Arrangements of imaging and illumination sensors for an extended-reality headset, and systems and methods of use thereof

Abstract

A housing of an MR device includes one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing configured to cause presentation of an extended reality environment. And the housing includes an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing. The object-tracking assembly includes a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis, and an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices. While the MR head-wearable device is performing operations, the object-tracking assembly is configured to determine, based on imaging data obtained by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the obtained imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold for causing presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays.

Description

ARRANGEMENTS OF IMAGING AND ILLUMINATION SENSORS FOR ANEXTENDED-REALITY HEADSET, AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF USE THEREOF CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The application claims benefit of and priority to: U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 63 / 618,853 filed January 8, 2024; U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 18 / 774,858 filed July 16, 2024; U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 18 / 782,385 filed July 24, 2024; U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 18 / 885,455 filed September 13, 2024; and U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 18 / 886,850 filed September 16, 2024.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to a mixed-reality (MR) headset and components thereof, including but not limited to object-tracking assemblies that include imaging devices and illumination devices.BACKGROUND

[0003] MR headsets can be capable of presenting MR content to users which can be immersive and engagingly interactive. Such presentation techniques provide for new opportunities as well as new challenges, particularly since such content lends itself to different interaction types than are used for more conventional digital content (e.g., desktop computer graphics, smartphone).

[0004] The interactions may require that particular conditions (e.g., lighting conditions) be present in order to be detected with a sufficient level of accuracy for engaging with the MR content. Additionally, such interactions may be deleteriously impacted by interactions affecting audio performance (e.g., input interactions at a microphone, and / or output interactions at a speaker) that disrupts and / or otherwise impacts the immersion provided by the presentation of the MR content.

[0005] Users of MR headsets can become substantially immersed in the MR content presented by such MR headsets, which can be conducive to a richer, more engaging user experience. However, one drawback of such immersion while wearing a MR headset is that the user’s perspiration can become trapped within a portion of the MR headset that houses the electronic and mechanical components, potentially causing damage to the MR headset, or otherwise detracting from the immersive experience.

[0006] As such, there is a need to address one or more of the above-identified challenges. A brief summary of solutions to the issues noted above are described below.SUMMARY

[0007] The embodiments described herein include the use of a resonant frequency dampening channel housed within a housing of an MR headset that cycles exhausting air from a fan cooling components of the MR headset. The embodiments described herein also includefloodlight-emitting diodes (flood LEDs) which may be mounted or otherwise integrated with an MR headset and which are able to illuminate a volume of physical space where a user is likely to perform interactions for performing operations within an MR environment being presented by the MR headset. The embodiments described herein include floodlight-emitting diodes (flood LEDs) which may be mounted or otherwise integrated with an MR headset, and which are able to illuminate a volume of physical space where a user is likely to perform interactions for performing operations within an MR environment being presented by the MR headset.

[0008] The systems and methods disclosed herein provide improvements for guiding perspiration so as to avoid negatively impacting electrical and mechanical functions of extended-reality (XR) devices, and other improvements. The methods, systems, and devices described herein improve the functionality of a head-wearable device while also reducing overall costs. The embodiments described herein may be particularly beneficial for MR headsets having a smaller outward profile (e.g., a slimmer thickness) as the electronic and mechanical components of such system may be located closer to the user’s skin where the user is likely to perspire onto them.

[0009] According to a first aspect, there is provided a housing of an MR head-wearable device, comprising: one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing configured to cause presentation of an extended reality environment while a user is wearing the MR headwearable device; and an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing, the object-tracking assembly including: a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis, and an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices, wherein, while the MR head-wearable device is performing operations, the object-tracking assembly is configured to determine, based on imaging data obtained by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the obtained imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold for causing presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays.

[0010] The at least two respective imaging devices and the illumination device of the object-tracking assembly may be arranged in a triangular configuration.

[0011] The plurality of imaging devices may include (i) at least one visible color imaging sensor, and (ii) at least one SLAM camera.

[0012] Each one of the at least one visible color imaging sensor, the at least one SLAM camera, and the illumination device may be covered by respective cover windows made of distinct materials.

[0013] The plurality of imaging devices may include a third imaging sensor, different than the at least two respective imaging devices. The third imaging sensor may be configuredto increase a field of view of the user.

[0014] The third imaging sensor may be located on a side-facing portion of the exterior surface of the housing.

[0015] The illumination device and a respective imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices may be angled downward.

[0016] The illumination device may be configured to extend beyond the exterior surface of the housing.

[0017] The housing may occlude a field of view of the user while the user is wearing the MR head-wearable device.

[0018] According to a second aspect, there is provided a mixed-reality (MR) headset, comprising the housing of any preceding claim.

[0019] According to a third aspect, there is provided a method, comprising: performing MR operations at a MR head-wearable device that includes a housing, the housing including: one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing configured to cause presentation of an extended reality environment while a user is wearing the MR head-wearable device; an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing, the object-tracking assembly including: a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis, and an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices; determining, based on imaging data obtained by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the obtained imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold; and in accordance with the determining that the obtained imaging data satisfies the object-tracking threshold, causing presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays.

[0020] The at least two respective imaging devices and the illumination device of the object-tracking assembly may be arranged in a triangular configuration.

[0021] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided an MR headset, comprising: (i) a set of imaging sensors and (ii) a set of floodlight-emitting diodes (flood LEDs), the sets of imaging sensors and flood LEDs disposed along a front-facing portion of the MR headset; and one or more processors configured to: while the MR headset is being caused to present MR content: in accordance with a determination that imaging data obtained from the set of imaging sensors has an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures: cause illumination of a volume of physical space that includes a hand of a user using one or more flood LEDs of the set of flood LEDs.

[0022] A virtual-third-eye center position may be determined based on a position of the MR headset. The virtual-third-eye center position may correspond to a point between eyes of the user. The volume of physical space may be defined based on the virtual-third-eyecenter position.

[0023] The one or more flood LEDs may comprise at least two flood LEDs positioned substantially equidistant from the virtual-third-eye center position.

[0024] The MR headset may further comprise: an LED driver configured to control operations of the one or more flood LEDs. The LED driver may comprise a set of safety interlocks to ensure compliance of the one or more flood LEDs with a set of safety standards. The set of safety standards may comprise one or more of over-temperature protection (OTP), over-voltage protection (OVP), short-circuit protection (SCP), and / or a safety timer.

[0025] The LED driver may be configured to prevent each respective flood LED of the one or more flood LEDs from operating at a 100% duty cycle.

[0026] A minimum amount of radiant exposure received by a target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs may be configured to be greater than a first radiance value. A maximum amount of radiant exposure received by the target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs may be configured to be less than a second radiance value.

[0027] The determination that the one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data having an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures may be based on identifying one or more of: a low-light environment; challenging lighting conditions; a cluttered background; and a low-contrast background.

[0028] The MR headset may further comprise: one or more cover windows configured to surround each respective flood LED of the set of flood LEDs. Each respective flood LED may be positioned such that a combined field of view corresponding to the one or more flood LEDs includes at least 80% coverage of the volume of physical space.

[0029] At least one of the one or more flood LEDs within a respective cover window of one or more cover windows may be positioned at an angle with respect to a plane defined by a front surface of the front-facing portion. The respective cover window may be configured and arranged such that a portion of a front surface of the respective cover window extends beyond the plane defined by the front surface of the front-facing portion.

[0030] Each of the one or more cover windows may be configured to have a transmission loss of less than 20%.

[0031] In accordance with determining that a first target-hand interaction zonecoverage threshold is required, a first set of the one or more flood LEDs may be illuminated. In accordance with determining that a second target-hand interaction zone-coverage threshold is required, a second set of the one or more flood LEDs, distinct from the first set of one or more flood LEDs, may be illuminated.

[0032] Each of the one or more flood LEDs may be configured to emit light having a wavelength between 800 and 900 nanometers.

[0033] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a method, comprising: at a MRheadset that includes (i) a set of imaging sensors, (ii) a set of flood LEDs, (iii) a display, (iv) memory, and (v) one or more processors, wherein the sets of imaging sensors and flood LEDs are disposed along a front-facing portion of the MR headset: while the display is presenting MR content: in accordance with a determination that one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data, illuminating, using one or more flood LEDs of the set of flood LEDs, a target-hand interaction zone.

[0034] Aa virtual-third-eye center position may be determined based on the position of the MR headset. The virtual-third-eye center position may correspond to a point between eyes of a user. A volume of physical space may be defined based on the virtual-third-eye center position.

[0035] The one or more flood LEDs may comprise at least two flood LEDs positioned substantially equidistant from the virtual-third-eye center position.

[0036] The MR headset may include an LED driver configured to control operations of the one or more flood LEDs. The LED driver may comprise a set of safety interlocks to ensure compliance of the one or more flood LEDs with a set of safety standards. The set of safety standards may comprise one or more of over temperature protection (OTP), over voltage protection (OVP), short circuit protection (SCP), and / or a safety timer.

[0037] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a system comprising a processor configured to carry out the method of the fifth aspect.

[0038] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of the fifth aspect.

[0039] According to an eight aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of the fifth aspect.

[0040] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a mixed-reality (MR) headset, comprising: a housing comprising one or more electronic components, the one or more electronic components configured to be used in presentation of MR content including audio content, wherein (i) the housing is configured to attach to a strap thereby forming a cavity, and (ii) the housing defines an aperture, including a first opening on a first side of the MR headset and a second opening on a second side of the MR headset; a speaker housed within the cavity, the speaker being positioned adjacent to a foam insert for minimizing intermodulation of the speaker within the cavity during presentation of the audio content; a fan housed in the housing, the fan configured to cool the one or more electronic components, and minimize noise interference from operation of the fan with the presentation of the audio content, wherein: the first opening of the aperture is adjacent to an exhausting side of the fan, such that exhaust from the fan causes a grazing flow to enter the first opening and exit the secondopening, thereby forming a fluidic channel across the aperture, and an inner surface of the fluidic channel defines a set of perforations, wherein the set of perforations is configured to receive acoustic waves associated with resonant frequencies of the fan; an expansion chamberthat surrounds the inner surface of the fluidic channel, the expansion chamber having a back volume that causes a bias flow across the set of perforations of the inner surface of the fluidic channel; and a set of microphones distributed along an outer surface of the housing, the set of microphones configured to detect audio content from a user of the MR headset as part of presenting the MR content, wherein each respective microphone of the set of microphones is separated from the first opening and the second opening of the aperture defined in the housing by at least an audial-interference threshold distance.

[0041] Each respective perforation of the set of perforations may be configured with a predetermined diameter corresponding to a resonant frequency of the acoustic waves produced by operations of the fan.

[0042] The set of perforations may be a first set of perforations. The predetermined diameter may be a first predetermined diameter. The inner surface of the fluidic channel may define a second set of perforations having a second predetermined diameter corresponding to another resonant frequency of the acoustic waves produced by operations of the fan.

[0043] The first set of perforations may have a first pitch, such that the first predetermined diameter and the first pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a first frequency. The second set of perforations may have a second pitch, such that the second predetermined diameter and the second pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a second frequency.

[0044] The fluidic channel may have a rectangular profile having a first dimension spanning a direction parallel to a length of the housing, and a second dimension corresponding to a depth of the housing. The first dimension may be at least double the length of the second dimension.

[0045] The second dimension may be configured based on a calculated Stokes layer of the grazing flow determined based in part on a respective size and respective pitch of each respective perforation of the set of perforations.

[0046] The fluidic channel may have a flared profile such that an outlet of the fluidic channel has a greater surface area than an inlet of the fluidic channel.

[0047] The outlet may comprise two spaced openings comprising the greater surface area of the outlet of the fluidic channel.

[0048] A portion of the expansion chamber may be positioned between the two spaced openings.

[0049] The set of microphones may be configured in an end-fire array configuration configured to cancel external noises in front of the user from being detected by themicrophones.

[0050] The set of microphones may be configured in a broadside array configuration such that two respective microphones on each side of the MR headset are symmetrical along a plane defined by the outer surface of the MR headset.

[0051] The set of perforations may be defined by the fluidic channel are configured to reduce resonant noise caused by the fan below a value of 0 decibels of sound pressure level (SPL) for at least one range of frequencies.

[0052] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may comprise at least five microperforated panels (MPPs) comprising the respective perforations of the set of perforations.

[0053] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may be comprised of an aluminum sheet having a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters.

[0054] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may further comprise a mesh having an acoustic impedance of 10 pascal-seconds per meter.

[0055] The back volume of the expansion chamber may be between 2000 and 4000 cubic millimeters.

[0056] The expansion chamber may have a length of at least 20 millimeters.

[0057] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided an MR headset comprising the housing of the ninth aspect.

[0058] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a system comprising the MR headset of the tenth aspect.

[0059] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a two-part housing of a mixed- reality (MR) headset, comprising: a first part of the two-part housing; a second part of the two- part housing; and a channel defined by a first perimeter of the first part of the two-part housing and a second perimeter of the second part of the two-part housing, wherein: the channel is configured to guide perspiration along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part away from electronic and mechanical components housed in the two-part housing.

[0060] The channel may include a set of path irregularities, each respective path irregularity configured to: reduce a flow velocity of the perspiration being guided along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part, increase a path length of the channel such that perspiration guided along the first perimeter of the first part, or the second perimeter of the second part travels a longer path before reaching an end of the channel, and / or increase a volumetric perspiration capacity of the channel.

[0061] The set of path irregularities may include one or more pockets defined in the first perimeter or the second perimeter, the pockets configured to collect perspiration being guided along the channel.

[0062] The set of path irregularities may include a tortuous path that deviates from adirection along the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

[0063] The channel may include a hydrophilic portion configured to receive perspiration guided along the channel. The channel may include a hydrophobic portion configured to repel perspiration guided along the channel.

[0064] The hydrophilic portion and the hydrophobic portion may be formed on the first perimeter and / or the second perimeter of the first part and / or the second part of the two-part housing.

[0065] The channel may be a c-channel that includes a recessed portion of a respective perimeter of the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

[0066] According to a thirteenth aspect, there is provided a MR headset comprising the two-part housing of the twelfth aspect.

[0067] According to a fourteenth aspect, there is provided a method of assembling a MR headset, comprising: coupling a first part of a two-part housing and a second part of a two-part housing, thereby forming a channel defined by a first perimeter of the first part of the two-part housing and a second perimeter of the second part of the two-part housing, wherein: the channel is configured to guide perspiration along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part away from electronic and mechanical components housed in the two-part housing.

[0068] The channel may include a set of path irregularities, each respective path irregularity configured to: reduce a flow velocity of the perspiration being guided along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part, increase a path length of the channel such that perspiration guided along the first perimeter of the first part, or the second perimeter of the second part travels a longer path before reaching an end of the channel, and / or increase a volumetric perspiration capacity of the channel.

[0069] The set of path irregularities may include one or more pockets defined in the first perimeter or the second perimeter, the pockets configured to collect perspiration being guided along the channel.

[0070] The set of path irregularities may include a tortuous path that deviates from a direction along the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

[0071] The channel may include a hydrophilic portion configured to receive perspiration guided along the channel. The channel may include a hydrophobic portion configured to repel perspiration guided along the channel.

[0072] The hydrophilic portion and the hydrophobic portion may be formed on the first perimeter and / or the second perimeter of the first part and / or the second part of the two-part housing.

[0073] The channel may be a c-channel that includes a recessed portion of a respective perimeter of the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

[0074] The devices and / or systems described herein can be configured to include instructions that cause the performance of methods and operations associated with the presentation and / or interaction with an extended reality. These methods and operations can be stored on a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of a device or a system. It is also noted that the devices and systems described herein can be part of an overarching system that includes multiple devices. A non-exhaustive of list of electronic devices that, either alone or in combination (e.g., a system), can include instructions that cause performance of methods and operations associated with the presentation and / or interaction with an extended reality include: an extended-reality headset (e.g., a MR headset or an augmented-reality (AR) headset as two examples), a wrist-wearable device, an intermediary processing device, a smart textile-based garment, etc. For example, when an XR headset is described, it is understood that the XR headset can be in communication with one or more other devices (e.g., a wrist-wearable device, a server, intermediary processing device, etc.) which together can include instructions for performing methods and operations associated with the presentation and / or interaction with an extended-reality headset (i.e., the XR headset would be part of a system that includes one or more additional devices). Multiple combinations with different related devices are envisioned, but for the sake of brevity they are not recited herein.

[0075] The features and advantages described in the specification are not necessarily all inclusive and, in particular, certain additional features and advantages will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the drawings, specification, and claims. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes.

[0076] Having summarized the above example aspects, a brief description of the drawings will now be presented.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] For a better understanding of the present disclosure, reference should be made to the Detailed Description below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.

[0078] Figures 1A to 1 D illustrate an example head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0079] Figures 2A to 2E illustrate examples of imaging devices and illumination devices of an object-tracking assembly and data related to such examples, in accordance with some examples.

[0080] Figures 3A to 3E illustrate a coverage area of an illumination device of a headwearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0081] Figure 4 illustrates alternate configurations of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0082] Figures 5A to 5E illustrate example aspects of microphone configurations of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0083] Figure 6 illustrates an audio module of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0084] Figures 7A to 7D illustrate an exhaust system of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0085] Figure 8 illustrates example components of a two-part housing of a MR headset, in accordance with some examples.

[0086] Figures 9A and 9B illustrate aspects of a sweat-prevention design for use with a MR headset, in accordance with some examples.

[0087] Figures 10A, 10B, 10C-1 , and 10C-2 illustrate example MR and AR systems, in accordance with some examples.

[0088] Figure 1 1 illustrates an example method for using an object-tracking assembly to determine if object-tracking criteria are satisfied for causing a tracked object to be presented by a MR head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0089] Figure 12 illustrates an example method for using arrangements of imaging and illumination sensors to improve interaction detection at a MR headset, in accordance with some examples.

[0090] Figure 13 illustrates an example method for assembling a two-part housing for guiding perspiration to desired channels to avoid negative impacts to electrical and mechanical functions of a MR headset, in accordance with some examples.

[0091] In accordance with common practice, the various features illustrated in the drawings may not be drawn to scale. Accordingly, the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily expanded or reduced for clarity. In addition, some of the drawings may not depict all of the components of a given system, method, or device. Finally, like reference numerals may be used to denote like features throughout the specification and figures.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0092] Numerous details are described herein to provide a thorough understanding of the examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. However, some examples may be practiced without many of the specific details, and the scope of the claims is only limited by those features and aspects specifically recited in the claims. Furthermore, well-known processes, components, and materials have not necessarily been described in exhaustive detail so as to avoid obscuring pertinent aspects of the examples described herein.

[0093] Embodiments of this disclosure can include or be implemented in conjunction with various types of extended-realities (XRs) such as MR and augmented-reality (AR) systems. MRs and ARs, as described herein, are any superimposed functionality and / or sensory-detectable presentation provided by MR and AR systems within a user’s physicalsurroundings. Such MRs can include and / or represent virtual realities (VRs) and VRs in which at least some aspects of the surrounding environment are reconstructed within the virtual environment (e.g., displaying virtual reconstructions of physical objects in a physical environment to avoid the user colliding with the physical objects in a surrounding physical environment). In the case of MRs, the surrounding environment that is presented through a display is captured via one or more sensors configured to capture the surrounding environment (e.g., a camera sensor, time-of-flight (ToF) sensor). While a wearer of an MR headset can see the surrounding environment in full detail, they are seeing a reconstruction of the environment reproduced using data from the one or more sensors (i.e. , the physical objects are not directly viewed by the user). An MR headset can also forgo displaying reconstructions of objects in the physical environment, thereby providing a user with an entirely VR experience. An AR system, on the other hand, provides an experience in which information is provided, e.g., through the use of a waveguide, in conjunction with the direct viewing of at least some of the surrounding environment through a transparent or semitransparent waveguide(s) and / or lens(es) of the AR glasses. Throughout this application, the term “extended reality (XR)” is used as a catchall term to cover both ARs and MRs. In addition, this application also uses, at times, a head-wearable device or headset device as a catchall term that covers XR headsets such as AR glasses and MR headsets.

[0094] As alluded to above, an MR environment, as described herein, can include, but is not limited to, non-immersive, semi-immersive, and fully immersive VR environments. As also alluded to above, AR environments can include marker-based AR environments, markerless AR environments, location-based AR environments, and projection-based AR environments. The above descriptions are not exhaustive and any other environment that allows for intentional environmental lighting to pass through to the user would fall within the scope of an AR, and any other environment that does not allow for intentional environmental lighting to pass through to the user would fall within the scope of an MR.

[0095] The AR and MR content can include video, audio, haptic events, sensory events, or some combination thereof, any of which can be presented in a single channel or in multiple channels (such as stereo video that produces a three-dimensional effect to a viewer). Additionally, AR and MR can also be associated with applications, products, accessories, services, or some combination thereof, which are used, for example, to create content in an AR or MR environment and / or are otherwise used in (e.g., to perform activities in) AR and MR environments.

[0096] Interacting with these AR and MR environments described herein can occur using multiple different modalities and the resulting outputs can also occur across multiple different modalities. In one example AR or MR system, a user can perform a swiping in-air hand gesture to cause a song to be skipped by a song-providing application programminginterface (API) providing playback at, for example, a home speaker.

[0097] A hand gesture, as described herein, can include an in-air gesture, a surfacecontact gesture, and or other gestures that can be detected and determined based on movements of a single hand (e.g., a one-handed gesture performed with a user’s hand that is detected by one or more sensors of a wearable device (e.g., electromyography (EMG) and / or inertial measurement units (IMUs) of a wrist-wearable device, and / or one or more sensors included in a smart textile wearable device) and / or detected via image data captured by an imaging device of a wearable device (e.g., a camera of a head-wearable device, an external tracking camera setup in the surrounding environment)). “In-air” generally includes gestures in which the user’s hand does not contact a surface, object, or portion of an electronic device (e.g., a head-wearable device or other communicatively coupled device, such as the wristwearable device), in other words the gesture is performed in open air in 3D space and without contacting a surface, an object, or an electronic device. Surface-contact gestures (contacts at a surface, object, body part of the user, or electronic device) more generally are also contemplated in which a contact (or an intention to contact) is detected at a surface (e.g., a single- or double-finger tap on a table, on a user’s hand or another finger, on the user’s leg, a couch, a steering wheel). The different hand gestures disclosed herein can be detected using image data and / or sensor data (e.g., neuromuscular signals sensed by one or more biopotential sensors (e.g., EMG sensors) or other types of data from other sensors, such as proximity sensors, ToF sensors, sensors of an IMU, capacitive sensors, strain sensors) detected by a wearable device worn by the user and / or other electronic devices in the user’s possession (e.g., smartphones, laptops, imaging devices, intermediary devices, and / or other devices described herein).

[0098] The input modalities as alluded to above can be varied and are dependent on a user’s experience. For example, in an interaction in which a wrist-wearable device is used, a user can provide inputs using in-air or surface-contact gestures that are detected using neuromuscular signal sensors of the wrist-wearable device. In the event that a wrist-wearable device is not used, alternative and entirely interchangeable input modalities can be used instead, such as camera(s) located on the headset / glasses or elsewhere to detect in-air or surface-contact gestures or inputs at an intermediary processing device (e.g., through physical input components (e.g., buttons and trackpads)). These different input modalities can be interchanged based on both desired user experiences, portability, and / or a feature set of the product (e.g., a low-cost product may not include hand-tracking cameras).

[0099] While the inputs are varied, the resulting outputs stemming from the inputs are also varied. For example, an in-air gesture input detected by a camera of a head-wearable device can cause an output to occur at a head-wearable device or control another electronic device different from the head-wearable device. In another example, an input detected usingdata from a neuromuscular signal sensor can also cause an output to occur at a headwearable device or control another electronic device different from the head-wearable device. While only a couple examples are described above, one skilled in the art would understand that different input modalities are interchangeable along with different output modalities in response to the inputs.

[0100] Specific operations described above may occur as a result of specific hardware. The devices described are not limiting and features on these devices can be removed or additional features can be added to these devices. The different devices can include one or more analogous hardware components. For brevity, analogous devices and components are described herein. Any differences in the devices and components are described below in their respective sections.

[0101] As described herein, a processor (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or microcontroller unit (MCU)), is an electronic component that is responsible for executing instructions and controlling the operation of an electronic device (e.g., a wrist-wearable device, a head-wearable device, a handheld intermediary processing device (HIPD), a smart textilebased garment, or other computer system). There are various types of processors that may be used interchangeably or specifically required by examples described herein. For example, a processor may be (i) a general processor designed to perform a wide range of tasks, such as running software applications, managing operating systems, and performing arithmetic and logical operations; (ii) a microcontroller designed for specific tasks such as controlling electronic devices, sensors, and motors; (iii) a graphics processing unit (GPU) designed to accelerate the creation and rendering of images, videos, and animations (e.g., VR animations, such as three-dimensional modeling); (iv) a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) that can be programmed and reconfigured after manufacturing and / or customized to perform specific tasks, such as signal processing, cryptography, and machine learning; or (v) a digital signal processor (DSP) designed to perform mathematical operations on signals such as audio, video, and radio waves. One of skill in the art will understand that one or more processors of one or more electronic devices may be used in various examples described herein.

[0102] As described herein, controllers are electronic components that manage and coordinate the operation of other components within an electronic device (e.g., controlling inputs, processing data, and / or generating outputs). Examples of controllers can include (i) microcontrollers, including small, low-power controllers that are commonly used in embedded systems and Internet of Things (loT) devices; (ii) programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that may be configured to be used in industrial automation systems to control and monitor manufacturing processes; (iii) system-on-a-chip (SoC) controllers that integrate multiple components such as processors, memory, I / O interfaces, and other peripherals into a single chip; and / or (iv) DSPs. As described herein, a graphics module is a component orsoftware module that is designed to handle graphical operations and / or processes and can include a hardware module and / or a software module.

[0103] As described herein, memory refers to electronic components in a computer or electronic device that store data and instructions for the processor to access and manipulate. The devices described herein can include volatile and non-volatile memory. Examples of memory can include (i) random access memory (RAM), such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM or other random access solid state memory devices, configured to store data and instructions temporarily; (ii) read-only memory (ROM) configured to store data and instructions permanently (e.g., one or more portions of system firmware and / or boot loaders); (iii) flash memory, magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, other non-volatile solid state storage devices, which can be configured to store data in electronic devices (e.g., universal serial bus (USB) drives, memory cards, and / or solid-state drives (SSDs)); and (iv) cache memory configured to temporarily store frequently accessed data and instructions. Memory, as described herein, can include structured data (e.g., SQL databases, MongoDB databases, GraphQL data, or JSON data). Other examples of memory can include (i) profile data, including user account data, user settings, and / or other user data stored by the user; (ii) sensor data detected and / or otherwise obtained by one or more sensors; (iii) media content data including stored image data, audio data, documents, and the like; (iv) application data, which can include data collected and / or otherwise obtained and stored during use of an application; and / or (v) any other types of data described herein.

[0104] As described herein, a power system of an electronic device is configured to convert incoming electrical power into a form that can be used to operate the device. A power system can include various components, including (i) a power source, which can be an alternating current (AC) adapter or a direct current (DC) adapter power supply; (ii) a charger input that can be configured to use a wired and / or wireless connection (which may be part of a peripheral interface, such as a USB, micro-USB interface, near-field magnetic coupling, magnetic inductive and magnetic resonance charging, and / or radio frequency (RF) charging); (iii) a power-management integrated circuit, configured to distribute power to various components of the device and ensure that the device operates within safe limits (e.g., regulating voltage, controlling current flow, and / or managing heat dissipation); and / or (iv) a battery configured to store power to provide usable power to components of one or more electronic devices.

[0105] As described herein, peripheral interfaces are electronic components (e.g., of electronic devices) that allow electronic devices to communicate with other devices or peripherals and can provide a means for input and output of data and signals. Examples of peripheral interfaces can include (i) USB and / or micro-USB interfaces configured for connecting devices to an electronic device; (ii) Bluetooth interfaces configured to allow devicesto communicate with each other, including Bluetooth low energy (BLE); (iii) near-field communication (NFC) interfaces configured to be short-range wireless interfaces for operations such as access control; (iv) pogo pins, which may be small, spring-loaded pins configured to provide a charging interface; (v) wireless charging interfaces; (vi) global- positioning system (GPS) interfaces; (vii) Wi-Fi interfaces for providing a connection between a device and a wireless network; and (viii) sensor interfaces.

[0106] As described herein, sensors are electronic components (e.g., in and / or otherwise in electronic communication with electronic devices, such as wearable devices) configured to detect physical and environmental changes and generate electrical signals. Examples of sensors can include (i) imaging sensors for collecting imaging data (e.g., including one or more cameras disposed on a respective electronic device, such as a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) camera); (ii) biopotential-signal sensors; (iii) IMUs for detecting, for example, angular rate, force, magnetic field, and / or changes in acceleration; (iv) heart rate sensors for measuring a user’s heart rate; (v) peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) sensors for measuring blood oxygen saturation and / or other biometric data of a user; (vi) capacitive sensors for detecting changes in potential at a portion of a user’s body (e.g., a sensor-skin interface) and / or the proximity of other devices or objects; (vii) sensors for detecting some inputs (e.g., capacitive and force sensors); and (viii) light sensors (e.g., ToF sensors, infrared light sensors, or visible light sensors), and / or sensors for sensing data from the user or the user’s environment. As described herein biopotential-signal-sensing components are devices used to measure electrical activity within the body (e.g., biopotentialsignal sensors). Some types of biopotential-signal sensors include (i) electroencephalography (EEG) sensors configured to measure electrical activity in the brain to diagnose neurological disorders; (ii) electrocardiography (ECG or EKG) sensors configured to measure electrical activity of the heart to diagnose heart problems; (iii) EMG sensors configured to measure the electrical activity of muscles and diagnose neuromuscular disorders; (iv) electrooculography (EOG) sensors configured to measure the electrical activity of eye muscles to detect eye movement and diagnose eye disorders.

[0107] As described herein, an application stored in memory of an electronic device (e.g., software) includes instructions stored in the memory. Examples of such applications include (i) games; (ii) word processors; (iii) messaging applications; (iv) media-streaming applications; (v) financial applications; (vi) calendars; (vii) clocks; (viii) web browsers; (ix) social media applications; (x) camera applications; (xi) web-based applications; (xii) health applications; (xiii) AR and MR applications; and / or (xiv) any other applications that can be stored in memory. The applications can operate in conjunction with data and / or one or more components of a device or communicatively coupled devices to perform one or more operations and / or functions.

[0108] As described herein, communication interface modules can include hardware and / or software capable of data communications using any of a variety of custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6L0WPAN, Thread, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Smart, ISA100.11 a, WirelessHART, or MiWi), custom or standard wired protocols (e.g., Ethernet or HomePlug), and / or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. A communication interface is a mechanism that enables different systems or devices to exchange information and data with each other, including hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software. For example, a communication interface can refer to a physical connector and / or port on a device that enables communication with other devices (e.g., USB, Ethernet, HDMI, or Bluetooth). A communication interface can refer to a software layer that enables different software programs to communicate with each other (e.g., APIs and protocols such as HTTP and TCP / IP).

[0109] As described herein, a graphics module is a component or software module that is designed to handle graphical operations and / or processes and can include a hardware module and / or a software module.

[0110] As described herein, non-transitory computer-readable storage media are physical devices or storage medium that can be used to store electronic data in a non- transitory form (e.g., such that the data is stored permanently until it is intentionally deleted and / or modified).

[0111] Figures 1A-1 D illustrate an example MR headset in accordance with some examples. The MR headset 100 includes a housing 1 10, one or more displays, one or more object-tracking assemblies 120, and one or more processors. Additional components of the MR headset 100 are described below in reference to Figures 10A to 10C-2.

[0112] The housing 1 10 includes an interior surface and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface. The housing 110 occludes the field of view of the user while the user wears the MR headset 100 (as depicted in Figure 10C-1 , where the user 1002 is wearing an MR device 1032 that may include some or all of the components of the MR headset 100). In particular, the housing 1 10 covers a user’s eyes to allow for generation of an immersive environment. The one or more displays are disposed within the interior surface of the housing such that the head-wearable device, when worn by the user, causes presentation of an extended reality environment. In some examples, the housing 1 10 is a two-part housing that is configured to having a first part and a second part that couple together to form a housing for electronic and mechanical components for presenting MR content.

[0113] The one or more object-tracking assemblies 120 are disposed on the exterior surface of the housing 110. Each object-tracking assembly 120 includes a plurality of imaging devices 122 (e.g., a first imaging device 122a and a second imaging device 122b) and / or oneor more illumination devices 124. In some examples, the plurality of imaging devices 122 consists of distinct types of imaging devices. For example, the first imaging device 122a can be a red-green-and-blue (RGB) camera and the second imaging device 122b can be a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-enabled camera. The one or more illumination devices 124 can be one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) such as flood LEDs, infrared (IR) light sources, lamps, etc. In some examples, as will be described in greater detail below, the one or more illumination devices 124 include flood LEDs that are configured and arranged to illuminate a volume of physical space where a user will perform hand gestures for interacting with MR content.

[0114] For each object-tracking assembly 120, the plurality of imaging devices 122 is aligned on a first axis (e.g., the y-axis) and at least one illumination device 124 is aligned on a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis. The illumination device 124 is disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices (e.g., in the middle between the first and second imaging devices 122a and 122b). For example, as shown on the MR headset 100, the object-tracking assembly 120 forms a triangular arrangement on the exterior surface of the housing 110. In some examples, the first imaging device 122a (e.g, the RGB camera) is disposed above the second imaging device 122b (e.g., the SLAM camera) such that the first imaging device 122a is as close to a user’s actual field of view as possible. In some examples, the second imaging device 122b is angled downward such that the field of view of the second imaging device 122b is focused on tracking a user’s hands. Similarly, the illumination device 124 is slightly angled downward, in accordance with some examples, in order to illuminate the user’s hands to allow for tracking of the user’s hands, via the second imaging device 122b, during low-light conditions, low- contrast background conditions, and / or other ambient lighting conditions that negatively impact the detection of objects in image data. In some examples, the MR headset 100 includes at least two object-tracking assemblies 120 (e.g., first and second object-tracking assemblies 120a and 120b, where the second object-tracking assembly 120b mirrors the first object-tracking assembly 120a).

[0115] The one or more processors can be configured to execute one or more programs stored in memory communicatively coupled with the one or more processors. The one or more programs include instructions for causing the MR headset 100 to, via the illumination device 124, generate ambient lighting conditions and receive, via the plurality of imaging devices 122, image data. The one or more programs further include instructions for causing the MR headset 100 to, in accordance with a determination that the image data satisfies an object-tracking threshold, present a tracked object via the one or more displays 115. Alternatively, or in addition, the one or more programs include instructions for causing the MR headset 100 to, in accordance with a determination that the image data satisfies anobject-tracking threshold, detect the performance of a hand gesture. The above examples are non-limiting; the captured image data can be used for object detection, facial-recognition detection, gesture detection, etc. In some examples, the one or more programs include instructions for causing the MR headset 100 to, in response to detection of an object and / or gesture, perform an operation or action associated with the detected object or gestures. As the skilled artisan will appreciate upon reading the descriptions provided herein, the aboveexample operations can be performed at the MR headset 100 and / or a device communicatively coupled with the MR headset 100 (e.g., a wrist-wearable device 1026, an HIPD 1042, a server 1030, a computer 1040, and / or any other device described below in reference to Figures 10A to 10C-2).

[0116] Figure 1 B shows a perspective view of the MR headset 100, in accordance with some examples. The perspective view of the MR headset 100 shows an additional imaging device 132a of the MR headset 100 (e.g., a respective flood LED of a second set of flood LEDs 132). The additional imaging device 132a can be an instance of the second imaging device 122b described above in reference to Figure 1A. Alternatively, or additionally, the additional imaging device 132a is an instance of or includes the first imaging device 122a. The additional imaging device 132a can be used in conjunction with the object-tracking assembly 120-a to provide full field-of-view coverage (e.g., increasing the field of view illuminated by one or more of the imaging devices 122). Another additional imaging device 132b is disposed on an opposite side of the MR headset 100, as shown in Figure 1 D, in accordance with some examples.

[0117] Figure 1 C shows a bottom view of the MR headset 100, in accordance with some examples. The bottom view of the MR headset 100 shows an input device 145 disposed on a portion of the housing. In some examples, the input device 145 is a physical button (e.g., a depressible button). The input device 145, in response to receiving a user input (e.g., depression of the button), causes the MR headset 100 to initiate the passthrough mode. The passthrough mode, when active, causes the MR headset 100 to present, via the display 115, image data of a real-world environment. The image data of the real-world environment is captured by one or more imaging devices of the MR headset 100 (e.g., imaging devices 122 and / or 132). In some examples, the image data of the real-world environment replaces an extended-reality environment presented by the display 120 (e.g., removing a user from an immersive AR environment such that the user can focus on the real-world environment).

[0118] Figure 1 D show another perspective view of the MR headset 100, in accordance with some examples. The other perspective view of the MR headset 100 shows the other additional imaging device 132b of the MR headset 100. As described above, the other additional imaging device 132b is disposed on the opposite side of the MR headset 100. The other additional imaging device 132a can be used in conjunction with the object-trackingassembly 120 to provide full field-of-view coverage. The other perspective view 150 of the MR headset 100 further shows an interior surface of the housing 110 and the one or more displays 1 15 disposed on the interior surface of the housing 1 10.

[0119] Figures 2A to 2E illustrate examples of imaging devices and illumination devices of an object-tracking assembly (e.g., of the MR headset 100) and data related to such examples, in accordance with some examples. In some examples, one or more components of the object-tracking assembly illustrated by Figures 2A to 2E can be positioned with a different relative orientation to the other components of the object-tracking assembly than is illustrated by the specific structural arrangements shown.

[0120] Figure 2A shows a first example of an object-tracking assembly 205 and a second example of an object-tracking assembly 210, in accordance with some examples. The first example of the object-tracking assembly 205 includes a first imaging device 122a, a second imaging device 122b, and a first illumination device 204 (analogous to the illumination devices 124). The second example of the object-tracking assembly 210 includes the first imaging device 122a, the second imaging device 122b, and a second example illumination device 206 (analogous to the illumination devices 124). The first example illumination device 204 has a flush design that includes a surface that mates with the exterior surface of a housing 1 10 of a MR headset 100. The second example illumination device 206 has a pillar design that protrudes from the exterior surface of the housing 1 10 of the MR headset 100. The first and second example illumination devices 204 and 206 include plastic covers to ensure that a light beam (e.g., an infrared light beam) emitted by the respective illumination devices 204 and 206 is dispersed across the plastic cover so that the light beam is not visible. The first and second example illumination devices 204 and 206 include cut-filter plastic resin that reduces red-eye.

[0121] In some examples, the first example of the object-tracking assembly 205 and the second example of the object-tracking assembly 210 use protruding imaging devices 122 (or protruding illumination devices, such as the second example illumination device 206) to extend the respective device above the exterior surface of the housing 1 10 of the MR headset 100 to allow for a thinner form factor and / or functionality for providing illumination of a sufficient field of view for performing interactions. The thinner form factor allows for cost savings by reducing the size of the respective cover used for each device. In some examples, a flicker sensor (not shown) is positioned behind a light pipe (e.g., instead of behind the front). Additional design considerations are provided below in reference to Figures 2B-2E.

[0122] Figure 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view 215 of the first imaging device 122a, in accordance with some examples. The cross-sectional view 215 of the first imaging device 122a shows a glass cover 217 (e.g., a cover window) of the first imaging device 122a and the first imaging device 122a coupled with a carrier 219. In some examples, the glass cover 217is coupled to the carrier 219 via adhesive (e.g., a pressure-sensitive adhesive). In some examples, the first imaging device 122a is coupled with a carrier bracket on which the carrier 219 can be separately mounted.

[0123] Figure 2C illustrates different views of the second imaging device 122b, in accordance with some examples. A first view 216 shows the top view of the second imaging device 122b and a second view 218 shows the back view of the second imaging device 122b. Figure 2C further shows portions of the second imaging device 122b. A first portion 221 shows a lens assembly of the second imaging device 122b, a second portion 222 shows a bond line of the second imaging device 122b, and a third portion 223 shows an image sensor, a printed circuit board assembly (e.g., a flexible printed circuit), and a connector of the second imaging device 122b. In some examples, the lens assembly of the second imaging device 122b can be used in place of a glass cover. The image sensor is configured to reduce power consumption.

[0124] Figure 2D shows different examples of an illumination device, in accordance with some examples. Each example of the illumination device can have an LED field of view 228 and include a respective infrared transparent cover window, an LED component 227, an opaque front cover 229, and a stereo bracket 231 . The respective infrared transparent cover windows are mounted to a stereo bracket via fasteners such as screws. The LED component 227 is part of surface-mounted technology on a (flexible) printed circuit board assembly. The (flexible) printed circuit board assembly can be further coupled to the stereo bracket 231 via an adhesive (e.g., a pressure-sensitive adhesive).

[0125] A first infrared transparent cover window 226, as shown in a first example of the illumination device 225, is a flat pillar design. A second infrared transparent cover window 232, as shown in a second example of the illumination device 230, is a dome design, and a third infrared transparent cover window 233, as shown in a third example of the illumination device 235, is a dome pillar design. In accordance with some examples, the cover window can be selected based on a desired field of view to illuminate via the LED component 227.

[0126] Figure 2E shows optical simulations performed on different examples of the illumination device, in accordance with some examples. The graph 260 illustrates field-of- view and throughput performance of illumination devices with distinct cover windows. Each of the cover window designs has at least a 120 FOV in horizontal and 90 FOV in vertical even with LED placement errors. The illumination coverage angle is calculated using the threshold value of 0.022 W / Sr, which corresponds to 0.088 mJ / m2 of illumination requirements from a single LED.

[0127] Figure 3A shows a side view 305 and a top view 310 of a coverage area of the illumination devices 124. For hand tracking, illumination performance is measured by critical illumination coverage percentage, which describes the amount of important working volumebeing sufficiently illuminated. Critical working volume is defined as [0, 75] of elevation angle and [-60, 60] azimuth angle as shown in Figure 3A. Illumination device 124 (e.g., LED) placements and specifications are designed to optimize illumination coverage. As such, a tilting down illumination device 124 is preferred to maximize the illuminated working volumes below eye level; an ultra-wide illumination device 124 view angle, e.g., 150-degree full width at half maximum (FWHM), is preferred as well.

[0128] Figure 3B shows frontal illumination using one or more illumination devices, in accordance with some examples. A first frontal illumination plot 315 shows the illumination generated by a single-illumination device 124 configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The second frontal illumination plot 320 shows the illumination generated by a two- illumination-device 124 configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. While the first and the second frontal illumination plots 315 and 320 are similar, the power required by the single- illumination-device 124 configuration is approximately double the amount of power used by the second frontal illumination plot 320. While the single-illumination device 124 and the two- illumination device 124 configuration can operate similarly if enough power is provided, the two-illumination device 124 configuration casts weaker shadows and has improved occlusion robustness (e.g., performs better when an illumination device 124 is occluded as the other illumination device 124 is not occluded). For full-FOV illumination, hand tracking utilizes three- or four-illumination-device 124 designs, with two additional illumination devices 124 added to the sides of the MR headset 100 (e.g., near side tracking imaging devices (e.g., additional imaging devices 132)).

[0129] Figures 3C and 3D illustrate frontal illumination plots of distinct illumination device configurations. Each of the illumination device configurations is implemented in a respective MR headset 100.

[0130] A third frontal illumination plot 325 shows a third illumination device configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The third illumination device configuration includes two illumination devices 124. The illuminations devices have the following configurations: a peak wavelength of 860 nm and 30 nm spectral BW; a current needed to generate 31 .8 mW / Sr per LED is 95.1 mA; a current used in simulation per LED is 100 mA; a current used in simulation per LED (+ IR QE (5%) margin and + CW (17%) margin) is 122 mA; a total electrical power (two LEDs) in Simulation (60 Hz, 1 ms integration time) is 39.52 mW; and an illumination coverage of critical working volume (at the recommended LED location) is 89.059%.

[0131] A fourth frontal illumination plot 330 shows a fourth illumination device configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The fourth illumination device configuration includes two illumination devices 124. The illuminations devices have the following configurations: a peak wavelength of 840 nm and 30 nm spectral BW; a current needed togenerate 31.8 mW / Sr per LED is 79.5 mA; a current used in simulation per LED is 80 mA; a current used in simulation per LED (+ IR QE (5%) margin and + CW (17%) margin) is 97.6 mA; a total electrical power (two LEDs) in Simulation (60 Hz, 1 ms integration time) is 27.98 mW; and an illumination coverage of critical working volume (at the recommended LED location) is 98.90%.

[0132] A fifth frontal illumination plot 335 shows a fifth illumination device configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The fifth illumination device configuration includes two illumination devices 124. The illumination devices have the following configurations: a peak wavelength of 850 nm and 35 nm spectral BW; a current needed to generate 31 .8 mW / Sr per LED is 94.9 mA; a current used in simulation per LED is 100 mA; a current used in simulation per LED (+ IR QE (5%) margin and + CW (17%) margin) is 122 mA; a total electrical power (two LEDs) in Simulation (60 Hz, 1 ms integration time) is 39.82 mW; and an illumination coverage of critical working volume (at the recommended LED location) is 98.36%.

[0133] A sixth frontal illumination plot 340 shows a sixth illumination device configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The sixth illumination device configuration includes two illumination devices 124. The illumination devices have the following configurations: a peak wavelength of 845 nm and 50 nm spectral BW; a current needed to generate 31.8 mW / Sr per LED is 176.7 mA; a current used in simulation per LED is 195 mA; a current used in simulation per LED (+ IR QE (5%) margin and + CW (17%) margin) is 237.9 mA; a total electrical power (two LEDs) in Simulation (60 Hz, 1 ms integration time) is 46.22 mW; and an illumination coverage of critical working volume (at the recommended LED location) is 89.88%.

[0134] A seventh frontal illumination plot 345 shows a seventh illumination device configuration implemented in a MR headset 100. The seventh illumination device configuration includes six illumination devices 124. The illumination devices have the following configurations: a peak wavelength of 850 nm and 30 nm spectral BW; a current needed to generate 31.8 mW / Sr per LED is 141.3 mA (would require multiple LEDs at lower drive); a current used in simulation per LED is 150 mA; a current used in simulation per LED (+ IR QE (5%) margin and + CW (17%) margin) is 183 mA; a total electrical power (two LEDs) in Simulation (60 Hz, 1 ms integration time) is 11 1 .98 mW; and an illumination coverage of critical working volume (at the recommended LED location) is 90.13%.

[0135] Figure 3E shows an example illumination needed to cover a particular use case, in accordance with some examples. For example, social media application coverage of 80% (e.g., social media application used 55.2% of the total time the head-wearable device is used) needs a total lux of approximately 16 lux. Alternatively, a shooter game coverage of 90% needs a total lux of approximately 12 lux.

[0136] Figure 4 illustrates alternate configurations of a head-wearable device, inaccordance with some examples. A first alternate head-wearable device 410 includes one or more object-tracking assemblies with at least four frontal sensors. A second alternate headwearable device 420 includes one or more object-tracking assemblies with at least four frontal sensors and at least two additional imaging devices and / or illumination device at respective side of the head-wearable device. The first alternate head-wearable device 410 allows for frontal field of view coverage, whereas the second alternate head-wearable device 420 allows for full field of view coverage.

[0137] Figures 5A to 5E illustrate example aspects of microphone configurations of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples. The different microphone configurations improve a user’s voice capture and allow for rejection of the noise generated in front of the user. Additionally, the different microphone configurations enhance user speech detection and playback for scenarios of colocation and use in noisy environments.

[0138] Figure 5A illustrates three distinct microphone configurations of a headwearable device (e.g., the MR headset 100). A first example microphone configuration 510 (a broadside array) includes at least two microphones, each microphone at opposite sides of a bottom portion of the head-wearable device. A second example microphone configuration 520 (an end fire array (near)) includes at least two microphones, each microphone on the same sides of a bottom portion of the head-wearable device and extending diagonally from a middle portion of the head-wearable device to a side of the head-wearable device. A third example microphone configuration 530 (an end fire array (far)) includes at least two microphones, each microphone on the same sides of a bottom portion of the head-wearable device and extending diagonally from a middle portion of a side of the head-wearable device to an edge of the head-wearable device (adjacent to a frontal cover of the head-wearable device).

[0139] Figure 5B shows a fourth example microphone configuration 540 and a fifth example microphone configuration 550. In accordance with some examples, the fourth example microphone configuration 540 includes a MR headset that includes at least two microphones and hides one of two holes in a vent gap, and creates visual logic and symmetry on the headset. In accordance with some examples, the fifth example microphone configuration 550 includes at least two microphones analogous with those described above in reference to the second example microphone configuration 220.

[0140] Figure 5C shows example performance values for different microphone configurations, in accordance with some examples. In particular, values for enhancing voice (SNRi) and Nullforming performance in isolating noise (NSRi). The broadside symmetric values 516 correspond to the first example microphone configuration 510, the asymmetric end fire (near) values 526 correspond to the second example microphone configuration 520, and the asymmetric end fire (far) values 536 correspond to the third example microphoneconfiguration 530. In some examples, the broadside symmetric values corresponding to the broadside symmetric configuration have an SNRi value of between -10 and 0 (e.g., -4.4), and an NSRi value of between 55 and 65 (e.g., 59.9). In some examples, the asymmetric end fire (near) values, which correspond to a first asymmetric end fire configuration, have an SNRi value of between 10 and 20 (e.g., 14.9), and an SNRi value of between 45 and 55 (e.g., 51.3). In some examples, the asymmetric end fire (far) values correspond to a second asymmetric end fire configuration, have an SNRi value of between 0 and 10 (e.g., 5), and an SNRi of value of between 55 and 65 (e.g., 60).

[0141] Figures 5D-1 to 5D-4 show example beamformer responses of different microphone configurations, in accordance with some examples. The broadside array beamformer responses 542 correspond to the first example microphone configuration 510 (Figure 5A) and the end fire array beamformer responses 544 correspond to the second and third example microphone configuration 520 and 530 (Figure 5A).

[0142] Figure 5E shows an overview of an end fire configuration, in accordance with some examples. Advantages for the end fire array include positioning noises in front of and behind the user such that the noise can be filtered out effectively. The end fire array allows for noise sources such as typing, voices directly in front of the user, doors shutting, etc. can be more effectively canceled by the head-wearable device, which brings higher quality experiences to certain work or co-located scenarios. The visual impact of this, however, results in asymmetric holes in the bottom of the device and may feel less considered than the integration of the broad side array.

[0143] Figure 6 illustrates an audio module of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples. As described above in reference to Figures 5A-5E, the MR headset 100 can use an end fire arrangement of mics to identify sounds coming from a user’s mouth and all other sounds (which can be rejected / noise-cancelled). To further improve sound quality, foam padding 610 in front cavity near a mic next to side strap holder can be included. In particular, the foam padding 610 is disposed within a housing of a side strap holder and is configured to fill hollow portions of the housing (e.g., foam-like material to ensure that hollow structures no longer negatively impact audio quality). The foam padding 610 removes resonance issues present in the microphone module (damps airflow and removes distortion). In some examples, the foam padding 610 is a predetermined thickness (e.g., 6.1 mm + / - 0.2 mm).

[0144] Figures 7A to 7D illustrate an exhaust system of a head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples. In particular, the head-wearable device uses a “muffler” installed after the fan and before the exhaust from the head-wearable device. The added chambers act as resonators that convert the acoustic energy into heat through a process of visco-thermal loss, which reduces objectionable noise and enable a higher air flow. In thisway, the added chambers enable an increase in performance for the same noise and / or a smaller package.

[0145] Figure 7A shows an example muffler 700, in accordance with some examples. The muffler is configured to receive a flow (e.g., grazing flow) and direct the flow through a chamber. The chamber of the muffler includes a plurality of perforations to bias the flow. Specifically, the plurality of perforations allows for the flow to enter the cavity (e.g., acting as resonators as described above).

[0146] Figure 7B illustrates an example exhaust system 710 of the head-wearable device. The exhaust system 710 includes an air inlet 712 disposed on a first exterior surface of the housing of the head-wearable device. The exhaust system 710 includes one or more air outlets (e.g., air outlets 716a and 716b) disposed on a second exterior surface of the housing. The exhaust system 710 includes a fan 714 disposed within a compartment of the housing; and a channel fluidically coupling the compartment and the air outlet. The fan 714 is configured to pull air in through the air inlet, circulate airthrough a portion of the housing (e.g., cooling at least one of the one or more processors and the one or more displays), and push air out through the one or more air outlets 716. The channel includes a chamber 715 including one or more perforations (e.g., peripheral perforations 718a and 718b) and configured to operate as a resonator (e.g., that convert the acoustic energy into heat through the process of visco-thermal loss). In Figure 7B, air is pushed out through the one or more air outlets 716. The air, as traveling towards the air outlet, travels through the channel including the one or more perforations 718.

[0147] Figure 7C illustrates another example of air traveling through the exhaust system 710 of the head-wearable device. As shown in Figure 7C, a channel of the exhaust system includes micro-perforated panels 730, which may be collectively described herein as a muffler, in accordance with some examples. The micro-perforated panels 730 are fluidically coupled with a cavity such that acoustic energy is converted into heat through the process of visco-thermal loss. In accordance with some examples, there can be more than one cavity in distinct locations of the exhaust system (e.g., cavity portions 732-a, 732-b, and 732-c). Air that does not travel through the micro-perforated panels exits via the air outlet. In some examples, the muffler includes three sections of micro perforated panels (MPP) that are laterally configured (one in each lateral) and are located near the center of the headset (two panels). In some examples, the MPP are further configured having 0.5 mm of diameter and 4.4 mm of pitch. The three sections of the muffler are installed within the back cavity of the headset.

[0148] Figure 7D illustrates a portion of a channel of the exhaust system 710, in accordance with some examples. The highlighted portions of the channel (e.g., a first portion 740a, and a second portion 740b) indicate portions of the exhaust system that can includemicro-perforated panels.

[0149] Figure 8 illustrates example components of a two-part housing 800 of the MR headset 100, in accordance with some examples. In accordance with some examples, the two-part housing 800 includes some or all of the components of the housing 110 described with respect to Figures 1A to 1 D.

[0150] In accordance with some examples, the two-part housing 800 includes a first part 810 that includes one or more compartments for storing electronic and / or mechanical components for interacting with MR environments. In some examples, the two-part housing includes a second part 820 that is configured to couple with the first part 810 to form the housing 1 10. In some examples, the second part 820 of the two-part housing 800 defines two openings, including one respective opening for each eye of a user of the two-part housing 800 (e.g., a wearer of the MR headset 100 comprised of the two-part housing). In some examples, the openings defined for the eyes of the user include one or more lenses for use with a presentation component of the MR headset, which may be stored within the first part 810 of the two-part housing 800.

[0151] In accordance with some examples, the first part 810 has a first perimeter 815, and the second part 820 has a second perimeter 825, where the first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825 include features such that the first part 810 and the second part 820 define a channel 900 (described in more detail with respect to Figures 9A and 9B) when the first part 810 and the second part 820 are coupled together (e.g., as part of the method 1300 of assembling the MR headset 100 described in Figure 13).

[0152] Figure 8 illustrates that each of the first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825 can include textured surfaces (e.g., micro-textures), indicated by corresponding hatch patterns, which can include hydrophilic textures and / or hydrophobic textures, as described in more detail with respect to Figure 9B.

[0153] Figures 9A and 9B illustrate aspects of a sweat-prevention design for use with the MR headset 100, in accordance with some examples. In accordance with some examples, the depictions of aspects of the MR headset 100 include the two-part housing 800 described with respect to Figure 8, including the first part 810 and the second part 820.

[0154] Figure 9A shows a perspective view of a portion of the two-part housing 200 described with respect to Figure 8, after first part 810 and the second part 820 have been coupled to form a unitary housing structure (e.g., the housing 1 10). As illustrated by Figure 9A, when the first part 810 and the second part 820 are coupled, a channel 900 is thereby formed by the first perimeter 815 of the first part 810 and the second perimeter 825 of the second part 820. As will be discussed in more detail below, the channel 900 can include different paths and path irregularities to improve the efficiency of the channel 900 for preventing sweat ingress into the housing 1 10. As described herein, path irregularities arefeatures of the channel 900 which reduce or otherwise modify a velocity of sweat flow along the channel, and / or increase the length of the channel paths or the capacity of the channel 900 to hold sweat.

[0155] In accordance with some examples, the channel 900 is depicted as including two different paths 910 and 920, such that sweat entering the channel from a user’s forehead may travel along either path depending on the location where the sweat enters the channel.

[0156] In some examples, tests (e.g., drop sweat tests) are performed to determine which path particular sweat drops will travel along the channel 900 based on providing simulation drops at different points along the first perimeter 815 and / or the second perimeter 825. In some examples, one 0.05 milliliter drop of sweat (e.g., artificial perspiration) is provided at each of five distinct locations during testing to determine reliability of the channel 300 for preventing ingress into the electronic and mechanical components of the housing 110. In some examples of the sweat and fluid flow direction testing, drops of artificial perspiration are placed at a plurality of distinct locations along the channel 300 (e.g., three distinct locations, five distinct locations, etc.), which allows for users to determine the behavior of sweat within the channel 300 in more realistic conditions.

[0157] Figure 9B shows depictions of different coupling configurations of the first perimeter 815 of the first part 810 and the second perimeter 825 of the second part 820, in accordance with some examples. The top portion of Figure 9B shows a cross-section of a coupling point between the first perimeter 815 of the first part 210 810 and the second perimeter 825 of the second part 820. And the configurations 950, 960, and 970 illustrate different alternative texturing and profiling techniques for configuring and arranging the first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825 to form the channel 900 with different quality based on the respective texturing and profiling techniques.

[0158] For example, a configuration 950 is shown that includes a coupling point between the first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825 where each respective perimeter has a hydrophobic texture on an inward facing portion, such that the respective hydrophobic portions of the respective perimeters are adjacent to one another, which may help to prevent ingress into the channel 900.

[0159] A configuration 960 is shown that includes a pocket 980 (e.g., a path irregularity) defined on or near the second perimeter 825 of the second part 820, where the channel comprises a hydrophilic texture, which may cause sweat ingress to the channel to be directed to the pocket 980. The first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825 also comprise hydrophobic textures past the inlet of the channel 900 and the pocket 980, such that sweat that ingresses into the pocket 980 of the channel is trapped in the pocket 980 or forced to egress out of the channel 900.

[0160] A configuration 970 is shown that includes the pocket 980 that includes thehydrophilic texture, and the first and second perimeter 815 and 825, respectively, each comprise hydrophobic textures that are located inside and outside the pocket 980. Thus, in examples using the configuration 970, sweat is repelled from the ingress point of the channel 900 and also from getting past the pocket 980, thereby trapping sweat that does ingress into the channel 900 within the pocket 980.

[0161] In some examples, seal bucks are used to test a seal formed by the first perimeter 815 and the second perimeter 825. In some examples, each seal buck configuration forms a distinct ingress point via the two coupled surfaces. For example, in a first configuration, a first layer includes a hydrophobic texture and forms an ingress point with a second layer. In a second configuration, a first layer has an L-shaped ledge with a hydrophobic texture and forms an ingress point with a second layer. In a third configuration, a second layer forms a channel, the second layer is configured to receive the first layer (which includes a hydrophobic texture) such that the first layer when received by the channel of the second layer forms an ingress point.

[0162] Figures 10A 10B, 10C-1 , and 10C-2, illustrate example XR systems that include AR and MR systems, in accordance with some examples. Figure 10A shows a first XR system 1000a and first example user interactions using a wrist-wearable device 1026, a head-wearable device (e.g., AR device 1028), and / or a HIPD 1042. Figure 10B shows a second XR system 1000b and second example user interactions using a wrist-wearable device 1026, AR device 1028, and / or an HIPD 1042. Figures 10C-1 and 10C-2 show a third MR system 1000c and third example user interactions using a wrist-wearable device 1026, a head-wearable device (e.g., an MR device such as a VR device), and / or an HIPD 1042. As the skilled artisan will appreciate upon reading the descriptions provided herein, the aboveexample AR and MR systems (described in detail below) can perform various functions and / or operations.

[0163] The wrist-wearable device 1026, the head-wearable devices, and / or the HIPD 1042 can communicatively couple via a network 1025 (e.g., cellular, near field, Wi-Fi, personal area network, wireless LAN). Additionally, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the head-wearable device, and / or the HIPD 1042 can also communicatively couple with one or more servers 1030, computers 1040 (e.g., laptops, computers), mobile devices 1050 (e.g., smartphones, tablets), and / or other electronic devices via the network 1025 (e.g., cellular, near field, Wi-Fi, personal area network, wireless LAN). Similarly, a smart textile-based garment, when used, can also communicatively couple with the wrist-wearable device 1026, the head-wearable device(s), the HIPD 1042, the one or more servers 1030, the computers 1040, the mobile devices 1050, and / or other electronic devices via the network 1025 to provide inputs.

[0164] Turning to Figure 10A, a user 1002 is shown wearing the wrist-wearable device 1026 and the AR device 1028 and having the HIPD 1042 on their desk. The wrist-wearabledevice 1026, the AR device 1028, and the HIPD 1042 facilitate user interaction with an AR environment. In particular, as shown by the first AR system 1000a, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 cause presentation of one or more avatars 1004, digital representations of contacts 1006, and virtual objects 1008. As discussed below, the user 1002 can interact with the one or more avatars 1004, digital representations of the contacts 1006, and virtual objects 1008 via the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042. In addition, the user 1002 is also able to directly view physical objects in the environment, such as a physical table 1029, through transparent lens(es) and waveguide(s) of the AR device 1028. Alternatively, an MR device could be used in place of the AR device 1028 and a similar user experience can take place, but the user would not be directly viewing physical objects in the environment, such as table 1029, and would instead be presented with a virtual reconstruction of the table 1029 produced from one or more sensors of the MR device (e.g., an outward facing camera capable of recording the surrounding environment).

[0165] The user 1002 can use any of the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028 (e.g., through physical inputs at the AR device and / or built-in motion tracking of a user’s extremities), a smart-textile garment, externally mounted extremity tracking device, the HIPD 1042 to provide user inputs, etc. For example, the user 1002 can perform one or more hand gestures that are detected by the wrist-wearable device 1026 (e.g., using one or more EMG sensors and / or IMUs built into the wrist-wearable device) and / or AR device 1028 (e.g., using one or more image sensors or cameras) to provide a user input. Alternatively, or additionally, the user 1002 can provide a user input via one or more touch surfaces of the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042, and / or voice commands captured by a microphone of the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042. The wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 include an artificially intelligent digital assistant to help the user in providing a user input (e.g., completing a sequence of operations, suggesting different operations or commands, providing reminders, confirming a command). For example, the digital assistant can be invoked through an input occurring at the AR device 1028 (e.g., via an input at a temple arm of the AR device 1028). In some examples, the user 1002 can provide a user input via one or more facial gestures and / or facial expressions. For example, cameras of the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 can track the user 1002’s eyes for navigating a user interface.

[0166] The wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 can operate alone or in conjunction to allow the user 1002 to interact with the AR environment. In some examples, the HIPD 1042 is configured to operate as a central hub or control center for the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or another communicativelycoupled device. For example, the user 1002 can provide an input to interact with the AR environment at any of the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042, and the HIPD 1042 can identify one or more back-end and front-end tasks to cause the performance of the requested interaction and distribute instructions to cause the performance of the one or more back-end and front-end tasks at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042. In some examples, a back-end task is a backgroundprocessing task that is not perceptible by the user (e.g., rendering content, decompression, compression, application-specific operations), and a front-end task is a user-facing task that is perceptible to the user (e.g., presenting information to the user, providing feedback to the user). The HIPD 1042 can perform the back-end tasks and provide the wrist-wearable device 1026 and / or the AR device 1028 operational data corresponding to the performed back-end tasks such that the wrist-wearable device 1026 and / or the AR device 1028 can perform the front-end tasks. In this way, the HIPD 1042, which has more computational resources and greater thermal headroom than the wrist-wearable device 1026 and / or the AR device 1028, performs computationally intensive tasks and reduces the computer resource utilization and / or power usage of the wrist-wearable device 1026 and / or the AR device 1028.

[0167] In the example shown by the first AR system 1000a, the HIPD 1042 identifies one or more back-end tasks and front-end tasks associated with a user request to initiate an AR video call with one or more other users (represented by the avatar 1004 and the digital representation of the contact 1006) and distributes instructions to cause the performance of the one or more back-end tasks and front-end tasks. In particular, the HIPD 1042 performs back-end tasks for processing and / or rendering image data (and other data) associated with the AR video call and provides operational data associated with the performed back-end tasks to the AR device 1028 such that the AR device 1028 performs front-end tasks for presenting the AR video call (e.g., presenting the avatar 1004 and the digital representation of the contact 1006).

[0168] In some examples, the HIPD 1042 can operate as a focal or anchor point for causing the presentation of information. This allows the user 1002 to be generally aware of where information is presented. For example, as shown in the first AR system 1000a, the avatar 1004 and the digital representation of the contact 1006 are presented above the HIPD 1042. In particular, the HIPD 1042 and the AR device 1028 operate in conjunction to determine a location for presenting the avatar 1004 and the digital representation of the contact 1006. In some examples, information can be presented within a predetermined distance from the HIPD 1042 (e.g., within five meters). For example, as shown in the first AR system 1000a, virtual object 1008 is presented on the desk some distance from the HIPD 1042. Similar to the above example, the HIPD 1042 and the AR device 1028 can operate in conjunction to determine a location for presenting the virtual object 1008.Alternatively, in some examples, presentation of information is not bound by the HIPD 1042. More specifically, the avatar 1004, the digital representation of the contact 1006, and the virtual object 1008 do not have to be presented within a predetermined distance of the HIPD 1042. While an AR device 1028 is described working with an HIPD, an MR headset can be interacted with in the same way as the AR device 1028.

[0169] User inputs provided at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 are coordinated such that the user can use any device to initiate, continue, and / or complete an operation. For example, the user 1002 can provide a user input to the AR device 1028 to cause the AR device 1028 to present the virtual object 1008 and, while the virtual object 1008 is presented by the AR device 1028, the user 1002 can provide one or more hand gestures via the wrist-wearable device 1026 to interact and / or manipulate the virtual object 1008. While an AR device 1028 is described working with a wrist-wearable device 1026, an MR headset can be interacted with in the same way as the AR device 1028.

[0170] Figure 10A illustrates an interaction in which an artificially intelligent virtual assistant can assist in requests made by a user 1002. The Al virtual assistant can be used to complete open-ended requests made through natural language inputs by a user 1002. For example, in Figure 10A the user 1002 makes an audible request 1044 to summarize the conversation and then share the summarized conversation with others in the meeting. In addition, the Al virtual assistant is configured to use sensors of the XR system (e.g., cameras of an XR headset, microphones, and various other sensors of any of the devices in the system) to provide contextual prompts to the user for initiating tasks.

[0171] Figure 10A also illustrates an example neural network 1052 used in Artificial Intelligence applications. Uses of Artificial Intelligence (Al) are varied and encompass many different aspects of the devices and systems described herein. Al capabilities cover a diverse range of applications and deepen interactions between the user 1002 and user devices (e.g., the AR device 1028, an MR device 1032, the HIPD 1042, the wrist-wearable device 1026). The Al discussed herein can be derived using many different training techniques. While the primary Al model example discussed herein is a neural network, other Al models can be used. Non-limiting examples of Al models include artificial neural networks (ANNs), deep neural networks (DNNs), convolution neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), large language models (LLMs), long short-term memory networks, transformer models, decision trees, random forests, support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors, genetic algorithms, Markov models, Bayesian networks, fuzzy logic systems, and deep reinforcement learnings, etc. The Al models can be implemented at one or more of the user devices, and / or any other devices described herein. For devices and systems herein that employ multiple Al models, different models can be used depending on the task. For example, for a naturallanguage artificially intelligent virtual assistant, an LLM can be used and for the objectdetection of a physical environment, a DNN can be used instead.

[0172] In another example, an Al virtual assistant can include many different Al models and based on the user’s request, multiple Al models may be employed (concurrently, sequentially or a combination thereof). For example, an LLM-based Al model can provide instructions for helping a user follow a recipe and the instructions can be based in part on another Al model that is derived from an ANN, a DNN, an RNN, etc. that is capable of discerning what part of the recipe the user is on (e.g., object and scene detection).

[0173] As Al training models evolve, the operations and experiences described herein could potentially be performed with different models other than those listed above, and a person skilled in the art would understand that the list above is non-limiting.

[0174] A user 1002 can interact with an Al model through natural language inputs captured by a voice sensor, text inputs, or any other input modality that accepts natural language and / or a corresponding voice sensor module. In another instance, input is provided by tracking the eye gaze of a user 1002 via a gaze tracker module. Additionally, the Al model can also receive inputs beyond those supplied by a user 1002. For example, the Al can generate its response further based on environmental inputs (e.g., temperature data, image data, video data, ambient light data, audio data, GPS location data, inertial measurement (i.e., user motion) data, pattern recognition data, magnetometer data, depth data, pressure data, force data, neuromuscular data, heart rate data, temperature data, sleep data) captured in response to a user request by various types of sensors and / or their corresponding sensor modules. The sensors’ data can be retrieved entirely from a single device (e.g., AR device 1028) or from multiple devices that are in communication with each other (e.g., a system that includes at least two of an AR device 1028, an MR device 1032, the HIPD 1042, the wristwearable device 1026, etc.). The Al model can also access additional information (e.g., one or more servers 1030, the computers 1040, the mobile devices 1050, and / or other electronic devices) via a network 1025.

[0175] A non-limiting list of Al-enhanced functions includes but is not limited to image recognition, speech recognition (e.g., automatic speech recognition), text recognition (e.g., scene text recognition), pattern recognition, natural language processing and understanding, classification, regression, clustering, anomaly detection, sequence generation, content generation, and optimization. In some examples, Al-enhanced functions are fully or partially executed on cloud-computing platforms communicatively coupled to the user devices (e.g., the AR device 1028, an MR device 1032, the HIPD 1042, the wrist-wearable device 1026) via the one or more networks. The cloud-computing platforms provide scalable computing resources, distributed computing, managed Al services, interference acceleration, pre-trained models, APIs and / or other resources to support comprehensive computations required by the Al-enhanced function.

[0176] Example outputs stemming from the use of an Al model can include natural language responses, mathematical calculations, charts displaying information, audio, images, videos, texts, summaries of meetings, predictive operations based on environmental factors, classifications, pattern recognitions, recommendations, assessments, or other operations. In some examples, the generated outputs are stored on local memories of the user devices (e.g., the AR device 1028, an MR device 1032, the HIPD 1042, the wrist-wearable device 1026), storage options of the external devices (servers, computers, mobile devices, etc.), and / or storage options of the cloud-computing platforms.

[0177] The Al-based outputs can be presented across different modalities (e.g., audiobased, visual-based, haptic-based, and any combination thereof) and across different devices of the XR system described herein. Some visual-based outputs can include the displaying of information on XR augments of an XR headset, user interfaces displayed at a wrist-wearable device, laptop device, mobile device, etc. On devices with or without displays (e.g., HIPD 1042), haptic feedback can provide information to the user 1002. An Al model can also use the inputs described above to determine the appropriate modality and device(s) to present content to the user (e.g., a user walking on a busy road can be presented with an audio output instead of a visual output to avoid distracting the user 1002).

[0178] Figure 10B shows the user 1002 wearing the wrist-wearable device 1026 and the AR device 1028 and holding the HIPD 1042. In the second AR system 1000b, the wristwearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 are used to receive and / or provide one or more messages to a contact of the user 1002. In particular, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 detect and coordinate one or more user inputs to initiate a messaging application and prepare a response to a received message via the messaging application.

[0179] In some examples, the user 1002 initiates, via a user input, an application on the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 that causes the application to initiate on at least one device. For example, in the second AR system 1000b the user 1002 performs a hand gesture associated with a command for initiating a messaging application (represented by messaging user interface 1012); the wrist-wearable device 1026 detects the hand gesture; and, based on a determination that the user 1002 is wearing the AR device 1028, causes the AR device 1028 to present a messaging user interface 1012 of the messaging application. The AR device 1028 can present the messaging user interface 1012 to the user 1002 via its display (e.g., as shown by user 1002’s field of view 1010). In some examples, the application is initiated and can be run on the device (e.g., the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042) that detects the user input to initiate the application, and the device provides another device operational data to cause the presentation of the messaging application. For example, the wrist-wearable device 1026 candetect the user input to initiate a messaging application, initiate and run the messaging application, and provide operational data to the AR device 1028 and / or the HIPD 1042 to cause presentation of the messaging application. Alternatively, the application can be initiated and run at a device other than the device that detected the user input. For example, the wristwearable device 1026 can detect the hand gesture associated with initiating the messaging application and cause the HIPD 1042 to run the messaging application and coordinate the presentation of the messaging application.

[0180] Further, the user 1002 can provide a user input provided at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 to continue and / or complete an operation initiated at another device. For example, after initiating the messaging application via the wrist-wearable device 1026 and while the AR device 1028 presents the messaging user interface 1012, the user 1002 can provide an input at the HIPD 1042 to prepare a response (e.g., shown by the swipe gesture performed on the HIPD 1042). The user 1002’s gestures performed on the HIPD 1042 can be provided and / or displayed on another device. For example, the user 1002’s swipe gestures performed on the HIPD 1042 are displayed on a virtual keyboard of the messaging user interface 1012 displayed by the AR device 1028.

[0181] In some examples, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, the HIPD 1042, and / or other communicatively coupled devices can present one or more notifications to the user 1002. The notification can be an indication of a new message, an incoming call, an application update, a status update, etc. The user 1002 can select the notification via the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, or the HIPD 1042 and cause presentation of an application or operation associated with the notification on at least one device. For example, the user 1002 can receive a notification that a message was received at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, the HIPD 1042, and / or other communicatively coupled device and provide a user input at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 to review the notification, and the device detecting the user input can cause an application associated with the notification to be initiated and / or presented at the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042.

[0182] While the above example describes coordinated inputs used to interact with a messaging application, the skilled artisan will appreciate upon reading the descriptions that user inputs can be coordinated to interact with any number of applications including, but not limited to, gaming applications, social media applications, camera applications, web-based applications, financial applications, etc. For example, the AR device 1028 can present to the user 1002 game application data and the HIPD 1042 can use a controller to provide inputs to the game. Similarly, the user 1002 can use the wrist-wearable device 1026 to initiate a camera of the AR device 1028, and the user can use the wrist-wearable device 1026, the AR device 1028, and / or the HIPD 1042 to manipulate the image capture (e.g., zoom in or out, applyfilters) and capture image data.

[0183] While an AR device 1028 is shown being capable of certain functions, it is understood that an AR device can be an AR device with varying functionalities based on costs and market demands. For example, an AR device may include a single output modality such as an audio output modality. In another example, the AR device may include a low-fidelity display as one of the output modalities, where simple information (e.g., text and / or low-fidelity images / video) is capable of being presented to the user. In yet another example, the AR device can be configured with face-facing light emitting diodes (LEDs) configured to provide a user with information, e.g., an LED around the right-side lens can illuminate to notify the wearer to turn right while directions are being provided or an LED on the left-side can illuminate to notify the wearer to turn left while directions are being provided. In another example, the AR device can include an outward-facing projector such that information (e.g., text information, media) may be displayed on the palm of a user’s hand or other suitable surface (e.g., a table, whiteboard). In yet another example, information may also be provided by locally dimming portions of a lens to emphasize portions of the environment in which the user’s attention should be directed. Some AR devices can present AR augments either monocularly or binocularly (e.g., an AR augment can be presented at only a single display associated with a single lens as opposed presenting an AR augmented at both lenses to produce a binocular image). In some instances an AR device capable of presenting AR augments binocularly can optionally display AR augments monocularly as well (e.g., for power-saving purposes or other presentation considerations). These examples are non-exhaustive and features of one AR device described above can be combined with features of another AR device described above. While features and experiences of an AR device have been described generally in the preceding sections, it is understood that the described functionalities and experiences can be applied in a similar manner to an MR headset, which is described below in the proceeding sections.

[0184] Turning to Figures 10C-1 and 10C-2, the user 1002 is shown wearing the wristwearable device 1026 and an MR device 1032 (e.g., a device capable of providing either an entirely VR experience or an MR experience that displays object(s) from a physical environment at a display of the device) and holding the HIPD 1042. In the third AR system 1000c, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the HIPD 1042 are used to interact within an MR environment, such as a VR game or other MR / VR application. While the MR device 1032 presents a representation of a VR game (e.g., first MR game environment 1020) to the user 1002, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the HIPD 1042 detect and coordinate one or more user inputs to allow the user 1002 to interact with the VR game.

[0185] In some examples, the user 1002 can provide a user input via the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the HIPD 1042 that causes an action in a corresponding MR environment. For example, the user 1002 in the third MR system 1000c (shown in Figure 10C-1) raises the HIPD 1042 to prepare for a swing in the first MR game environment 1020. The MR device 1032, responsive to the user 1002 raising the HIPD 1042, causes the MR representation of the user 1022 to perform a similar action (e.g., raise a virtual object, such as a virtual sword 1024). In some examples, each device uses respective sensor data and / or image data to detect the user input and provide an accurate representation of the user 1002’s motion. For example, image sensors (e.g., SLAM cameras or other cameras) of the HIPD 1042 can be used to detect a position of the HIPD 1042 relative to the user 1002’s body such that the virtual object can be positioned appropriately within the first MR game environment 1020; sensor data from the wrist-wearable device 1026 can be used to detect a velocity at which the user 1002 raises the HIPD 1042 such that the MR representation of the user 1022 and the virtual sword 1024 are synchronized with the user 1002’s movements; and image sensors of the MR device 1032 can be used to represent the user 1002’s body, boundary conditions, or real-world objects within the first MR game environment 1020.

[0186] In Figure 10C-2, the user 1002 performs a downward swing while holding the HIPD 1042. The user 1002’s downward swing is detected by the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the HIPD 1042 and a corresponding action is performed in the first MR game environment 1020. In some examples, the data captured by each device is used to improve the user’s experience within the MR environment. For example, sensor data of the wrist-wearable device 1026 can be used to determine a speed and / or force at which the downward swing is performed and image sensors of the HIPD 1042 and / or the MR device 1032 can be used to determine a location of the swing and how it should be represented in the first MR game environment 1020, which, in turn, can be used as inputs for the MR environment (e.g., game mechanics, which can use detected speed, force, locations, and / or aspects of the user 1002’s actions to classify a user’s inputs (e.g., user performs a light strike, hard strike, critical strike, glancing strike, miss) or calculate an output (e.g., amount of damage)).

[0187] Figure 10C-2 further illustrates that a portion of the physical environment is reconstructed and displayed at a display of the MR device 1032 while the MR game environment 1020 is being displayed. In this instance, a reconstruction of the physical environment 1046 is displayed in place of a portion of the MR game environment 1020 when object(s) in the physical environment are potentially in the path of the user (e.g., a collision with the user and an object in the physical environment are likely). Thus, this example MR game environment 1020 includes (i) an immersive VR portion 1048 (e.g., an environment that does not have a corollary counterpart in a nearby physical environment) and (ii) a reconstruction of the physical environment 1046 (e.g., a table and the cup on the table). Whilethe example shown here is an MR environment that shows a reconstruction of the physical environment to avoid collisions, other uses of reconstructions of the physical environment can be used, such as defining features of the virtual environment based on the surrounding physical environment (e.g., a virtual column can be placed based on an object in the surrounding physical environment (e.g., a tree)).

[0188] While the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the HIPD 1042 are described as detecting user inputs, in some examples, user inputs are detected at a single device (with the single device being responsible for distributing signals to the other devices for performing the user input). For example, the HIPD 1042 can operate an application for generating the first MR game environment 1020 and provide the MR device 1032 with corresponding data for causing the presentation of the first MR game environment 1020, as well as detect the user 1002’s movements (while holding the HIPD 1042) to cause the performance of corresponding actions within the first MR game environment 1020. Additionally or alternatively, in some examples, operational data (e.g., sensor data, image data, application data, device data, and / or other data) of one or more devices is provided to a single device (e.g., the HIPD 1042) to process the operational data and cause respective devices to perform an action associated with processed operational data.

[0189] In some examples, the user 1002 can wear a wrist-wearable device 1026, wear an MR device 1032, wear smart textile-based garments 1038 (e.g., wearable haptic gloves), and / or hold an HIPD 1042 device. In this example, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the smart textile-based garments 1038 are used to interact within an MR environment (e.g., any AR or MR system described above in reference to Figures 10A-10B). While the MR device 1032 presents a representation of an MR game (e.g., second MR game environment 1020) to the user 1002, the wrist-wearable device 1026, the MR device 1032, and / or the smart textile-based garments 1038 detect and coordinate one or more user inputs to allow the user 1002 to interact with the MR environment.

[0190] In some examples, the user 1002 can provide a user input via the wristwearable device 1026, an HIPD 1042, the MR device 1032, and / or the smart textile-based garments 1038 that causes an action in a corresponding MR environment. In some examples, each device uses respective sensor data and / or image data to detect the user input and provide an accurate representation of the user 1002’s motion. While four different input devices are shown (e.g., a wrist-wearable device 1026, an MR device 1032, an HIPD 1042, and a smart textile-based garment 1038) each one of these input devices entirely on its own can provide inputs for fully interacting with the MR environment. For example, the wristwearable device can provide sufficient inputs on its own for interacting with the MR environment. In some examples, if multiple input devices are used (e.g., a wrist-wearabledevice and the smart textile-based garment 1038) sensor fusion can be utilized to ensure inputs are correct. While multiple input devices are described, it is understood that other input devices can be used in conjunction or on their own instead, such as but not limited to external motion-tracking cameras, other wearable devices fitted to different parts of a user, apparatuses that allow for a user to experience walking in an MR environment while remaining substantially stationary in the physical environment, etc.

[0191] As described above, the data captured by each device is used to improve the user’s experience within the MR environment. Although not shown, the smart textile-based garments 1038 can be used in conjunction with an MR device and / or an HIPD 1042.

[0192] While some experiences are described as occurring on an AR device and other experiences are described as occurring on an MR device, one skilled in the art would appreciate that experiences can be ported over from an MR device to an AR device, and vice versa.

[0193] Some definitions of devices and components that can be included in some or all of the example devices discussed are defined here for ease of reference. A skilled artisan will appreciate that certain types of the components described may be more suitable for a particular set of devices, and less suitable for a different set of devices. But subsequent reference to the components defined here should be considered to be encompassed by the definitions provided.

[0194] In some examples example devices and systems, including electronic devices and systems, will be discussed. Such example devices and systems are not intended to be limiting, and one of skill in the art will understand that alternative devices and systems to the example devices and systems described herein may be used to perform the operations and construct the systems and devices that are described herein.

[0195] As described herein, an electronic device is a device that uses electrical energy to perform a specific function. It can be any physical object that contains electronic components such as transistors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, and integrated circuits. Examples of electronic devices include smartphones, laptops, digital cameras, televisions, gaming consoles, and music players, as well as the example electronic devices discussed herein. As described herein, an intermediary electronic device is a device that sits between two other electronic devices, and / or a subset of components of one or more electronic devices and facilitates communication, and / or data processing and / or data transfer between the respective electronic devices and / or electronic components.

[0196] The foregoing descriptions of Figures 10A-1 OC-2 provided above are intended to augment the description provided in reference to Figures 1 to 9B. While terms in the following description may not be identical to terms used in the foregoing description, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand these terms to have the same meaning.

[0197] Figure 1 1 illustrates an example method 1 100 for using an object-tracking assembly to determine if object-tracking criteria are satisfied for causing a tracked object to be presented by a MR head-wearable device, in accordance with some examples.

[0198] The method 1 100 includes performing (1102) MR operations at a MR headwearable device that includes a housing. For example, the MR operations shown in Figures 5C-1 and 5C-2.

[0199] The housing includes one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing, the one or more displays configured to cause presentation of an extended-reality environment while a user is wearing the MR head-wearable device (1 104).

[0200] The housing includes an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing (1106). For example, the object tracking assembly 205 shown in Figure 2A is disposed on the exterior surface of the housing.

[0201] The object-tracking assembly includes a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis (1 108). For example, the plurality of imaging devices 122 may be aligned along a y-axis (e.g., a vertical axis) with respect to the housing while the user is wearing the MR headset.

[0202] The object-tracking assembly includes an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices (11 10). For example, with respect to a virtual y-axis, the illumination device 124 is located between the imaging devices 122a and 122b.

[0203] The method 1100 includes determining (11 12), based on imaging data received by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold. In some examples, the illuminating device generates ambient lighting conditions based on the current lighting conditions of the user’s surrounding physical environment (e.g., the illumination device produces a greater quantities of light when the external conditions have lower light).

[0204] The method 1 100 includes, in accordance with determining that the imaging data satisfies the object-tracking threshold, causing (11 14) presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays. For example, a cursor within the messaging user interface 1012 can be a tracked object based on tracking of one or more of hands of the user 1002, and / or movement of the HIPD 1042.

[0205] The at least two respective imaging devices and the illumination device of the object-tracking assembly may be arranged in a triangular configuration. For example, the first and second imaging devices 122a and 122b and the illumination device 124 form a triangular configuration, as shown in Figure 1A.

[0206] The plurality of imaging devices may include (i) at least one visible colorimaging sensor, and (ii) at least one SLAM-enabled camera. For example, the imaging device 122b in Figures 1Ato 1 D may be a camera specifically configured to enable SLAM processes.

[0207] Each one of the at least one visible color imaging sensor, the at least one SLAM camera, and the illumination device may be covered by respective cover windows made of distinct materials (e.g., different combinations of glass and / or polymers). For example, Figure 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view 215 of the first imaging device 122a, including the glass cover 217 (e.g., a glass cover window) over the first imaging device 122a. And the illumination device 230 can be covered by a different cover window (e.g., the opaque front cover 229).

[0208] The plurality of imaging devices may include a third imaging sensor, different than the at least two respective imaging devices, and the third imaging sensor is configured to increase a field of view of the user. For example, Figure 3B shows additional illumination devices 124 mounted to the side of the MR headset, where the additional illumination devices 124 provide additional imaging data from a side field of view of the user.

[0209] The third imaging sensor may be located on a side-facing portion of the exterior surface of the housing. For example, the additional imaging device 132b disposed on the side of the housing in Figure 1 D.

[0210] The illumination device and a respective imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices may be angled downward. For example, the second imaging device 122b and / or the illumination device 124 may be angled downward (e.g, focused towards the user’s hands).

[0211] The illumination device may be configured to extend beyond the exterior surface of the housing. For example, Figures 2A to 2D show that the imaging device and the associated glass cover window can extend past the edge of the surface of the outer surface of the exterior housing 110.

[0212] The housing may occlude a field of view of the user while the user is wearing the MR head-wearable device. For example, the housing includes opaque components separating the lenses from the outer surface, and the cameras on the outer surface of the headset can be configured to provide substantially all of the user’s field of view past the opaque version of the housing (e.g., enabling passthrough viewing).

[0213] A MR headset may be provided that includes a housing for performing the method (1100).

[0214] Figure 12 illustrates an example method 1200 for using arrangements of imaging and illumination sensors to improve interaction detection at a MR headset (e.g., the MR headset 100), in accordance with some examples.

[0215] The method 1200 is performed at (1210) a MR headset that includes (i) a set of imaging sensors (e.g., imaging device 122) and (ii) a set of flood LEDs (e.g., illumination device 124) (e.g., collectively, an example of the object-tracking assembly 120). The sets ofimaging sensors and flood LEDs are disposed along a front-facing portion of the MR headset. As described herein, flood LEDs can be LEDs having a particular amount of radiance per exposure, examples of which are illustrated in Figures 3A to 3E.

[0216] The method includes, while a display (e.g., the display 1 15) is presenting MR content, in accordance with a determination that one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data that has an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures (e.g., having an insufficient ambient lighting value), illuminating (1240) a volume of physical space (e.g., a predefined hand interaction zone where a user is likely to perform hand movements while the user is interacting with the MR content, such as the fields of view illustrated in Figure 3A) that includes a hand of the user using one or more flood LEDs of the set of flood LEDs.

[0217] A virtual-third-eye center position may be determined (1230) based on a position of the MR headset, wherein the virtual-third-eye center position corresponds to a point between eyes of the user, and the volume of physical space is defined based on the virtual- third-eye center position. In some examples, the volume of physical space is centered 50 centimeters from the virtual-third-eye center position (e.g., at a location of (0, 0, 0.5)).

[0218] One or more flood LEDs may comprise at least two flood LEDs positioned substantially equidistant from the virtual-third-eye center position.

[0219] The MR headset may include an LED driver configured to control operations of the set of flood LEDs. The LED driver includes a set of safety interlocks to ensure compliance of the one or more flood LEDs with a set of safety standards. The set of safety standards includes one or more of over-temperature protection (OTP), over-voltage protection (OVP), short-circuit protection (SCP) and / or a safety timer (1220).

[0220] The LED driver may be configured to prevent each respective flood LED of the one or more flood LEDs from operating at a 100% duty cycle (e.g., using the safety timer).

[0221] A minimum amount of radiant exposure received by the target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs may be configured to be greater than a first radiance value (e.g., 0.15 mJ / Sr / m2), and a maximum amount of radiant exposure received by the target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs is configured to be less than a second radiance value (e.g., 0.4 mJ / Sr / m2). In some examples, as shown in the table of Figure 3E, different radiance values and / or field-of-view coverage may be required for distinct types of interaction with MR content.

[0222] The determination that the one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data having an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures may be based on identifying one or more of: (i) a low-light environment, (ii) challenging lighting conditions, (iii) a cluttered background, and (iv) a low-contrast background (1250).

[0223] The MR headset may include one or more cover windows (e.g., the glass cover 217) configured to surround each respective flood LED of the set of flood LEDs (e.g., surround a front-facing portion and / or illuminating portion of the flood LEDs). In some examples, each of the one or more flood LEDs is positioned such that a combined field of view corresponding to the one or more flood LEDs includes at least 80% coverage of the volume of physical space.

[0224] At least one of the one or more flood LEDs within a respective cover window of the one or more cover windows may be positioned at an angle with respect to a plane defined by a front surface of the front-facing portion (e.g., the cover window of the illumination device 206 of the second object tracking assembly 210 shown in Figure 2A). In some examples, the respective cover window is configured and arranged such that a portion of a front surface of the respective cover window extends beyond the plane defined by the front surface of the front-facing portion.

[0225] Each of the one or more cover windows may be configured to have a transmission loss of less than 20% (e.g., 15% transmission loss across each cover window). In some examples the flood LEDs are configured to use a higher current (e.g., a 17% higher current) to offset transmission loss across the cover windows.

[0226] In accordance with determining that a first target-hand interaction zonecoverage threshold is required (e.g., 90% coverage), a first set of the one or more flood LEDs may be illuminated, and in accordance with determining that a second target-hand interaction zone-coverage threshold is required (e.g., 98% coverage), a second set of the one or more flood LEDs, distinct from the first set of the one or more flood LEDs, may be illuminated. In some examples, one or more coverage thresholds are based on a type of interaction the user is performing with respect to the MR content (examples of which are listed in the table of Figure 3E).

[0227] Each of the one or more flood LEDs may be configured to emit light having a wavelength between 800 and 900 nanometers (e.g., a non-visible range, including an infrared range). In some examples, the flood LEDs are configured to emit light in a non-visible wavelength range.

[0228] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a MR headset (e.g., the MR headset 100), cause the MR headset to perform the method 1100.

[0229] A MR headset may be configured to perform the method 1 100.

[0230] An example MR headset is provided (e.g., the MR headset 100). The example MR headset includes a housing comprising one or more electronic components (e.g., the housing 1 10), the one or more electronic components configured to be used in presentation of MR content including audio content. The housing is configured to attach to a strap thereby forming a cavity (e.g., for placing a connector of the strap into housing). And the housingdefines an aperture, including a first opening on a first side of the MR headset (e.g., the air inlet 712), and a second opening on a second side of the MR headset (e.g., the one or more air outlets 716). The MR headset includes a speaker housed within the cavity. The speaker is positioned adjacent to a foam insert for minimizing (e.g., reducing, attenuating) intermodulation of the speaker within the cavity during presentation of the audio content.

[0231] The MR headset further includes a fan (e.g., the fan 714) housed in the housing, the fan configured to cool the one or more electronic components, and to minimize noise interference from operation of the fan with the presentation of the audio content. The first opening of the aperture is adjacent to an exhausting side of the fan, such that exhaust from the fan causes a grazing flow to enter the first opening and exit the second opening, thereby forming a fluidic channel across the aperture. And an inner surface of the fluidic channel defines a set of perforations. The set of perforations is configured to receive acoustic waves associated with resonant frequencies of the fan.

[0232] The MR headset further includes an expansion chamber that surrounds an inner surface of the fluidic channel (e.g., the chamber 715), the expansion chamber having a back volume that causes a bias flow across the set of perforations of the inner surface of the fluidic channel. In some examples, the bias flow is substantially perpendicular to the grazing flow (as illustrated in Figure 7B).

[0233] The MR headset further includes a set of microphones distributed along an outer surface of the housing, the set of microphones configured to detect audio content from a user of the MR headset as part of presenting the MR content, where each respective microphone of the set of microphones is separated from the first opening and the second opening of the aperture defined in the housing by at least an audial-interference threshold distance.

[0234] Each respective perforation of the set of perforations may be configured with a predetermined diameter corresponding to a resonant frequency of acoustic waves produced by operations of the fan.

[0235] The set of perforations may be a first set of perforations, the predetermined diameter is a first predetermined diameter, and the inner surface of the fluidic channel defines a second set of perforations having a second predetermined diameter corresponding to another resonant frequency of acoustic waves produced by operations of the fan.

[0236] The first set of perforations may have a first pitch, such that the first predetermined diameter and the first pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a first frequency. And the second set of perforations may have a second pitch, such that the second predetermined diameter and the second pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a second frequency.

[0237] The fluidic channel may have a rectangular profile having a first dimensionspanning a direction parallel to a length of the housing, and a second dimension corresponding to a depth of the housing. And the first dimension may be at least double the length of the second dimension.

[0238] The second dimension may be configured based on a calculated Stokes layer of the grazing flow determined based in part on a respective size and respective pitch of each respective perforation of the set of perforations.

[0239] The fluidic channel may have a flared profile such that the outlet of the fluidic channel has a greater surface area than the inlet of the fluidic channel.

[0240] The outlet may comprise two spaced openings comprising the greater surface area of the outlet of the fluidic channel.

[0241] A portion of the expansion chamber may be positioned between the two spaced openings.

[0242] The set of microphones may be configured in an end-fire array configuration configured to cancel external noises in front of the user from being detected by the microphones.

[0243] The set of microphones may be configured in a broadside array configuration such that two respective microphones on each side of the MR headset are symmetrical along a plane defined by the outer surface of the MR headset.

[0244] The set of perforations defined by the fluidic channel may be configured to reduce resonant noise caused by the fan below a value of 0 decibels of sound pressure level (SPL) for at least one range of frequencies.

[0245] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may comprise at least five microperforated panels (MPPs) comprising the respective perforations of the set of perforations.

[0246] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may be comprised of an aluminum sheet having a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters.

[0247] The inner surface of the fluidic channel may further comprise a mesh having an acoustic impedance of 10 pascal-seconds per meter.

[0248] The back volume of the expansion chamber may be between 2000 and 4000 cubic millimeters.

[0249] The expansion chamber may have a length of at least 20 millimeters.

[0250] The functional opening may be configured to receive a strap for attaching the MR headset to the user’s head.

[0251] Figure 13 illustrates an example method 1300 for assembling the two-part housing 800 for guiding perspiration to desired channels (e.g., the channel 900) to avoid negative impacts to electrical and mechanical functions of a MR headset, in accordance with some examples.

[0252] The method 1300 includes coupling (1310) a first part (e.g., the first part 810)of the two-part housing 800 to a second part (e.g., the second part 820) of the MR headset 100.

[0253] When the first part 810 and the second part 820 of the two-part housing 800 are coupled, they form (1320) a channel defined by a first perimeter (e.g., the first perimeter 815) of the first part 810 of the two-part housing 800 and a second perimeter (e.g., the second perimeter 825) of the second part 820 of the two-part housing 800.

[0254] The channel is configured to guide perspiration along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part (1330). For example, as illustrated by Figure 9A, the channel can include one or more channel paths (e.g., the channel path 910, the channel path 920), where perspiration that enters the channel 900 is caused to travel along one of the channel paths.

[0255] The channel may include (1340) a set of path irregularities, each respective path irregularity is configured to: (i) reduce a flow velocity of the perspiration being guided along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part, (ii) increase a path length of the channel such that perspiration guided along the first perimeter of the first part, or the second perimeter of the second part travels a longer path before reaching an end of the channel, and / or (iii) increase a volumetric perspiration capacity of the channel.

[0256] The set of path irregularities may include (1350) one or more pockets defined in the first perimeter or the second perimeter, the pockets configured to collect perspiration being guided along the channel. For example, the second and third configurations 960 and 970 shown in Figure 9B include the pocket 980.

[0257] The set of path irregularities may include (1360) a tortuous path that deviates from a direction along the first perimeter or the second perimeter. For example, the tortuous path may include jagged edges, a zig-zag pattern, and the like. In some examples, the tortuous path of the channel causes the channel to have a length that is at least 1.25 of the length of the first perimeter 815 or the second perimeter 825.

[0258] The channel may include (1370) a hydrophilic portion configured to receive perspiration guided along the channel, and the channel includes a hydrophobic portion configured to repel perspiration guided along the channel.

[0259] The hydrophilic portion and the hydrophobic portion may be formed on the first and / or second perimeters of the first and / or second parts of the two-part housing (e.g., via respective molding processes for molding the first part and the second part of the two-part housing). In some examples, a respective hydrophobic portion formed on one of the respective perimeters of the two-part housing is configured to be positioned adjacently to a respective hydrophilic portion of the other respective perimeter of the two-part housing.

[0260] The channel may include a c-channel (e.g., a structural channel, a parallel flange channel) that includes a recessed portion of the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

[0261] A two-part housing may be configured to be used for any suitable combination of features of the method of assembly 1300.

[0262] A MR headset may include a two-part housing having any suitable combination of the features produced by the method of assembly 1300.

[0263] An MR headset as described herein can include any combination of one or more of the aspects disclosed herein.

[0264] Any data collection performed by the devices described herein and / or any devices configured to perform or cause the performance of the different examples described above in reference to any of the Figures, hereinafter the “devices,” is done with user consent and in a manner that is consistent with all applicable privacy laws. Users are given options to allow the devices to collect data, as well as the option to limit or deny collection of data by the devices. A user is able to opt in or opt out of any data collection at any time. Further, users are given the option to request the removal of any collected data.

[0265] It will be understood that, although the terms “first,” “second,” etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

[0266] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting of the claims. As used in the description of the examples and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and / or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and / or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0267] As used herein, the term “if’ can be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in accordance with a determination” or “in response to detecting,” that a stated condition precedent is true, depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined [that a stated condition precedent is true]” or “if [a stated condition precedent is true]” or “when [a stated condition precedent is true]” can be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “in accordance with a determination” or “upon detecting” or “in response to detecting” that the stated condition precedent is true, depending on the context.

[0268] The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific examples. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claims to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. The examples were chosen and described in order to best explain principles of operation and practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A housing of an MR head-wearable device, comprising: one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing configured to cause presentation of an extended reality environment while a user is wearing the MR headwearable device; and an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing, the object-tracking assembly including: a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis, and an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices, wherein, while the MR head-wearable device is performing operations, the objecttracking assembly is configured to determine, based on imaging data obtained by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the obtained imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold for causing presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays.

2. The housing of claim 1 , wherein the at least two respective imaging devices and the illumination device of the object-tracking assembly are arranged in a triangular configuration.

3. The housing of claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of imaging devices includes (i) at least one visible color imaging sensor, and (ii) at least one SLAM camera; preferably wherein each one of the at least one visible color imaging sensor, the at least one SLAM camera, and the illumination device are covered by respective cover windows made of distinct materials.

4. The housing of any preceding claim, wherein: the plurality of imaging devices includes a third imaging sensor, different than the at least two respective imaging devices, and the third imaging sensor is configured to increase a field of view of the user; preferably wherein the third imaging sensor is located on a side-facing portion of the exterior surface of the housing.

5. The housing of any preceding claim, wherein the illumination device and a respective imaging device of the plurality of imaging devices are angled downward.

6. The housing of any preceding claim, wherein the illumination device is configured to extend beyond the exterior surface of the housing.

7. The housing of any preceding claim, wherein the housing occludes a field of view of the user while the user is wearing the MR head-wearable device.

8. A mixed-reality (MR) headset, comprising the housing of any preceding claim.

9. A method, comprising: performing MR operations at a MR head-wearable device that includes a housing, the housing including: one or more displays within an interior surface of the housing configured to cause presentation of an extended reality environment while a user is wearing the MR headwearable device; an object-tracking assembly disposed on an exterior surface of the housing, the object-tracking assembly including: a plurality of imaging devices aligned along a first axis, and an illumination device aligned along a second axis, perpendicular to the first axis, the illumination device disposed at a predetermined intermediate distance between at least two respective imaging devices of the plurality of imaging devices; determining, based on imaging data obtained by the plurality of imaging devices while the illuminating device is generating ambient lighting conditions, that the obtained imaging data satisfies an object-tracking threshold; and in accordance with the determining that the obtained imaging data satisfies the object-tracking threshold, causing presentation of a tracked object via the one or more displays.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least two respective imaging devices and the illumination device of the object-tracking assembly are arranged in a triangular configuration.

11. An MR headset, comprising:(i) a set of imaging sensors and (ii) a set of floodlight-emitting diodes (flood LEDs), the sets of imaging sensors and flood LEDs disposed along a front-facing portion of the MR headset; and one or more processors configured to: while the MR headset is being caused to present MR content: in accordance with a determination that imaging data obtained from the set of imaging sensors has an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures: cause illumination of a volume of physical space that includes a hand of a user using one or more flood LEDs of the set of flood LEDs.

12. The MR headset of claim 11 , wherein: a virtual-third-eye center position is determined based on a position of the MR headset, wherein the virtual-third-eye center position corresponds to a point between eyes of the user, and the volume of physical space is defined based on the virtual-third-eye center position; preferably wherein the one or more flood LEDs comprise at least two flood LEDs positionedsubstantially equidistant from the virtual-third-eye center position.

13. The MR headset of claim 11 or 12, further comprising: an LED driver configured to control operations of the one or more flood LEDs, wherein: the LED driver comprises a set of safety interlocks to ensure compliance of the one or more flood LEDs with a set of safety standards, and the set of safety standards comprises one or more of over-temperature protection (OTP), over-voltage protection (OVP), short-circuit protection (SCP), and / or a safety timer; preferably wherein the LED driver is configured to prevent each respective flood LED of the one or more flood LEDs from operating at a 100% duty cycle.

14. The MR headset of any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein: a minimum amount of radiant exposure received by a target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs is configured to be greater than a first radiance value; and a maximum amount of radiant exposure received by the target-hand interaction zone during activation of the flood LEDs is configured to be less than a second radiance value.

15. The MR headset of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the determination that the one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data having an insufficient level of detail to identify hand gestures is based on identifying one or more of: a low-light environment; challenging lighting conditions; a cluttered background; and a low-contrast background.

16. The MR headset of any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising: one or more cover windows configured to surround each respective flood LED of the set of flood LEDs, wherein: each respective flood LEDs is positioned such that a combined field of view corresponding to the one or more flood LEDs includes at least 80% coverage of the volume of physical space; preferably wherein: at least one of the one or more flood LEDs within a respective cover window of one or more cover windows is positioned at an angle with respect to a plane defined by a front surface of the front-facing portion, and the respective cover window is configured and arranged such that a portion of a frontsurface of the respective cover window extends beyond the plane defined by the front surface of the front-facing portion; further preferably wherein each of the one or more cover windows is configured to have a transmission loss of less than 20%.

17. The MR headset of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein: in accordance with determining that a first target-hand interaction zone-coverage threshold is required, a first set of the one or more flood LEDs is illuminated; and in accordance with determining that a second target-hand interaction zone-coverage threshold is required, a second set of the one or more flood LEDs, distinct from the first set of one or more flood LEDs, is illuminated.

18. The MR headset of any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein each of the one or more flood LEDs is configured to emit light having a wavelength between 800 and 900 nanometers.

19. A method, comprising: at a MR headset that includes (i) a set of imaging sensors, (ii) a set of flood LEDs, (iii) a display, (iv) memory, and (v) one or more processors, wherein the sets of imaging sensors and flood LEDs are disposed along a front-facing portion of the MR headset: while the display is presenting MR content: in accordance with a determination that one or more imaging sensors of the set of imaging sensors are capturing imaging data, illuminating, using one or more flood LEDs of the set of flood LEDs, a target-hand interaction zone.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein: a virtual-third-eye center position is determined based on the position of the MR headset, wherein the virtual-third-eye center position corresponds to a point between eyes of a user, and a volume of physical space is defined based on the virtual-third-eye center position; preferably wherein the one or more flood LEDs comprise at least two flood LEDs positioned substantially equidistant from the virtual-third-eye center position.21 . The method of claim 19 or 20, wherein: the MR headset includes an LED driver configured to control operations of the one or more flood LEDs, the LED driver comprises a set of safety interlocks to ensure compliance of the one or more flood LEDs with a set of safety standards, and the set of safety standards comprises one or more of over temperature protection (OTP), over voltage protection (OVP), short circuit protection (SOP), and / or a safety timer.

22. A system comprising a processor configured to carry out the method of any of claims19 to 21.

23. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of any of claims 19 to 21 .

24. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when the instructions are executed by a computer, cause the computer to carry out the method of any of claims 19 to 21.

25. A mixed-reality (MR) headset, comprising: a housing comprising one or more electronic components, the one or more electronic components configured to be used in presentation of MR content including audio content, wherein (i) the housing is configured to attach to a strap thereby forming a cavity, and (ii) the housing defines an aperture, including a first opening on a first side of the MR headset and a second opening on a second side of the MR headset; a speaker housed within the cavity, the speaker being positioned adjacent to a foam insert for minimizing intermodulation of the speaker within the cavity during presentation of the audio content; a fan housed in the housing, the fan configured to cool the one or more electronic components, and minimize noise interference from operation of the fan with the presentation of the audio content, wherein: the first opening of the aperture is adjacent to an exhausting side of the fan, such that exhaust from the fan causes a grazing flow to enter the first opening and exit the second opening, thereby forming a fluidic channel across the aperture, and an inner surface of the fluidic channel defines a set of perforations, wherein the set of perforations is configured to receive acoustic waves associated with resonant frequencies of the fan; an expansion chamber that surrounds the inner surface of the fluidic channel, the expansion chamber having a back volume that causes a bias flow across the set of perforations of the inner surface of the fluidic channel; and a set of microphones distributed along an outer surface of the housing, the set of microphones configured to detect audio content from a user of the MR headset as part of presenting the MR content, wherein each respective microphone of the set of microphones is separated from the first opening and the second opening of the aperture defined in the housing by at least an audial-interference threshold distance.

26. The MR headset of claim 25, wherein: each respective perforation of the set of perforations is configured with a predetermined diameter corresponding to a resonant frequency of the acoustic wavesproduced by operations of the fan; preferably wherein: the set of perforations is a first set of perforations, the predetermined diameter is a first predetermined diameter, and the inner surface of the fluidic channel defines a second set of perforations having a second predetermined diameter corresponding to another resonant frequency of the acoustic waves produced by operations of the fan; further preferably wherein: the first set of perforations has a first pitch, such that the first predetermined diameter and the first pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a first frequency, and the second set of perforations has a second pitch, such that the second predetermined diameter and the second pitch are tuned to remove resonant acoustic waves having a second frequency; further preferably wherein: the fluidic channel has a rectangular profile having a first dimension spanning a direction parallel to a length of the housing, and a second dimension corresponding to a depth of the housing, and the first dimension is at least double the length of the second dimension; preferably wherein: the second dimension is configured based on a calculated Stokes layer of the grazing flow determined based in part on a respective size and respective pitch of each respective perforation of the set of perforations; further preferably wherein the fluidic channel has a flared profile such that an outlet of the fluidic channel has a greater surface area than an inlet of the fluidic channel; further preferably wherein the outlet comprises two spaced openings comprising the greater surface area of the outlet of the fluidic channel; further preferably wherein a portion of the expansion chamber is positioned between the two spaced openings.

27. The MR headset of claim 25 or 26, wherein the set of microphones is configured in an end-fire array configuration configured to cancel external noises in front of the user from being detected by the microphones.

28. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the set of microphones is configured in a broadside array configuration such that two respective microphones on each side of the MR headset are symmetrical along a plane defined by the outer surface of the MR headset.

29. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 28, wherein the set of perforationsdefined by the fluidic channel are configured to reduce resonant noise caused by the fan below a value of 0 decibels of sound pressure level (SPL) for at least one range of frequencies.

30. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 29, wherein the inner surface of the fluidic channel comprises at least five micro-perforated panels (MPPs) comprising the respective perforations of the set of perforations.31 . The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 30, wherein the inner surface of the fluidic channel is comprised of an aluminum sheet having a thickness of between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters.

32. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 31 , wherein the inner surface of the fluidic channel further comprises a mesh having an acoustic impedance of 10 pascal- seconds per meter.

33. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 32, wherein the back volume of the expansion chamber is between 2000 and 4000 cubic millimeters.

34. The MR headset of any one of claims 25 to 33, wherein the expansion chamber has a length of at least 20 millimeters.

35. An MR headset comprising the housing of any of claims 25 to 34.

36. A system comprising the MR headset of claim 35.

37. A two-part housing of a mixed-reality (MR) headset, comprising: a first part of the two-part housing; a second part of the two-part housing; and a channel defined by a first perimeter of the first part of the two-part housing and a second perimeter of the second part of the two-part housing, wherein: the channel is configured to guide perspiration along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part away from electronic and mechanical components housed in the two-part housing.

38. The two-part housing of claim 37, wherein the channel includes a set of path irregularities, each respective path irregularity configured to: reduce a flow velocity of the perspiration being guided along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part, increase a path length of the channel such that perspiration guided along the first perimeter of the first part, or the second perimeter of the second part travels a longer path before reaching an end of the channel, and / or increase a volumetric perspiration capacity of the channel; preferably wherein the set of path irregularities includes one or more pockets defined in thefirst perimeter or the second perimeter, the pockets configured to collect perspiration being guided along the channel.

39. The two-part housing of claim 37 or 38, wherein the set of path irregularities includes a tortuous path that deviates from a direction along the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

40. The two-part housing of any one of claims 37 to 39, wherein: the channel includes a hydrophilic portion configured to receive perspiration guided along the channel, and the channel includes a hydrophobic portion configured to repel perspiration guided along the channel; preferably wherein the hydrophilic portion and the hydrophobic portion are formed on the first perimeter and / or the second perimeter of the first part and / or the second part of the two-part housing.41 . The two-part housing of any one of claims 37 to 40, wherein the channel is a c- channel that includes a recessed portion of a respective perimeter of the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

42. A MR headset comprising the two-part housing of any of claims 37 to 41 .

43. A method of assembling a MR headset, comprising: coupling a first part of a two-part housing and a second part of a two-part housing, thereby forming a channel defined by a first perimeter of the first part of the two-part housing and a second perimeter of the second part of the two-part housing, wherein: the channel is configured to guide perspiration along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part away from electronic and mechanical components housed in the two-part housing.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the channel includes a set of path irregularities, each respective path irregularity configured to: reduce a flow velocity of the perspiration being guided along the first perimeter of the first part or the second perimeter of the second part, increase a path length of the channel such that perspiration guided along the first perimeter of the first part, or the second perimeter of the second part travels a longer path before reaching an end of the channel, and / or increase a volumetric perspiration capacity of the channel; preferably wherein the set of path irregularities includes one or more pockets defined in the first perimeter or the second perimeter, the pockets configured to collect perspiration being guided along the channel.

45. The method of claim 43 or 44, wherein the set of path irregularities includes a tortuous path that deviates from a direction along the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

46. The method of any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein: the channel includes a hydrophilic portion configured to receive perspiration guided along the channel, and the channel includes a hydrophobic portion configured to repel perspiration guided along the channel; preferably wherein the hydrophilic portion and the hydrophobic portion are formed on the first perimeter and / or the second perimeter of the first part and / or the second part of the two-part housing.

47. The method of any one of claims 43 to 46, wherein the channel is a c-channel that includes a recessed portion of a respective perimeter of the first perimeter or the second perimeter.

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