Patent Description:
Examples set forth in the present disclosure relate to the field of augmented reality experiences for electronic devices, including wearable devices such as eyewear. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, the present disclosure describes the use of beacons to localize wearable devices, to deliver relevant content, and to present virtual experiences in augmented reality.

<CIT> discloses an augmented reality user device that receives at least one signal from a radio frequency beacon at least one radio frequency receiver of the augmented reality user device. A spatial resolution operation is performed in relation to the at least one received signal to determine a location of the radio frequency beacon. A virtual object is rendered in an augmented reality environment on the augmented reality user device at least on the basis of the determined location.

<CIT> discloses an augmented reality device that receives beacon signals within a geographical area from beacons that facilitate determining a distance between the device and a respective beacon. The device sends beacon-related signals indicative of the beacon signals to a server, which determines the area of the device. The device scans the area and outputs content associated with a marker it identifies based on the marker signals. As the device enters subsequent areas, it receives additional beacon signals from additional beacons, sends additional beacon-related signals, and receives additional marker signals and content.

<CIT> discloses a system that includes a head-mounted display (HMD) and one or more beacon devices. A beacon device includes a receiver to receive a first type of energy, a conversion apparatus to convert the first type of energy into a second type of energy, and a transmitter to transmit the second type of energy to the HMD. The processor of the HMD is programmed to receive the second type of energy from the beacon device located in a real-world environment, determine a position of the beacon device based on the second type of energy received from the beacon device, and provide a stimulus to a user on the HMD based on the position of the beacon device.

<CIT> discloses a trusted beacon system. An electronic beacon broadcasts a cryptographically signed beacon identifier to listening devices. Listening devices are configured to verify the integrity of the cryptographically signed beacon identifier by using the beacon's public key.

Many types of computers and electronic devices available today, such as mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops), handheld devices, and wearable devices (e.g., smart glasses, digital eyewear, headwear, headgear, and head-mounted displays), include a variety of cameras, sensors, wireless transceivers, input systems, and displays.

Beacon transmitters are wireless transmitters that periodically broadcast a beacon that includes a unique identifier and one or more packets of data. Bluetooth or BLE beacons typically operate using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) communications protocol. In some applications, two or more beacons are coupled or attached to objects or fixed locations in a physical environment. Based on the characteristics of the received beacons, a receiving device (e.g., a mobile device, wearable device, or other smart device) can compute its approximate location relative to the beacon locations. BLE beacons typically transmit information at a frequency of about <NUM>, have a range of about three hundred feet, and operate on relatively low power (e.g., as low as ten milliwatts). Using the BLE protocol, data can be transmitted at a rate of up to two megabits per second (Mbit/s) with an application throughput of up to <NUM> Mbit/s. In some implementations, BLE messages are secured using encryption.

Optical codes, such as barcodes, QR codes, and MaxiCodes, are two-dimensional graphical images that contain encoded information readable by a camera or other optical sensor, such as those found in mobile devices, wearable devices, and other smart devices. Optical codes typically include one or more functional patterns (e.g., for identification, reading, and decoding the embedded information) along with non-functional elements or patterns (e.g., a logo, brand, trademark, trade dress, or other source identifier) to facilitate recognition by users.

Virtual reality (VR) technology generates a complete virtual environment including realistic images, sometimes presented on a VR headset or other head-mounted display. VR experiences allow a user to move through the virtual environment and interact with virtual objects. Augmented reality (AR) is a type of VR technology that combines real objects in a physical environment with virtual objects and displays the combination to a user. The combined display gives the impression that the virtual objects are authentically present in the environment, especially when the virtual objects appear and behave like the real objects. Cross reality (XR) is generally understood as an umbrella term referring to systems that include or combine elements from AR, VR, and MR (mixed reality) environments.

Graphical user interfaces allow the user to interact with displayed content, including virtual objects and graphical elements such as icons, taskbars, list boxes, menus, buttons, and selection control elements like cursors, pointers, handles, and sliders.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) is a field of computer science, artificial intelligence, and linguistics which involves receiving spoken words and converting the spoken words into audio data suitable for processing by a computing device. Processed frames of audio data can be used to translate the received spoken words into text or to convert the spoken words into commands for controlling and interacting with various software applications. ASR processing may be used by computers, handheld devices, wearable devices, telephone systems, automobiles, and a wide variety of other devices to facilitate human-computer interactions.

Features of the various examples described will be readily understood from the following detailed description, in which reference is made to the figures. A reference numeral is used with each element in the description and throughout the several views of the drawing. When a plurality of similar elements is present, a single reference numeral may be assigned to like elements, with an added lower-case letter referring to a specific element.

The various elements shown in the figures are not drawn to scale unless otherwise indicated. The dimensions of the various elements may be enlarged or reduced in the interest of clarity. The several figures depict one or more implementations and are presented by way of example only and should not be construed as limiting. Included in the drawing are the following figures:.

Various implementations and details are described with reference to examples for presenting a virtual experience in augmented reality. For example, a number of beacon transmitters are programmed and deployed in a physical environment, such as an indoor space. The broadcast beacons are detected by an eyewear device, which uses the beacons to determine the current eyewear location and to retrieve relevant content. The retrieved content is used to present a virtual experience on the display of the eyewear as an overlay relative to the physical environment.

Example methods include detecting a beacon broadcast by a beacon transmitter that is associated with a fixed beacon location in a physical environment. The beacon includes a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate. The process includes determining whether the detected beacon satisfies a device certificate rule, and then determining the current eyewear location relative to the fixed beacon location (e.g., using one or more multilateration algorithms). The method includes retrieving content in accordance with the detected beacon. The retrieved content is used to curate a virtual experience that is also based on the beacon data and a user profile. The method includes presenting the curated virtual experience on the display in accordance with the determined current eyewear location and as an overlay relative to the physical environment. The process of presenting the curated virtual experience includes playing an audio message through the loudspeaker, presenting text on the display, presenting a video segment on the display, and combinations thereof.

Although the various systems and methods are described herein with reference to curating and presenting a virtual experience in response to BLE beacons detected in an indoor environment, the technology described may be applied to detecting any type of beacon or signal, retrieving information or taking other action in response to the signal, and presenting relevant content to a user.

The following detailed description includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computing machine program products illustrative of examples set forth in the disclosure. Numerous details and examples are included for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the disclosed subject matter and its relevant teachings. Those skilled in the relevant art, however, may understand how to apply the relevant teachings without such details. Aspects of the disclosed subject matter are not limited to the specific devices, systems, and method described because the relevant teachings can be applied or practice in a variety of ways. The terminology and nomenclature used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting.

The terms "coupled" or "connected" as used herein refer to any logical, optical, physical, or electrical connection, including a link or the like by which the electrical or magnetic signals produced or supplied by one system element are imparted to another coupled or connected system element. Unless described otherwise, coupled or connected elements or devices are not necessarily directly connected to one another and may be separated by intermediate components, elements, or communication media, one or more of which may modify, manipulate, or carry the electrical signals. The term "on" means directly supported by an element or indirectly supported by the element through another element that is integrated into or supported by the element.

The term "proximal" is used to describe an item or part of an item that is situated near, adjacent, or next to an object or person; or that is closer relative to other parts of the item, which may be described as "distal. " For example, the end of an item nearest an object may be referred to as the proximal end, whereas the generally opposing end may be referred to as the distal end.

The orientations of the eyewear device, other mobile devices, coupled components, and any other devices such as those shown in any of the drawings, are given by way of example only, for illustration and discussion purposes. In operation, the eyewear device may be oriented in any other direction suitable to the particular application of the eyewear device; for example, up, down, sideways, or any other orientation. Also, to the extent used herein, any directional term, such as front, rear, inward, outward, toward, left, right, lateral, longitudinal, up, down, upper, lower, top, bottom, side, horizontal, vertical, and diagonal are used by way of example only, and are not limiting as to the direction or orientation of any camera, inertial measurement unit, or display as constructed or as otherwise described herein.

Advanced AR technologies, such as computer vision and object tracking, may be used to produce a perceptually enriched and immersive experience. Computer vision algorithms extract three-dimensional data about the physical world from the data captured in digital images or video. Object recognition and tracking algorithms are used to detect an object in a digital image or video, estimate its orientation or pose, and track its movement over time. Hand and finger recognition and tracking in real time is one of the most challenging and processing-intensive tasks in the field of computer vision.

The term "pose" refers to the static position and orientation of an object at a particular instant in time. The term "gesture" refers to the active movement of an object, such as a hand, through a series of poses, sometimes to convey a signal or idea. The terms, pose and gesture, are sometimes used interchangeably in the field of computer vision and augmented reality. As used herein, the terms "pose" or "gesture" (or variations thereof) are intended to be inclusive of both poses and gestures; in other words, the use of one term does not exclude the other.

Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the examples will be set forth in part in the following description, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples.

<FIG> is a side view (right) of an example hardware configuration of an eyewear device <NUM> which includes a touch-sensitive input device such as a touchpad <NUM>. As shown, the touchpad <NUM> may have a boundary that is plainly visible or include a raised or otherwise tactile edge that provides feedback to the user about the location and boundary of the touchpad <NUM>; alternatively, the boundary may be subtle and not easily seen or felt. In other implementations, the eyewear device <NUM> may include a touchpad <NUM> on the left side that operates independently or in conjunction with a touchpad <NUM> on the right side.

The surface of the touchpad <NUM> is configured to detect finger touches, taps, and gestures (e.g., moving touches) for use with a GUI displayed by the eyewear device, on an image display, to allow the user to navigate through and select menu options in an intuitive manner, which enhances and simplifies the user experience.

Detection of finger inputs on the touchpad <NUM> can enable several functions. For example, touching anywhere on the touchpad <NUM> may cause the GUI to display or highlight an item on the image display, which may be projected onto at least one of the optical assemblies 180A, 180B. Tapping or double tapping on the touchpad <NUM> may select an item or icon. Sliding or swiping a finger in a particular direction (e.g., from front to back, back to front, up to down, or down to) may cause the items or icons to slide or scroll in a particular direction; for example, to move to a next item, icon, video, image, page, or slide. Sliding the finger in another direction may slide or scroll in the opposite direction; for example, to move to a previous item, icon, video, image, page, or slide. The touchpad <NUM> can be virtually anywhere on the eyewear device <NUM>.

In one example, an identified finger gesture of a single tap on the touchpad <NUM>, initiates selection or pressing of a graphical user interface element in the image presented on the image display of the optical assembly 180A, 180B. An adjustment to the image presented on the image display of the optical assembly 180A, 180B based on the identified finger gesture can be a primary action which selects or submits the graphical user interface element on the image display of the optical assembly 180A, 180B for further display or execution.

As shown, the eyewear device <NUM> includes a right visible-light camera 114B. As further described herein, two cameras 114A, 114B capture image information for a scene from two separate viewpoints. The two captured images may be used to project a three-dimensional display onto an image display for viewing with 3D glasses.

The eyewear device <NUM> includes a right optical assembly 180B with an image display to present images, such as depth images. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the eyewear device <NUM> includes the right visible-light camera 114B. The eyewear device <NUM> can include multiple visible-light cameras 114A, 114B that form a passive type of three-dimensional camera, such as stereo camera, of which the right visible-light camera 114B is located on a right corner 110B. As shown in <FIG>, the eyewear device <NUM> also includes a left visible-light camera 114A.

Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B are sensitive to the visible-light range wavelength. Each of the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B have a different frontward facing field of view which are overlapping to enable generation of three-dimensional depth images, for example, right visible-light camera 114B depicts a right field of view 111B. Generally, a "field of view" is the part of the scene that is visible through the camera at a particular position and orientation in space. The fields of view 111A and 111B have an overlapping field of view <NUM> (<FIG>). Objects or object features outside the field of view 111A, 111B when the visible-light camera captures the image are not recorded in a raw image (e.g., photograph or picture). The field of view describes an angle range or extent, which the image sensor of the visible-light camera 114A, 114B picks up electromagnetic radiation of a given scene in a captured image of the given scene. Field of view can be expressed as the angular size of the view cone; i.e., an angle of view. The angle of view can be measured horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

In an example configuration, one or both visible-light cameras 114A, 114B has a field of view of <NUM>° and a resolution of <NUM> x <NUM> pixels. The "angle of coverage" describes the angle range that a lens of visible-light cameras 114A, 114B or infrared camera <NUM> (see <FIG>) can effectively image. Typically, the camera lens produces an image circle that is large enough to cover the film or sensor of the camera completely, possibly including some vignetting (e.g., a darkening of the image toward the edges when compared to the center). If the angle of coverage of the camera lens does not fill the sensor, the image circle will be visible, typically with strong vignetting toward the edge, and the effective angle of view will be limited to the angle of coverage.

Examples of such visible-light cameras 114A, 114B include a high-resolution complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor and a digital VGA camera (video graphics array) capable of resolutions of 480p (e.g., <NUM> x <NUM> pixels), 720p, 1080p, or greater. Other examples include visible-light cameras 114A, 114B that can capture high-definition (HD) video at a high frame rate (e.g., thirty to sixty frames per second, or more) and store the recording at a resolution of <NUM> by <NUM> pixels (or greater).

The eyewear device <NUM> may capture image sensor data from the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B along with geolocation data, digitized by an image processor, for storage in a memory. The visible-light cameras 114A, 114B capture respective left and right raw images in the two-dimensional space domain that comprise a matrix of pixels on a two-dimensional coordinate system that includes an X-axis for horizontal position and a Y-axis for vertical position. Each pixel includes a color attribute value (e.g., a red pixel light value, a green pixel light value, or a blue pixel light value); and a position attribute (e.g., an X-axis coordinate and a Y-axis coordinate).

In order to capture stereo images for later display as a three-dimensional projection, the image processor <NUM> (shown in <FIG>) may be coupled to the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B to receive and store the visual image information. The image processor <NUM>, or another processor, controls operation of the visible-light cameras 114A, 114B to act as a stereo camera simulating human binocular vision and may add a timestamp to each image. The timestamp on each pair of images allows display of the images together as part of a three-dimensional projection. Three-dimensional projections produce an immersive, life-like experience that is desirable in a variety of contexts, including virtual reality (VR) and video gaming.

<FIG> is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a right corner 110B of the eyewear device <NUM> of <FIG> depicting the right visible-light camera 114B of the camera system, and a circuit board. <FIG> is a side view (left) of an example hardware configuration of an eyewear device <NUM> of <FIG>, which shows a left visible-light camera 114A of the camera system. <FIG> is a perspective, cross-sectional view of a left corner 110A of the eyewear device of <FIG> depicting the left visible-light camera 114A of the three-dimensional camera, and a circuit board.

Construction and placement of the left visible-light camera 114A is substantially similar to the right visible-light camera 114B, except the connections and coupling are on the left lateral side 170A. As shown in the example of <FIG>, the eyewear device <NUM> includes the right visible-light camera 114B and a circuit board 140B, which may be a flexible printed circuit board (PCB). A right hinge 126B connects the right corner 110B to a right temple 125B of the eyewear device <NUM>. In some examples, components of the right visible-light camera 114B, the flexible PCB 140B, or other electrical connectors or contacts may be located on the right temple 125B or the right hinge 126B. A left hinge 126A connects the left corner 110A to a left temple 125A of the eyewear device <NUM>. In some examples, components of the left visible-light camera 114A, the flexible PCB 140A, or other electrical connectors or contacts may be located on the left temple 125A or the left hinge 126A.

The right corner 110B includes corner body <NUM> and a corner cap, with the corner cap omitted in the cross-section of <FIG>. Disposed inside the right corner 110B are various interconnected circuit boards, such as PCBs or flexible PCBs, that include controller circuits for right visible-light camera 114B, microphone(s) <NUM>, loudspeaker(s) <NUM>, low-power wireless circuitry (e.g., for wireless short range network communication via Bluetooth™), high-speed wireless circuitry (e.g., for wireless local area network communication via Wi-Fi).

The right visible-light camera 114B is coupled to or disposed on the flexible PCB 140B and covered by a visible-light camera cover lens, which is aimed through opening(s) formed in the frame <NUM>. For example, the right rim 107B of the frame <NUM>, shown in <FIG>, is connected to the right corner 110B and includes the opening(s) for the visible-light camera cover lens. The frame <NUM> includes a front side configured to face outward and away from the eye of the user. The opening for the visible-light camera cover lens is formed on and through the front or outward-facing side of the frame <NUM>. In the example, the right visible-light camera 114B has an outward-facing field of view 111B (shown in <FIG>) with a line of sight or perspective that is correlated with the right eye of the user of the eyewear device <NUM>. The visible-light camera cover lens can also be adhered to a front side or outward-facing surface of the right corner 110B in which an opening is formed with an outward-facing angle of coverage, but in a different outwardly direction. The coupling can also be indirect via intervening components.

As shown in <FIG>, flexible PCB 140B is disposed inside the right corner 110B and is coupled to one or more other components housed in the right corner 110B. Although shown as being formed on the circuit boards of the right corner 110B, the right visible-light camera 114B can be formed on the circuit boards of the left corner 110A, the temples 125A, 125B, or the frame <NUM>.

<FIG> and <FIG> are perspective views, from the rear, of example hardware configurations of the eyewear device <NUM>, including two different types of image displays. The eyewear device <NUM> is sized and shaped in a form configured for wearing by a user; the form of eyeglasses is shown in the example. The eyewear device <NUM> can take other forms and may incorporate other types of frameworks; for example, a headgear, a headset, or a helmet.

In the eyeglasses example, eyewear device <NUM> includes a frame <NUM> including a left rim 107A connected to a right rim 107B via a bridge <NUM> adapted to be supported by a nose of the user. The left and right rims 107A, 107B include respective apertures 175A, 175B, which hold a respective optical element 180A, 180B, such as a lens and a display device. As used herein, the term "lens" is meant to include transparent or translucent pieces of glass or plastic having curved or flat surfaces that cause light to converge or diverge or that cause little or no convergence or divergence.

<FIG> is an example hardware configuration for the eyewear device <NUM> in which the right corner 110B supports a microphone <NUM> and a loudspeaker <NUM>. The microphone <NUM> includes a transducer that converts sound into a corresponding electrical audio signal. The microphone <NUM> in this example, as shown, is positioned with an opening that faces inward toward the wearer, to facilitate reception of the sound waves, such as human speech including verbal commands and questions. Additional or differently oriented openings may be implemented. In other example configurations, the eyewear device <NUM> is coupled to one or more microphones <NUM>, configured to operate together or independently, and positioned at various locations on the eyewear device <NUM>.

The loudspeaker <NUM> includes an electro-acoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. The loudspeaker <NUM> is controlled by one of the processors <NUM>, <NUM> or by an audio processor <NUM> (<FIG>). The loudspeaker <NUM> in this example includes a series of oblong apertures, as shown, that face inward to direct the sound toward the wearer. Additional or differently oriented apertures may be implemented. In other example configurations, the eyewear device <NUM> is coupled to one or more loudspeakers <NUM>, configured to operate together (e.g., in stereo, in zones to generate surround sound) or independently, and positioned at various locations on the eyewear device <NUM>. For example, one or more loudspeakers <NUM> may be incorporated into the frame <NUM>, temples <NUM>, or corners 110A, 110B of the eyewear device <NUM>.

Although shown in <FIG> and <FIG> as having two optical elements 180A, 180B, the eyewear device <NUM> can include other arrangements, such as a single optical element (or it may not include any optical element 180A, 180B), depending on the application or the intended user of the eyewear device <NUM>. As further shown, eyewear device <NUM> includes a left corner 110A adjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame <NUM> and a right corner 110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame <NUM>. The corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame <NUM> on the respective sides 170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented as separate components attached to the frame <NUM> on the respective sides 170A, 170B. Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into temples (not shown) attached to the frame <NUM>.

In one example, the image display of optical assembly 180A, 180B includes an integrated image display. As shown in <FIG>, each optical assembly 180A, 180B includes a suitable display matrix <NUM>, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display, or any other such display. Each optical assembly 180A, 180B also includes an optical layer or layers <NUM>, which can include lenses, optical coatings, prisms, mirrors, waveguides, optical strips, and other optical components in any combination. The optical layers 176A, 176B,. 176N (shown as 176A-N in <FIG> and herein) can include a prism having a suitable size and configuration and including a first surface for receiving light from a display matrix and a second surface for emitting light to the eye of the user. The prism of the optical layers 176A-N extends over all or at least a portion of the respective apertures 175A, 175B formed in the left and right rims 107A, 107B to permit the user to see the second surface of the prism when the eye of the user is viewing through the corresponding left and right rims 107A, 107B. The first surface of the prism of the optical layers 176A-N faces upwardly from the frame <NUM> and the display matrix <NUM> overlies the prism so that photons and light emitted by the display matrix <NUM> impinge the first surface. The prism is sized and shaped so that the light is refracted within the prism and is directed toward the eye of the user by the second surface of the prism of the optical layers 176A-N. In this regard, the second surface of the prism of the optical layers 176A-N can be convex to direct the light toward the center of the eye. The prism can optionally be sized and shaped to magnify the image projected by the display matrix <NUM>, and the light travels through the prism so that the image viewed from the second surface is larger in one or more dimensions than the image emitted from the display matrix <NUM>.

In one example, the optical layers 176A-N may include an LCD layer that is transparent (keeping the lens open) unless and until a voltage is applied which makes the layer opaque (closing or blocking the lens). The image processor <NUM> on the eyewear device <NUM> may execute programming to apply the voltage to the LCD layer in order to produce an active shutter system, making the eyewear device <NUM> suitable for viewing visual content when displayed as a three-dimensional projection. Technologies other than LCD may be used for the active shutter mode, including other types of reactive layers that are responsive to a voltage or another type of input.

In another example, the image display device of optical assembly 180A, 180B includes a projection image display as shown in <FIG>. Each optical assembly 180A, 180B includes a laser projector <NUM>, which is a three-color laser projector using a scanning mirror or galvanometer. During operation, an optical source such as a laser projector <NUM> is disposed in or on one of the temples 125A, 125B of the eyewear device <NUM>. Optical assembly 180B in this example includes one or more optical strips 155A, 155B,. 155N (shown as 155A-N in <FIG>) which are spaced apart and across the width of the lens of each optical assembly 180A, 180B or across a depth of the lens between the front surface and the rear surface of the lens.

As the photons projected by the laser projector <NUM> travel across the lens of each optical assembly 180A, 180B, the photons encounter the optical strips 155A-N. When a particular photon encounters a particular optical strip, the photon is either redirected toward the user's eye, or it passes to the next optical strip. A combination of modulation of laser projector <NUM>, and modulation of optical strips, may control specific photons or beams of light. In an example, a processor controls optical strips 155A-N by initiating mechanical, acoustic, or electromagnetic signals. Although shown as having two optical assemblies 180A, 180B, the eyewear device <NUM> can include other arrangements, such as a single or three optical assemblies, or each optical assembly 180A, 180B may have arranged different arrangement depending on the application or intended user of the eyewear device <NUM>.

As further shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, eyewear device <NUM> includes a left corner 110A adjacent the left lateral side 170A of the frame <NUM> and a right corner 110B adjacent the right lateral side 170B of the frame <NUM>. The corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into the frame <NUM> on the respective lateral sides 170A, 170B (as illustrated) or implemented as separate components attached to the frame <NUM> on the respective sides 170A, 170B. Alternatively, the corners 110A, 110B may be integrated into temples 125A, 125B attached to the frame <NUM>.

In another example, the eyewear device <NUM> shown in <FIG> may include two projectors, a left projector (not shown) and a right projector <NUM>. The left optical assembly 180A may include a left display matrix <NUM> or a left set of optical strips (not shown), which are configured to interact with light from the left projector. Similarly, the right optical assembly 180B may include a right display matrix (not shown) or a right set of optical strips 155A, 155B,. 155N, which are configured to interact with light from the right projector <NUM>. In this example, the eyewear device <NUM> includes a left display and a right display.

<FIG> is a diagrammatic depiction of a three-dimensional scene <NUM>, a left raw image 302A captured by a left visible-light camera 114A, and a right raw image 302B captured by a right visible-light camera 114B. The left field of view 111A may overlap, as shown, with the right field of view 111B. The overlapping field of view <NUM> represents that portion of the image captured by both cameras 114A, 114B. The term 'overlapping' when referring to field of view means the matrix of pixels in the generated raw images overlap by thirty percent (<NUM>%) or more. 'Substantially overlapping' means the matrix of pixels in the generated raw images - or in the infrared image of scene - overlap by fifty percent (<NUM>%) or more. As described herein, the two raw images 302A, 302B may be processed to include a timestamp, which allows the images to be displayed together as part of a three-dimensional projection.

For the capture of stereo images, as illustrated in <FIG>, a pair of raw red, green, and blue (RGB) images are captured of a real scene <NUM> at a given moment in time - a left raw image 302A captured by the left camera 114A and right raw image 302B captured by the right camera 114B. When the pair of raw images 302A, 302B are processed (e.g., by the image processor <NUM>), depth images are generated. The generated depth images may be viewed on an optical assembly 180A, 180B of an eyewear device, on another display (e.g., the image display <NUM> on a mobile device <NUM>), or on a screen.

The generated depth images are in the three-dimensional space domain and can comprise a matrix of vertices on a three-dimensional location coordinate system that includes an X axis for horizontal position (e.g., length), a Y axis for vertical position (e.g., height), and a Z axis for depth (e.g., distance). Each vertex may include a color attribute (e.g., a red pixel light value, a green pixel light value, or a blue pixel light value); a position attribute (e.g., an X location coordinate, a Y location coordinate, and a Z location coordinate); a texture attribute; a reflectance attribute; or a combination thereof. The texture attribute quantifies the perceived texture of the depth image, such as the spatial arrangement of color or intensities in a region of vertices of the depth image.

In one example, the content delivery system <NUM> (<FIG>) includes the eyewear device <NUM>, which includes a frame <NUM> and a left temple 125A extending from a left lateral side 170A of the frame <NUM> and a right temple 125B extending from a right lateral side 170B of the frame <NUM>. The eyewear device <NUM> may further include at least two visible-light cameras 114A, 114B having overlapping fields of view. In one example, the eyewear device <NUM> includes a left visible-light camera 114A with a left field of view 111A, as illustrated in <FIG>. The left camera 114A is connected to the frame <NUM> or the left temple 125A to capture a left raw image 302A from the left side of scene <NUM>. The eyewear device <NUM> further includes a right visible-light camera 114B with a right field of view 111B. The right camera 114B is connected to the frame <NUM> or the right temple 125B to capture a right raw image 302B from the right side of scene <NUM>.

<FIG> is a functional block diagram of an example content delivery system <NUM> that includes an eyewear device <NUM>), a mobile device <NUM>, and a server system <NUM> connected via various networks <NUM> such as the Internet. As shown, the content delivery system <NUM> includes a low-power wireless connection <NUM> and a high-speed wireless connection <NUM> between the eyewear device <NUM> and the mobile device <NUM>.

The example content delivery system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, includes one or more beacon transmitters <NUM> in wireless communication with the eyewear device <NUM> which, in turn, is in wireless communication with one or more mobile devices <NUM>. In some implementations, these devices <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> operate as nodes in a network. Network data may be stored locally or remotely, on the servers or securely in the cloud.

The beacon transmitters <NUM> in some implementations are installed at an indoor location, such as a retail store, a restaurant, an art gallery, and the like, and at other locations where the location owner or operator desires to broadcast content, offers, features, and other information to users in the vicinity. The beacon transmitters <NUM> broadcast a beacon <NUM>, as shown, which in some implementation is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon.

As used herein, the term beacon <NUM> refers to and includes a signal broadcast according to any of a variety of wireless communications protocols, such as Bluetooth®, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-wideband (UWB), Wi-Fi (<NUM>), Near-Field Communication (NFC), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), ZigBee, DigiMesh, VideoLAN Client (VLC), DECT (Digital European Cordless Telecommunications), and the like.

The beacon transmitters <NUM> in some implementations includes a microcontroller, a memory, a transmitter, an antenna, and a power source (e.g., a replaceable or rechargeable battery). Some beacon transmitters <NUM> include or are coupled to one or more supplemental elements and sensors (e.g., current time, current date, motion detectors, light sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers).

The beacon <NUM> in some implementations includes a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate. The beacon data in some implementations includes a preamble, a payload, one or more packets of data, metadata, content (e.g., text, audio files, video segments), current sensor data captured by the supplemental elements or sensors coupled to the beacon transmitter <NUM>, and the like. The physical layer of each beacon <NUM> may be assembled according to applicable standards, such as the BLE standards and BLE core specifications. The beacon <NUM> is broadcast repeatedly and periodically (e.g., ten times per second). The beacon <NUM> is a short burst of electromagnetic energy having a duration sufficient for a receiving device (e.g., an eyewear device <NUM>) to extract the information contained in the beacon <NUM>.

The device certificate in some implementations includes a source identifier indicating the identity of the owner or operator that installed, deployed, configured, and programmed the beacons <NUM> and the beacon transmitters <NUM>. In this aspect, beacon transmitters <NUM> are programmable and customizable, so that a developer or owner can design the format and contents to be included in the beacon <NUM>, including the device certificate.

As shown in <FIG>, the eyewear device <NUM> includes one or more visible-light cameras 114A, 114B that capture still images, video images, or both still and video images, as described herein. The cameras 114A, 114B may have a direct memory access (DMA) to high-speed circuitry <NUM> and function as a stereo camera. The cameras 114A, 114B may be used to capture initial-depth images that may be rendered into three-dimensional (3D) models that are texture-mapped images of a red, green, and blue (RGB) imaged scene. The device <NUM> may also include a depth sensor that uses infrared signals to estimate the position of objects relative to the device <NUM>. The depth sensor in some examples includes one or more infrared emitter(s) and infrared camera(s) <NUM>.

The eyewear device <NUM> further includes two image displays of each optical assembly 180A, 180B (one associated with the left side 170A and one associated with the right side 170B). The eyewear device <NUM> also includes an image display driver <NUM>, an image processor <NUM>, low-power circuitry <NUM>, and high-speed circuitry <NUM>. The image displays of each optical assembly 180A, 180B are for presenting images, including still images, video images, or still and video images. The image display driver <NUM> is coupled to the image displays of each optical assembly 180A, 180B in order to control the display of images.

The components shown in <FIG> for the eyewear device <NUM> are located on one or more circuit boards, for example a printed circuit board (PCB) or flexible printed circuit (FPC), located in the rims or temples. Alternatively, or additionally, the depicted components can be located in the corners, frames, hinges, or bridge of the eyewear device <NUM>. Left and right visible-light cameras 114A, 114B can include digital camera elements such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, a chargecoupled device, a lens, or any other respective visible or light capturing elements that may be used to capture data, including still images or video of scenes with unknown objects.

As shown in <FIG>, high-speed circuitry <NUM> includes a high-speed processor <NUM>, a 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 each optical assembly 180A, 180B. High-speed processor <NUM> may be any processor capable of managing high-speed communications and operation of any general computing system needed for eyewear device <NUM>. High-speed processor <NUM> includes processing resources needed for managing high-speed data transfers on high-speed wireless connection <NUM> to a wireless local area network (WLAN) using high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>.

In some examples, the high-speed processor <NUM> executes an operating system such as a LINUX operating system or other such operating system of the eyewear device <NUM> and the operating system is stored in memory <NUM> for execution. In addition to any other responsibilities, the high-speed processor <NUM> executes a software architecture for the eyewear device <NUM> that is used to manage data transfers with high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>. In some 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 circuitry <NUM> includes a low-power processor <NUM> and low-power wireless circuitry <NUM>. The low-power wireless circuitry <NUM> and the high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> can include short-range transceivers (Bluetooth™ or Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE)) and wireless wide, local, or wide-area network transceivers (e.g., cellular or Wi-Fi). Mobile device <NUM>, including the transceivers communicating via the low-power wireless connection <NUM> and the high-speed wireless connection <NUM>, may be implemented using details of the architecture of the eyewear device <NUM>, as can other elements of the network <NUM>.

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 visible-light cameras 114A, 114B, the infrared camera(s) <NUM>, the image processor <NUM>, and images generated for display by the image display driver <NUM> on the image display of each optical assembly 180A, 180B. Although the memory <NUM> is shown as integrated with high-speed circuitry <NUM>, the memory <NUM> in other examples may be an independent, standalone element of the eyewear device <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>, various elements of the eyewear device <NUM> can be coupled to the low-power circuitry <NUM>, high-speed circuitry <NUM>, or both. For example, the infrared camera <NUM> (including in some implementations an infrared emitter), the user input devices <NUM> (e.g., touchpad <NUM>), the microphone(s) <NUM>, and the inertial measurement unit (IMU) <NUM> may be coupled to the low-power circuitry <NUM>, high-speed circuitry <NUM>, or both.

As shown in <FIG>, the CPU <NUM> of the mobile device <NUM> may be coupled to a camera system <NUM>, a mobile display driver <NUM>, a user input layer <NUM>, and a memory 540A.

The 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 an eyewear device <NUM> and a mobile device <NUM>.

The output components of the eyewear device <NUM> include visual elements, such as the left and right image displays associated with each lens or optical assembly 180A, 180B as described in <FIG> and <FIG> (e.g., 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 eyewear device <NUM> may include a user-facing indicator (e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker <NUM>, or a vibrating actuator), or an outward-facing signal (e.g., an LED, a loudspeaker <NUM>). The image displays of each optical assembly 180A, 180B are driven by the image display driver <NUM>. In some example configurations, the output components of the eyewear device <NUM> further include additional indicators such as audible elements (e.g., loudspeakers <NUM>), tactile components (e.g., an actuator such as a vibratory motor to generate haptic feedback), and other signal generators. For example, the device <NUM> may include a user-facing set of indicators, and an outward-facing set of signals. The user-facing set of indicators are configured to be seen or otherwise sensed by the user of the device <NUM>. For example, the device <NUM> may include an LED display positioned so the user can see it, one or more speakers <NUM> positioned to generate a sound the user can hear, or an actuator to provide haptic feedback the user can feel. The outward-facing set of signals are configured to be seen or otherwise sensed by an observer near the device <NUM>. Similarly, the device <NUM> may include an LED, a loudspeaker <NUM>, or an actuator that is configured and positioned to be sensed by an observer.

The input components of the eyewear device <NUM> may include alphanumeric input components (e.g., a touch screen or touchpad <NUM> configured to receive alphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumeric-configured elements), pointer-based input components (e.g., a mouse, a touchpad <NUM>, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointing instruments), tactile input components (e.g., a button switch, a touch screen or touchpad <NUM> that senses the location, force or location and force of touches or touch gestures, or other tactile-configured elements), and audio input components (e.g., a microphone <NUM>), and the like. The mobile device <NUM> and the server system <NUM> may include alphanumeric, pointer-based, tactile, audio, and other input components.

In some examples, the eyewear device <NUM> includes a collection of motion-sensing components referred to as an inertial measurement unit <NUM>. The motion-sensing components may be micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) with microscopic moving parts, often small enough to be part of a microchip. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) <NUM> in some example configurations includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. The accelerometer senses the linear acceleration of the device <NUM> (including the acceleration due to gravity) relative to three orthogonal axes (x, y, z). The gyroscope senses the angular velocity of the device <NUM> about three axes of rotation (pitch, roll, yaw). Together, the accelerometer and gyroscope can provide position, orientation, and motion data about the device relative to six axes (x, y, z, pitch, roll, yaw). The magnetometer, if present, senses the heading of the device <NUM> relative to magnetic north. The position of the device <NUM> may be determined by location sensors, such as a GPS unit, one or more transceivers to generate relative position coordinates, altitude sensors or barometers, and other orientation sensors. Such positioning system coordinates can also be received over the wireless connections <NUM>, <NUM> from the mobile device <NUM> via the low-power wireless circuitry <NUM> or the high-speed wireless circuitry <NUM>.

The IMU <NUM> may include or cooperate with a digital motion processor or programming that gathers the raw data from the components and compute a number of useful values about the position, orientation, and motion of the device <NUM>. For example, the acceleration data gathered from the accelerometer can be integrated to obtain the velocity relative to each axis (x, y, z); and integrated again to obtain the position of the device <NUM> (in linear coordinates, x, y, and z). The angular velocity data from the gyroscope can be integrated to obtain the position of the device <NUM> (in spherical coordinates). The programming for computing these useful values may be stored in memory <NUM> and executed by the high-speed processor <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM>.

The eyewear device <NUM> may optionally include additional peripheral sensors, such as biometric sensors, specialty sensors, or display elements integrated with eyewear device <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 sensors may include components to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), to measure bio signals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, perspiration, or brain waves), or to identify a person (e.g., identification based on voice, retina, facial characteristics, fingerprints, or electrical bio signals such as electroencephalogram data), and the like.

The mobile device <NUM> may be a smartphone, tablet, laptop computer, access point, or any other such device capable of connecting with eyewear device <NUM> using both a low-power wireless connection <NUM> and a high-speed wireless connection <NUM>. Mobile device <NUM> is connected to server system <NUM> and network <NUM>. The network <NUM> may include any combination of wired and wireless connections.

The content delivery system <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, includes a computing device, such as mobile device <NUM>, coupled to an eyewear device <NUM> over a network. The content delivery system <NUM> includes a memory for storing instructions and a processor for executing the instructions. Execution of the instructions of the content delivery system <NUM> by the processor <NUM> configures the eyewear device <NUM> to cooperate with the mobile device <NUM>. The content delivery system <NUM> may utilize the memory <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> or the memory elements 540A, 540B, 540C of the mobile device <NUM> (<FIG>). Also, the content delivery system <NUM> may utilize the processor elements <NUM>, <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> or the central processing unit (CPU) <NUM> of the mobile device <NUM> (<FIG>). In addition, the content delivery system <NUM> may further utilize the memory and processor elements of the server system <NUM>. In this aspect, the memory and processing functions of the content delivery system <NUM> can be shared or distributed across the processors and memories of the eyewear device <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM>, and the server system <NUM>.

In some implementations, the memory <NUM> includes or is coupled to a content delivery application <NUM>, a localization system <NUM>, an image processing system <NUM>, and a voice recognition module <NUM>.

The content delivery application <NUM> in some implementations configures the processor <NUM> to detect one or more beacons <NUM> broadcast by beacon transmitters <NUM>, retrieve content <NUM> associated with the detected beacons, and present a virtual experience <NUM> as described herein.

The localization system <NUM> in some implementations configures the processor <NUM> to determine the current location <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> relative to the physical environment <NUM>. In outdoor environments, the current eyewear location <NUM> may be derived from data gathered by a GPS unit, an inertial measurement unit <NUM>, a camera 114B, or a combination thereof. In indoor environments and other places where GPS data is not available or not sufficient, the current eyewear location <NUM> in some implementations is calculated using one or more beacons <NUM>.

The image processing system <NUM> configures the processor <NUM> to present one or more graphical elements on a display of an optical assembly 180A, 180B in cooperation with the image display driver <NUM> and the image processor <NUM>.

The voice recognition module <NUM> configures the processor <NUM> to perceive human speech with a microphone <NUM>, convert the received speech into frames of audio data, identify a command or inquiry based on the audio data, and execute an action (or assemble a response) in response to the identified command or inquiry.

As shown in <FIG>, the example content delivery system <NUM> is coupled to a transmitter library <NUM> and a content library <NUM>. The eyewear device <NUM>, as shown, is coupled to or otherwise in communication with the libraries <NUM>, <NUM>.

The transmitter library <NUM> stores data about each of the beacon transmitters <NUM>, including its fixed beacon location <NUM> relative to the physical environment <NUM>, the physical object <NUM> it is persistently associated with, and the characteristics of the beacon <NUM> it broadcasts (e.g., the unique identifier, the beacon data, the device certificate).

The content library <NUM> stores data about each of a content items (e.g., text, audio files, video segments). The data record for each item of content may include a name, a unique identifier, a category or topic, and a variety of other information that would be useful in cataloguing and retrieving the content. The content is stored and maintained for easy access and use when the system retrieves content associated with a detected beacon <NUM>.

The libraries <NUM><NUM> in some implementations operate as a set of relational databases with one or more shared keys linking the stored data to other database entries, and a database management system for maintaining and querying each database.

<FIG> is a high-level functional block diagram of an example mobile device <NUM>. Mobile device <NUM> includes a flash memory 540A which stores programming to be executed by the CPU <NUM> to perform all or a subset of the functions described herein.

The mobile device <NUM> may include a camera <NUM> that comprises at least two visible-light cameras (first and second visible-light cameras with overlapping fields of view) or at least one visible-light camera and a depth sensor with substantially overlapping fields of view. Flash memory 540A may further include multiple images or video, which are generated via the camera <NUM>.

As shown, the mobile device <NUM> includes an image display <NUM>, a mobile display driver <NUM> to control the image display <NUM>, and a display controller <NUM>. In the example of <FIG>, the image display <NUM> includes a user input layer <NUM> (e.g., a touchscreen) that is layered on top of or otherwise integrated into the screen used by the image display <NUM>.

Examples of touchscreen-type mobile devices that may be used include (but are not limited to) a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or other portable device. However, the structure and operation of the touchscreen-type devices is provided by way of example; the subject technology as described herein is not intended to be limited thereto. For purposes of this discussion, <FIG> therefore provides a block diagram illustration of the example mobile device <NUM> with a user interface that includes a touchscreen input layer <NUM> for receiving input (by touch, multi-touch, or gesture, and the like, by hand, stylus, or other tool) and an image display <NUM> for displaying content.

As shown in <FIG>, the mobile device <NUM> includes at least one digital transceiver (XCVR) <NUM>, shown as WWAN XCVRs, for digital wireless communications via a wide-area wireless mobile communication network. The mobile device <NUM> also includes additional digital or analog transceivers, such as short-range transceivers (XCVRs) <NUM> for short-range network communication, such as via NFC, VLC, DECT, ZigBee, Bluetooth™, or Wi-Fi. For example, short range XCVRs <NUM> may take the form of any available two-way wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver of a type that is compatible with one or more standard protocols of communication implemented in wireless local area networks, such as one of the Wi-Fi standards under IEEE <NUM>.

To generate location coordinates for positioning of the mobile device <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM> can include a global positioning system (GPS) receiver. Alternatively, or additionally the mobile device <NUM> can utilize either or both the short range XCVRs <NUM> and WWAN XCVRs <NUM> for generating location coordinates for positioning. For example, cellular network, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth™ based positioning systems can generate very accurate location coordinates, particularly when used in combination. Such location coordinates can be transmitted to the eyewear device over one or more network connections via XCVRs <NUM>, <NUM>.

The client device <NUM> in some examples includes a collection of motion-sensing components referred to as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) <NUM> for sensing the position, orientation, and motion of the client device <NUM>. The motion-sensing components may be micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) with microscopic moving parts, often small enough to be part of a microchip. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) <NUM> in some example configurations includes an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. The accelerometer senses the linear acceleration of the client device <NUM> (including the acceleration due to gravity) relative to three orthogonal axes (x, y, z). The gyroscope senses the angular velocity of the client device <NUM> about three axes of rotation (pitch, roll, yaw). Together, the accelerometer and gyroscope can provide position, orientation, and motion data about the device relative to six axes (x, y, z, pitch, roll, yaw). The magnetometer, if present, senses the heading of the client device <NUM> relative to magnetic north.

The IMU <NUM> may include or cooperate with a digital motion processor or programming that gathers the raw data from the components and compute a number of useful values about the position, orientation, and motion of the client device <NUM>. For example, the acceleration data gathered from the accelerometer can be integrated to obtain the velocity relative to each axis (x, y, z); and integrated again to obtain the position of the client device <NUM> (in linear coordinates, x, y, and z). The angular velocity data from the gyroscope can be integrated to obtain the position of the client device <NUM> (in spherical coordinates). The programming for computing these useful values may be stored in on or more memory elements 540A, 540B, 540C and executed by the CPU <NUM> of the client device <NUM>.

The transceivers <NUM>, <NUM> (i.e., the network communication interface) conforms to one or more of the various digital wireless communication standards utilized by modern mobile networks. Examples of WWAN transceivers <NUM> include (but are not limited to) transceivers configured to operate in accordance with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network technologies including, for example and without limitation, 3GPP type <NUM> (or 3GPP2) and LTE, at times referred to as "<NUM>. " For example, the transceivers <NUM>, <NUM> provide two-way wireless communication of information including digitized audio signals, still image and video signals, web page information for display as well as web-related inputs, and various types of mobile message communications to/from the mobile device <NUM>.

The mobile device <NUM> further includes a microprocessor that functions as a central processing unit (CPU); shown as CPU <NUM> in <FIG>. A processor is a circuit having elements structured and arranged to perform one or more processing functions, typically various data processing functions. Although discrete logic components could be used, the examples utilize components forming a programmable CPU. A microprocessor for example includes one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips incorporating the electronic elements to perform the functions of the CPU. The CPU <NUM>, for example, may be based on any known or available microprocessor architecture, such as a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) using an ARM architecture, as commonly used today in mobile devices and other portable electronic devices. Of course, other arrangements of processor circuitry may be used to form the CPU <NUM> or processor hardware in smartphone, laptop computer, and tablet.

The CPU <NUM> serves as a programmable host controller for the mobile device <NUM> by configuring the mobile device <NUM> to perform various operations, for example, in accordance with instructions or programming executable by CPU <NUM>. For example, such operations may include various general operations of the mobile device, as well as operations related to the programming for applications on the mobile device. Although a processor may be configured by use of hardwired logic, typical processors in mobile devices are general processing circuits configured by execution of programming.

The mobile device <NUM> includes a memory or storage system, for storing programming and data. In the example, the memory system may include a flash memory 540A, a random-access memory (RAM) 540B, and other memory components 540C, as needed. The RAM 540B serves as short-term storage for instructions and data being handled by the CPU <NUM>, e.g., as a working data processing memory. The flash memory 540A typically provides longer-term storage.

Hence, in the example of mobile device <NUM>, the flash memory 540A is used to store programming or instructions for execution by the CPU <NUM>. Depending on the type of device, the mobile device <NUM> stores and runs a mobile operating system through which specific applications are executed. Examples of mobile operating systems include Google Android, Apple iOS (for iPhone or iPad devices), Windows Mobile, Amazon Fire OS, RIM BlackBerry OS, or the like.

The processor <NUM> within the eyewear device <NUM> may construct a map of the environment surrounding the eyewear device <NUM>, determine a location of the eyewear device within the mapped environment, and determine a relative position of the eyewear device to one or more objects in the mapped environment. The processor <NUM> may construct the map and determine location and position information using a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) algorithm applied to data received from one or more sensors. Sensor data includes images received from one or both of the cameras 114A, 114B, distance(s) received from a laser range finder, position information received from a GPS unit, motion and acceleration data received from an IMU <NUM>, or a combination of data from such sensors, or from other sensors that provide data useful in determining positional information. In the context of augmented reality, a SLAM algorithm is used to construct and update a map of an environment, while simultaneously tracking and updating the location of a device (or a user) within the mapped environment. The mathematical solution can be approximated using various statistical methods, such as particle filters, Kalman filters, extended Kalman filters, and covariance intersection. In a system that includes a high-definition (HD) video camera that captures video at a high frame rate (e.g., thirty frames per second), the SLAM algorithm updates the map and the location of objects at least as frequently as the frame rate; in other words, calculating and updating the mapping and localization thirty times per second.

Sensor data includes image(s) received from one or both cameras 114A, 114B, distance(s) received from a laser range finder, position information received from a GPS unit, motion and acceleration data received from an IMU <NUM>, or a combination of data from such sensors, or from other sensors that provide data useful in determining positional information.

<FIG> depicts an example physical environment <NUM> along with elements that are useful when using a SLAM application and other types of tracking applications (e.g., natural feature tracking (NFT)). A user <NUM> of eyewear device <NUM> is present in an example physical environment <NUM> (which, in <FIG>, is an interior room). The processor <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> determines its position with respect to one or more objects <NUM> within the environment <NUM> using captured images, constructs a map of the environment <NUM> using a coordinate system (x, y, z) for the environment <NUM>, and determines its position within the coordinate system. Additionally, the processor <NUM> determines a head pose (roll, pitch, and yaw) of the eyewear device <NUM> within the environment by using two or more location points (e.g., three location points 606a, 606b, and 606c) associated with a single object 604a, or by using one or more location points <NUM> associated with two or more objects 604a, 604b, 604c. The processor <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM> may position a virtual object <NUM> (such as the key shown in <FIG>) within the environment <NUM> for viewing during an augmented reality experience.

The localization system <NUM> in some examples a virtual marker 610a associated with a virtual object <NUM> in the environment <NUM>. In augmented reality, markers are registered at locations in the environment to assist devices with the task of tracking and updating the location of users, devices, and objects (virtual and physical) in a mapped environment. Markers are sometimes registered to a high-contrast physical object, such as the relatively dark object, such as the framed picture 604a, mounted on a lighter-colored wall, to assist cameras and other sensors with the task of detecting the marker. The markers may be preassigned or may be assigned by the eyewear device <NUM> upon entering the environment.

Markers can be encoded with or otherwise linked to information. A marker might include position information, a physical code (such as a bar code or a QR code; either visible to the user or hidden), or a combination thereof. A set of data associated with the marker is stored in the memory <NUM> of the eyewear device <NUM>. The set of data includes information about the marker 610a, the marker's position (location and orientation), one or more virtual objects, or a combination thereof. The marker position may include three-dimensional coordinates for one or more marker landmarks 616a, such as the corner of the generally rectangular marker 610a shown in <FIG>. The marker location may be expressed relative to real-world geographic coordinates, a system of marker coordinates, a position of the eyewear device <NUM>, or other coordinate system. The one or more virtual objects associated with the marker 610a may include any of a variety of material, including still images, video, audio, tactile feedback, executable applications, interactive user interfaces and experiences, and combinations or sequences of such material. Any type of content capable of being stored in a memory and retrieved when the marker 610a is encountered or associated with an assigned marker may be classified as a virtual object in this context. The key <NUM> shown in <FIG>, for example, is a virtual object displayed as a still image, either 2D or 3D, at a marker location.

In one example, the marker 610a may be registered in memory as being located near and associated with a physical object 604a (e.g., the framed work of art shown in <FIG>). In another example, the marker may be registered in memory as being a particular position with respect to the eyewear device <NUM>.

<FIG> is a flow chart <NUM> listing the steps in an example method of presenting a virtual experience <NUM> on the display 180B of an eyewear device <NUM>. Although the steps are described with reference to the eyewear device <NUM> described herein, other implementations of the steps described, for other types of devices, will be understood by one of skill in the art from the description herein. One or more of the steps shown and described may be performed simultaneously, in a series, in an order other than shown and described, or in conjunction with additional steps. Some steps may be omitted or, in some applications, repeated.

The content delivery application <NUM> described herein, in some implementations, starts in response to receiving a selection through a user interface (e.g., selecting from a menu, pressing a button, using a touchpad) or through some other input means (e.g., hand gesture, finger motion, voice command). In other examples, the content delivery application <NUM> starts in response to detecting a beacon <NUM> as described herein.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of detecting a beacon <NUM> with the wireless communications circuitry <NUM>, <NUM> of an eyewear device <NUM>. The beacon <NUM> in this example is broadcast by a beacon transmitter <NUM> associated with a fixed beacon location <NUM> in a physical environment <NUM>. For example, a beacon transmitter <NUM> may be located near an object <NUM> (e.g., an exhibit, a work of art, an article of merchandise). The beacon <NUM> in some implementations includes a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate.

The eyewear device <NUM> in this example includes a camera 114B, a loudspeaker <NUM>, a content delivery application <NUM>, a localization system <NUM>, and a display 180B. In some implementations, the process of detecting beacons <NUM> is ongoing during active use of the eyewear device <NUM>. In other examples, the process of detecting beacons <NUM> starts in response to receiving a selection through a user interface or through some other input means. The example step at block <NUM>, in some implementations, includes storing the captured beacons <NUM> in memory <NUM> on the eyewear device <NUM>, at least temporarily, such that the captured beacons <NUM> are available for analysis.

<FIG> is a perspective illustration of an example arrangement of beacon transmitters 620a, 620b along with a virtual experience <NUM> presented on a display 180B. The physical environment <NUM>, as shown, includes a first object 650a, a first beacon transmitter 620a located at a fixed beacon location 720a. When the beacon transmitters <NUM> are programmed and installed, the first beacon transmitter 620a is associated with the first object 650a. Also shown is a first beacon activation code 655a which is located at a fixed position relative to the fixed beacon location 720a. The beacon activation code 655a in some implementations is an optical code that contains encoded information readable by the camera 114B of the eyewear device <NUM>.

Also shown in <FIG> is a second or subsequent object 650b, a subsequent beacon transmitter 620b located at a subsequent fixed beacon location 720b, and a subsequent beacon activation code 655b. In operation, the physical environment <NUM> may include a plurality of objects <NUM>, each associated with its own beacon transmitter <NUM> and activation code <NUM>. For example, an object <NUM> may be an exhibit, a work of art, an item of merchandise, a menu, or any other item.

In some implementations, the content delivery application <NUM> is configured to detect and act upon a certain subset of beacons which satisfy a device certificate rule <NUM>. For example, when an owner or operator programs the beacon transmitters <NUM> for installation in a particular physical environment <NUM> (e.g., a retail store, a gallery, a museum), the beacon <NUM> is configured to include a device certificate that acts as a source identifier. The device certificate, for example, may include a unique numerical or text identifier (e.g., Mobile App, Macy's, MOMA). In this example, the device certificate rule <NUM> requires that only beacons <NUM> having a particular device certificate (e.g., Mobile App) will be detected and used. In other words, the content delivery application <NUM> is configured to detect only those beacons <NUM> which are programmed with a device certificate that includes "Mobile App. " Other beacons with different device certificates will be ignored.

In response to a detected beacon <NUM> satisfying the device certificate rule <NUM>, block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of determining, with the localization system <NUM> and based on the detected beacon <NUM>, a current eyewear location <NUM> relative to the fixed beacon location <NUM>.

In some implementations, the beacons <NUM> broadcast by the beacon transmitters <NUM> are used to calculate or otherwise determine the current eyewear location <NUM> relative to the fixed beacon locations <NUM>.

The signal strength of a beacon <NUM> varies according to distance. The greater the distance from the beacon transmitter <NUM>, the lower the signal strength. The beacon <NUM> in some implementations is calibrated by the manufacturer to have a design signal strength at a known distance (e.g., one meter away from the beacon transmitter <NUM>). In some implementations, the receiving device (e.g., an eyewear device <NUM>) is configured to detect the actual signal strength, measured at the instant when the beacon <NUM> is received. Using the design signal strength and the actual signal strength, the receiving device can approximate the distance between the beacon transmitter <NUM> and the receiving device (based on a single beacon <NUM>).

When two or more beacons <NUM> are detected, the receiving device in some implementations is configured to measure the actual received signal strength associated with each beacon <NUM>. For example, referring again to <FIG>, the first beacon transmitter 620a broadcasts a first beacon 630a which arrives at the eyewear device <NUM> having a first received signal strength. A second or subsequent beacon transmitter 620b broadcasts a second beacon 630b which arrives at the eyewear device <NUM> having subsequent received signal strength. Using the two received signal strengths, the localization system <NUM> on the eyewear device <NUM> in some implementations uses one or more three-dimensional multilateration algorithms (sometimes referred to as triangulation or trilateration) to compute the precise current eyewear location <NUM> relative to the two fixed beacon locations 720a, 720b.

In the example step at block <NUM> in <FIG> of determining a current eyewear location <NUM>, the localization system <NUM> does not use data from the GPS unit and does not construct a virtual map using a SLAM algorithm, as described herein. By using the beacons <NUM>, which are broadcast relatively frequently (e.g., ten times per second, or more), the localization system <NUM> calculates and updates the current eyewear location <NUM> continually and frequently.

In some implementations, the current eyewear location <NUM> is shared with an application capable of generating an interactive map of the nearby physical environment <NUM>. The map application in this example presents the current eyewear location <NUM> on the display 180B as an overlay (e.g., a blue dot, a marker) relative to other features of the map.

The process of localization in some implementations includes calculating a correlation between the detected beacon transmitters <NUM> and the current eyewear location <NUM>. The term correlation refers to and includes one or more vectors, matrices, formulas, or other mathematical expressions sufficient to define the three-dimensional distance between one or more of the detected beacon transmitters <NUM> and the eyewear display 180B, in accordance with the current eyewear location <NUM>. The current eyewear location <NUM>, of course, is tied to or persistently associated with the display 180B which is supported by the frame of the eyewear device <NUM>. In this aspect, the correlation performs the function of calibrating the motion of the eyewear <NUM> through the physical environment <NUM> with the apparent motion of the detected beacon transmitters <NUM> (relative to the eyewear <NUM>). Because the localization process occurs continually and frequently, the correlation is calculated continually and frequently, resulting in accurate and near real-time tracking of the detected beacon transmitters <NUM> relative to the current eyewear location <NUM>.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of retrieving content <NUM> associated with the detected beacon <NUM>. The process of retrieving content <NUM> includes accessing one or more sources of information. For example, the content <NUM> may be retrieved from the data contained in the detected beacon <NUM> itself, from information stored in a content library <NUM>, from local content stored on the eyewear device <NUM>, or in some implementations from internet search results. The process in this example includes assembling search terms, executing a search, and harvesting content relevant to the detected beacon <NUM>. The content delivery application <NUM>, in some implementations, is configured to access one or more preferred search engines, websites, and other internet-based resources. In some implementations, the process of retrieving content <NUM> using an internet search involves using a machine-learning algorithm to select the search engine, web resources, and website data most likely to retrieve relevant container information quickly and efficiently.

In this example, the detected beacon <NUM> includes an activator or trigger which causes the content delivery application <NUM> to retrieve content <NUM> from one or more available sources.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of curating a virtual experience <NUM> in accordance with the retrieved content <NUM>, the beacon data, and a user profile <NUM>. The process of curating in some implementations includes simply presenting substantially all of the retrieved content <NUM> (e.g., text, audio files, video segments) or the beacon data. The beacon data, as described herein, may include one or more items of relevant content (e.g., text, audio files, video segments) suitable for presentation. The user profile <NUM> in some implementations includes one or more elements, such as a primary interest (e.g., art history, formal wear, vegetarian food), a playback setting (e.g., auto play), and one or more other preferences (e.g., play audio first, display text with audio, video segments preferred). In this aspect, the process of curating the virtual experience <NUM> includes consideration of the elements of the user profile <NUM>. For example, for a detected beacon <NUM> associated with a restaurant menu (i.e., object <NUM>), the retrieved content <NUM> may include a wide variety of food items on the menu. If the user profile <NUM> includes "vegetarian food" as a primary interest, the process of curating the virtual experience <NUM> may include presenting the vegetarian food items first or exclusively.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of presenting the curated virtual experience <NUM> on the display 180B in accordance with the determined current eyewear location <NUM>. In this aspect, one or more elements of the curated virtual experience <NUM> may be sized and positioned on the display 180B according to the current eyewear location <NUM>. As described herein, the process of presenting the curated virtual experience <NUM> may include playing an audio message through the loudspeaker <NUM>, presenting text on the display, presenting a video segment on the display, and combinations thereof. <FIG> include an example region or sector <NUM> of the display 180B which is suitable for presenting text, video, or other elements of the curated virtual experience <NUM>. In this example, the sector <NUM> is located at a sector position <NUM> that is fixed relative to the display 180B (e.g., presented along the left side). In other implementations the size and shape of the sector <NUM>, as well as the location of the sector position <NUM>, is editable, configurable, dynamic in response to the size and shape of the content to be presented, or combinations thereof. In some implementations, the process includes presenting the curated virtual experience <NUM> on a second eyewear device, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone, tablet), or another designated device.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of identifying a primary beacon <NUM> based on the relative proximity of two or more beacons <NUM> relative to the current eyewear location <NUM>. As described above in relation to multilateration, the first or detected beacon 630a arrives at the eyewear device <NUM> having a first received signal strength. A second or subsequent beacon 630b arrives at the eyewear device <NUM> having subsequent received signal strength. The process of identifying a primary beacon <NUM> in this example includes comparing the two received signal strengths and selecting the higher value (which represents the beacon transmitter closest in proximity to the current eyewear location <NUM>).

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of detecting a beacon <NUM> which, in some implementations, includes scanning and decoding a beacon activation code <NUM> instead of detecting the beacon wirelessly. For example, if a user desires to access a particular beacon, the camera 114B can be used to scan and decode a beacon activation code <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, a first beacon activation code 655a is associated with the first beacon transmitter 620a and is located at a fixed location relative to the fixed beacon location 720a. The process of detecting the first beacon 630a in this example includes capturing frames of video data within a field of view of the camera 114B, decoding (within the captured frames of video data) the first beacon activation code 655a, and in response detecting the first beacon 630a. In this aspect, the process of decoding the first beacon activation code 655a provokes the selection of the first beacon 630a.

Block <NUM> in <FIG> describes an example step of detecting a beacon by making a selection from a list. As shown in <FIG>, the first beacon transmitter 620a is associated with a first object 650a. The second or subsequent beacon transmitter 620b is associated with a second object 650b. In some implementations, this process includes presenting a list <NUM> within a sector <NUM> located at a sector position <NUM> on the display 180B. The list <NUM> includes the first object 650a and the subsequent object 650b, in order based on relative proximity to the determined current eyewear location <NUM> (e.g., the object <NUM> associated with the nearest beacon transmitter <NUM> is shown first). The process in this example includes receiving a selection <NUM> from the displayed list <NUM>, and then detecting the beacon <NUM> in accordance with the received selection <NUM>.

The process of receiving a selection <NUM> includes detecting a tapping gesture on a touchpad <NUM>, processing a voice command using a voice recognition module, executing the selection in response to a predefined hand gesture detected within frames of video data <NUM> captured by the camera 114B, and combinations thereof.

The example eyewear device <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, includes a touchpad <NUM> located on the right temple 125B. A movable element <NUM> (e.g., a cursor, as shown in <FIG>) is presented at a current element position <NUM> relative to the display 180b. Interacting with the cursor <NUM>, in some implementations, includes detecting a current fingertip location <NUM> relative to the touchpad <NUM>, and then presenting the cursor <NUM> at a current element position <NUM> in accordance with the detected current fingertip location <NUM>. The selection process in this example includes identifying a first item on the presented list <NUM> that is nearest to the current element position <NUM>, detecting a tapping gesture of the finger relative to the touchpad <NUM>, and then executing the selection <NUM> relative to the first item in accordance with the detected tapping gesture.

In some implementations, the process of receiving a selection <NUM> includes receiving human speech through a microphone <NUM> coupled to the eyewear device <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>, and then converting the speech into frames of audio data. The voice recognition module <NUM> analyzes the frames of audio data, using automated speech recognition processing, to identify a first command. The process in this example includes executing the selection <NUM> relative to the first item in accordance with the first command <NUM>. In some implementations, the automated speech recognition involves using a machine-learning algorithm that has been trained to detect, decipher, and identify the contents of human speech quickly and efficiently.

Any of the functionality described herein for the eyewear device <NUM>, the mobile device <NUM>, and the server system <NUM> can be embodied in one or more computer software applications or sets of programming instructions, as described herein. According to some examples, "function," "functions," "application," "applications," "instruction," "instructions," or "programming" are program(s) that execute functions defined in the programs. Various programming languages can be employed to develop one or more of the applications, 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, a third-party application (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 include 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 can invoke API calls provided by the operating system to facilitate functionality described herein.

Hence, a machine-readable medium may take many forms of tangible storage medium. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in any computer devices or the like, such as may be used to implement the client device, media gateway, transcoder, etc. shown in the drawings. Volatile storage media include dynamic memory, such as main memory of such a computer platform. Tangible transmission media include coaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that comprise a bus within a computer system. Carrier-wave transmission media may take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media therefore include for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards paper tape, any other physical storage medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data or instructions, cables or links transporting such a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer may read programming code or data. Many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a processor for execution.

It will be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions with respect to their corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein. Relational terms such as first and second and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises or includes a list of elements or steps does not include only those elements or steps but may include other elements or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by "a" or "an" does not, without further constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Unless otherwise stated, any and all measurements, values, ratings, positions, magnitudes, sizes, and other specifications that are set forth in this specification, including in the claims that follow, are approximate, not exact. Such amounts are intended to have a reasonable range that is consistent with the functions to which they relate and with what is customary in the art to which they pertain. For example, unless expressly stated otherwise, a parameter value or the like may vary by as much as plus or minus ten percent from the stated amount or range.

In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various examples for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed examples require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, the subject matter to be protected lies in less than all features of any single disclosed example. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

Claim 1:
A method of presenting a virtual experience with an eyewear device (<NUM>), the eyewear device (<NUM>) comprising a camera (114A, 114B), a loudspeaker (<NUM>), a content delivery application (<NUM>), a localization system (<NUM>), and a display, the method comprising:
detecting a beacon broadcast by a beacon transmitter (<NUM>) associated with a fixed beacon location (<NUM>) in a physical environment (<NUM>), the beacon comprising a unique identifier, beacon data, and a device certificate;
determining whether the detected beacon (630a) satisfies a device certificate rule (<NUM>);
in response to the detected beacon (630a) satisfying the device certificate rule (<NUM>), determining, with the localization system (<NUM>) and based on the detected beacon (630a), a current eyewear location (<NUM>) relative to the fixed beacon location (<NUM>);
retrieving content (<NUM>) in accordance with the detected beacon (630a);
curating a virtual experience (<NUM>) based on the retrieved content (<NUM>), the beacon data, and a user profile (<NUM>); and
presenting the curated virtual experience (<NUM>) on the display in accordance with the determined current eyewear location (<NUM>) and as an overlay relative to the physical environment (<NUM>), wherein the presenting the curated virtual experience (<NUM>) comprises one or more operations selected from the group consisting of playing an audio message through the loudspeaker (<NUM>), presenting text on the display, and presenting a video segment on the display.