IP Library Granted Patent US 10,698,496
Granted Patent B2
US 10,698,496 · App. 15/962,852 · Granted Jun 30, 2020

System and method for tracking a human hand in an augmented reality environment

Inventor: Yishai Gribetz (Belmont, CA)
Assignee: Meta View, Inc.
G06F3/017G06F3/011G06F3/0304G06K9/00355G06K9/00671G06K9/46G06T7/246G06T7/251G06T19/006G06K9/6215G06K2009/3291G06T2207/10016G06T2207/30196
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,698,496
App. No.
15/962,852
Granted
Jun 30, 2020
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system configured for tracking a human hand in an augmented reality environment may comprise a distancing device, one or more physical processors, and/or other components. The distancing device may be configured to generate output signals conveying position information. The position information may include positions of surfaces of real-world objects, including surfaces of a human hand. Feature positions of one or more hand features of the hand may be determined through iterative operations of determining estimated feature positions of individual hand features from estimated feature position of other ones of the hand features.

Claims (68)

1. A system configured to track a human hand in an interactive environment, the system comprising:

one or more physical processors configured by machine-readable instructions to:

obtain position information conveying positions of surfaces of a human hand, the hand having a first hand feature and other hand features;

determine, based on the position information, an estimated feature position of the first hand feature; and

perform an iteration of:

determining estimated feature positions of the other hand features based on the estimated feature position of the first hand feature;

determining an other estimated feature position of the first hand feature based on the estimated feature positions of the other hand features; and

determining a difference between the estimated feature position of the first hand feature and the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature; and

wherein:

based on the difference being below a threshold distance, specify:

a first feature position of the first hand feature as the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature;

feature positions of the other hand feature as the estimated feature positions of the other hand features; and.

based on the difference being above the threshold distance, perform another iteration using the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature as the estimated feature position of the first hand feature.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein:

the first hand feature comprises a wrist; and

the other hand features include a metacarpophalangeal joint of a thumb and a set of metacarpophalangeal joints of a set of fingers.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

determine, from the position information, clusters of surfaces;

determine cluster groups, the individual cluster groups including one or more clusters of surfaces that make up individual contiguous objects;

associate the individual clusters in the individual cluster groups with individual hand features;

determine, for the individual clusters in the individual cluster groups, individual confidence levels indicating likelihood that the individual clusters represent the associated individual hand features;

determine, for the individual cluster groups, individual aggregate confidence levels indicating likelihood that the individual cluster groups represent the hand, the individual aggregate confidence levels being an aggregate of the individual confidence levels of the individual clusters in the individual cluster groups; and

identify, based on the individual aggregate confidence levels, an individual cluster group as representing the hand.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein identifying, based on the individual aggregate confidence levels, the individual cluster group as representing the hand comprises:

comparing the individual aggregate confidence levels to a threshold confidence level; and

identifying the individual cluster group as representing the hand based on the individual aggregated confidence level of the individual cluster group being above the threshold confidence level.

5. The system of claim 3 , wherein an individual hand feature includes one or more of a wrist, a thumb, a metacarpophalangeal joint of a thumb, a palm, a finger, a metacarpophalangeal joint of a finger, a fingertip, a set of fingers, a set of metacarpophalangeal ,joints of a set of fingers, or a set of fingertips.

6. The system of claim i, wherein the position information comprises point cloud information, the point cloud information including positions of points that lie on the surfaces of the real-world objects, such that the positions of the points are the positions of the surfaces.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:

a light source configured to emit light; and

an optical element, the optical element being configured to provide the light emitted from the light source to an eye of the user.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more physical processors are further configured by machine-readable instructions to:

generate views of virtual content to be perceived within the field-of-view of the user; and

facilitate user interaction with the virtual content based on the first feature position of the first hand feature and the feature positions of the other hand features.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the virtual content includes one or more virtual objects.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein position information is obtained based on a sampling rate of a distancing device.

11. A method to track a human hand in an interactive environment, the method being implemented in a computer system comprising one or more physical processors and non-transitory storage media storing machine-readable instructions, the method comprising:

obtaining position information conveying positions of surfaces of a human hand, the hand having a first hand feature and other hand features;

determining, based on the position information, an estimated feature position of the first hand feature; and

performing an iteration of:

determining estimated feature positions of the other hand features based on the estimated feature position of the first hand feature;

determining an other estimated feature position of the first hand feature based on the estimated feature positions of the other hand features; and

determining a difference between the estimated feature position of the first hand feature and the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature; and wherein:

based on the difference being below a threshold distance, specify:

a first feature position of the first hand feature as the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature;

feature positions of the other hand feature as the estimated feature positions of the other hand features; and

based on the difference being above the threshold distance, perform another iteration using the other estimated feature position of the first hand feature as the estimated feature position of the first hand feature.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein:

the first hand feature comprises a wrist; and

the other hand features include a metacarpophalangeal joint of a thumb and a set of metacarpophalangeal joints of a set of fingers.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

determining, from the position information, clusters of surfaces;

determining cluster groups, the individual cluster groups including one or more clusters of surfaces that make up individual contiguous objects;

associating the individual clusters in the individual cluster groups with individual hand features;

determining, for the individual clusters in the individual cluster groups, individual confidence levels indicating likelihood that the individual clusters represent the associated individual hand features;

determining, for the individual cluster groups, individual aggregate confidence levels indicating likelihood that the individual cluster groups represent the hand, the individual aggregate confidence levels being an aggregate of the individual confidence levels of the individual clusters in the individual. cluster groups; and

identifying, based on the individual aggregate confidence levels, an individual cluster group as representing the hand.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein identifying, based on the individual aggregate confidence levels, the individual cluster group as representing the hand comprises:

comparing the individual aggregate confidence levels to a threshold confidence level; and

identifying the individual cluster group as representing the hand based on the individual aggregated confidence level of the individual cluster group being above the threshold confidence level.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein an individual hand feature includes one or more of a wrist, a thumb, a metacarpophalangeal joint of a thumb, a palm, a finger, a metacarpophalangeal joint of a finger, a fingertip, a set of fingers, a set of metacarpophalangeal joints of a set of fingers, or a set of fingertips.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the position information comprises point cloud information, the point cloud information including positions of points that lie on the surfaces of the real-world objects, such that the positions of the points are the positions of the surfaces.

17. The method of claim 11 , further being implemented using a light source configured to emit light, and an optical element, the optical element being configured to provide light emitted from the light source to an eye of the user.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

generating views of virtual content to be perceived within the field-of-view of the user; and

facilitating user interaction with the virtual content based on the first feature position of the first hand feature and the feature positions of the other hand features.

19. The method of claim 18 , Wherein the virtual. content includes one or more virtual objects.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the position information is obtained based on a sampling rate of a distancing device.

Assignments (5)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 24, 2024
From: CAMPFIRE 3D, INC.
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 067209/0066 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Mar 18, 2024
From: META VIEW, INC.
To: CAMPFIRE 3D, INC.
Reel/Frame 066812/0238 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 3, 2019
From: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VII, INC.; VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VIII, INC.
To: META VIEW, INC.
Reel/Frame 049038/0277 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded May 15, 2018
From: META COMPANY
To: VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VII, INC.; VENTURE LENDING & LEASING VIII, INC.
Reel/Frame 045813/0554 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 25, 2018
From: GRIBETZ, YISHAI
To: META COMPANY
Reel/Frame 045636/0949 →
Continuity (2)
Continuation 15263318 · Sep 12, 2016
Related Publication 20180239439A1 · Aug 23, 2018