Apple Inc.

Tushar Gupta

Arthur Yasheng Zhang

Nicholas C Soldner

Fletcher R Rothkopf

Aleksandr M Movshovich

Ray Ling Chang

Daniel R Kurz

Jahan C Minoo

Anselm Grundhoefer

Robert Denton Silfvast

Siddharth Shankar Hazra

Daniel Javaheri-Zadeh

Aleksandar M Movshovich

Various implementations track an eye using both camera images and light sensor data, e.g., from a photosensitive surface or set of photodetectors. The camera need not capture images at a high capture rate since the light sensor data captured from the light sensor provides information about the eye during the time periods between camera frames. An eye tracking device may thus provide eye tracking with high temporal resolution using less power and resources and prior devices. The eye tracking device includes a lens (e.g., a diffractive optical element (DOE)) that splits received light onto the camera and light sensor. The camera and light sensor may be aligned, e.g., co-centered. Using such a lens to provide light to an aligned camera and light sensor facilitates tracking the eye characteristics by reducing the need for matching the data and/or accounting for multiple environmental light sources.

Eye tracking based on fusing lens-aligned camera and light sensor data

Fiducial patterns that produce 2D Barker code-like diffraction patterns at a camera sensor are etched or otherwise provided on a cover glass in front of a camera. 2D Barker code kernels, when cross-correlated with the diffraction patterns captured in images by the camera, provide sharp cross-correlation peaks. Misalignment of the cover glass with respect to the camera can be derived by detecting shifts in the location of the detected peaks with respect to calibrated locations. Devices that include multiple cameras behind a cover glass with one or more fiducials on the cover glass in front of each camera are also described. The diffraction patterns caused by the fiducials at the various cameras may be analyzed to detect movement or distortion of the cover glass in multiple degrees of freedom.

Object localization system

Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that use a marking on a transparent surface (e.g., a prescription lens insert for an HMD) to identify information (e.g., prescription parameters) about the transparent surface. In some implementations, the markings do not interfere with eye tracking through the transparent surface or using the transparent surface to view virtual content or a physical environment. In some implementations, image data is obtained from an image sensor of an electronic device, the image data corresponding to a transparent surface attached to the electronic device. Then, a code is identified in the image data, wherein the code is detectable on the transparent surface by the image sensor without interfering with a function of the electronic device involving the transparent surface. In some implementations, content is provided at the electronic device based on the identified code, wherein the content is viewable through the transparent surface.

Transparent insert identification

Object detection may include transmitting, by a first device, a first pulse into an environment using a wide field configuration of an ultrasonic sensor array, detecting a presence of an object in the environment based on a detected echo based on the first pulse. In response to detecting the presence of the object, a targeted configuration of the ultrasonic sensor array is determined, and a second pulse is transmitted into the environment based on the second pulse, wherein a characteristic of the object is determined based on a detected echo from the second pulse.

Ultrasonic sensor

A system that includes an audio source device configured to obtain audio data of at least one audio channel of a piece of program content. The audio source device has an optical transmitter for transmitting the audio data as an optical signal and a radio frequency (RF) transceiver. The system also includes a wireless earphone that has an optical receiver for receiving the audio data as the optical signal, a RF transceiver for transmitting feedback data indicating a reception quality of the received optical signal at the wireless earphone as a wireless RF signal, and a speaker for outputting the audio data contained within the optical signal and/or the data packets as sound.

Growing community of inventors

Stanford, CA, United States of America

Tushar Gupta