US 12,293,475 B2
Apparatus and method for earbud augmented reality
Lori A. Sjolund, Stillwater, MN (US); Christopher M. Brown, Cottage Grove, MN (US); Glenn E. Casner, Woodbury, MN (US); Jon A. Kirschhoffer, Stillwater, MN (US); Kathleen M. Stenersen, St. Paul, MN (US); Miaoding Dai, Woodbury, MN (US); Travis W. Rasmussen, Rosemount, MN (US); and Carter C. Hughes, River Falls, WI (US)
Assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Company, St. Paul, MN (US)
Appl. No. 18/012,625
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 15, 2021, PCT No. PCT/IB2021/055252
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 22, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/003465, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 6, 2022.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/705,490, filed on Jun. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0252731 A1, Aug. 10, 2023
Int. Cl. G06T 19/00 (2011.01); G06F 3/01 (2006.01); H04R 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC G06T 19/006 (2013.01) [G06F 3/016 (2013.01); H04R 1/1016 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A computer-implemented method for augmented reality (AR), the method comprising:
obtaining, via an imaging device of an ear-worn device worn by a user, image data;
identifying, based on one or more of preference settings associated with the user, a user history associated with the user, or a context associated with the user, an object of interest in the obtained image data, the object of interest representing a worker wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) piece;
generating, via a processor, an augmented image comprising generating augmenting information to be augmented onto an image of the object of interest identified in the obtained image data, the augmenting information representing one or more of a worker name, a job description, a PPE identification, or a working status associated with the worker wearing the PPE piece;
detecting that the object of interest is in a field of view (FOV) of the imaging device; and
in response to detecting that the object of interest is within the FOV of the imaging device, adjusting the augmented image based on results of the detection to form an adjusted augmented image in which the object of interest is re-centered.