Apple Inc.

Other

Paul A Lacey

Julian K Shutzberg

Ali Ercan

Emmanuel Piuze-Phaneuf

Hua Gao

Mehmet N Agaoglu

Leah M Gum

David J Meyer

Alexander G Berardino

Vinay Chawda

Tim H Cornelissen

Chase B Lortie

Qichao Fan

Wei-Kang Hsu

Methods and apparatus for correcting the gaze direction and the origin (entrance pupil) in gaze tracking systems. During enrollment after an eye model is obtained, the pose of the eye when looking at a target prompt is determined. This information is used to estimate the true visual axis of the eye. The visual axis may then be used to correct the point of view (PoV) with respect to the display during use. If a clip-on lens is present, a corrected gaze axis may be calculated based on the known optical characteristics and pose of the clip-on lens. A clip-on corrected entrance pupil may then be estimated by firing two or more virtual rays through the clip-on lens to determine the intersection between the rays and the corrected gaze axis.

Corrected gaze direction and origin

Various implementations assess user interactions to trigger user interface responses. Some implementations associate user gaze with user interface elements using one or more criteria that enable interpreting the user's gaze in ways that are consistent with user intentions and/or expectations. In some implementations, a user's gaze is associated with a user interface element when the user gazes at the user interface element. When the gaze leaves the user interface element (e.g., intentionally or unintentionally), the association may be maintained or discontinued using one or more criteria to be consistent with user intentions and/or expectations. In some implementations, this involves determining whether to continue associating a user's gaze with a user interface element so that the gaze-to-element association is maintained in certain circumstances (e.g., blinks and saccades) but discontinued in other circumstances (e.g., when the user is fixating outside of a zone around the element for more than a threshold time/number of frames).

Optimizations in associating user gaze with user interface elements

In some implementations, a method includes: determining a location for virtual content; detecting a user interaction with the virtual content; in response to detecting the user interaction with the virtual content, determining a position of a hand gesture during the user interaction with the virtual content; in accordance with a determination that the position of the hand gesture is within a threshold distance relative to the location of the virtual content, generating corrected hand tracking data associated with the user interaction with the virtual content; and in accordance with a determination that the position of the hand gesture is outside of the threshold distance relative to the location of the virtual content, generating uncorrected hand tracking data associated with the user interaction with the virtual content.

Heuristic for hand tracking correction modes

In some implementations, a method includes: obtaining uncorrected hand tracking data; obtaining a depth map associated with a physical environment; identifying a position of a portion of the finger within the physical environment based on the depth map and the uncorrected hand tracking data; performing spatial depth smoothing on a region of the depth map adjacent to the position of the portion of the finger; and generating corrected hand tracking data by performing point of view (POV) correction on the uncorrected hand tracking data based on the spatially depth smoothed region of the depth map adjacent to the portion of the finger.

Spatiotemporal smoothing for improved hand tracking

Various implementations provide views of 3D environments (e.g., extended reality (XR) environments). Non-eye-based user activity, such as hand gestures, is associated with some types of eye-based activity, such as the user gazing at a particular user interface component displayed within a view of a 3D environment. For example, a user's pinching hand gesture may be associated with the user gazing at a particular user interface component, such as a button, at around the same time as the pinching hand gesture is made. These associated behaviors (e.g., the pinch and gaze at the button) may then be interpreted as user input, e.g., user input selecting or otherwise acting upon that user interface component. In some implementations, non-eye-based user activity is only associated with types of eye-based user activity that are likely to correspond to a user perceiving what they are seeing and/or intentionally looking at something.

User interface response based on gaze-holding event assessment

A one piece, durable, maintenance free, filament trimmer cutting head which is easily adaptable to virtually any power weedeater. The cylindrical design ensures ease of manufacture and results in a well balanced cutting head. The design further provides for ease of filament replacement and allows the usage of standard filament from bulk spools.

Growing community of inventors

Santa Clara, CA, United States of America

Paul A Lacey