IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,450,571
Granted Patent B2
US 12,450,571 · App. 16/237,241 · Granted Oct 21, 2025

Method and system for rule-based augmentation of perceptions

Inventors: Robert R. Price (Palo Alto, CA); Shiwali Mohan (Palo Alto, CA)
G06Q10/20G06T19/006G06V10/82G06V20/20G06V10/454
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,450,571
App. No.
16/237,241
Filed
Dec 31, 2018
Granted
Oct 21, 2025
Kind
B2
Art Unit
3667
USPC
705/305
Abstract

One embodiment can provide a system for augmenting perceptions of a machine sensing system. During operation, one or more sensors of the system can obtain sensory information associated with a physical system. The system can determine a state of a first component of the physical system based on the obtained sensory information; select, from a rule database, one or more logical rules associated with at least the first component; and augment a perception of the machine sensing system toward the physical system based on both the determined state of the first component and the selected one or more logical rules, thereby facilitating the machine sensing system to make a decision associated with the physical system.

Claims (35)

1. A computer-executed method for augmenting perceptions of a machine vision system, the method comprising:

obtaining, by one or more image sensors, visual information associated with a physical system comprising at least a first component and a second component;

determining a viewed state of the first component of the physical system based on the obtained visual information;

selecting, from a rule database, one or more logical rules that correlate states of the first component with states of the second component of the physical system, wherein the second component is out of view of the one or more image sensors;

inferring a state of the second component, the state of the second component being out of view of the one or more image sensors, by correlating the viewed state of the first component with the inferred state of the second component based on the selected one or more logical rules; and

augmenting a perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system based on both the viewed state of the first component and the inferred state of the second component, thereby facilitating the machine vision system to make a decision associated with the physical system.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein logical rules within the rule database are generated based on domain knowledge associated with the physical system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a respective selected rule comprises a persistence rule specifying a predetermined duration, and wherein augmenting the perception of the machine vision system comprises allowing the viewed state of the first component to persist during the predetermined duration.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the persistence rule further specifies a rule-overriding condition.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a repair or maintenance plan for the physical system based on the augmented perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein at least one image sensor belongs to an augmented reality system, and wherein the method further comprises displaying instructions for executing the repair or maintenance plan by overlaying the instructions on the images captured by the image sensor.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for augmenting perceptions of a machine vision system, the method comprising:

obtaining, by one or more image sensors, visual information associated with a physical system comprising at least a first component and a second component;

determining a viewed state of the first component of the physical system based on the obtained visual information;

selecting, from a rule database, one or more logical rules that correlate states of the first component with states of the second component of the physical system, wherein the second component is out of view of the one or more image sensors;

inferring a state of the second component, the state of the second component being out of view of the one or more image sensors, by correlating the viewed state of the first component with the inferred state of the second component based on the selected one or more logical rules; and

augmenting a perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system based on both the viewed state of the first component and the inferred state of the second component, thereby facilitating the machine vision system to make a decision associated with the physical system.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein logical rules within the rule database are generated based on domain knowledge associated with the physical system.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein a respective selected rule comprises a persistence rule specifying a predetermined duration, and wherein augmenting the perception of the machine vision system comprises allowing the viewed state of the first component to persist during the predetermined duration.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the persistence rule further specifies a rule-overriding condition.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises generating a repair or maintenance plan for the physical system based on the augmented perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein at least one image sensor belongs to an augmented reality system, and wherein the method further comprises displaying instructions for executing the repair or maintenance plan by overlaying the instructions on images captured by the image sensor.

13. A computer system for augmenting perceptions of a machine vision system, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a storage device coupled to the processor and storing instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, wherein the method comprises:

obtaining, by one or more image sensors, visual information associated with a physical system comprising at least a first component and a second component;

determining a viewed state of the first component of the physical system based on the obtained visual information;

selecting, from a rule database, one or more logical rules that correlate states of the first component with states of the second component of the physical system,

wherein the second component is out of view of the one or more image sensors;

inferring a state of the second component, the state of the second component being out of view of the one or more image sensors, by correlating the viewed state of the first component with the inferred state of the second component based on the selected one or more logical rules; and

augmenting a perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system based on both the viewed state of the first component and the inferred state of the second component, thereby facilitating the machine vision system to make a decision associated with the physical system.

14. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein logical rules within the rule database are generated based on domain knowledge associated with the physical system.

15. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein a respective selected rule comprises a persistence rule specifying a predetermined duration, wherein augmenting the perception of the machine vision system comprises allowing the viewed state of the first component to persist during the predetermined duration, and wherein the persistence rule further specifies a rule-overriding condition.

16. The computer system of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises generating a repair or maintenance plan for the physical system based on the augmented perception of the machine vision system toward the physical system.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein at least one image sensor belongs to an augmented reality system, and wherein the method further comprises displaying instructions for executing the repair or maintenance plan by overlaying the instructions on images captured by the image sensor.

Assignments (5)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Feb 13, 2024
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: CITIBANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 066741/0001 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Nov 20, 2023
From: XEROX CORPORATION
To: JEFFERIES FINANCE LLC, AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 065628/0019 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE REMOVAL OF US PATENTS 9356603, 10026651, 10626048 AND INCLUSION OF US PATENT 7167871 PREVIOUSLY RECORDED ON REEL 064038 FRAME 0001. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Jun 28, 2023
From: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064161/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 20, 2023
From: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
To: XEROX CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 064038/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 2, 2019
From: PRICE, ROBERT R.; MOHAN, SHIWALI
To: PALO ALTO RESEARCH CENTER INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 047883/0317 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20200210967A1 · Jul 2, 2020
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