may be rendered on computing devices resembling eyeglasses that employs cameras to intercept the real-world view and re-display its augmented view through the eyepieces.

A smart device is an electronic device that may connect, share, and interact with its user and other smart devices. Smart devices generally connect to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee, Near-Field Communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, and cellular networks) and may operate to some extent interactively and autonomously. Some examples of commonly used smart devices include smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, smart thermostats, and smart TVs. Smart devices play a fundamental role in today's commercial electronic industry and are at the center of the Internet-of-Things (IoT).

SUMMARY

According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for computing device control. The embodiment may include segmenting an augmented reality (AR) view of an environment of a user into distinct segmented areas of the AR view. The AR view is created by an AR device of the user. The segmenting is performed using the AR device. The embodiment may include mapping a computing device within the environment to a distinct segmented area of the AR view. The mapping results in a user interface (UI) of the computing device being displayed within the distinct segmented area of the AR view. The embodiment may include controlling the computing device via the UI of the computing device displayed within the distinct segmented area of the AR view.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of computing, and more particularly to augmented reality and smart device control applications. The following described exemplary embodiments provide a system, method, and program product to, among other things, visually segment a surrounding environment within an AR view and, accordingly, map user interfaces of smart devices within the environment to segments of the AR view. Therefore, the present embodiment has the capacity to improve the technical fields of augmented reality and smart device control applications by providing the user with the ability to control functionality of multiple smart devices from within a centralized AR view, thus improving user accessibility among the multiple smart devices.

As previously described, augmented reality is an interactive experience or a real-world environment where objects that reside in the real world are enhanced by computer generated perceptual information across one or more sensory modalities (e.g., visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory, olfactory). AR may be defined as a system that incorporates three basic features: a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and accurate 3D registration of virtual and real objects. The overlaid sensory information may be constructive (i.e., additive to the real-world environment), or destructive (i.e., masking of the real-world environment). AR may be used to enhance natural environments or situations and offer perceptually enriched experiences. With the help of advanced AR technologies (e.g., adding computer vision, incorporating AR technology into smart device applications) information about the surrounding real world of a user becomes interactive and digitally manipulated. AR techniques are typically performed in real-time and are context aware (i.e., taking into account situational contexts of users or devices). Hardware components for augmented reality may include a processor, a display, sensors, and input devices. For example, AR displays may be rendered on computing devices resembling eyeglasses that employs cameras to intercept the real-world view and re-display its augmented view through the eyepieces.

A smart device is an electronic device that may connect, share, and interact with its user and other smart devices. Smart devices generally connect to other devices or networks via different wireless protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Zigbee, Near-Field Communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, and cellular networks) and may operate to some extent interactively and autonomously. Some examples of commonly used smart devices include smartphones, smartwatches, tablets, smart thermostats, and smart TVs. Smart devices play a fundamental role in today's commercial electronic industry and are at the center of the IoT. Indeed, IoT devices such as mobile computing devices and wearable computing devices have grown in popularity for use within home and business environments. The rise in popularity of such devices presents many scenarios in which users may attempt to interact with multiple devices simultaneously such as smartwatch and smartphone apps, weather, biometric data visualization, etc. However, such multi-device usage attempts by a user may prove challenging for the user's interaction and view across the multiple devices.

For example, in a scenario where one or more of the IoT devices are wearable (e.g., a smartwatch worn on wrist) or hand-held (e.g., a smartphone held in hand), selection, by the user, of app controls (e.g., UI controls) for manipulating/configuring the devices may be cumbersome as performing the control interaction typically requires a free hand to interact with the app menus of the devices. Further, if the user wants to view multiple contents within the screens of the devices, say a smartwatch and a smartphone, the user may be challenged when viewing respective screens of the devices if the smartwatch is worn on the wrist of the hand in which the user is holding the smartphone. Such interaction and viewing challenges may be increased as the user attempts to interact with and view more devices. Additionally, for users having physical accessibility needs (e.g., arm or hand limitations), multi-device interaction and viewing challenges may be further compounded. It may therefore be imperative to have a system in place to provide a centralized AR view through which a user may visualize and interact with UIs of multiple IoT devices. Thus, embodiments of the present invention may be advantageous to, among other things, provide for user control of multiple IoT device functionality from within an AR view, provide a shared display within the AR view of interactive application contents (e.g., UIs) of the multiple IoT devices controlled via the AR view, change/configure displayed application content within the AR view of a controlled IoT device based on its position relative to other controlled devices or a user, learn mobility patterns of user interaction with IoT devices, and enhance user accessibility when interacting with multiple IoT devices. The present invention does not require that all advantages need to be incorporated into every embodiment of the invention.

According to at least one embodiment, a user may utilize AR glasses to visually segment their surrounding environment into multiple segmented areas within an AR view of the surrounding environment. IoT devices present within the surrounding environment, which are paired to the AR glasses and represented by rendered objects within the AR view, may be mapped (e.g., dragged and dropped) to distinct segmented areas of the AR view and a UI for each mapped IoT device may be displayed within its respective segmented area within the AR view. The user may utilize the AR glasses to navigate among and within the displayed UIs and to control a mapped IoT device via interaction with its UI within the AR view.

According to at least one embodiment, the distinct segmented areas of the AR view may be defined via user physical touch input on the frame of the AR glasses (e.g., user manipulation of controls mounted on the frame of the AR glasses) as they visually scan the surrounding environment. According to at least one other embodiment, the distinct segmented areas of the AR view may be dynamically defined based on eye or head movement of the user detected by the AR glasses as the user visually scans the surrounding environment. The distinct segmented areas of the AR view may also be dynamically defined based on hand gestures of the user such as dragging and dropping (i.e., mapping) a rendered object representative of a paired IoT device to a particular region/location within the AR view. According to at least one further embodiment, the distinct segmented areas of the AR view may be defined based on pre-defined segmentation preferences of a location or user specific profile.

According to at least one embodiment, the mapping, layout, and/or content (e.g., available functions) of a displayed UI for a mapped IoT device within the AR view may be changed in response to a change in position or orientation of the mapped IoT device relative to the user or to other mapped IoT devices. The change in position or orientation of the mapped IoT device may be a control action input to the AR glasses. According to at least one other embodiment, the mapping, layout, and/or content of a displayed UI for a mapped IoT device within the AR view may be changed in response to physical touch input of the user to the AR glasses (e.g., the user performing control actions via controls mounted on the frame of the AR glasses).

According to at least one further embodiment, the mapping, layout, and/or content of a displayed UI for a mapped IoT device within the AR view may be changed in response to user input (e.g., control actions) captured by the AR glasses such as hand gestures of the user (e.g., wrist movements, drag and drop of rendered objects within AR view) or physical mobility, by the user, of the mapped IoT device (i.e., movement of the mapped IoT device during user interaction with the mapped IoT device). Hand gestures of the user and patterns of physical mobility for the mapped IoT device may be learned and used to predict/recommend a mapping or configuration of the UI for the mapped IoT device displayed within the AR view. Additionally, while performing a hand gesture or physical mobility of the mapped IoT device, a thumbnail for navigation direction guidance may be displayed within the AR view of the AR glasses or overlayed on a screen of the mapped IoT device. Moreover, based on available configurations (e.g., portrait/landscape configurations) of the UI for the mapped IoT device, the thumbnail may depict a preview of changed mapping or configuration of the UI within the AR view resulting from continued performance of the hand gesture or physical mobility of the mapped IoT device. Information conveyed by the thumbnail may allow the user to quickly change the physical mobility or relative position of the mapped IoT device in order to attain display of the previewed UI mapping or configuration within the AR view.

According to at least one embodiment, information relating to user interactions with paired IoT devices and AR glasses (e.g., physical mobility, usage, location, hand gestures), information relating to user actions within the AR view (e.g., segmentation and mapping actions/preferences in different contextual settings), and information of paired IoT devices (e.g., mapping histories, usage frequencies) may be gathered for historical analysis. Artificial intelligence (AI) enabled methods of historical analysis (e.g., machine learning) may be applied to the gathered information to learn/derive patterns of physical mobility for paired IoT devices, patterns of paired IoT device usage in different contextual settings (e.g., patterns of paired IoT device usage in home and work locations), mapping histories of paired IoT devices, mapping histories of most interacted with paired IoT devices, commonly implemented segmentation schemes for different contextual settings, heat maps indicative of concentrations of paired IoT device user interactions (e.g., a heat map showing a user's most and least interacted with paired IoT devices), and heat maps indicative of frequencies of segmented area mappings to paired IoT devices (e.g., a heat map showing most and least mapped to segmented areas). The information learned/derived through historical analysis may be used to determine and/or recommend UI mappings, for paired IoT devices, within the AR view. Furthermore, the information learned/derived through historical analysis may be stored within location or user specific profiles stored within a database.

The following described exemplary embodiments provide a system, method, and program product to visually segment a surrounding environment within an AR view and, accordingly, map user interfaces of smart devices within the environment to segments of the AR view.

Referring toFIG.1, an exemplary networked computer environment100is depicted, according to at least one embodiment. The networked computer environment100may include client computing device102, a server112, augmented reality device118, and IoT device120interconnected via a communication network114. According to at least one implementation, the networked computer environment100may include a plurality of client computing devices102, servers112, and IoT devices120, of which only one of each is shown for illustrative brevity. Additionally, in one or more embodiments, the client computing device102, the server112, and the augmented reality device118may each host an augmented reality (AR) interface program110A,110B,110C. In one or more other embodiments, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may be partially hosted on client computing device102, server112, and on augmented reality device118so that functionality may be separated among the devices.

Client computing device102may include a processor104and a data storage device106that is enabled to host and run a software program108and an AR interface program110A and communicate with the server112, augmented reality device118, and IoT device120via the communication network114, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Client computing device102may be, for example, a mobile device, a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a netbook, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or any type of computing device capable of running a program and accessing a network. As will be discussed with reference toFIG.3, the client computing device102may include internal components402aand external components404a, respectively.

The server computer112may be a laptop computer, netbook computer, personal computer (PC), a desktop computer, or any programmable electronic device or any network of programmable electronic devices capable of hosting and running an AR interface program110B and a database116and communicating with the client computing device102, augmented reality device118, and IoT device120via the communication network114, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As will be discussed with reference toFIG.3, the server computer112may include internal components402band external components404b, respectively. The server112may also operate in a cloud computing service model, such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and may host cloud services of multiple cloud service providers. The server112may also be located in a cloud computing deployment model, such as a private cloud, community cloud, public cloud, or hybrid cloud.

According to at least one embodiment, augmented reality device118may be any device which allows a user to perceive an augmented reality environment that is enabled to host and run an AR interface program110C. The augmented reality device118may be any device equipped with a display that can render a virtual environment with virtual objects therein, and hardware or software that enables the device to track location and motion of the virtual objects relative to the virtual environment and/or the physical world, as well as motion of the user. Users may wear or utilize augmented reality device118while experiencing the augmented reality environment. The augmented reality device118may be a general-purpose device owned by users or may be customized or specialized for an individual augmented reality experience or class of augmented reality experiences. Augmented reality devices118may include such devices as virtual reality headsets with built-in microphones, augmented reality headsets with built-in microphones, smart glasses, smart contact lens, tablets, mobile phones, or any other augmented reality device118known in the art for creating and interacting with an augmented reality environment that is capable of connecting to the communication network114, and transmitting and receiving data with the AR interface program110A residing within client computing device102and the AR interface program110B residing within server112. As will be discussed with reference toFIG.3, the augmented reality device118may include internal components402cand external components404c, respectively.

According to an example embodiment, the augmented reality device118may be implemented using known AR glasses which may include a processor, memory, an inward facing camera, an outward facing camera, one or more physical touch input mechanisms (e.g., controls) on one or both arms of the AR glasses, network capability (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth), Global Positioning System (GPS) capability, a microphone, and motion sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) mounted on or within the frame of the AR glasses. According to another embodiment, the augmented reality device118may be implemented using known smart contact lenses having similar capabilities as the AR glasses. In lieu of physical touch input by the user, a smart contact implementation may receive hand gestures or voice commands as input from the user. According to yet another embodiment, the augmented reality device118may be implemented with known heads-up-display capability of a smart windshield.

IoT device120may be any IoT-enabled smart device that is capable of connecting to the communication network114and transmitting and receiving data with the client computing device102, the augmented reality device118, and the server112. For example, IoT device120may be a smartwatch, a smartphone, a smart TV, a smart thermostat, a smart speaker, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wearable computing device, or any IoT device having a processor, network capability, and an available UI for control. Additionally, the IoT device120may include a memory, an outward facing camera, one or more physical touch input mechanisms (e.g., controls), GPS capability, a microphone, and motion sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer) mounted on or within the IoT device120. According to at least one implementation, the networked computer environment100may include a plurality of IoT devices120.

According to the present embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may be a program capable of visually segmenting a surrounding environment of a user within an AR view of the surrounding environment to create distinct segmented areas of the AR view, mapping one or more UIs of accessible IoT devices within the surrounding environment to respective distinct segmented areas of the AR view, controlling the accessible IoT devices via their mapped UIs within the AR view, changing a mapping or configuration of a mapped UI within the AR view, and learning segmentation and mapping patterns of the user. The AR based UI control and configuration method is explained in further detail below with respect toFIG.2.

Referring now toFIG.2, an operational flowchart for controlling an IoT device in an AR based UI control and configuration process200is depicted according to at least one embodiment. At202, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enable a user to visually segment an AR view of their surrounding environment, created using an AR glasses implementation of augmented reality device118, into distinct segmented areas within the AR view. For example, the distinct segmented areas may be displayed within the AR view as delineated vertical spaces, delineated horizontal spaces, delineated boxes, or any other configuration of delineated areas within the AR view. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enter and exit an environment segmentation mode as a result of a control action of the user received by the AR glasses. For example, the control action may include touch input of the user entered via physical touch input mechanisms (i.e., controls) on the AR glasses, an identified hand gesture of the user captured by an outward facing camera of the AR glasses, or a voice command of the user received by a microphone of the AR glasses. According to at least one embodiment, the distinct segmented areas within the AR view may be manually defined by the user through interaction with the physical touch input mechanisms as the user scans their environment with the AR glasses. For example, the user, viewing a first point within the AR view, may press a button on the AR glasses to mark the beginning of a first segmented area. The user may then move their eyes or head to view a second point within the AR view and press the button on the AR glasses to mark the end of the first segmented area. In this example, the first segmented area within the AR view may include the vertical or horizontal space, depending on how the user moved their eyes or head, between the first point and the second point within the AR view. The user may continue in this fashion to define multiple distinct segmented areas within the AR view.

According to as least one other embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may dynamically define distinct segmented areas within the AR view based on detected eye or head movement of the user as they visually scan the surrounding environment with the AR glasses. The user may perform some control action to enter the environment segmentation mode. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may then begin defining distinct segmented areas within the AR view based the starting and stopping of detected eye or head movements of the user. For example, the starting of an eye or head movement of the user may mark the beginning of a segmented area within the AR view and the stopping of the eye or head movement may mark the end of the segmented area within the AR view. The starting and stopping of a user's eye or head movement may be detected by an inward facing camera and/or motion sensors of the AR glasses and analyzed by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C to identify a first point within the AR view and a second point within the AR view. In this example, the first segmented area within the AR view may include the vertical or horizontal space, depending on how the user moved their eyes or head, between the first point and the second point within the AR view. The user may continue in this fashion to define multiple distinct segmented areas within the AR view.

According to at least one further embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may dynamically define distinct segmented areas within the AR view based on hand gestures of the user which may drag and drop a rendered object within the AR view to a particular area/location within the AR view. The rendered object may be representative of an IoT device within the surrounding environment that, as a prerequisite, is paired to the AR glasses and accessible by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C. The hand gestures of the user may be detected by an outward facing camera of the AR glasses and analyzed by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C to identify the IoT device represented by the rendered object and its dropped location within the AR view. For example, within the AR view, the user may see three rendered objects, each one representative of a paired IoT device within the environment. The user may then perform some control action to enter the environment segmentation mode, point to one of the three rendered objects and drag it to the left side of the AR view, point to a next one of the three rendered objects and drag it to the center of the AR view, and point to a last of the three rendered objects and drag it to the right side of the AR view. In response, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may create a left distinct segmented area, a center distinct segmented area, and a right distinct segmented area within the AR view. Thus, the placement of a rendered object may cause the dynamic creation of a distinct segmented area. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may divide the AR view equally among the distinct segmented areas or according to predefined segmentation settings of a location or user specific profile stored within data storage device106or database116.

According to yet one further embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enable a user to segment a two-dimensional representation of an AR view of their surrounding environment using client computing device102.

At204, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may map IoT devices present within the environment to the distinct segmented areas of the AR view created at202. As mentioned above, as a prerequisite to the segmenting and mapping capabilities of the AR interface program110A,110B,110C, IoT devices present within the environment are paired to the AR glasses (e.g., via Bluetooth) and are thereby accessible by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C. As such, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may display within the AR view a defined list of accessible IoT devices present within the environment. Defined lists of location specific accessible IoT devices may be maintained by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C and stored within data storage device106or database116. Moreover, within the AR view, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may, via the AR glasses, render a representative interactive virtual object for each paired IoT device. According to at least one embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enable the user to map accessible IoT devices within the environment to distinct segmented areas of the AR view via hand gestures of the user which may drag and drop representative virtual objects for the accessible IoT devices to distinct segmented areas within the AR view. The hand gestures of the user may be detected by the outward facing camera of the AR glasses. According to at least one other embodiment, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enable the user to map accessible IoT devices within the environment to distinct segmented areas of the AR view through interaction with the displayed list of accessible IoT devices via the physical touch input mechanisms on the AR glasses. For example, the user may utilize controls on the AR glasses to scroll through the list, select an accessible IoT device, and map it to a distinct segmented area.

At206, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may enable the user to control mapped IoT devices from within the AR view. According to at least one embodiment, upon mapping an accessible IoT device (e.g., IoT device120) to a distinct segmented area of the AR view, the AR glasses may serve as an external display for the mapped IoT device and the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may display a UI for the mapped IoT device within its respective distinct segmented area of the AR view. The displayed UI may present the user with a list of interactive controls for the mapped IoT device that have been programmatically enabled using API calls by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C to the mapped IoT device. The list of interactive controls may include a subset of configurable features of the mapped IoT device which are accessible from within the AR view. According to at least one embodiment, the user may utilize the physical touch input mechanisms on the AR glasses to interact with one or more of the enabled controls within the AR view and control functionality of the mapped IoT device. According to at least one other embodiment, the user may utilize hand gestures to interact with one or more of the enabled controls within the AR view and control functionality of the mapped IoT device. The hand gestures of the user may be detected by the outward facing camera of the AR glasses.

Additionally, at206, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may, within the AR view, change a mapping, a configuration, or available controls of a displayed UI for a mapped IoT device (e.g., IoT device120). According to at least one embodiment, a change in the mapping, configuration, or available controls of a displayed UI may be based on a change in the position or orientation of the mapped IoT device relative to the user or to other mapped IoT devices. The change in position or orientation of the mapped IoT device may be a control action input to the AR interface program110A,110B,110C. For example, the user may perform some physical mobility of the mapped IoT device (e.g., a smartphone) such as a rotation of the mapped IoT device from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may detect the change in orientation via the outward facing camera of the AR glasses or via motion sensors of the mapped IoT device. In response to the change to the horizontal orientation, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may change, within the AR view, the configuration of the displayed UI for the mapped IoT device from a portrait mode to a landscape mode. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may also change the available controls of the displayed UI from portrait mode controls to landscape mode controls. As another example, the user may perform some physical mobility of the mapped IoT device such as changing its position within the environment relative to other mapped IoT devices. In response to the change of position, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may change, within the AR view, the mapping (i.e., distinct segmented area) of the mapped IoT device, as well as the mappings of other mapped IoT devices, to reflect their current positions relative to each other.

According to at least one other embodiment, a change in the mapping, configuration, or available controls of a displayed UI may be based on user input (e.g., control actions) captured by the AR glasses such as hand gestures of the user (e.g., wrist movements, drag and drop of rendered objects within AR view). For example, the user may drag and drop the representative interactive virtual object for the mapped IoT device to a different distinct segmented area of the AR view thereby changing its mapping within the AR view. According to at least one further embodiment, a change in the mapping, configuration, or available controls of a displayed UI may be based on physical touch input of the user to the AR glasses (e.g., the user performing actions via controls mounted on the frame of the AR glasses).

Furthermore, while performing a hand gesture or physical mobility of the mapped IoT device, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may display, within the AR view, a thumbnail for navigation direction guidance. Alternatively, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may overlay the thumbnail on a screen of the mapped IoT device. Moreover, based on available configurations (e.g., portrait/landscape configurations) of the UI for the mapped IoT device, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may, via the thumbnail, depict a preview of changed mapping or configuration of the UI within the AR view resulting from continued performance of the hand gesture or physical mobility of the mapped IoT device. Information conveyed by the thumbnail may allow the user to quickly change the physical mobility or relative position of the mapped IoT device in order to attain display of the previewed UI mapping or configuration within the AR view.

At208, the AR interface program110A,110B,110C may perform historical analysis of user actions within the AR view and user interactions with mapped IoT devices (e.g., IoT device120). According to at least one embodiment, information relating to the user's interactions with mapped IoT devices and the user's interactions with the AR glasses (e.g., physical mobility of mapped IoT devices, usage frequencies, location, hand gestures), information relating to the user's actions within the AR view (e.g., segmentation and mapping actions/preferences in different contextual settings), and information of mapped IoT devices (e.g., mapping histories, usage frequencies) may be gathered by the AR interface program110A,110B,110C for historical analysis. The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may apply AI-enabled methods of historical analysis (e.g., machine learning) to the gathered information to learn/derive patterns of physical mobility for mapped IoT devices, patterns of mapped IoT device usage in different contextual settings (e.g., patterns of mapped IoT device usage in home and work locations), mapping histories of paired IoT devices, mapping histories of most interacted with paired IoT devices, commonly implemented segmentation schemes for different contextual settings, heat maps indicative of concentrations of mapped IoT device user interactions (e.g., a heat map showing the user's most and least interacted with mapped IoT devices), and heat maps indicative of frequencies of distinct segmented area mappings to paired IoT devices (e.g., a heat map showing most and least mapped to segmented areas). The AR interface program110A,110B,110C may determine and/or recommend future UI mappings, for paired IoT devices, within an AR view based on the information learned/derived through historical analysis. Furthermore, the information learned/derived through historical analysis may be stored within location or user specific profiles stored within data storage device106or database116.

It may be appreciated thatFIG.2provides only an illustration of one implementation and do not imply any limitations with regard to how different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made based on design and implementation requirements.

The client computing device102, the server112, and the augmented reality device118may include respective sets of internal components402a,b,cand external components404a,b,cillustrated inFIG.3. Each of the sets of internal components402include one or more processors420, one or more computer-readable RAMs422, and one or more computer-readable ROMs424on one or more buses426, and one or more operating systems428and one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices430. The one or more operating systems428, the software program108and the AR interface program110A in the client computing device102, the AR interface program110B in the server112, and the AR interface program110C in the augmented reality device118are stored on one or more of the respective computer-readable tangible storage devices430for execution by one or more of the respective processors420via one or more of the respective RAMs422(which typically include cache memory). In the embodiment illustrated inFIG.3, each of the computer-readable tangible storage devices430is a magnetic disk storage device of an internal hard drive. Alternatively, each of the computer-readable tangible storage devices430is a semiconductor storage device such as ROM424, EPROM, flash memory or any other computer-readable tangible storage device that can store a computer program and digital information.

Each set of internal components402a,b,calso includes a R/W drive or interface432to read from and write to one or more portable computer-readable tangible storage devices438such as a CD-ROM, DVD, memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk or semiconductor storage device. A software program, such as the AR interface program110A,110B,110C can be stored on one or more of the respective portable computer-readable tangible storage devices438, read via the respective R/W drive or interface432, and loaded into the respective hard drive430.

Each set of internal components402a,b,calso includes network adapters or interfaces436such as a TCP/IP adapter cards, wireless Wi-Fi interface cards, or 3G or 4G wireless interface cards or other wired or wireless communication links. The software program108and the AR interface program110A in the client computing device102, the AR interface program110B in the server112, and the AR interface program110C in the augmented reality device118can be downloaded to the client computing device102, the server112, and the augmented reality device118from an external computer via a network (for example, the Internet, a local area network or other, wide area network) and respective network adapters or interfaces436. From the network adapters or interfaces436, the software program108and the AR interface program110A in the client computing device102, the AR interface program110B in the server112, and the AR interface program110C in the augmented reality device118are loaded into the respective hard drive430. The network may comprise copper wires, optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers.

Each of the sets of external components404a,b,ccan include a computer display monitor444, a keyboard442, and a computer mouse434. External components404a,b,ccan also include touch screens, virtual keyboards, touch pads, pointing devices, and other human interface devices. Each of the sets of internal components402a,b,calso includes device drivers440to interface to computer display monitor444, keyboard442, and computer mouse434. The device drivers440, R/W drive or interface432, and network adapter or interface436comprise hardware and software (stored in storage device430and/or ROM424).

Characteristics are as follows:

Service Models are as follows:

Deployment Models are as follows:

Referring now toFIG.5, a set of functional abstraction layers600provided by cloud computing environment50is shown. It should be understood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shown inFIG.5are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Workloads layer90provides examples of functionality for which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping and navigation91; software development and lifecycle management92; virtual classroom education delivery93; data analytics processing94; transaction processing95; and AR interfacing96. AR interfacing96may relate to control and configuration of IoT device UIs in an augmented reality view.