Cloud AR Platform Using Smartphone Camera for Real-Time Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current augmented reality technologies, particularly wearable devices like HMDs, face limitations such as impracticality for long-term use due to discomfort, high costs, short battery life, and limited field of view, along with the need for continuous wear and complex sensor systems, which restrict their adoption in consumer and enterprise applications.
Innovation Solution
The Lifecache platform provides a centralized ecosystem for immersive content experiences, combining 360-degree and traditional 2D content, using a server-based system that overlays computer-generated content in real-time based on the user's position, orientation, and point of view, compatible with various devices including smartphones, tablets, and AR glasses, allowing for location-based experiences and memory sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wearable AR devices like HMDs are used to provide immersive AR experiences, then the quality of visual experience is improved, but the device becomes impractical for long-term use due to discomfort and high cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based AR platform as an intermediary between the user and AR content delivery. Instead of requiring complex HMD hardware, the system uses a smartphone camera to capture real-world images, processes them through cloud-based AR rendering services, and delivers enhanced content back to the user's device. This mediator approach eliminates the need for uncomfortable HMD hardware while maintaining high-quality AR visual experiences.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical HMD system with a software-based cloud processing approach. Rather than using physical head-mounted displays with lenses and sensors, the system substitutes a camera-based image capture and cloud rendering mechanism. This substitution eliminates the mechanical discomfort of HMDs while achieving the same AR effect through computational processing.
2Measurement precision
If HMDs with multiple sensors are used to track position and orientation, then the precision of AR content placement is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a smartphone camera to capture a 2D image copy of the real-world scene, which is then processed to identify objects and their positions. Instead of using multiple physical sensors to directly measure position and orientation, the system creates a digital copy of the visual scene and analyzes it computationally to extract the necessary spatial information for precise AR content placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical sensor systems with computational image processing. Rather than using multiple physical sensors to track position and orientation directly, the system uses a single camera to capture images and then applies computer vision algorithms to extract spatial data, achieving the same measurement precision with far fewer physical components.
3Speed
If HMDs continuously monitor user position and orientation to maintain AR experience, then the responsiveness of AR content updates is improved, but the energy consumption and battery life are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic image capture and processing cycles rather than continuous monitoring. The smartphone camera captures images at regular intervals, and the cloud server processes these images periodically to generate AR content updates. This periodic approach maintains responsive AR content updates while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous sensor monitoring and display refreshing required by HMDs.
4Speed
If AR content is processed and rendered locally on the device, then the speed of content delivery is improved, but the device requirements and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud-based processing server as an intermediary that handles the computationally intensive AR content generation. The smartphone simply captures images and receives processed content, eliminating the need for high-end local processing hardware. The cloud server acts as a mediator that provides powerful rendering capabilities without requiring the user's device to have expensive components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the complex AR rendering process to a remote cloud environment, where powerful servers can process and generate AR content copies that are then transmitted to the user's device. This allows high-speed content delivery with minimal local processing requirements, as the cloud server handles the computationally intensive tasks rather than the user's smartphone.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed involving an augmented reality (AR) platform. An exemplary system includes a server and an apparatus, comprising a console, and possibly an auxiliary computing device. The console includes: a camera adapted to receive reality-based visual image input of targeted content and to generate reality-based video data thereof; and positioning sensors adapted to generate positioning data for determination of the position and orientation of the console. The console is adapted to communicate, directly or indirectly, video data and positioning data to the server and receive, directly or indirectly, from the server augmented-reality overlay data, which the server is adapted to generate based on the positioning data. The system is adapted to combine the AR-overlay data and the video data, to generate AR-overlaid video data, and to transmit the AR-overlaid video data to the console, which is adapted to display the AR-overlaid video data.