# US 10,872,584 B2 · Providing positional information using beacon devices

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- Number: US 10,872,584 B2
- Document ID: US10872584B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/353,847
- Filed: 2019-03-14
- Published: 2020-09-17
- Granted: 2020-12-22
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-14
- Applicants: Curious Company, LLC
- Inventors: Anthony Mark Jones; Jessica A. F. Jones; Bruce A. Young
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10872584B2

## CPC

- G02B 27/0172: {characterised by optical features}
- G02B 27/0093: {with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking}
- G02B 27/017: {Head mounted}
- G06F 3/012: {Head tracking input arrangements}
- G06F 3/013: {Eye tracking input arrangements (G06F3/015 takes precedence)}
- G06F 3/015: {Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection}
- G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user}
- G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)}
- G06F 3/0346: with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a three-dimensional [3D] space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
- G06T 19/006: {Mixed reality (object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00)}
- G06V 20/20: in augmented reality scenes
- G09G 5/026: {Control of mixing and/or overlay of colours in general (G09G5/022 and G09G5/024 take precedence)}
- G09G 5/363: {Graphics controllers}
- H04B 7/26: at least one of which is mobile
- H04W 4/02: Services making use of location information
- H04W 4/023: {using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds}
- H04W 4/024: Guidance services
- H04W 4/90: Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
- G09G 2340/12: Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)

## Abstract

A method to provide positional information to a user of a hybrid reality (HR) system includes receiving a signal at the HR system from a beacon device located in a real-world environment, determining a position of the beacon device based on the signal, and providing a stimulus to the user on the HR system based on the position of the beacon device. A head-mounted display (HMD) includes a display, a structure, coupled to the display and adapted to position the display in a field-of-view (FOV) of the user, and a processor, coupled to the display, the processor configured to perform the method.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method to provide positional information to a user of a hybrid reality (HR) system, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of signals at a first sensor of the HR system respectively from a plurality of beacon devices located along a path through a real-world environment, wherein the plurality of signals are invisible to the user;
determining positions of the plurality of beacon devices based on the signals;
rendering an image of a plurality of virtual light beams respectively projecting from the positions of the plurality of beacon devices on a display of the HR system showing the path through the real-world environment in a field of view of the user; and
modulating the plurality of virtual light beams based on a length of time that the respective plurality of signals have been received from the respective plurality of beacon devices.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an activation signal to at least one beacon device of the plurality of beacon devices to provide energy to the at least one beacon device.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the positions comprising physical locations in the real-world environment.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the positions comprising virtual locations in a field of view of the HR system.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering a virtual image of at least one object hidden from view of the user on the display of the HR system.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising rendering textual information on the display of the HR system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a 3D audio cue to the user using two or more transducers of the HR system, a virtual position of the 3D audio cue based on the positions of the plurality of beacon devices.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising;
ascertaining that the user is not on the path based on the positions of the plurality of beacon devices with respect to the HR system; and
providing a positional haptic cue to the user using a haptic transducer of the HR system in response to said ascertaining, the positional haptic cue indicating a direction toward the path to the user.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
determining a location for a virtual object based on the positions of the plurality of beacon devices with respect to the HR system; and
rendering the virtual object at the location on the display of the HR system.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, wherein the virtual object is shaped to provide an indication of the path for the user to follow.

### Claim 11

An article of manufacture comprising a tangible medium, that is not a transitory propagating signal, encoding computer-readable instructions that, when applied to a computer system, instruct the computer system to perform a method comprising:
receiving a plurality of signals at a first sensor of a hybrid reality (HR) system respectively from a plurality of beacon devices located along a path through a real-world environment, wherein the plurality of signals are invisible to a user of the HR system;
determining positions of the plurality of beacon devices based on the signals;
rendering an image of a plurality of virtual light beams respectively projecting from the positions of the plurality of beacon devices on a display of the HR system showing the path through the real-world environment in a field of view of the user; and
modulating the plurality of virtual light beams based on a length of time that the respective plurality of signals have been received from the respective plurality of beacon devices.

### Claim 12

A head-mounted display (HMD) comprising:
a display;
a structure, coupled to the display and adapted to position the display in a field of view (FOV) of a user;
a sensor; and
a processor, coupled to the display and the sensor, the processor configured to:
receive a plurality of signal using the sensor, at the HMD respectively from a plurality of beacon devices located along a path through a real-world environment, wherein the plurality of signals are invisible to the user;
determine positions of the plurality of beacon devices based on the signals;
render an image of a plurality of virtual light beams respectively projecting from the positions of the plurality of beacon devices on the display showing the path through the real-world environment in the field of view of the user; and
modulate the plurality of virtual light beams based on a length of time that the respective plurality of signals have been received from the respective plurality of beacon devices.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The HMD of claim 12, further comprising a first audio output and a second audio output, both coupled to the processor, and configured to provide binaural audio to the user, wherein the processor is further configured to:
provide a 3D audio cue to the user through the first audio output and the second audio output, a virtual position of the 3D audio cue based on the positions of the plurality of beacon devices.