Micropower Impulse Radar for AR Display Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional augmented reality systems face challenges in accurately determining the position and orientation of mobile displays relative to the environment and the user's viewpoint, leading to virtual objects appearing poorly anchored and occlusions being inaccurately represented, resulting in unnatural and 'swimming' virtual images.
Innovation Solution
The use of micropower impulse radar (MIR) technology to create a depth map of the environment and generate a viewing matrix, accurately determining the position and orientation of the display and user's viewpoint, allowing for precise placement and occlusion of virtual objects within the augmented reality image.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional position and orientation measurement systems are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates causing virtual objects to swim and occlusions to be inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical or optical position and orientation sensors with micropower impulse radar (MIR) technology. The MIR system uses electromagnetic waves to measure distances to multiple reference objects, calculating position and orientation through triangulation and time-of-flight measurements. This substitution provides higher measurement precision while maintaining manageable device complexity through the use of low-power, miniaturized radar components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces multiple reference objects as intermediaries between the mobile device and the environment. These reference objects serve as mediators that reflect radar signals back to the device, enabling indirect measurement of position and orientation. The reference objects create additional measurement points that improve calculation accuracy without requiring direct sensing of the environment.
2Measurement precision
If high-precision position and orientation determination is implemented, then virtual object placement accuracy is improved, but use of energy increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic radar signal transmission at optimized intervals rather than continuous transmission. The MIR system sends out impulse signals at specific frequencies and intervals, processing position and orientation data periodically. This periodic operation maintains measurement precision while dramatically reducing average power consumption compared to continuous sensing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts radar signal parameters such as pulse width, frequency, and transmission power based on operational requirements. By changing these parameters adaptively, the system maintains high measurement precision when needed while consuming minimal power during normal operation. The MIR technology inherently operates at micropower levels, enabling precise tracking with low energy expenditure.
3Measurement precision
If micropower impulse radar is used for real-time position and orientation determination, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the MIR system to perform multiple functions simultaneously: distance measurement, position tracking, orientation determination, and environmental mapping. The same radar hardware and processing algorithms serve all these purposes, reducing overall device complexity compared to having separate systems for each function. The universal MIR platform handles diverse sensing requirements through a unified technical approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the radar transmission and reception functions, position calculation, and orientation determination into an integrated processing system. Multiple sensing operations are merged into a single coherent measurement process, where the same hardware components perform multiple tasks and the data processing pipeline handles all calculations uniformly. This merging reduces the number of separate subsystems and simplifies the overall device architecture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides accurate and natural integration of virtual objects into the real environment, preventing 'swimming' and enhancing occlusion representation, with MIR's high accuracy and low power consumption enabling real-time, interference-free operation.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a time of flight of the micropower impulse radar signal
Implementation Method 2
micropower impulse radar (MIR) technology to create a depth map of the environment
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments are generally directed to determination of mobile display position and orientation using micropower impulse radar. An embodiment of an apparatus includes a display to present images; radar components to generate radar signal pulses and generate distance data based on received return signals; radar antennae to transmit radar signal pulses and receive return signals; and a processor to process signals and data, the processor to: process return signals to determine a position and orientation of the display with respect to real objects in an environment and determine position of a vantage point of a user, and generate an augmented image including rendering a virtual object and superimposing the virtual object on an image including one or more real objects, rendering of the virtual image being based at least in part on determined position and orientation of the display and determined vantage point of the user.