Apple has filed for a patent (number 9,947,141) for a “method of image processing for an augmented reality application,” which hints at future plans for the company’s ARKit.
ARKit was introduced at the 2017 Worldwide Developer Conference. It allows developers to tap into the latest computer vision technologies to build detailed virtual content on top of real-world scenes for interactive gaming, immersive shopping experiences, industrial design and more.
Apple’s new patent filing involves an apparatus for and method of image processing in an augmented reality application is provided. The method includes the steps of:
Providing at least one image of a real environment; performing image processing in an augmented reality application with the at least one image employing visualization of overlaying digital information with visual impressions or the image of the real environment and employing vision-based processing or tracking; and adjusting at least one of a parameter and operating flow of the vision-based processing or tracking depending on at least one of the following:
A usage of the image processing, a usage of the visualization, a visually perceivable property of the digital information or the real environment, a property of a display device employed in the visualization, or a manner in which a user is viewing the visualization.
Of course, Apple files for — and is granted — lots of patents by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Many are for inventions that never see the light of day. However, you never can tell which ones will materialize in a real product.
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