Displaying content in an augmented reality system

Abstract

An example method is performed by a computing system, and includes: obtaining an image of an object captured by a device during relative motion between the object and the device; determining a location of the device relative to the object during image capture based on one or more attributes of the object in the image; mapping a three-dimensional (3D) graphical model representing the object to the object in the image based, at least in part, on the location of the device, where the 3D graphical model includes information about the object; receiving a selection of a part of the object; and outputting, for rendering on a user interface, at least some information from the 3D graphical model based on the part selected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method performed by a computing system comprising:
 mapping a three-dimensional (3D) graphical model of an object to an image of the object, the 3D graphical model comprising information about the object;   receiving a selection of the object in the image;   identifying a part of the object based on the selection; and   generating, based on the information and the selection, content relating to the part of the object for output on a display screen, where the content comprises a first type of augmented reality (AR) content in a case that the selection comprises a first type of action and the content comprises a second type of AR content in a case that the selection comprises a second type of action.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the content comprises a third type of AR content in a case that the selection comprises a third type of action. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of action comprises a swipe-type-touch. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of action comprises a tap-type-touch. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of action comprises a selection that lasts for a first duration and the second type of action comprises a selection that lasts for a second duration, the first duration and the second duration comprising different periods of time. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first type of AR content comprises three-dimensional graphics and the second type of AR content comprises text. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating navigable layers corresponding to the 3D model of the object, at least one of the navigable layers representing internal portions of the object, the part being in an internal portion of the object;   wherein the selection is received in the at least one navigable layer.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the part comprises comparing pixels at an area selected to data in the 3D model. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein identifying the part comprises comparing one or more parts internal to the object that correspond to an area selected on the object to data in the 3D model. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the AR content comprises computer graphics, the computer graphics overlaying at least part of the object. 
     
     
         11 . A method performed by a computing system comprising:
 obtaining an image of an object captured by a device;   mapping a three-dimensional (3D) graphical model representing the object to the object in the image;   displaying computer graphics for the object based on the 3D graphical model, the computer graphics comprising layers of the object containing information about internal and external parts of the object;   navigating through the layers to reach a target layer, the target layer containing a part of the object;   receiving a selection of the part of the object; and   generating, based on the selection and at least some of the information from the 3D graphical model, content relating to the part of the object selected, the content comprising augmented reality (AR) content for display over at least part of the image.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the selection of the part of the object is implemented using a computer-generated crosshair. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the selection of the part of the object is implemented by touching a screen displaying the part of the object. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein mapping is performed based on a location of the device and the method further comprises determining the location of the device, where determining the location of the device comprises:
 obtaining a first size of the object in the image;   obtaining a second size of the object from the 3D graphical model; and   comparing the first size to the second size to determine a distance between the device and the object, the distance being part of the location.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein determining the location comprises:
 identifying a feature of the object shown in the image; and   determining an orientation of the object relative to the device based on the feature and based on the information about the object in the 3D graphical model, the orientation being part of the location.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein mapping the 3D graphical model to the object in the image comprises associating parts of the 3D graphical model to corresponding parts of the object shown in the image, with a remainder of the 3D graphical model representing parts of the object not shown in the image being positioned relative to the parts of the 3D graphical model overlaid on the parts of the object shown in the image. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein selection of the part of the object is implemented using a multiple-buffer scheme. 
     
     
         18 . A method performed by a computing system comprising:
 receiving a first selection of an object in an image;   identifying candidate parts of the object that is based on the first selection, the candidate parts comprising a first part that is visible in the image and a second part that is not visible in the image and that is behind the first part;   outputting a menu that displays the first part graphically and the second part graphically;   receiving a second selection from the menu of either the first part or the second part;   retrieving at least some of the information from the 3D graphical model based on the second selection; and   generating augmented reality (AR) content based on the at least some information retrieved.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein identifying the candidate parts comprises:
 tracing a ray through a three dimensional (3D) graphical model of the object based on a mapping of the 3D graphical model to the image; and   identifying an intersection between the ray and each of the candidate parts.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the 3D graphical model stores data for each of the candidate parts indicating that 3D graphics for the candidate part is retrievable from the 3D graphical model separately from 3D graphics for other parts of the object.