Wednesday, November 6, 2024
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Apple wants its devices to do a better job of showing labels on AR content

This graphic illustrates an example graphical user interface for presenting an augmented reality affordance on a display.

Apple wants its devices to be able to show labels when viewing artificial reality (AR) content as hinted by a new patent filing (number US 20240355058).

About the patent filing

The patent filing involves presenting graphical elements in an AR video stream, which is becoming an important feature of modern mobile devices. However, Apple says that presenting graphical objects in an AR video stream presents challenges. 

For example, when AR is used to enhance navigation features of a mobile device, it can often be difficult to determine where to place graphical objects, such as road signs, business names, maneuver instructions, and/or other labels, in the AR video stream presented by the mobile device so that the user of the mobile device will have an adequate view (e.g., readable view) of the label. Apple wants to improve this situation on its various devices. 

Summary of the patent filing

Here’s Apple’s abstract of the patent filing: “In some implementations, a computing device can present augmented reality (AR) labels in an AR video stream. For example, the computing device can obtain route information for a route requested by a user and can determine locations along the route for placing candidate AR labels. The computing device can determine the precise location of the computing device using camera depth information obtained in response to the user scanning the local real-world environment with a camera of the computing device. 

“The computing device can select an AR label and/or label placement location for presentation in an AR video stream based on various criteria, including the distance between the candidate AR labels and the precise location of the computing device, priorities assigned to each candidate AR label, and/or whether a clear line of sight exists between the precise location of the computing device and the candidate AR label location.”

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Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.