Patent Description:
An augmented reality (AR) device enables a user to observe a scene while simultaneously seeing relevant virtual content that may be aligned to items, images, objects, or environments in the field of view of the device. A virtual reality (VR) device provides a more immersive experience than an AR device. The VR device blocks out the field of view of the user with virtual content that is displayed based on a position and orientation of the VR device.

<CIT> describes a head-mounted display device that includes an eye tracking sensor configured to obtain eye information by tracking both eyes of a user, a depth sensor configured to obtain depth information about one or more objects, and a processor configured to obtain information about a gaze point based on the eye information, and determine a measurement parameter of the depth sensor based on the information about the gaze point.

<CIT> describes a system and method for determining individualized depth information in an augmented reality scene.

The description that follows describes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program products that illustrate example embodiments of the present subject matter. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide an understanding of various embodiments of the present subject matter. It will be evident, however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the present subject matter may be practiced without some or other of these specific details. Examples merely typify possible variations. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, structures (e.g., structural Components, such as modules) are optional and may be combined or subdivided, and operations (e.g., in a procedure, algorithm, or other function) may vary in sequence or be combined or subdivided.

The term "augmented reality" (AR) is used herein to refer to an interactive experience of a real-world environment where physical objects that reside in the real-world are "augmented" or enhanced by computer-generated digital content (also referred to as virtual content or synthetic content). AR can also refer to a system that enables a combination of real and virtual worlds, real-time interaction, and 3D registration of virtual and real objects. A user of an AR system perceives virtual content that appears to be attached or interact with a real-world physical object.

The term "virtual reality" (VR) is used herein to refer to a simulation experience of a virtual world environment that is completely distinct from the real-world environment. Computer-generated digital content is displayed in the virtual world environment. VR also refers to a system that enables a user of a VR system to be completely immersed in the virtual world environment and to interact with virtual objects presented in the virtual world environment.

The term "AR application" is used herein to refer to a computer-operated application that enables an AR experience. The term "VR application" is used herein to refer to a computer-operated application that enables a VR experience. The term "AR/VR application" refers to a computer-operated application that enables a combination of an AR experience or a VR experience.

The term "visual tracking system" is used herein to refer to a computer-operated application or system that enables a system to track visual features identified in images captured by one or more cameras of the visual tracking system. The visual tracking system builds a model of a real-world environment based on the tracked visual features. Nonlimiting examples of the visual tracking system include: a visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping system (VSLAM), and Visual Inertial Odometry (VIO) system. VSLAM can be used to build a target from an environment, or a scene based on one or more cameras of the visual tracking system. A VIO system (also referred to as a visual-inertial tracking system) determines a latest pose (e.g., position and orientation) of a device based on data acquired from multiple sensors (e.g., optical sensors, inertial sensors) of the device.

The term "Inertial Measurement Unit" (IMU) is used herein to refer to a device that can report on the inertial status of a moving body including the acceleration, velocity, orientation, and position of the moving body. An IMU enables tracking of movement of a body by integrating the acceleration and the angular velocity measured by the IMU. IMU can also refer to a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes that can determine and quantify linear acceleration and angular velocity, respectively. The values obtained from the IMUs gyroscopes can be processed to obtain the pitch, roll, and heading of the IMU and, therefore, of the body with which the IMU is associated. Signals from the IMU's accelerometers also can be processed to obtain velocity and displacement of the IMU.

The term "three-degrees of freedom tracking system" (3DOF tracking system) is used herein to refer to a device that tracks rotational movement. For example, the 3DOF tracking system can track whether a user of a head-wearable device is looking left or right, rotating their head up or down, and pivoting left or right. However, the head-wearable device cannot use the 3DOF tracking system to determine whether the user has moved around a scene by moving in the physical world. As such, 3DOF tracking system may not be accurate enough to be used for positional signals. The 3DOF tracking system may be part of an AR/VR display device that includes IMU sensors. For example, the 3DOF tracking system uses sensor data from sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers.

The term "six-degrees of freedom tracking system" (6DOF tracking system) is used herein to refer to a device that tracks rotational and translational motion. For example, the 6DOF tracking system can track whether the user has rotated their head and moved forward or backward, laterally or vertically and up or down. The 6DOF tracking system may include a SLAM system or a VIO system that relies on data acquired from multiple sensors (e.g., depth cameras, inertial sensors). The 6DOF tracking system analyzes data from the sensors to accurately determine the pose of the display device.

Depth information is required for realistic augmentation. High-resolution depth is computed by processing visual information, which is a computationally demanding process. Typically, the AR device estimates a depth map for the whole image area of every processed frame. However, depth estimation in portable AR device may not be performed for every frame due to limited computational resources and power constraints.

The present application describes a system that obtains feedback from a graphics rendering engine to predict the area/region of the camera field-of-view that is going to be augmented, using latest pose data from a 6DOF tracking system. The system determines depth information only for the limited area/region of interest of the camera image, thereby saving computational resources and power.

In one example embodiment, a method for AR-guided depth estimation is described. The method includes identifying a virtual object rendered in a first frame that is generated based on a first pose of an augmented reality (AR) device, determining a second pose of the AR device, the second pose following the first pose, identifying an augmentation area in the second frame based on the virtual object rendered in the first frame, and the second pose, determining depth information only for the augmentation area in the second frame, and rendering the virtual object in the second frame based on the depth information.

As a result, one or more of the methodologies described herein facilitate solving the technical problem of power consumption saving by determining depth for a limited area of an image instead of the whole image. The presently described method provides an improvement to an operation of the functioning of a computer by providing power consumption reduction. As such, one or more of the methodologies described herein may obviate a need for certain efforts or computing resources. Examples of such computing resources include processor cycles, network traffic, memory usage, data storage capacity, power consumption, network bandwidth, and cooling capacity.

<FIG> is a network diagram illustrating a network environment <NUM> suitable for operating an AR device <NUM>, according to some example embodiments. The network environment <NUM> includes an AR device <NUM> and a server <NUM>, communicatively coupled to each other via a network <NUM>. The AR device <NUM> and the server <NUM> may each be implemented in a computer system, in whole or in part, as described below with respect to <FIG>. The server <NUM> may be part of a network-based system. For example, the network-based system may be or include a cloud-based server system that provides additional information, such as virtual content (e.g., three-dimensional models of virtual objects) to the AR device <NUM>.

A user <NUM> operates the AR device <NUM>. The user <NUM> may be a human user (e.g., a human being), a machine user (e.g., a computer configured by a software program to interact with the AR device <NUM>), or any suitable combination thereof (e.g., a human assisted by a machine or a machine supervised by a human). The user <NUM> is not part of the network environment <NUM>, but is associated with the AR device <NUM>.

The AR device <NUM> may be a computing device with a display such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, or a wearable computing device (e.g., watch or glasses). The computing device may be hand-held or may be removable mounted to a head of the user <NUM>. In one example, the display may be a screen that displays what is captured with a camera of the AR device <NUM>. In another example, the display of the device may be transparent such as in lenses of wearable computing glasses. In other examples, the display may be a transparent display such as a windshield of a car, plane, truck. The display may be non-transparent and wearable by the user to cover the field of vision of the user.

The user <NUM> operates an application of the AR device <NUM>. The application may include an AR application configured to provide the user <NUM> with an experience triggered by a physical object <NUM>, such as a two-dimensional physical object (e.g., a picture), a three-dimensional physical object (e.g., a statue), a location (e.g., at factory ), or any references (e.g., perceived corners of walls or furniture) in the real-world physical environment. For example, the user <NUM> may point a camera of the AR device <NUM> to capture an image of the physical object <NUM>.

The AR device <NUM> includes a tracking system (not shown). The tracking system tracks the pose (e.g., position and orientation) of the AR device <NUM> relative to the real world environment <NUM> using optical sensors (e.g., depth-enabled 3D camera, image camera), inertia sensors (e.g., gyroscope, accelerometer), wireless sensors (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi), GPS sensor, and audio sensor to determine the location of the AR device <NUM> within the real world environment <NUM>.

In one example embodiment, the server <NUM> may be used to detect and identify the physical object <NUM> based on sensor data (e.g., image and depth data) from the AR device <NUM>, determine a pose of the AR device <NUM> and the physical object <NUM> based on the sensor data. The server <NUM> can also generate a virtual object based on the pose of the AR device <NUM> and the physical object <NUM>. The server <NUM> communicates the virtual object to the AR device <NUM>. The object recognition, tracking, and AR rendering can be performed on either the AR device <NUM>, the server <NUM>, or a combination between the AR device <NUM> and the server <NUM>.

Any of the machines, databases, or devices shown in <FIG> may be implemented in a general-purpose computer modified (e.g., configured or programmed) by software to be a special-purpose computer to perform one or more of the functions described herein for that machine, database, or device. For example, a computer system able to implement any one or more of the methodologies described herein is discussed below with respect to <FIG>. As used herein, a "database" is a data storage resource and may store data structured as a text file, a table, a spreadsheet, a relational database (e.g., an object-relational database), a triple store, a hierarchical data store, or any suitable combination thereof. Moreover, any two or more of the machines, databases, or devices illustrated in <FIG> may be combined into a single machine, and the functions described herein for any single machine, database, or device may be subdivided among multiple machines, databases, or devices.

The network <NUM> may be any network that enables communication between or among machines (e.g., server <NUM>), databases, and devices (e.g., AR device <NUM>). Accordingly, the network <NUM> may be a wired network, a wireless network (e.g., a mobile or cellular network), or any suitable combination thereof. The network <NUM> may include one or more portions that constitute a private network, a public network (e.g., the Internet), or any suitable combination thereof.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating modules (e.g., components) of the AR device <NUM>, according to some example embodiments. The AR device <NUM> includes sensors <NUM>, a display <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, a Graphical processing unit <NUM>, a display controller <NUM>, and a storage device <NUM>. Examples of AR device <NUM> include a wearable computing device, a tablet computer, a navigational device, a portable media device, or a smart phone.

The sensors <NUM> include an optical sensor <NUM>, an inertial sensor <NUM>, and a depth sensor <NUM>. The optical sensor <NUM> includes combination of a color camera, a thermal camera, a depth sensor, and one or multiple grayscale, global shutter tracking cameras. The inertial sensor <NUM> includes a combination of gyroscope, accelerometer, magnetometer. The depth sensor <NUM> includes a combination of structured-light sensor, a time-of-flight sensor, passive stereo sensor, and an ultrasound device, time-of-flight sensor. Other examples of sensors <NUM> include a proximity or location sensor (e.g., near field communication, GPS, Bluetooth, Wifi), an audio sensor (e.g., a microphone), or any suitable combination thereof. It is noted that the sensors <NUM> described herein are for illustration purposes and the sensors <NUM> are thus not limited to the ones described above.

The display <NUM> includes a screen or monitor configured to display images generated by the processor <NUM>. In one example embodiment, the display <NUM> may be transparent or semi-transparent so that the user <NUM> can see through the display <NUM> (in AR use case). In another example, the display <NUM>, such as a LCOS display, presents each frame of virtual content in multiple presentations.

The processor <NUM> includes an AR application <NUM>, a 6DOF tracker <NUM>, and a depth system <NUM>. The AR application <NUM> detects and identifies a physical environment or the physical object <NUM> using computer vision. The AR application <NUM> retrieves a virtual object (e.g., 3D object model) based on the identified physical object <NUM> or physical environment. The display <NUM> displays the virtual object. The AR application <NUM> includes a local rendering engine that generates a visualization of a virtual object overlaid (e.g., superimposed upon, or otherwise displayed in tandem with) on an image of the physical object <NUM> captured by the optical sensor <NUM>. A visualization of the virtual object may be manipulated by adjusting a position of the physical object <NUM> (e.g., its physical location, orientation, or both) relative to the optical sensor <NUM>. Similarly, the visualization of the virtual object may be manipulated by adjusting a pose of the AR device <NUM> relative to the physical object <NUM>.

The 6DOF tracker <NUM> estimates a pose of the AR device <NUM>. For example, the 6DOF tracker <NUM> uses image data and corresponding inertial data from the optical sensor <NUM> and the inertial sensor <NUM> to track a location and pose of the AR device <NUM> relative to a frame of reference (e.g., real world environment <NUM>). In one example, the 6DOF tracker <NUM> uses the sensor data to determine the three-dimensional pose of the AR device <NUM>. The three-dimensional pose is a determined orientation and position of the AR device <NUM> in relation to the user's real world environment <NUM>. For example, the AR device <NUM> may use images of the user's real world environment <NUM>, as well as other sensor data to identify a relative position and orientation of the AR device <NUM> from physical objects in the real world environment <NUM> surrounding the AR device <NUM>. The 6DOF tracker <NUM> continually gathers and uses updated sensor data describing movements of the AR device <NUM> to determine updated three-dimensional poses of the AR device <NUM> that indicate changes in the relative position and orientation of the AR device <NUM> from the physical objects in the real world environment <NUM>. The 6DOF tracker <NUM> provides the three-dimensional pose of the AR device <NUM> to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>.

The Graphical processing unit <NUM> includes a render engine (not shown) that is configured to render a frame of a 3D model of a virtual object based on the virtual content provided by the AR application <NUM> and the pose of the AR device <NUM>. In other words, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> uses the three-dimensional pose of the AR device <NUM> to generate frames of virtual content to be presented on the display <NUM>. For example, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> uses the three-dimensional pose to render a frame of the virtual content such that the virtual content is presented at an orientation and position in the display <NUM> to properly augment the user's reality. As an example, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> may use the three-dimensional pose data to render a frame of virtual content such that, when presented on the display <NUM>, the virtual content overlaps with a physical object in the user's real world environment <NUM>. The Graphical processing unit <NUM> generates updated frames of virtual content based on updated three-dimensional poses of the AR device <NUM>, which reflect changes in the position and orientation of the user in relation to physical objects in the user's real world environment <NUM>.

The Graphical processing unit <NUM> transfers the rendered frame to the display controller <NUM>. The display controller <NUM> is positioned as an intermediary between the Graphical processing unit <NUM> and the display <NUM>, receives the image data (e.g., rendered frame) from the Graphical processing unit <NUM> re-projects the frame (by performing a warping process) based on a latest pose of the AR device <NUM>, and provides the reprojected frame to the display <NUM>.

In one example, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> provides information about the rendered virtual object as feedback to the depth system <NUM>. For example, the feedback information identifies a location of the rendered virtual object in the current frame.

The depth system <NUM> measures a depth in an image based on the depth sensor <NUM>. In one example, the depth system <NUM> accesses data from a typical depth sensor (TOF, structure light, passive stereo, ultrasound). In another example, the depth system <NUM> computes depth using other methods (e.g., rendering based on 3d pre-built model, deep network that provides depth from a single image). The depth system <NUM> has the ability to receive a Dd mask which marks the region of interest (the pixels whose depth is needed for AR).

The depth system <NUM> retrieves a latest pose from the 6DOF tracker <NUM> and warps the location of the rendered virtual object in the current frame to an area/region of interest in a next frame. In other words, the depth system <NUM> estimates where the virtual object will be located in the next frame. The depth system <NUM> measures a depth corresponding to the area/region of interest and provides the limited depth information back to the Graphical processing unit <NUM> for rendering the virtual object in the next frame.

The storage device <NUM> stores virtual object content <NUM>. The virtual object content <NUM> includes, for example, a database of visual references (e.g., images, QR codes) and corresponding virtual content (e.g., three-dimensional model of virtual objects).

Any one or more of the modules described herein may be implemented using hardware (e.g., a Processor of a machine) or a combination of hardware and software. For example, any module described herein may configure a processor to perform the operations described herein for that module. Moreover, any two or more of these modules may be combined into a single module, and the functions described herein for a single module may be subdivided among multiple modules. Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modules described herein as being implemented within a single machine, database, or device may be distributed across multiple machines, databases, or devices.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a 6DOF tracker <NUM> in accordance with one example embodiment. The 6DOF tracker <NUM> accesses inertial sensor data from the inertial sensor <NUM> and optical sensor data from the optical sensor <NUM>.

The 6DOF tracker <NUM> determines a pose (e.g., location, position, orientation, inclination) of the AR device <NUM> relative to a frame of reference (e.g., real world environment <NUM>). In one example embodiment, the 6DOF tracker <NUM> includes a VIO <NUM> that estimates the pose of the AR device <NUM> based on 3D maps of feature points from images captured with the optical sensor <NUM> and the inertial sensor data captured with the inertial sensor <NUM>.

The 6DOF tracker <NUM> provides pose data to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>. The depth system <NUM> provides a full depth map for the current frame to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>. The Graphical processing unit <NUM> renders the virtual object based on the pose and the full depth map.

In one example embodiment, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> provides feedback information back to the depth system <NUM>. The feedback information includes, for example, information about the rendered object (e.g., rendered object metadata). The rendered object metadata may identify a region in the current frame where the virtual object is rendered. The depth system <NUM> performs a limited depth computation based on the rendered object metadata. For example, the depth system <NUM> computes a depth in a limited portion of an image based on a region of interest determined from the rendered object metadata.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating a process for rendering virtual object in accordance with one example embodiment. The 6DOF tracker <NUM> provides initial pose data of the AR device <NUM> to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>. The depth system <NUM> provides a full depth map of a current frame corresponding to the initial pose data to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>. The Graphical processing unit <NUM> renders a virtual object based on the full depth map and the initial pose data.

In one example, the depth system <NUM> includes an augmentation area module <NUM> and a depth computation module <NUM>. The augmentation area module <NUM> receives feedback information from the Graphical processing unit <NUM>. The feedback information includes, for example, rendered object data (also referred to as rendering metadata). Examples of rendered object data include area, region, location of the rendered virtual object in the current frame, size and shape of the rendered virtual object.

In another example embodiment, the feedback information includes, information about whether the rendered virtual object is static or moving. For example, the feedback information indicates a projected path of a moving virtual object. The projected path may be based on preconfigured dynamics behavior of the virtual object.

The augmentation area module <NUM> applies latest pose data from the 6DOF tracker <NUM> to the feedback information to identify a region of interest in a next frame. For example, the augmentation area module <NUM> warps the current frame based on a difference between the current pose and the latest pose data to generate the next frame.

The augmentation area module <NUM> instructs the depth computation module <NUM> to determine the depth limited to the region of interest in the next frame. In one example, the depth computation module <NUM> calculates the depth data (limited to the region of interest) based on a monocular image or a 3D reconstructed scene. The depth computation module <NUM> provides the depth data of the region of interest (also referred to as augmentation area depth data) to the Graphical processing unit <NUM>.

The Graphical processing unit <NUM> renders the virtual object in the next frame based on the augmentation area depth data. The display controller <NUM> provides the rendered virtual object to the display <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flow diagram illustrating a method <NUM> for AR-guided depth estimation in accordance with one example embodiment. Operations in the method <NUM> may be performed by the AR device <NUM>, using components (e.g., modules, engines) described above with respect to <FIG>. Accordingly, the method <NUM> is described by way of example with reference to the AR device <NUM>. However, it shall be appreciated that at least some of the operations of the method <NUM> may be deployed on various other hardware configurations or be performed by similar components residing elsewhere.

In block <NUM>, the AR device <NUM> identifies a virtual object rendered in a current frame based on a current pose. In one example, the Graphical processing unit <NUM> identifies the rendered virtual object and generates feedback information about the rendered virtual object to the augmentation area module <NUM>.

In block <NUM>, the AR device <NUM> determines a latest pose. In one example, the 6DOF tracker <NUM> identifies the latest pose of the AR device <NUM>. The 6DOF tracker <NUM> provides the latest pose data to the augmentation area module <NUM>.

In block <NUM>, the AR device <NUM> identifies an augmentation area in a next frame based on a location of the rendered virtual object in the current frame and the latest pose of the AR device <NUM>. In one example, the augmentation area module <NUM> identifies a region of interest in the next frame based on the original location of the rendered virtual object in the current frame and the latest pose data from the 6DOF tracker <NUM>.

In block <NUM>, the AR device <NUM> determines a depth of the augmentation area (e.g., the region of interest identified in the next frame). In one example, the depth computation module <NUM> uses a depth sensor to determine the depth in a limited region/area (e.g., region of interest) of the next frame.

In block <NUM>, the AR device <NUM> renders the virtual object in the next frame in the augmentation area based on the depth of the augmentation area. For example, the graphical processing unit <NUM> renders the virtual object in the next frame based on the depth data about the limited area (e.g., augmentation area depth data) from the depth computation module <NUM> and the latest pose data from the 6DOF tracker <NUM>.

It is to be noted that other embodiments may use different sequencing, additional or fewer operations, and different nomenclature or terminology to accomplish similar functions. In some embodiments, various operations may be performed in parallel with other operations, either in a synchronous or asynchronous manner. The operations described herein were chosen to illustrate some principles of operations in a simplified form.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an operation for estimating an area for depth information in accordance with one example embodiment. In current frame t <NUM>, the virtual object A <NUM> is rendered in a rendering area <NUM>. In next frame t+<NUM><NUM>, the 6DOF tracker <NUM> warps the rendering area <NUM> using propagated/predicted/VIO pose and rendering metadata to image area <NUM> in next frame t+<NUM><NUM>. The image area <NUM> corresponds to an image area where the depth information is used to render the virtual object A <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an operation rendering an object in a rendering area in accordance with one example embodiment. In an initialization phase <NUM>, the depth system <NUM> processes an image <NUM> to perform a depth estimation for the whole image area in image <NUM>. Objects are rendered in the image <NUM>. In the rendering phase <NUM>, the depth system <NUM> processes an image <NUM> to perform a depth estimation for a rendering area corresponding to the location of the AR object in image <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example operation of a rendering in accordance with one example embodiment. The image at time t <NUM> depicts a real object <NUM>. The image at time t+<NUM><NUM> depicts a real object <NUM>. The AR application <NUM> renders a virtual object <NUM> corresponding to the real object <NUM> at the rendering time t+dt. The area where the virtual object <NUM> is rendered is warped using relative poses of the AR device <NUM> to identify the area of interest <NUM>. The image area that needs depth information is limited to the area of interest <NUM>. The virtual object <NUM> is rendered at the corresponding depth based on the depth information in the area of interest <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a network environment <NUM> in which the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> can be implemented according to one example embodiment. <FIG> is a high-level functional block diagram of an example head-wearable apparatus <NUM> communicatively coupled a mobile client device <NUM> and a server system <NUM> via various network <NUM>. head-wearable apparatus <NUM> includes a camera, such as at least one of visible light camera <NUM>, infrared emitter <NUM> and infrared camera <NUM>. The client device <NUM> can be capable of connecting with head-wearable apparatus <NUM> using both a communication <NUM> and a communication <NUM>. client device <NUM> is connected to server system <NUM> and network <NUM>. The network <NUM> may include any combination of wired and wireless connections.

The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> further includes two image displays of the image display of optical assembly <NUM>. The two include one associated with the left lateral side and one associated with the right lateral side of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> also includes image display driver <NUM>, image processor <NUM>, low-power low power circuitry <NUM>, and high-speed circuitry <NUM>. The image display of optical assembly <NUM> are for presenting images and videos, including an image that can include a graphical user interface to a user of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>.

The image display driver <NUM> commands and controls the image display of the image display of optical assembly <NUM>. The image display driver <NUM> may deliver image data directly to the image display of the image display of optical assembly <NUM> for presentation or may have to convert the image data into a signal or data format suitable for delivery to the image display device. For example, the image data may be video data formatted according to compression formats, such as H. <NUM> (MPEG-<NUM> Part <NUM>), HEVC, Theora, Dirac, RealVideo RV40, VP8, VP9, or the like, and still image data may be formatted according to compression formats such as Portable Network Group (PNG), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or exchangeable image file format (Exif) or the like.

As noted above, head-wearable apparatus <NUM> includes a frame and stems (or temples) extending from a lateral side of the frame. The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> further includes a user input device <NUM> (e.g., touch sensor or push button) including an input surface on the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. The user input device <NUM> (e.g., touch sensor or push button) is to receive from the user an input selection to manipulate the graphical user interface of the presented image.

The components shown in <FIG> for the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> are located on one or more circuit boards, for example a PCB or flexible PCB, in the rims or temples. Alternatively, or additionally, the depicted components can be located in the chunks, frames, hinges, or bridge of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. Left and right can include digital camera elements such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, charge coupled device, a camera lens, or any other respective visible or light capturing elements that may be used to capture data, including images of scenes with unknown objects.

The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> includes a memory <NUM> which stores instructions to perform a subset or all of the functions described herein. memory <NUM> can also include storage device.

As shown in <FIG>, high-speed circuitry <NUM> includes high-speed processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>. In the example, the image display driver <NUM> is coupled to the high-speed circuitry <NUM> and operated by the high-speed processor <NUM> in order to drive the left and right image displays of the image display of optical assembly <NUM>. high-speed processor <NUM> may be any processor capable of managing high-speed communications and operation of any general computing system needed for head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. The high-speed processor <NUM> includes processing resources needed for managing high-speed data transfers on communication <NUM> to a wireless local area network (WLAN) using high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>. In certain examples, the high-speed processor <NUM> executes an operating system such as a LINUX operating system or other such operating system of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> and the operating system is stored in memory <NUM> for execution. In addition to any other responsibilities, the high-speed processor <NUM> executing a software architecture for the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> is used to manage data transfers with high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>. In certain examples, high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM> is configured to implement Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> communication standards, also referred to herein as Wi-Fi. In other examples, other high-speed communications standards may be implemented by high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>.

The low power wireless circuitry <NUM> and the high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM> of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> can include short range transceivers (Bluetooth™) and wireless wide, local, or wide area network transceivers (e.g., cellular or WiFi). The client device <NUM>, including the transceivers communicating via the communication <NUM> and communication <NUM>, may be implemented using details of the architecture of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>, as can other elements of network <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> includes any storage device capable of storing various data and applications, including, among other things, camera data generated by the left and right, infrared camera <NUM>, and the image processor <NUM>, as well as images generated for display by the image display driver <NUM> on the image displays of the image display of optical assembly <NUM>. While memory <NUM> is shown as integrated with high-speed circuitry <NUM>, in other examples, memory <NUM> may be an independent standalone element of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. In certain such examples, electrical routing lines may provide a connection through a chip that includes the high-speed processor <NUM> from the image processor <NUM> or low power processor <NUM> to the memory <NUM>. In other examples, the high-speed processor <NUM> may manage addressing of memory <NUM> such that the low power processor <NUM> will boot the high-speed processor <NUM> any time that a read or write operation involving memory <NUM> is needed.

As shown in <FIG>, the low power processor <NUM> or high-speed processor <NUM> of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> can be coupled to the camera (visible light camera <NUM>; infrared emitter <NUM>, or infrared camera <NUM>), the image display driver <NUM>, the user input device <NUM> (e.g., touch sensor or push button), and the memory <NUM>.

The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> is connected with a host computer. For example, the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> is paired with the client device <NUM> via the communication <NUM> or connected to the server system <NUM> via the network <NUM>. server system <NUM> may be one or more computing devices as part of a service or network computing system, for example, that include a processor, a memory, and network communication interface to communicate over the network <NUM> with the client device <NUM> and head-wearable apparatus <NUM>.

The client device <NUM> includes a processor and a network communication interface coupled to the processor. The network communication interface allows for communication over the network <NUM>, communication <NUM> or communication <NUM>. client device <NUM> can further store at least portions of the instructions for generating a binaural audio content in the client device <NUM>'s memory to implement the functionality described herein.

Output components of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> include visual components, such as a display such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a projector, or a waveguide. The image displays of the optical assembly are driven by the image display driver <NUM>. The output components of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM> further include acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., a vibratory motor), other signal generators, and so forth. The input components of the head-wearable apparatus <NUM>, the client device <NUM>, and server system <NUM>, such as the user input device <NUM>, may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

The head-wearable apparatus <NUM> may optionally include additional peripheral device elements. Such peripheral device elements may include biometric sensors, additional sensors, or display elements integrated with head-wearable apparatus <NUM>. For example, peripheral device elements may include any I/O components including output components, motion components, position components, or any other such elements described herein.

For example, the biometric components include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram based identification), and the like. The motion components include acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor components, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The position components include location sensor components to generate location coordinates (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver component), WiFi or Bluetooth™ transceivers to generate positioning system coordinates, altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like. Such positioning system coordinates can also be received over and communication <NUM> from the client device <NUM> via the low power wireless circuitry <NUM> or high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>.

Where a phrase similar to "at least one of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more A, B, or C," or "one or more of A, B, and C" is used, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to mean that A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present in an embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that any combination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a single embodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.

Changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure, as expressed in the following claims.

The software architecture <NUM> is supported by hardware such as a machine <NUM> that includes Processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and I/O Components <NUM>.

The operating system <NUM> manages hardware resources and provides common services. The operating system <NUM> includes, for example, a kernel <NUM>, services <NUM>, and drivers <NUM>. The kernel <NUM> acts as an abstraction layer between the hardware and the other software layers. For example, the kernel <NUM> provides memory management, Processor management (e.g., scheduling), Component management, networking, and security settings, among other functionality. The services <NUM> can provide other common services for the other software layers. The drivers <NUM> are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For instance, the drivers <NUM> can include display drivers, camera drivers, BLUETOOTH® or BLUETOOTH® Low Energy drivers, flash memory drivers, serial communication drivers (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB) drivers), WI-FI® drivers, audio drivers, power management drivers, and so forth.

The libraries <NUM> provide a low-level common infrastructure used by the applications <NUM>. The libraries <NUM> can include system libraries <NUM> (e.g., C standard library) that provide functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematic functions, and the like. In addition, the libraries <NUM> can include API libraries <NUM> such as media libraries (e.g., libraries to support presentation and manipulation of various media formats such as Moving Picture Experts Group-<NUM> (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H. <NUM> or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-<NUM> (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), graphics libraries (e.g., an OpenGL framework used to render in two dimensions (2D) and three dimensions (3D) in a graphic content on a display), database libraries (e.g., SQLite to provide various relational database functions), web libraries (e.g., WebKit to provide web browsing functionality), and the like. The libraries <NUM> can also include a wide variety of other libraries <NUM> to provide many other APIs to the applications <NUM>.

The frameworks <NUM> provide a high-level common infrastructure that is used by the applications <NUM>. For example, the frameworks <NUM> provide various graphical user interface (GUI) functions, high-level resource management, and high-level location services. The frameworks <NUM> can provide a broad spectrum of other APIs that can be used by the applications <NUM>, some of which may be specific to a particular operating system or platform.

In an example embodiment, the applications <NUM> may include a home application <NUM>, a contacts application <NUM>, a browser application <NUM>, a book reader application <NUM>, a location application <NUM>, a media application <NUM>, a messaging application <NUM>, a game application <NUM>, and a broad assortment of other applications such as a third-party application <NUM>. The applications <NUM> are programs that execute functions defined in the programs. Various programming languages can be employed to create one or more of the applications <NUM>, structured in a variety of manners, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., C or assembly language). In a specific example, the third-party application <NUM> (e.g., an application developed using the ANDROID™ or IOS™ software development kit (SDK) by an entity other than the vendor of the particular platform) may be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS™, ANDROID™, WINDOWS® Phone, or another mobile operating system. In this example, the third-party application <NUM> can invoke the API calls <NUM> provided by the operating system <NUM> to facilitate functionality described herein.

<FIG> is a diagrammatic representation of the machine <NUM> within which instructions <NUM> (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code) for causing the machine <NUM> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. For example, the instructions <NUM> may cause the machine <NUM> to execute any one or more of the methods described herein. The instructions <NUM> transform the general, non-programmed machine <NUM> into a particular machine <NUM> programmed to carry out the described and illustrated functions in the manner described. The machine <NUM> may operate as a standalone device or may be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine <NUM> may operate in the capacity of a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine <NUM> may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a PDA, an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web appliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of executing the instructions <NUM>, sequentially or otherwise, that specify actions to be taken by the machine <NUM>. Further, while only a single machine <NUM> is illustrated, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute the instructions <NUM> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine <NUM> may include Processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, and I/O Components <NUM>, which may be configured to communicate with each other via a bus <NUM>. In an example embodiment, the Processors <NUM> (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) Processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) Processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an ASIC, a Radio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another Processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a Processor <NUM> and a Processor <NUM> that execute the instructions <NUM>. The term "Processor" is intended to include multi-core Processors that may comprise two or more independent Processors (sometimes referred to as "cores") that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although <FIG> shows multiple Processors <NUM>, the machine <NUM> may include a single Processor with a single core, a single Processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core Processor), multiple Processors with a single core, multiple Processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory <NUM> includes a main memory <NUM>, a static memory <NUM>, and a storage unit <NUM>, both accessible to the Processors <NUM> via the bus <NUM>. The instructions <NUM> may also reside, completely or partially, within the main memory <NUM>, within the static memory <NUM>, within machine-readable medium <NUM> within the storage unit <NUM>, within at least one of the Processors <NUM> (e.g., within the Processor's cache memory), or any suitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine <NUM>.

The I/O Components <NUM> may include a wide variety of Components to receive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information, exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/O Components <NUM> that are included in a particular machine will depend on the type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobile phones may include a touch input device or other such input mechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O Components <NUM> may include many other Components that are not shown in <FIG>. In various example embodiments, the I/O Components <NUM> may include output Components <NUM> and input Components <NUM>. The output Components <NUM> may include visual Components (e.g., a display such as a plasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), acoustic Components (e.g., speakers), haptic Components (e.g., a vibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and so forth. The input Components <NUM> may include alphanumeric input Components (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric input Components), point-based input Components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or another pointing instrument), tactile input Components (e.g., a physical button, a touch screen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile input Components), audio input Components (e.g., a microphone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O Components <NUM> may include biometric Components <NUM>, motion Components <NUM>, environmental Components <NUM>, or position Components <NUM>, among a wide array of other Components. For example, the biometric Components <NUM> include Components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measure biosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voice identification, retinal identification, facial identification, fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram-based identification), and the like. The motion Components <NUM> include acceleration sensor Components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensor Components, rotation sensor Components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth. The environmental Components <NUM> include, for example, illumination sensor Components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor Components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor Components, pressure sensor Components (e.g., barometer), acoustic sensor Components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor Components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases for safety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other Components that may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to a surrounding physical environment. The position Components <NUM> include location sensor Components (e.g., a GPS receiver Component), altitude sensor Components (e.g., altimeters or barometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived), orientation sensor Components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies. The I/O Components <NUM> further include communication Components <NUM> operable to couple the machine <NUM> to a network <NUM> or devices <NUM> via a coupling <NUM> and a coupling <NUM>, respectively. For example, the communication Components <NUM> may include a network interface Component or another suitable device to interface with the network <NUM>. In further examples, the communication Components <NUM> may include wired communication Components, wireless communication Components, cellular communication Components, Near Field Communication (NFC) Components, Bluetooth® Components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® Components, and other communication Components to provide communication via other modalities. The devices <NUM> may be another machine or any of a wide variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a USB).

Moreover, the communication Components <NUM> may detect identifiers or include Components operable to detect identifiers. For example, the communication Components <NUM> may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag reader Components, NFC smart tag detection Components, optical reader Components (e.g., an optical sensor to detect one-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code, multidimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Aztec code, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D bar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection Components (e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, a variety of information may be derived via the communication Components <NUM>, such as location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting an NFC beacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

The various memories (e.g., memory <NUM>, main memory <NUM>, static memory <NUM>, and/or memory of the Processors <NUM>) and/or storage unit <NUM> may store one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) embodying or used by any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. These instructions (e.g., the instructions <NUM>), when executed by Processors <NUM>, cause various operations to implement the disclosed embodiments.

The instructions <NUM> may be transmitted or received over the network <NUM>, using a transmission medium, via a network interface device (e.g., a network interface Component included in the communication Components <NUM>) and using any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols (e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions <NUM> may be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via the coupling <NUM> (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the devices <NUM>.

As used herein, the terms "Machine-Storage Medium," "device-storage medium," and "computer-storage medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms refer to a single or multiple storage devices and/or media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store executable instructions and/or data. The terms shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media, including memory internal or external to processors. Specific examples of Machine-Storage Media, computer-storage media, and/or device-storage media include non-volatile memory, including by way of example semiconductor memory devices, e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms "Machine-Storage Media," "computer-storage media," and "device-storage media" specifically exclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media, at least some of which are covered under the term "signal medium" discussed below.

The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" shall be taken to include any intangible medium that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying the instructions <NUM> for execution by the machine <NUM>, and include digital or analog communications signals or other intangible media to facilitate communication of such software. Hence, the terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" shall be taken to include any form of modulated data signal, carrier wave, and so forth.

The terms "machine-readable medium," "Computer-Readable Medium," and "device-readable medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms are defined to include both Machine-Storage Media and transmission media.

Although an embodiment has been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, show by way of illustration, and not of limitation, specific embodiments in which the subject matter may be practiced. The embodiments illustrated are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed herein. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. This Detailed Description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of various embodiments is defined only by the appended claims.

Such embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term "invention" merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any single invention or inventive concept if more than one is in fact disclosed. Thus, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments that are comprised in the scope of the appended claims. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein that are comprised in the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

Claim 1:
A method comprising:
identifying (<NUM>) a virtual object rendered in a current frame that is generated based on a first pose of an augmented reality, AR, device;
determining (<NUM>) a second pose of the AR device, the second pose following the first pose;
identifying (<NUM>) an augmentation area in a next frame based on the virtual object rendered in the current frame, and the second pose;
determining (<NUM>) depth information only for the augmentation area in the next frame; and
rendering (<NUM>) the virtual object in the next frame based on the depth information.