Microsoft enters the market with its own unique mixed fact headset HoloLens — that on a first glance resembles a Gadget directly out of a Bond picture. Microsoft plans growth of its reality headset when most technology companies are focusing on creating a Virtual fact headset.
Microsoft foresees potential in restraining computing devices with user interfaces eyes gaze, plus voice. Letting the consumer bridge distance and the screen and extend the truth around them is Microsoft’s response to business insufficiencies. Recently, Ford’s design and engineering team was pictured using HoloLens to envision a full-scale 3D model of automobile without building it each time, for building prototype.
Although, the alternative reality technology that is virtual reality and augmented reality isn’t new and goes back to almost 25 years. When Facebook acquired Oculus rift it raised lots of eyebrows. People began to discuss its execution and VR and AR apparatus . Apart from Microsoft and Facebook, Google has come up with Google glass that failed to tempt the marketplace.
Microsoft HoloLens stands in the place contrary to its rivals. In addition, their market has been defined by them and for they aim because of this. Because of its limitless applications, this technology has been talked in 2017. We’ve tried to complex Hololens technological attributes from the perspective of the patents as well the item.
In this report we try to capture a perspective from the patent security point of view and then will be focusing on the elements of the HoloLens.
HoloLens Technology
Microsoft HoloLens enables a more reality user experience socialize with objects and to engage with content. HoloLen is a all-in-one device that doesn’t need to be tethered together with cables, outside camera or phone or notebook or PC link and is claimed to be self-contained.
To the technology behind it, we have dissected it like:
- Holographic Lens Technology
- Sensor Technology
- Holographic Processing Unit (HPU)
- Interactive Control System
1. Holographic Lens Technology
Microsoft insists on stating that their HoloLens is beyond pixels and screen. HoloLens has high profile translucent holographic lenses that consist of 3 layers of glass of various primary colors i.e crimson, green and blue. And those layers also have grooves in them. A light-engine that has light particle bouncing around within millions of instances emits towards those lenses. The particles reach on on those layer structures and enter the eye at a specific angle, intensity, and color to create an image on the retina.
Recently, Microsoft was issued a patent disclosing a similar technology , which reflects a interactive head-mounted eyepiece which displays content and images to the optical structure of their eye-piece. The eyepiece includes projecting optics to project the image onto a translucent or translucent lens whereby user may also view the encompassing real-world objects. RBG LED module which uses field sequential colour technique to exhibit a picture is further included by the optics that is projecting. The picture is mirrored into a two surface freeform waveguide for complete internal reflection (TIR) that provides the picture on the lens region for your viewer to observe the picture.
Interestingly, Microsoft sums up the elements of HoloLens in this patent as you can see below:
US9759917: Embodiment for Figure 1
2. Sensor Technology
For any AR or VR apparatus, detectors are the backbone. Sensors perform various tasks like eye tracking mind tracking, thickness feeling, and environment mapping. These detectors enhance the immersive experience of an individual. HoloLens is equipped with advanced detectors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The sensor bar on the HoloLens includes two environment understanding camera on thickness camera every side, ambient light camera, along with 2MP photo/HD video camera.
Both environment understanding cameras on each aspect of sensor bar track head movement and also a period of flight (ToF). The placed depth camera on sensor bar monitors hand gesture and also can help to place hologram. Apart from such detectors, it has 4 microphones that captures the user command also distinguishes it from ambient sound. The other kind of detectors is — gyroscope, magnetometer, and accelerometer together they shape inertial measurement unit (IMU) which usually found in any AR head-mounted screen.
This wide array of cutting-edge detectors captures the data about the user environments.
Again, we were able to detect a patent from our analysis covering sensor technologies delivered to Microsoft — titled “Pose tracking a augmented reality device” which discloses a augmented reality device with several detectors to capture the present information of the augmented reality device. The augmented device filters out the tracking error from the present information and additional renders a digital image to the screen depending upon the role of present information.
From the context of the under picture, the head-mounted display (HMD) device comprises a screen system and translucent screen to project holographic items to the wearer’s attention. The HMD device is configured with detectors that get image data according to this and may even track the eye or eye movement of the viewer.
US9495801: An Instance of screen
3. Holographic Processing Unit (HPU)
Microsoft pulled the drapes over its secretive chip. Microsoft’s holoLens optical sensor utilizes the ability of advanced sensors to enable holographic processing unit (HPU) to work together. The sensor array constantly produces data that is processed by the holographic processing unit (HPU).
The holographic processing unit (HPU) includes a custom made TSMC fabricated 28nm coprocessor that has 24nm Tensilica DSP ordered in 12 clusters. It’s 1GB of electricity DDR3 RAM, all at a BGA package that is 12mm-by-12mm and about 65 million logic gates; 8MB of SRAM. Window 10 operating system is operate on by hololens and according to x86architecture. Microsoft claims that HPU hastens algorithm than applications independently and includes a power. Regardless of this, it takes electricity less than 10W to manage gesture and sensing the environment.
Microsoft has aimed to go to improve the scalability, latency, operation, versatility and power supply of the device. Microsoft has embraced Cadence’s Tensilica DSP platform for HoloLens. Cadence licenses to Microsoft for designing and building the chip and reserves of the rights for Tensilica.
As Microsoft holds a licensing deal with Cadence, we redirected our analysis for the HPU to Cadence and Tensilica delegated patents and were able to identify delegated to Cadence, which discloses a novel computer-implemented process to look for a microprocessor through user-defined interfaces. These interfaces enable the user to communicate command or status data between chip and outside devices/processors.
The below figure illustrates that a user-defined data form interface for configuring a chip design. The consumer can join input data form interface and output data type interface by means of a chip pipeline execution path. The output and input connects via outside brokers to read/write the data, assert the handshake signal and get the booth status as specified for each interface.
US8539399: Embodiment for Figure 11
For the next creation HoloLens, the artificial intelligence coprocessor will be built on its Holographic processing unit (HPU). The data from the onboard sensors of device will probably be analyzed by HPU utilizing neural networks. The creation HoloLens’ release date remains not on the card however anticipated to arrive at 2019.
4. Interactive Control System
The goal by the HoloLens thought employed by Microsoft and was conceived, would be to produce a immersive and more natural interactions for the consumer. Holograms are responsive with consumer’s eye gaze, hand gestures, voice and also user’s environment. The built-in detectors enable the consumer to control the cursor . The detectors also track the head movement and the cursor accordingly moves.
Gaze
Microsoft discloses A patent in . The patent refers to a transparent waveguide for eye tracking which includes a output signal and input couplers. The input coupler includes a plurality of curved lines which specify the varying pitch. Further, once an eye is subjected to a infrared lighting, then the infrared lighting got reflected from the eye and episode to the input coupler. The incident light enters the waveguide of a input coupler where it spreads and exits through the waveguide by total internal reflection to the output coupler.
US9759913: A perspective view of the planar waveguide in accordance with an embodiment.
There was still another publication that we came across, titled “Gaze-based audio management”, which describes a technology which may help the consumer in hearing by a gaze-tracking technique in a noisy environment. This patent resolves the issue of hearing within an environment of over 1 origin of the noise and allows the consumer to focus by sifting through the screen device. The device can track the gaze and help in hearing the noise of the target speaker.
US20160080874: An instance of audio utilization environment.
Sensors do not only keep tabs on your own eyes but they also recognize your hand gestures in order to restrain any program, select or size the merchandise and also enable to drag and drop the holograms into your environment.
Gesture
Another Microsoft patent titled “Gesture based region identification for holograms” reveals a technique to select a area within the digital image by using hand gestures. The user can pick a place by forming a closed loop along with hand and the chosen region left for zooming, filtering etc..
The figure below depicts an environment in which user communicates a head-mounted display (HMD) device to select a place within a digital image that might be a holographic picture. In 1 embodiment, the HMD device has an image sensor that is forward looking to take the picture of the consumer’s environment and permit a digital picture to coincide with the environment. Therefore, it provides a augmented reality view to the consumer.
US9116666: An environment in.
Voice Assistant
Cortana who can support you to finish a job select, control and open the program with your voice command also powers HoloLens. The four microphones make it easy to communicate in a noisy environment.
Additionally, it has an integrated speaker so that consumer can listen to the sound that is precise . Microsoft HoloLens synthesize noise.
Additional Salient Sub-technologies as well as the patents
Microsoft hasn’t limited the scope of HoloLens with the above described features. You can find other intriguing technologies which enrich the user’s experience and may improve the operation of HoloLens. These technologies have been described in a different patent, for instance, a printed application titled “Third party holographic portal”, authorize a third party to display holographic portal by means of a head-mounted screen device in the consumer real-world environment.
US20170169610: A visual representation of activity from the party real-world surroundings that are three-dimensional.
Likewise, another fascinating patent , titled “Personal holographic billboard” reveals a exceptional way to discuss personalized advice that showcases to a digital billboard and displays the digital billboard to the other’s consumer augment reality environment.
US9390561: A augmented reality environment in which one or more virtual billboards may be displayed.
Microsoft’s patents disclose an approach to build a digital object that has permanence that is real-world. Place and HoloLens’ characteristic would be to anchor the digital object in the spatial environment. Microsoft enables you to fill colour to a augmented reality environment.
The near future will be shaping towards an intriguing technologies as is evident from among the year’s patent novel US20170053447A1 titled “Augment fact” this enables augment reality system to make a plurality of local 3D-model of their real-world. Brilliant it’ll be to have the ability to experience a digital world which more through the manufacturing engine. I am sure as hell.
To prevent making this article from interesting to boring, we have succinctly put up some of the identified patents. If it interests you, feel free to read them.
