IP Library Granted Patent US 11,087,136
Granted Patent B2
US 11,087,136 · App. 16/370,231 · Granted Aug 10, 2021

Scene classification

Inventors: Peter Meier (Los Gatos, CA); Michael J. Rockwell (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G06K9/00684G06K9/00671
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,087,136
App. No.
16/370,231
Granted
Aug 10, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

An exemplary process for identifying a type of a physical environment amongst a plurality of types of physical environments is provided. The process includes obtaining, using the one or more cameras, image data corresponding to a physical environment. The process further includes identifying at least one portion of an entity in the physical environment based on the image data; determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the entity, whether the entity is an entity of a first type; determining a type of the physical environment if the entity is an entity of the first type; and presenting one or more virtual objects and a representation of the entity.

Claims (94)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more cameras; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:

obtaining, using the one or more cameras, image data corresponding to a physical environment;

based on the image data, identifying at least one portion of a first entity from a set of one or more entities in the physical environment;

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of a first type;

in accordance with a determination that the first entity is of the first type, determining a type of the physical environment based on the first entity;

presenting one or more virtual objects and a representation of the first entity corresponding to the determined type of the physical environment, wherein a virtual object of the one or more virtual object performs one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment;

receiving a set of one or more inputs representing a selection of the virtual object of the one or more presented virtual objects; and

in response to receiving the set of one or more inputs representing the selection of the virtual object, performing the one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment, wherein performing the one or more tasks includes changing a state of a second entity from the set of one or more entities in the physical environment.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

prior to determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type:

determining whether the at least one portion of the first entity corresponds to at least one portion of a previously-identified entity; and

in accordance with a determination that the at least one portion of the first entity does not correspond to at least one portion of a previously-identified entity, storing data indicative of the at least one portion of the first entity.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment comprises:

identifying a first portion of the first entity without identifying the entire first entity; and

foregoing identifying a second portion of the first entity.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment, one or more properties of the first entity; and

determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type.

5. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, the one or more properties of the first entity comprises:

classifying the first entity based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity; and

obtaining, based on the classification of the first entity, one or more properties of the first entity from a plurality of properties.

6. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the one of more properties of the first entity comprise at least one of:

mobility of the first entity;

an indication of whether the first entity is a building structure; and

consistency of the appearance of the first entity.

7. The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining whether a combination of the one or more properties of the first entity exceeds a confidence threshold.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining the type of the physical environment based on the first entity comprises:

determining whether the first entity corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types of the physical environments; and

in accordance with a determination that the first entity corresponds to at least one of the plurality of types of the physical environments, selecting one of the plurality of types of the physical environments.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

determining one or more additional types of the physical environments;

presenting the determined one or more additional types of the physical environments; and

receiving, from a user, a selection of one of the determined types of the physical environments.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with one or more cameras, the one or more programs including instructions for:

obtaining, using the one or more cameras, image data corresponding to a physical environment;

based on the image data, identifying at least one portion of a first entity from a set of one or more entities in the physical environment;

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of a first type;

in accordance with a determination that the first entity is of the first type, determining a type of the physical environment based on the first entity;

presenting one or more virtual objects and a representation of the first entity corresponding to the determined type of the physical environment, wherein a virtual object of the one or more virtual object performs one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment;

receiving a set of one or more inputs representing a selection of the virtual object of the one or more presented virtual objects; and

in response to receiving the set of one or more inputs representing the selection of the virtual object, performing the one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment, wherein performing the one or more tasks includes changing a state of a second entity from the set of one or more entities in the physical environment.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein identifying the at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment comprises:

identifying a first portion of the first entity without identifying the entire first entity; and

foregoing identifying a second portion of the first entity.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment, one or more properties of the first entity; and

determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, the one or more properties of the first entity comprises:

classifying the first entity based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity; and

obtaining, based on the classification of the first entity, one or more properties of the first entity from a plurality of properties.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the one of more properties of the first entity comprise at least one of:

mobility of the first entity;

an indication of whether the first entity is a building structure; and

consistency of the appearance of the first entity.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12 , wherein the determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining whether a combination of the one or more properties of the first entity exceeds a confidence threshold.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , wherein determining the type of the physical environment based on the first entity comprises:

determining, whether the first entity corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types of the physical environments; and

in accordance with a determination that the first entity corresponds to at least one of the plurality of types of the physical environments, selecting one of the plurality of types of the physical environments.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , the one or more programs further comprising instructions for:

determining one or more additional types of the physical environments;

presenting the determined one or more additional types of the physical environments; and

receiving, from a user, a selection of one of the determined types of the physical environments.

18. A method comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors, memory, and one or more cameras:

obtaining, using the one or more cameras, image data corresponding to a physical environment;

based on the image data, identifying at least one portion of a first entity from a set of one or more entities in the physical environment;

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of a first type;

in accordance with a determination that the first entity is of the first type, determining a type of the physical environment based on the first entity;

presenting one or more virtual objects and a representation of the first entity corresponding to the determined type of the physical environment, wherein a virtual object of the one or more virtual object performs one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment;

receiving a set of one or more inputs representing a selection of the virtual object of the one or more presented virtual objects; and

in response to receiving the set of one or more inputs representing the selection of the virtual object, performing the one or more tasks corresponding to the physical environment, wherein performing the one or more tasks includes changing a state of a second entity from the set of one or more entities in the physical environment.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein identifying the at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment comprises:

identifying a first portion of the first entity without identifying the entire first entity; and

foregoing identifying a second portion of the first entity.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity in the physical environment, one or more properties of the first entity; and

determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein determining, based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity, the one or more properties of the first entity comprises:

classifying the first entity based on the identified at least one portion of the first entity; and

obtaining, based on the classification of the first entity, one or more properties of the first entity from a plurality of properties.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the one of more properties of the first entity comprise at least one of:

mobility of the first entity;

an indication of whether the first entity is a building structure; and

consistency of the appearance of the first entity.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein the determining, based on the one or more properties of the first entity, whether the first entity is of the first type comprises:

determining whether a combination of the one or more properties of the entity exceeds a confidence threshold.

24. The method of claim 18 , wherein determining the type of the physical environment based on the first entity comprises:

determining, whether the first entity corresponds to at least one of a plurality of types of the physical environments; and

in accordance with a determination that the first entity corresponds to at least one of the plurality of types of the physical environments, selecting one of the plurality of types of the physical environments.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 6, 2019
From: MEIER, PETER; ROCKWELL, MICHAEL J.
To: APPLE INC.
Reel/Frame 049970/0501 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62657570 · Apr 13, 2018
Related Publication 20190318168A1 · Oct 17, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,462,558