Controlling brightness based on eye tracking

Abstract

Methods and systems for performing operations to control brightness in an AR device are disclosed. The operation comprises: displaying an image on an eye wearable device worn by a user; detecting a gazing direction of pupils of the user; identifying a first region of the image corresponding to a gaze direction of the pupil; and modifying a luminance level or luminance value of pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in a first region of the image are set to a first luminance value and pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second luminance value lower than the first luminance value.

Description

[0001] Priority Claim

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 18 / 051,330, filed October 31, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to using a messaging application to provide an augmented reality (AR) experience. Background Art

[0004] AR is a modification of a virtual environment. For example, in virtual reality (VR), a user is fully immersed in a virtual world, while in AR, a user is immersed in a world that combines virtual objects with the real world or superimposes virtual objects on the real world. AR systems are designed to generate and present virtual objects that interact realistically with the real-world environment and with each other. Examples of AR applications can include single-player or multi-player video games, instant messaging systems, and the like. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] In the drawings (which are not necessarily drawn to scale), like reference numerals may describe similar components in different views. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numeral refer to the figure number in which the element was first introduced. Some non-limiting examples are shown in the drawings, in which:

[0006] Figure 1 is a graphical representation of a networked environment in which the present disclosure may be deployed, according to some examples.

[0007] Figure 2 is a graphical representation of a messaging client application, according to some examples.

[0008] Figure 3 is a graphical representation of a data structure maintained in a database, according to some examples.

[0009] Figure 4 is a graphical representation of a message, according to some examples.

[0010] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing an example brightness control system, according to some examples.

[0011] Figure 6 is a graphical representation of an implementation of a brightness control system, according to some examples.

[0012] Figure 7 is an example output of a brightness control system, according to some examples.

[0013] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a brightness control system according to some examples.

[0014] Figure 9 is a graphical representation of a machine in the form of a computer system within which a set of instructions can be executed to cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

[0015] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a software architecture in which examples can be implemented. Detailed Description

[0016] The following description includes systems, methods, techniques, instruction sequences, and computer program products embodying illustrative examples of the present disclosure. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for purposes of illustration to provide an understanding of the various examples. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the examples may be practiced without these specific details. In general, well-known instruction instances, protocols, structures, and techniques are not shown in detail.

[0017] Typical AR and VR systems are designed to present virtual content to a user by utilizing a display held or worn by the user. For example, an AR system can be provided in which a user wears AR glasses and virtual content is presented in the lenses of the AR glasses through which the user can also see the real-world environment. VR systems typically involve wearing a headset such that the user can only perceive virtual content and be fully immersed in a virtual world without seeing their real-world surroundings. While such systems generally work well, they consume a large amount of power, which limits their overall use and applicability in mobile environments. Some typical systems attempt to reduce power, for example, by modifying the resolution of different parts of the image being displayed based on the direction of the user's pupils. However, this results in images of poor display quality that are easily perceivable by the user and detract from the overall use and enjoyment of the system.

[0018] The disclosed technology improves the efficiency of using an electronic device by providing an eye-wearable device (e.g., a VR or AR eye-wearable device) that can be worn by a user and that can seamlessly transition the brightness level of a display based on the user's gaze direction to reduce overall power consumption. The modification of the brightness level or value does not affect the quality of the displayed image and is not easily perceivable by the user. That is, by reducing the brightness of portions or regions of the display or the displayed image that are not in focus by the user (e.g., beyond a threshold distance from the gaze direction of the user's pupil), some of which may include portions of the same AR object, the overall power consumption of the eye-wearable device can be reduced without degrading the overall quality of the presented image. This allows the system to maintain the same image quality perceived by the user and reduce power in a manner imperceptible to the user.

[0019] In some examples, the disclosed technology displays an image on an eye-wearable device worn by a user. The disclosed technology detects the gaze direction of the user's pupil. The disclosed technology identifies a first region (or a portion of an AR object) of the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil. The disclosed technology modifies the brightness level of pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in the first region of the image are set to a first brightness value and pixels in a second region (or other portions of the same AR object) of the image are set to a second brightness value lower than the first brightness value. In some cases, the same AR object may remain at the same brightness value regardless of the distance of any portion of the AR object from the gaze direction.

[0020] In this way, the disclosed technology reduces the overall complexity and power consumption involved in providing an AR or VR experience on a device (e.g., in a mobile environment). This improves the overall user experience when using an electronic device and reduces the total amount of system resources required to complete a task.

[0021] The disclosed examples can be applied to any device that presents an image and is worn on a user's head, such as AR glasses or an AR headset. In some cases, the disclosed examples can be applied to mobile handheld devices in a similar manner.

[0022] Networked computing environment

[0023] Figure 1FIG. 0 is a block diagram showing an example messaging system 100 for exchanging data (e.g., messages and associated content) over a network. The messaging system 100 includes multiple instances of client devices 102, each of the multiple instances hosting many applications including a messaging client 104 and other external applications 109 (e.g., third-party applications). Each messaging client 104 is communicatively coupled via a network 112 (e.g., the Internet) to other instances of the messaging client 104 (e.g., hosted on corresponding other client devices 102), a messaging server system 108, and an external application server 110. The messaging client 104 can also communicate with locally hosted third-party applications such as the external application 109 using an application programming interface (API).

[0024] The client device 102 can operate as a stand-alone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the client device 102 can operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The client device 102 can include, but is not limited to, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smart home device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a web device, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or any machine capable of performing the disclosed operations. Additionally, although only a single client device 102 is shown, the term "client device" should also be considered to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly perform the disclosed operations.

[0025] In some examples, the client device 102 can include AR glasses or an AR headset, where virtual content is displayed within the lenses of the glasses while the user views the real-world environment through the lenses. For example, an image can be presented on a transparent display, which enables the user to view both the AR content presented on the display and real-world objects simultaneously.

[0026] In some examples, client device 102 may include one or more eye wear devices 103, and the one or more eye wear devices 103 may include AR glasses, lenses, contact lenses, physical contact lenses, and / or AR applications implemented on client device 102. Each eye wear device 103 or only one of the one or more eye wear devices 103 may include electronic components. The electronic components may include a processor, a memory, a display (display screen), a projector, a communication device (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular, or other short-range or long-range communication device), a battery, a solar panel, a positioning component (e.g., GPS component), and / or a camera device. The electronic components may also include a waveguide or an optical guiding element (e.g., a set of mirror panel strips, a polarizing mirror, a switchable element, etc.). The waveguide or the optical guiding element may selectively allow or block light associated with the real-world environment to pass through the pupil of the user or wearer of eye wear device 103 and be received by the user or wearer. Eye wear device 103 may include any one or combination of the components of machine 1000( Figure 10 ).

[0027] In some examples, when placed in a housing, eye wear device 103 may receive electromagnetic energy (inductive energy) from a power source included in the housing and may use the electromagnetic energy to recharge the battery of eye wear device 103. In some examples, eye wear device 103 may include one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and the one or more light-emitting diodes may change color to indicate different states of eye wear device 103, including battery charge level, activity mode (e.g., indicating whether an AR or VR experience is currently active on eye wear device 103), and / or whether the camera device of eye wear device 103 is currently recording a video feed captured by the camera device. In some cases, the LEDs may be integrated into the lens or display of eye wear device 103 and may be used to generate images to be displayed to the user of eye wear device 103. Activation of the LEDs may generate light corresponding to different pixels in the image and may operate at different brightness levels, for example, by applying different voltage levels to the LEDs. In some examples, operating the LEDs of the display at a first voltage level causes the pixels to have a first brightness level, and operating the LEDs of the display at a second voltage level (greater than the first voltage level) causes the pixels to have a second brightness level (greater than the first brightness level).

[0028] In some examples, when the eye-wearable device 103 physically touches or contacts a body part (e.g., an eyeball, a finger, etc.), the eye-wearable device 103 automatically turns on. Specifically, the eye-wearable device 103 may include an electronic component (e.g., a capacitive element) that is enabled or activated when the capacitance changes due to the capacitance associated with the body part that contacts the electronic component. For example, a touch screen may be integrated at any suitable location on the periphery or on the eye-wearable device 103. When the touch screen receives a touch input from a user (e.g., when the touch screen of the eye-wearable device 103 contacts the user's eyeball), the touch screen instructs the processing device of the eye-wearable device 103 to turn on the eye-wearable device 103 (e.g., switch the eye-wearable device 103 from a standby state using very low power just sufficient to power the touch screen to an active state in which all components including a display component and a communication device component are powered on).

[0029] In some examples, the eye-wearable device 103 may communicate with an external device or another client device 102 (e.g., a mobile device, an eye-wearable device, or other head-mounted device) via a short-range or long-range communication path. For example, the external device may include a camera device that captures a video feed of the real-world environment. The external device may send a real-time video feed of the real-world environment to the eye-wearable device 103 via the communication device of the eye-wearable device 103. The eye-wearable device 103 may receive the real-time video feed and integrate or incorporate at least some portions of the real-time video feed into the display of the eye-wearable device 103 or a projection device to provide light representing the real-time video feed of the real-world environment to the user's pupil. In some examples, the eye-wearable device 103 may communicate with the external device via a messaging client 104 that may be executed on the eye-wearable device 103 and the external device.

[0030] In some examples, the external device may include a camera device for capturing a video feed of the real-world environment. The external device may generate an AR experience in which one or more AR elements are added to the real-time video feed of the real-world environment. The combined real-time video feed (including one or more augmented reality elements) may be transmitted to the eye-wearable device 103 via the communication device of the eye-wearable device 103. The eye-wearable device 103 may receive the real-time video feed and integrate or incorporate at least some portions of the real-time video feed into the display of the eye-wearable device 103 or a projection device to provide light representing the real-time video feed of the real-world environment to the user's pupil to provide an augmented reality experience.

[0031] In some examples, the eye-wearable device 103 may include a camera that captures a video feed of the real-world environment. The eye-wearable device 103 may transmit a live video feed of the real-world environment to an external device (e.g., a mobile phone) via a communication device of the eye-wearable device 103. The external device may receive the live video feed and integrate or incorporate at least some portions of the live video feed into a display or projection device to provide light representing the live video feed of the real-world environment and one or more augmented reality elements. In some examples, the eye-wearable device 103 may allow some light of the real-world environment to pass through to be received by the user's pupil, and may use the display of AR objects to at least partially block some of the light in the real-world environment. This gives the illusion that the AR objects are included in the real-world environment. In some cases, the eye-wearable device 103 may generate a full-screen display that includes some portions of the real-world environment and some portions of the AR objects. In some cases, the full-screen display of the eye-wearable device 103 may include only AR objects or AR content.

[0032] The messaging client 104 is capable of communicating with other messaging clients 104 and the messaging server system 108 via the network 112 and exchanging data. The data exchanged between the messaging clients 104 and between the messaging client 104 and the messaging server system 108 includes functions (e.g., commands to invoke functions) and payload data (e.g., text, audio, video, or other multimedia data).

[0033] The messaging server system 108 provides server-side functions to a particular messaging client 104 via the network 112. Although certain functions of the messaging system 100 are described herein as being performed by the messaging client 104 or by the messaging server system 108, the location of certain functions within the messaging client 104 or within the messaging server system 108 may be a design choice. For example, it may be technically preferable to initially deploy certain technologies and functions within the messaging server system 108, but later migrate the technologies and functions to the messaging client 104 when the client device 102 has sufficient processing power.

[0034] The messaging server system 108 supports various services and operations provided to the messaging client 104. Such operations include: sending data to the messaging client 104, receiving data from the messaging client 104, and processing data generated by the messaging client 104. By way of example, the data can include message content, client device information, geographical location information, media enhancements and overlays, message content persistence conditions, social network information, and live event information. Data exchange within the messaging system 100 is invoked and controlled through functions available via the user interface (UI) of the messaging client 104.

[0035] Turning now specifically to the messaging server system 108, the API server 116 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a programming interface to the application server 114. The application server 114 is communicatively coupled to the database server 120, which facilitates access to the database 126 that stores data associated with messages processed by the application server 114. Similarly, the web server 128 is coupled to the application server 114 and provides a web-based interface to the application server 114. To that end, the web server 128 processes incoming network requests via the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and several other related protocols.

[0036] The API server 116 receives and sends message data (e.g., commands and message payloads) between the client device 102 and the application server 114. Specifically, the API server 116 provides a set of interfaces (e.g., routines and protocols) that can be invoked or queried by the messaging client 104 to invoke functions of the application server 114. The API server 116 exposes various functions supported by the application server 114, including: account registration; login functionality; sending messages from a particular messaging client 104 to another messaging client 104 via the application server 114; sending media files (e.g., images or videos) from the messaging client 104 to the messaging server 118 for possible access by another messaging client 104; setting a collection of media data (e.g., a story); retrieving a list of friends of the user of the client device 102; retrieving such collections; retrieving messages and content; adding an entity (e.g., a friend) to an entity graph (e.g., a social graph) and deleting an entity (e.g., a friend) from an entity graph (e.g., a social graph); locating friends in a social graph; and opening application events (e.g., related to the messaging client 104).

[0037] The application server 114 hosts a number of server applications and subsystems, including, for example, a messaging server 118, an image processing server 122, and a social network server 124. The messaging server 118 implements a number of message handling techniques and functions, particularly those related to the aggregation and other processing of content (such as text and multimedia content) included in messages received from multiple instances of the messaging client 104. As will be described in further detail, text and media content from multiple sources can be aggregated into collections of content (such as those referred to as stories or galleries). These collections are then made available to the messaging client 104. Given the hardware requirements for other processor- and memory-intensive processing of data, such processing can also be performed on the server side by the messaging server 118.

[0038] The application server 114 includes an image processing server 122 that is dedicated to performing various image processing operations, typically on images or videos within the payloads of messages sent from or received at the messaging server 118.

[0039] The image processing server 122 is used to implement the scanning function of the augmented system 208 (shown in Figure 2 ). The scanning function includes, when an image is captured by the client device 102, activating and providing one or more AR experiences on the client device 102. Specifically, the messaging client 104 on the client device 102 can be used to activate the camera device. The camera device displays to the user one or more live images or videos and one or more icons or identifiers for one or more AR experiences. The user can select a given identifier among the identifiers to initiate the corresponding AR experience or perform a desired image modification (such as replacing the clothing worn by a user in a video or recoloring the clothing worn by a user in a video or modifying the clothing based on a pose performed by the user).

[0040] The social network server 124 supports various social networking functions and services and makes these functions and services available to the messaging server 118. To this end, the social network server 124 maintains and accesses an entity graph 308 within the database 126 (as shown in Figure 3 ). Examples of functions and services supported by the social network server 124 include identifying other users of the messaging system 100 who are related to or being "followed" by a particular user, and also include identifying the interests and other entities of a particular user.

[0041] Return to the messaging client 104, and the features and functions of external resources (e.g., third-party application 109 or applet) are made available to the user via the interface of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 receives a user selection of an option for initiating or accessing features of an external resource, such as an external application 109 (e.g., a third-party resource). The external resource can be a third-party application (external application 109) installed on the client device 102 (e.g., a "native application"), or a scaled-down version of a third-party application hosted on or remote from the client device 102 (e.g., on a third-party server 110) (e.g., an "applet"). The scaled-down version of the third-party application includes a subset of the features and functions of the third-party application (e.g., the full-scale, native version of a third-party stand-alone application) and uses a markup language document to implement the scaled-down version of the third-party application. In one example, the scaled-down version of the third-party application (e.g., an "applet") is a web-based markup language version of the third-party application and is embedded within the messaging client 104. In addition to using a markup language document (e.g., a.*ml file), the applet can include a scripting language (e.g., a.*js file or a.json file) and a style sheet (e.g., a.*ss file).

[0042] In response to receiving a user selection of an option for initiating or accessing features of an external resource (external application 109), the messaging client 104 determines whether the selected external resource is a web-based external resource or a locally installed external application. In some cases, a locally installed external application 109 on the client device 102 can be initiated independently of and separate from the messaging client 104, for example, by selecting an icon corresponding to the external application 109 on the home screen of the client device 102. A scaled-down version of such an external application can be initiated or accessed via the messaging client 104, and in some examples, no part or only a limited part of the scaled-down external application can be accessed outside of the messaging client 104. The scaled-down external application can be initiated by receiving, from an external application server 110 via the messaging client 104, a markup language document associated with the scaled-down external application and processing such a document.

[0043] In response to determining that the external resource is a locally installed external application 109, the messaging client 104 instructs the client device 102 to launch the external application 109 by executing locally stored code corresponding to the external application 109. In response to determining that the external resource is a web-based resource, the messaging client 104 communicates with an external application server 110 to obtain a markup language document corresponding to the selected resource. The messaging client 104 then processes the obtained markup language document to render the web-based external resource within the UI of the messaging client 104.

[0044] The messaging client 104 may notify a user of the client device 102 or other users associated with such a user (e.g., "friends") of activities occurring in one or more external resources. For example, the messaging client 104 may provide notifications to participants in a conversation (e.g., a chat session) in the messaging client 104 regarding the current or recent use of an external resource by one or more members of a user group. One or more users may be invited to join an active external resource or to launch an external resource that was recently used but is currently inactive (within the group of friends). The external resource may provide the ability for respective participants in the conversation using the corresponding messaging client 104 to share items, conditions, statuses, or locations within the external resource with one or more members of the user group entering the chat session. The shared item may be an interactive chat card that chat members can use to interact, e.g., to launch the corresponding external resource, view specific information within the external resource, or take the chat members to a specific location or status within the external resource. Within a given external resource, response messages may be sent to the user on the messaging client 104. The external resource may selectively include different media items in the response based on the current context of the external resource.

[0045] The messaging client 104 may present a list of available external resources (e.g., third-party or external applications 109 or applets) to the user to launch or access a given external resource. The list may be presented in a context-sensitive menu. For example, the icons representing different external applications within the external application 109 (or applet) may vary based on how the menu is launched (e.g., from a conversation interface or from a non-conversation interface).

[0046] System Architecture

[0047] Figure 2FIG. is a block diagram showing additional details regarding messaging system 100 according to some examples. Specifically, messaging system 100 is shown to include messaging client 104 and application server 114. Messaging system 100 includes a number of subsystems that are supported on the client side by messaging client 104 and on the server side by application server 114. These subsystems include, for example, ephemeral timer system 202, collection management system 204, enhancement system 208, map system 210, game system 212, and external resource system 220.

[0048] Ephemeral timer system 202 is responsible for enforcing temporary or time-limited access to content by messaging client 104 and messaging server 118. Ephemeral timer system 202 includes a number of timers that selectively enable access to messages and associated content (e.g., for presentation and display) via messaging client 104 based on the duration and display parameters associated with a message or collection of messages (e.g., a story). Additional details regarding the operation of ephemeral timer system 202 are provided below.

[0049] Collection management system 204 is responsible for managing collections or sets of media (e.g., collections of text, images, video, and audio data). Collections of content (e.g., messages, including images, video, text, and audio) can be organized into "event galleries" or "event stories". Such collections can be available for a specified period of time (e.g., the duration of the event associated with the content). For example, content related to a concert can be made available as a "story" for the duration of that concert. Collection management system 204 can also be responsible for publishing an icon to the UI of messaging client 104 that notifies of the existence of a particular collection.

[0050] In addition, collection management system 204 also includes curation interface 206, which allows a collection manager to manage and curate a particular content collection. For example, curation interface 206 enables an event organizer to curate a collection of content related to a particular event (e.g., delete inappropriate content or redundant messages). In addition, collection management system 204 employs machine vision (or image recognition technology) and content rules to automatically curate content collections. In some examples, compensation may be paid to users for including user-generated content in a collection. In such cases, collection management system 204 operates to automatically pay such users for the use of their content.

[0051] The enhancement system 208 provides various functions that enable a user to enhance (e.g., annotate or otherwise modify or edit) media content associated with a message. For example, the enhancement system 208 provides functions related to generating and publishing a media overlay for a message processed by the messaging system 100. The enhancement system 208 operably provides a media overlay or enhancement (e.g., an image filter) to the messaging client 104 based on the geographical location of the client device 102. In another example, the enhancement system 208 operably provides a media overlay to the messaging client 104 based on other information such as the social network information of a user of the client device 102. The media overlay can include audio and visual content as well as visual effects. Examples of audio and visual content include pictures, text, logos, animations, and sound effects. Examples of visual effects include color overlays. The audio and visual content or visual effects can be applied to a media content item (e.g., a photo) at the client device 102. For example, the media overlay can include text, graphic elements, or images that can be superimposed on a photo taken by the client device 102. In another example, the media overlay includes a location identifier overlay (e.g., Venice Beach), a name of a live event, or a business name overlay (e.g., Beach Café). In another example, the enhancement system 208 uses the geographical location of the client device 102 to identify a media overlay that includes the business name at the geographical location of the client device 102. The media overlay can include other markers associated with the business. The media overlay can be stored in the database 126 and accessed via the database server 120.

[0052] In some examples, the enhancement system 208 provides a user-based publishing platform that enables a user to select a geographical location on a map and upload content associated with the selected geographical location. The user can also specify the circumstances under which a particular media overlay should be provided to other users. The enhancement system 208 generates a media overlay that includes the uploaded content and associates the uploaded content with the selected geographical location.

[0053] In other examples, the augmentation system 208 provides a merchant-based publishing platform that enables a merchant to select a specific media overlay associated with a geographical location via a bidding process. For example, the augmentation system 208 associates the media overlay of the highest-bidding merchant with the corresponding geographical location for a predefined amount of time. The augmentation system 208 communicates with the image processing server 122 to obtain an AR experience and presents an identifier of such an experience in one or more UIs (e.g., as an icon on a live image or video, or as a thumbnail or icon in an interface dedicated to the identifier of the presented AR experience). Once an AR experience is selected, one or more images, videos, or AR graphic elements are retrieved and presented as an overlay on the image or video captured by the client device 102. In some cases, the camera device is switched to a front view (e.g., the front camera device of the client device 102 is activated in response to the activation of a specific AR experience), and the image from the front camera device of the client device 102 instead of the rear camera device of the client device 102 starts to be displayed on the client device 102. One or more images, videos, or AR graphic elements are retrieved and presented as an overlay on the image captured and displayed by the front camera device of the client device 102.

[0054] In other examples, the augmentation system 208 is capable of communicating and exchanging data via the network 112 with another augmentation system 208 on another client device 102 and with a server. The exchanged data may include: a session identifier identifying a shared AR session; a transformation between the first client device 102 and the second client device 102 (e.g., the plurality of client devices 102 includes a first device and a second device) for aligning the shared AR session to a common origin; a common coordinate system; functions (e.g., commands for invoking functions) and other payload data (e.g., text, audio, video, or other multimedia data).

[0055] The enhancement system 208 sends a transformation to the second client device 102 such that the second client device 102 can adjust its AR coordinate system based on the transformation. In this way, the first client device 102 and the second client device 102 synchronize their coordinate systems and frames to display the content in the AR session. Specifically, the enhancement system 208 calculates the origin of the second client device 102 in the coordinate system of the first client device 102. Then, the enhancement system 208 can determine the offset in the coordinate system of the second client device 102 based on the position of the origin in the coordinate system of the second client device 102 from the perspective of the second client device 102. The offset is used to generate a transformation such that the second client device 102 generates AR content according to a common coordinate system or frame with the first client device 102.

[0056] The enhancement system 208 can communicate with the client device 102 to establish a separate or shared AR session. The enhancement system 208 can also be coupled to the messaging server 118 to establish an electronic group communication session (e.g., group chat, instant messaging) for the client device 102 in the shared AR session. The electronic group communication session can be associated with a session identifier provided by the client device 102 to obtain access to the electronic group communication session and the shared AR session. In some examples, the client device 102 first obtains access to the electronic group communication session and then obtains a session identifier in the electronic group communication session that allows the client device 102 to access the shared AR session. In some examples, the client device 102 is able to access the shared AR session without the help of or without communicating with the enhancement system 208 in the application server 114.

[0057] The map system 210 provides various geographical location functions and supports the presentation of map-based media content and messages by the messaging client 104. For example, the map system 210 enables the display on the map of user icons or avatars (e.g., stored in the profile data 316) to indicate the current or past locations of the user's "friends" and the media content (e.g., a collection of messages including photos and videos) generated by such friends within the context of the map. For example, a message posted by the user from a specific geographical location to the messaging system 100 can be displayed to the user's "friends" within the context of that specific location on the map in the map interface of the messaging client 104. The user can also share his or her location and status information with other users of the messaging system 100 (e.g., using an appropriate status avatar) via the messaging client 104, where the location and status information are similarly displayed to the selected users within the context of the map interface of the messaging client 104.

[0058] The gaming system 212 provides various gaming functions in the context of the messaging client 104. The messaging client 104 provides a gaming interface that presents a list of available games (e.g., web-based games or web-based applications) that can be launched by a user within the context of the messaging client 104 and played with other users of the messaging system 100. The messaging system 100 also enables a particular user to invite such other users to participate in playing a particular game by sending an invitation from the messaging client 104 to the other users. The messaging client 104 also supports both voice messaging and text messaging (e.g., chat) within the context of playing a game, provides a leaderboard for the game, and also supports providing in-game rewards (e.g., game currency and items).

[0059] The external resource system 220 provides an interface to the messaging client 104 for communicating with an external application server 110 to launch or access an external resource. Each external resource (application) server 110 hosts an application (e.g., a game, utility, payment, or ride-sharing application external to the messaging client 104) based on a markup language (e.g., HTML5) or a scaled-down version of an external application. The messaging client 104 can launch the web-based resource (e.g., an application) by accessing an HTML5 file from an external resource (application) server 110 associated with the web-based resource. In some examples, a software development kit (SDK) provided by the messaging server 118 is used to program the applications hosted by the external resource server 110 in JavaScript. The SDK includes an API having functions that can be called or activated by a web-based application. In some examples, the messaging server 118 includes a JavaScript library that provides access to certain user data of the messaging client 104 to a given third-party resource. HTML5 is used as an example technology for programming games, but applications and resources programmed based on other technologies can be used.

[0060] To integrate the functionality of the SDK into a web-based resource, the SDK is downloaded from the messaging server 118 by the external resource (application) server 110 or otherwise received by the external resource (application) server 110. Once downloaded or received, the SDK is included as part of the application code of the web-based external resource. The code of the web-based resource can then call or activate certain functions of the SDK to integrate features of the messaging client 104 into the web-based resource.

[0061] The SDK stored on the messaging server 118 effectively provides a bridge between external resources (e.g., third-party or external applications 109 or applets) and the messaging client 104. This provides users with a seamless experience of communicating with other users on the messaging client 104 while still retaining the look and feel of the messaging client 104. To bridge the communication between the external resources and the messaging client 104, in some examples, the SDK facilitates the communication between the external resource server 110 and the messaging client 104. In some examples, the WebView JavaScript Bridge running on the client device 102 establishes two one-way communication channels between the external resources and the messaging client 104. Messages are sent asynchronously between the external resources and the messaging client 104 via these communication channels. Each SDK function call is sent as a message and a callback. Each SDK function is implemented by constructing a unique callback identifier and sending a message with that callback identifier.

[0062] By using the SDK, not all information from the messaging client 104 is shared with the external resource server 110. The SDK restricts which information is shared based on the requirements of the external resources. In some examples, each external resource server 110 provides the messaging server 118 with an HTML5 file corresponding to the web-based external resource. The messaging server 118 may add a visual representation (e.g., a block diagram or other graphic) of the web-based external resource to the messaging client 104. Once the user selects the visual representation or indicates that the messaging client 104 accesses the features of the web-based external resource through the graphical user interface (GUI) of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 obtains the HTML5 file and instantiates the resources required to access the features of the web-based external resource.

[0063] The messaging client 104 presents a GUI for an external resource (e.g., a login page or a title screen). During, before, or after presenting the login page or the title screen, the messaging client 104 determines whether the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104. In response to determining that the launched external resource has been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, the messaging client 104 presents another GUI of the external resource, which includes the functions and features of the external resource. In response to determining that the launched external resource has not been previously authorized to access the user data of the messaging client 104, after a threshold period of time (e.g., 3 seconds) of displaying the login page or the title screen of the external resource, the messaging client 104 slides out a menu for authorizing the external resource to access the user data (e.g., animating the menu to emerge from the bottom of the screen to the middle of the screen or other parts of the screen). The menu identifies the types of user data that the external resource will be authorized to use. In response to receiving a user selection of the accept option, the messaging client 104 adds the external resource to the list of authorized external resources and allows the external resource to access the user data from the messaging client 104. In some examples, the messaging client 104 authorizes the external resource to access the user data according to the OAuth 2 framework.

[0064] The messaging client 104 controls the types of user data shared with the external resource based on the type of the authorized external resource. For example, access to a first type of user data (e.g., only two-dimensional (2D) avatars of users with or without different avatar characteristics) is provided to an external resource that includes a full-scale external application (e.g., a third-party or external application 109). As another example, access to a second type of user data (e.g., payment information, 2D avatars of the user, three-dimensional (3D) avatars of the user, and avatars with various avatar characteristics) is provided to an external resource that includes a scaled-down version of the external application (e.g., a web-based version of a third-party application). Avatar characteristics include different ways of customizing the appearance and feel of the avatar (e.g., different poses, facial features, clothing, etc.).

[0065] The brightness control system 224 may communicate with or implement some or all of the functions of the enhancement system 208. The brightness control system 224 may be implemented on one or more eye-wearable devices 103. The brightness control system 224 may instruct components of the eye-wearable device 103 on which it is implemented to enter a selected brightness mode or level based on the current gaze position of the user's pupil. Specifically, the brightness control system 224 may detect the gaze direction of the user's pupil to identify a first portion of an image focused by the user's pupil, and may instruct components of the eye-wearable device 103 to reduce the brightness level of portions outside the first portion (e.g., one or more portions that are beyond or exceed a threshold distance from the first portion). This reduces the overall power consumed by the eye-wearable device 103 without adversely affecting the overall image quality presented by the eye-wearable device 103.

[0066] Data architecture

[0067] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a data structure 300 that may be stored in the database 126 of the messaging server system 108 according to certain examples. Although the contents of the database 126 are shown as including many tables, it should be recognized that the data may be stored in other types of data structures (e.g., as an object-oriented database).

[0068] The database 126 includes message data stored in a message table 302. For any particular message, the message data includes at least message sender data, message recipient (or receiver) data, and a payload. Details regarding additional information that may be included in a message and included within the message data stored in the message table 302 are described below with reference to Figure 4 Describe additional details regarding the information that may be included in a message and included within the message data stored in the message table 302.

[0069] The entity table 306 stores entity data and is linked (e.g., in a referential manner) to an entity graph 308 and profile data 316. Entities whose records are maintained within the entity table 306 may include individuals, corporate entities, organizations, objects, locations, events, etc. Any entity for which the messaging server system 108 stores data about it may be an identified entity, regardless of the entity type. Each entity is provided with a unique identifier as well as an entity type identifier (not shown).

[0070] The entity graph 308 stores information related to the relationships and associations between entities. By way of example only, such relationships may be social, professional (e.g., working in the same company or organization), interest-based, or activity-based.

[0071] Profile data 316 stores multiple types of profile data about a particular entity. Based on privacy settings specified by the particular entity, the profile data 316 can be selectively used and presented to other users of the messaging system 100. In the case where the entity is a person, the profile data 316 includes, for example, a username, a phone number, an address, settings (such as notification and privacy settings), and a user-selected avatar representation (or a collection of such avatar representations). A particular user can then selectively include one or more of these avatar representations within the content of a message transmitted via the messaging system 100 and on a map interface displayed by the messaging client 104 to other users. The collection of avatar representations can include "status avatars" that present a graphical representation of a status or activity that the user can choose to convey at a particular time.

[0072] In the case where the entity is a group, in addition to the group name, members, and various settings for the associated group (such as notifications), the profile data 316 for the group can similarly include one or more avatar representations associated with the group.

[0073] The database 126 also stores enhancement data, such as overlays or filters, in an enhancement table 310. The enhancement data is associated with videos (the data of which is stored in the video table 304) and images (the data of which is stored in the image table 312) and is applied to the videos and images.

[0074] The database 126 can also store data related to individual and shared AR sessions. This data can include: data transmitted between an AR session client controller of the first client device 102 and another AR session client controller of the second client device 102, and data transmitted between the AR session client controller and the enhancement system 208. The data can include data for establishing a common coordinate system for a shared AR scene, transformations between devices, session identifiers, data depicting the body, bone joint positioning, wrist joint positioning, images of feet, etc.

[0075] In one example, a filter is an overlay that is displayed as being superimposed on an image or video during presentation to a receiving user. Filters can be of various types, including a user-selected filter from a set of filters presented to a sending user by the messaging client 104 when the sending user is composing a message. Other types of filters include geographical location filters (also known as geo-filters), which can be presented to the sending user based on geolocation. For example, the messaging client 104 can present geographical location filters specific to a nearby or particular location within the user interface based on geographical location information determined by the GPS unit of the client device 102.

[0076] Another type of filter is a data filter, which can be selectively presented to the sending user by the messaging client 104 based on other inputs or information collected by the client device 102 during the message creation process. Examples of data filters include the current temperature at a specific location, the current speed at which the sending user is traveling, the battery life of the client device 102, or the current time.

[0077] Other enhanced data that can be stored in the image table 312 includes AR content items (e.g., corresponding to an applied AR experience). An AR content item or AR item can be real-time special effects and sounds that can be added to an image or video.

[0078] As described above, the enhanced data includes AR content items, overlays, image transformations, AR images, AR logos or badges, and similar items related to modifications that can be applied to image data (e.g., video or image). This includes real-time modifications that modify an image when it is captured using the device sensors of the client device 102 (e.g., one or more camera devices) and then display the modified image on the screen of the client device 102. This also includes modifications to stored content (e.g., video clips in a gallery that can be modified). For example, in a client device 102 capable of accessing multiple AR content items, a user can use a single video clip with multiple AR content items to see how different AR content items will modify the stored clip. For example, by selecting different AR content items for the content, multiple AR content items applying different pseudo-random movement models can be applied to the same content. Similarly, real-time video capture can be used with the shown modifications to show how the video image currently captured by the sensors of the client device 102 will modify the captured data. Such data can be displayed only on the screen without being stored in memory, or the content captured by the device sensors can be recorded and stored in memory with or without modification (or in both cases). In some systems, a preview feature can show simultaneously how different AR content items will look within different windows on the display. This can, for example, enable viewing multiple windows with different pseudo-random animations simultaneously on the display.

[0079] Thus, data and various systems that use AR content items or other such transformation systems that use the data to modify content can involve: detection of objects (e.g., faces, hands, bodies, cats, dogs, surfaces, objects, etc.) in video frames; tracking such objects as they leave, enter, and move around the field of view, and modifying or transforming such objects while tracking them. In various examples, different methods can be used to implement such transformations. Some examples can involve: generating a 3D mesh model of one or more objects, and using transformations and animated textures of the model within the video to implement the transformation. In other examples, tracking points on an object can be utilized to place an image or texture (which can be 2D or 3D) at the tracking location. In yet another example, neural network analysis of video frames can be used to place an image, model, or texture in the content (e.g., a frame of an image or video). Thus, AR content items refer both to the images, models, and textures used to create transformations in content and to the additional modeling and analysis information required to implement such transformations using object detection, tracking, and placement.

[0080] Real-time video processing can be performed using any kind of video data (e.g., video stream, video file, etc.) stored in the memory of any kind of computerized system. For example, a user can load a video file and save it in the memory of a device, or can use the sensors of the device to generate a video stream. Additionally, computer animation models can be used to process any object, such as a human face and body parts, an animal, or a non-living thing (e.g., a chair, a car, or other object).

[0081] In some examples, when a particular modification is selected along with the content to be transformed, the computing device identifies the elements to be transformed and then, if the elements are present in a frame of the video, detects and tracks them. The elements of the object are modified according to the modification request, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. For different types of transformations, the transformation of the frame of the video stream can be performed by different methods. For example, for a transformation of a frame that mainly involves changing the form of the elements of an object, characteristic points of each element of the object are calculated (e.g., using an Active Shape Model (ASM) or other known methods). Then, a grid based on the characteristic points is generated for each element in at least one element of the object. This grid is used for subsequent stages of tracking the elements of the object in the video stream. During the tracking process, the grid mentioned for each element is aligned with the positioning of each element. Then, additional points are generated on the grid. A first set of first points is generated for each element based on the modification request, and a set of second points is generated for each element based on the set of first points and the modification request. Then, the frame of the video stream can be transformed by modifying the elements of the object based on the set of first points, the set of second points, and the grid. In such a method, the background of the modified object can also be changed or distorted by tracking and modifying the background.

[0082] In some examples, a transformation of changing some regions of an object using the elements of the object can be performed by calculating characteristic points of each element of the object and generating a grid based on the calculated characteristic points. Points are generated on the grid and then various regions are generated based on the points. Then, the elements of the object are tracked by aligning the regions for each element with the positioning of each element in at least one element, and the attributes of the regions can be modified based on the modification request, thereby transforming the frame of the video stream. Depending on the specific modification request, the attributes of the mentioned regions can be transformed in different ways. Such modifications can involve: changing the color of the region; removing at least some parts of the region from the frame of the video stream; including one or more new objects into the region based on the modification request; and modifying or distorting the region or the elements of the object. In various examples, any combination of such modifications or other similar modifications can be used. For some models to be animated, some characteristic points can be selected as control points for the entire state space to be used for determining options for model animation.

[0083] In some examples of a computer animation model for transforming image data using face detection, a specific face detection algorithm (e.g., Viola-Jones) is used to detect faces in the image. Then, the ASM algorithm is applied to the face region of the image to detect face feature reference points.

[0084] Other methods and algorithms suitable for face detection can be used. For example, in some examples, landmarks are used to locate features, where landmarks represent distinguishable points that exist in most images under consideration. For example, for face landmarks, the position of the left eye pupil can be used. If the initial landmarks are not identifiable (e.g., in the case where a person is wearing an eye patch), secondary landmarks can be used. Such a landmark identification process can be used for any such object. In some examples, a set of landmarks forms a shape. The coordinates of the points in the shape can be used to represent the shape as a vector. A similarity transformation that minimizes the average Euclidean distance between the shape points (which allows translation, scaling, and rotation) is used to align one shape with another. The mean shape is the average of the aligned training shapes.

[0085] In some examples, the search for landmarks starts from the mean shape that is aligned with the location and size of the face determined by the full-face detector. Then, such a search repeats the following steps: a tentative shape is proposed by adjusting the positions of the shape points through template matching of the image texture around each point, and then the tentative shape is made to conform to the global shape model until convergence occurs. In some systems, individual template matching is unreliable, and the shape model pools the results of weak template matches to form a stronger overall classifier. The entire search is repeated at each level in the image pyramid from coarse resolution to fine resolution.

[0086] The transformation system can capture an image or video stream on a client device (e.g., client device 102) and locally perform complex image manipulations on the client device 102 while maintaining an appropriate user experience, computation time, and power consumption. Complex image manipulations can include size and shape changes, mood transformations (e.g., changing a face from a frown to a smile), perceived state transformations (e.g., changing the perceived age, gender, etc.), style transformations, application of graphical elements, and any other suitable image or video manipulations implemented by a convolutional neural network that has been configured to execute efficiently on the client device 102.

[0087] In some examples, a computer animation model for transforming image data can be used by a system in which a user can use a client device 102 having a neural network to capture an image or video stream of the user (e.g., a selfie), where the neural network operates as part of a messaging client 104 operating on the client device 102. A transformation system operating within the messaging client 104 determines the presence of a face within the image or video stream and provides a modification icon associated with the computer animation model for transforming the image data, or the computer animation model can be present in association with the interfaces described herein. The modification icon includes changes that can be the basis for modifying the user's face within the image or video stream as part of a modification operation. Once the modification icon is selected, the transformation system initiates a process of transforming the user's image to reflect the selected modification icon (e.g., generating a smiling face for the user). Once the image or video stream is captured and the specified modification is selected, the modified image or video stream can be presented in a GUI displayed on the client device 102. The transformation system can implement a complex convolutional neural network for a portion of the image or video stream to generate and apply the selected modification. That is, the user can capture an image or video stream and, once the modification icon is selected, the modified result can be presented to the user in real-time or near real-time. Additionally, the modification can be persistent while a video stream is being captured and the selected modification icon remains toggled. A machine-learned neural network can be used to implement such modifications.

[0088] The GUI presenting the modifications performed by the transformation system can provide additional interaction options to the user. Such options can be based on the interface used to initiate the selection of a particular computer animation model and content capture (e.g., initiated from a content creator user interface). In various examples, after the modification icon is initially selected, the modification can be persistent. The user can toggle the modification on or off by tapping or otherwise selecting the face being modified by the transformation system and store it for later viewing or browsing to other areas of the imaging application. In cases where multiple faces are modified by the transformation system, the user can globally toggle the modification on or off by tapping or selecting a single face modified and displayed within the GUI. In some examples, individual faces within a group of multiple faces can be modified separately, or such modifications can be toggled individually by tapping or selecting a single face or a series of single faces displayed within the GUI.

[0089] The story table 314 stores data related to a collection of messages and associated image, video, or audio data, where the messages and associated image, video, or audio data are compiled into a collection (e.g., a story or a gallery). The creation of a particular collection can be initiated by a particular user (e.g., each user whose records are maintained in the entity table 306). A user can create a "personal story" in the form of a collection of content that has already been created and sent / broadcast by that user. To this end, the user interface of the messaging client 104 can include user-selectable icons to enable the sending user to add specific content to his or her personal story.

[0090] The collection can also constitute a "Live Story", which is a collection of content from multiple users created manually, automatically, or using a combination of manual and automatic techniques. For example, a "Live Story" can constitute a curated stream of user-submitted content from various locations and events. Users whose client devices have location services enabled and are at a common location event at a particular time can be presented, for example, via the user interface of the messaging client 104, with the option to contribute content to a particular Live Story. The messaging client 104 can identify the Live Story to him or her based on the user's location. The end result is a "Live Story" told from a community perspective.

[0091] Another type of content collection is called a "Location Story", which enables users whose client devices 102 are located within a particular geographical location (e.g., on a college or university campus) to contribute to a particular collection. In some examples, contributing to a Location Story may require secondary authentication to verify that the end user belongs to a particular organization or other entity (e.g., is a student on a university campus).

[0092] As mentioned above, the video table 304 stores video data, which in one example is associated with messages whose records are maintained in the message table 302. Similarly, the image table 312 stores image data associated with messages whose message data is stored in the entity table 306. The entity table 306 can associate various enhancements from the enhancement table 310 with the various images and videos stored in the image table 312 and the video table 304.

[0093] Data Communication Architecture

[0094] Figure 4FIG. is a schematic diagram showing the structure of a message 400 according to some examples. The message 400 is generated by a messaging client 104 for transmission to another messaging client 104 or a messaging server 118. The content of a particular message 400 is used to populate a message table 302 stored in a database 126 and accessible by the messaging server 118. Similarly, the content of the message 400 is stored in memory as "in-transit" or "in-flight" data of the client device 102 or the application server 114. The message 400 is shown to include the following example components:

[0095] · Message identifier 402: A unique identifier that identifies the message 400.

[0096] · Message text payload 404: Text to be generated by a user via a user interface of the client device 102 and included in the message 400.

[0097] · Message image payload 406: Image data captured by a camera device component of the client device 102 or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400. The image data for a sent or received message 400 can be stored in an image table 312.

[0098] · Message video payload 408: Video data captured by a camera device component or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400. The video data for a sent or received message 400 can be stored in a video table 304.

[0099] · Message audio payload 410: Audio data captured by a microphone or retrieved from a memory component of the client device 102 and included in the message 400.

[0100] · Message enhancement data 412: Enhancement data (e.g., filters, stickers, or other annotations or enhancements) representing enhancements to be applied to the message image payload 406, the message video payload 408, or the message audio payload 410 of the message 400. The enhancement data for a sent or received message 400 can be stored in an enhancement table 310.

[0101] · Message duration parameter 414: A parameter value indicating, in seconds, the amount of time that the content of the message (e.g., the message image payload 406, the message video payload 408, the message audio payload 410) will be presented to or made accessible by a user via the messaging client 104.

[0102] · Message geographical location parameter 416: Geographical location data (e.g., latitude coordinates and longitude coordinates) associated with the content payload of a message. Multiple message geographical location parameter 416 values may be included in the payload, and each of these parameter values is associated with a content item included in the content (e.g., a specific image within the message image payload 406, or a specific video within the message video payload 408).

[0103] · Message story identifier 418: An identifier value that identifies one or more content collections (e.g., the "stories" identified in the story table 314) associated with a specific content item in the message image payload 406 of message 400. For example, the identifier value may be used to associate each of multiple images within the message image payload 406 with multiple content collections.

[0104] · Message tag 420: Each message 400 may be tagged with multiple tags, each of which indicates a theme of the content included in the message payload. For example, in the case where a specific image included in the message image payload 406 depicts an animal (e.g., a lion), a tag value indicating the relevant animal may be included within the message tag 420. The tag value may be manually generated based on user input, or may be automatically generated using, for example, image recognition.

[0105] · Message sender identifier 422: An identifier (e.g., a message transceiver system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) that indicates the user of the client device 102 on which message 400 is generated and from which message 400 is sent.

[0106] · Message recipient identifier 424: An identifier (e.g., a message transceiver system identifier, an email address, or a device identifier) that indicates the user of the client device 102 to which message 400 is addressed.

[0107] The content (e.g., values) of the components of message 400 may be pointers to locations in a table in which content data values are stored. For example, the image value in the message image payload 406 may be a pointer to a location within the image table 312 (or the address of a location within the image table 312). Similarly, the value within the message video payload 408 may point to data stored in the video table 304, the value stored in the message enhancement data 412 may point to data stored in the enhancement table 310, the value stored in the message story identifier 418 may point to data stored in the story table 314, and the values stored in the message sender identifier 422 and the message recipient identifier 424 may point to user records stored in the entity table 306.

[0108] Brightness control system

[0109] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing a brightness control system 224 according to some examples. The brightness control system 224 includes an eye tracking module 510, a brightness control module 520, and an image display module 530.

[0110] In some examples, the brightness control system 224 displays an image on an eye-wearable device worn by a user. The brightness control system 224 detects the gaze direction of the user's pupil. The brightness control system 224 identifies a first region of the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil. The brightness control system 224 modifies the brightness levels of the pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that the pixels in the first region of the image are set to a first brightness value (e.g., a default value), and the pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second brightness value lower than the first brightness value.

[0111] In some cases, the second brightness value is calculated based on a continuous curve relative to the first brightness level such that for each pixel between the pixels in the first region and the pixels in the second region, the brightness continuously decreases from the first brightness level to the second brightness level. For example, an intermediate region between the first region and the second region may have a brightness level set to an intermediate value between the first brightness value and the second brightness value. In some cases, the second brightness value is calculated based on discrete levels, so there may be some discontinuities in the brightness of the pixels in the first region, the intermediate region, and the third region. The brightness curve and levels can be selected to provide an optimal balance between power consumption and the perceived content brightness and quality.

[0112] In some examples, the second region corresponds to a first distance away from the first region of the image to which the pupil is focused. In some examples, the brightness control system 224 identifies a third region of the image that corresponds to a second distance away from the first region of the image to which the pupil is focused, the second distance being greater than the first distance. In response to determining that the third region corresponds to the second distance greater than the first distance, the brightness control system 224 sets the pixels in the third region to a third brightness level lower than the second brightness level.

[0113] In some examples, the brightness control system 224 displays an image by activating one or more LEDs to generate light representing the corresponding pixels of the image. In some examples, the image is displayed on an additional display device of the eye-wearable device 103. In some examples, the eye-wearable device 103 includes at least one of an AR device or a VR device.

[0114] In some examples, the image corresponds to AR content superimposed on a real-world environment viewed using the eye-wearable device 103. In some examples, the power consumed by one or more LEDs associated with the pixels in the second region is lower than the power consumed by one or more LEDs associated with the image in the first region.

[0115] In some examples, the brightness control system 224 interprets or predicts the fovea position corresponding to the first region based on the detected gaze direction. The brightness level can be modified based on the fovea position. In some examples, the brightness control system 224 determines the type of content displayed in the second region of the image. The brightness control system 224 selects the minimum value of the second brightness value based on the type of content. In this case, the brightness control system 224 determines whether the type of content corresponds to an augmented reality item or a real-world item in the image. In response to determining that the type of content corresponds to an augmented reality item, the brightness control system 224 selects the first minimum value as the minimum value. In response to determining that the type of content corresponds to a real-world item, the brightness control system 224 selects the second minimum value as the minimum value.

[0116] In some examples, the first minimum value is greater than the second minimum value. In some examples, the second minimum value is greater than the first minimum value. In some examples, after modifying the brightness level, the image resolution of the first region matches the image resolution of the second region.

[0117] The eye tracking module 510 is configured to detect the current pupil position of the user's eyeball or eye. The eye tracking module 510 may implement one or more machine learning models that can detect the pupil position. Specifically, the eye tracking module 510 may include an inward-facing camera device that captures an image of the user's eye. The camera device may be integrated in the eye-wearable device 103. The eye tracking module 510 processes the image of the user's eye and segments the portion of the image that includes the pupil of the eye. The eye tracking module 510 can then analyze one or more portions of the pupil depicted in the image to calculate the gaze direction of the pupil. That is, the eye tracking module 510 can determine the relative angle between the camera device used to capture the image of the pupil and the current pupil position in the image. Based on this angle, the eye tracking module 510 can calculate the position in the display on which the pupil is focused relative to the camera device (used to capture the image of the pupil). The disclosed examples can be similarly applied to both the left and right eyes, and thus the brightness values of the lenses associated with each eye are similarly adjusted based on the gaze direction of that eye.

[0118] The eye tracking module 510 sends an identification of a first portion of the display on which the determined pupil is focused to the brightness control module 520. For example, in a case where the pupil is directed at or fixates on the upper right corner of an image presented on the display, the first portion of the display may be the upper right corner of the image presented on the display. The brightness control module 520 calculates an offset or a maximum distance from the center of the first portion of the display. The brightness control module 520 sets each pixel within the first portion of the display and within the offset or maximum distance from the center of the first portion of the display to a first brightness value (e.g., a maximum brightness value or a brightness value automatically set or determined based on lighting conditions in the real-world environment of the eye-wearable device 103).

[0119] The brightness control module 520 gradually reduces the brightness level of portions of the image that are outside the first portion of the display or beyond the maximum distance from the center of the first portion of the display. For example, the brightness control module 520 sets a second portion of the display and each pixel within the offset or maximum distance from the center of the second portion of the display to a second brightness value. The second brightness value may be calculated based on the current value of the first brightness value such that the second brightness value is set relative to the current value of the first brightness value. The second brightness value may be lower than the first brightness value, e.g., 25% or 50% lower than the first brightness value or some other suitable amount.

[0120] In some examples, the brightness control module 520 sets a third portion of the display and each pixel within the offset or maximum distance from the center of the third portion of the display to a third brightness value. The third portion may be located at a greater distance from the center of the first portion than the second portion is from the center of the first portion by more than a threshold amount. That is, the second portion may be at a first distance from the center of the first portion, where the first distance is greater than a first threshold (corresponding to the maximum distance from the center of the first portion) and less than a second threshold. The third portion may be at a second distance from the center of the first portion, where the second distance is greater than the first threshold and the second threshold. The third brightness value may be calculated based on the current value of the first brightness value or the second brightness value such that the third brightness value is set relative to the current value of the first brightness value or the second brightness value. The third brightness value may be lower than the first brightness value and the second brightness value, e.g., 25% or 50% lower than the first brightness value or the second brightness value or some other suitable amount.

[0121] The eye tracking module 510 continuously or periodically determines or tracks the movement of the user's pupil. The eye tracking module 510 continues to transmit the identification of the area or portion of the image being displayed that is focused by the pupil. Then, the eye tracking module 510 adjusts which portions are set to which brightness levels based on changes in the gaze direction of the pupil. For example, if the pupil moves from focusing on a first portion to focusing on a third portion, the brightness control module 520 sets the brightness value of the pixels in the third portion or the third portion to the value to which the pixels in the first portion were previously set (e.g., when the pupil was focused on the first portion). Similarly, the brightness value of the first portion is now set to a lower value, e.g., the value to which the pixels in the third portion were previously set (e.g., when the pupil was focused on the first portion).

[0122] In some examples, the brightness control module 520 determines the content type of different portions of the display. The brightness control module 520 can prevent the reduction of the brightness level or can set a minimum brightness level for the pixels corresponding to the area of the image having a specific type of content. For example, continuing the previous example where the pupil is focused on the first portion, the brightness control module 520 can determine that the second portion corresponds to the real-world environment. In this case, the brightness control module 520 can retrieve the minimum brightness level of the real-world environment type and can set the pixel brightness level in the second portion to at least the minimum brightness level. In this case, if the reduction of the brightness level with respect to the brightness level of the first portion of the image drops below the minimum brightness level of the content of the real-world environment type, the brightness control module 520 raises the brightness level of the pixels in the second portion to the minimum brightness level.

[0123] As another example, the brightness control module 520 can determine that the third portion corresponds to an AR content item. In this case, the brightness control module 520 can retrieve the minimum brightness level of the AR content item type and can set the pixel brightness level in the third portion to at least the minimum brightness level in a similar manner. The minimum brightness level of the real-world environment content type and the minimum brightness level of the AR content item can be the same or different. For example, the minimum brightness level of the real-world environment content type can be greater than or less than the minimum brightness level of the AR content item.

[0124] The brightness control module 520 transmits the brightness levels of different parts of the image to the image display module 530. The image display module 530 may include a set of LEDs that are activated to generate pixels in each of these parts of the image, respectively. For example, the image display module 530 may set the voltage level of the LEDs used to render the pixels in the first part to a first voltage level, and may set the voltage level of the LEDs used to render the pixels in the second part to a second voltage level. If the pupil is gazing towards the first part of the image rather than towards the second part of the image, the second voltage level may be lower than the first voltage level.

[0125] In some cases, the image display module 530 includes a projection device that projects the image onto a static display. In such a case, the projection device may modify the brightness levels used to illuminate different parts of the static display.

[0126] Figure 6 is a graphical representation of an implementation of a brightness control system according to some examples. Specifically, as Figure 6 shown, a user may wear or use the eye-wearable device 103. The user's eye 610 may include a pupil 612. The eye-wearable device 103 may track the current gaze direction 614 of the pupil 612. In some examples, it may be determined that the gaze direction 614 is focused on a first display area 620 of the eye-wearable device 103. In response, the eye-wearable device 103 may set the brightness levels of other areas such as a second display area 621 and / or a third display area 622 to a lower brightness level than the first display area 620. When it is determined that the current gaze direction 614 moves to focus on another display area, the eye-wearable device 103 adjusts the brightness levels to continue to maintain the brightness level of the display area where the pupil is focused at a larger brightness value than the other display areas.

[0127] Figure 7is an example output of a brightness control system according to some examples. Specifically, the eye-wearable device 103 may display an image 700 including a first portion 710, a second portion 720, and a third portion 730. The eye-wearable device 103 may track the current gaze direction 614 of the pupil 612. In some examples, it may be determined that the gaze direction 614 is focused on the first portion 710 of the image displayed by the eye-wearable device 103. In response, the eye-wearable device 103 may set the brightness level of the first portion 710 of the image 700 to a first brightness value. The eye-wearable device 103 may determine that the second portion 720 is at a first distance from the first portion 710, the first distance being greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold from the center of the first portion 710. In this case, the eye-wearable device 103 may set the brightness level of the second portion 720 to a second brightness value that is lower than the first brightness value of the first portion 710 by a first amount (e.g., 25%).

[0128] The eye-wearable device 103 may determine that the third portion 730 is at a second distance from the first portion 710, the second distance being greater than both the first threshold and the second threshold from the center of the first portion 710. In this case, the eye-wearable device 103 may set the brightness level of the third portion 730 to a third brightness value that is lower than the first brightness value of the first portion 710 by a second amount (e.g., 50%). Thus, the first portion 710 appears to be illuminated at the first brightness value, the second portion 720 appears to be illuminated at the second brightness value, and the third portion 730 appears to be illuminated at the third brightness value. The third brightness value may be less than the second brightness value, and the second brightness value may be less than the first brightness value.

[0129] In some cases, it may be determined that the third portion 730 corresponds to a real-world environment content type, and it may be determined that the second portion 720 corresponds to an AR content item. The real-world environment content type may be associated with a minimum brightness value that is higher than the minimum brightness value of the AR content item type. In this case, even though the third portion 730 is farther from the first portion 710 than the second portion 720, the third portion 730 may be generated or displayed at a brightness value greater than that of the second portion 720 but lower than the brightness value of the first portion 710. That is, when setting the brightness levels of different image portions, the content type may be given priority over the distance between the image portions.

[0130] As another example, it can be determined that the third portion 730 corresponds to a first AR content type, and it can be determined that the second portion 720 corresponds to a second AR content type. For example, the first content type can correspond to an AR item manually added or selected by the user (e.g., such as an AR drawing, or an AR clothing item selected by the user from multiple AR clothing items to try on), and the second AR content type can correspond to content automatically retrieved or generated based on the selected AR experience (e.g., multiple AR clothing items in a virtual AR store or other AR areas). The first AR content type can be associated with a minimum brightness value that is higher than the minimum brightness value of the second AR content type. In this case, even if the third portion 730 is farther from the first portion 710 than the second portion 720, the third portion 730 can be generated or displayed at a brightness value that is greater than the brightness value of the second portion 720 but lower than the brightness value of the first portion 710.

[0131] When modifying the brightness values of different portions of the modified image 700, the image resolution of each portion in the portion is maintained and unchanged. In some cases, the image resolution of each portion of the image 700 remains the same as and matches each other.

[0132] Figure 8 FIG. 800 is a flowchart of a process 800 performed by a brightness control system 224 according to some examples. Although the flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Additionally, the order of the operations can be rearranged. When the operations of the process are completed, the process is terminated. The processing can correspond to a method, a process, etc. The steps of the method can be performed in whole or in part, can be performed in combination with some or all of the steps of other methods, and can be performed by any number of different systems or any part thereof (such as a processor included in any one of the systems).

[0133] At operation 801, as discussed above, the brightness control system 224 (e.g., the client device 102 or the server) displays (or causes to be displayed) an image on the eye-wearable device worn by the user.

[0134] At operation 802, as discussed above, the brightness control system 224 detects the gaze direction of the user's pupil.

[0135] At operation 803, as discussed above, the brightness control system 224 identifies a first region of the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil.

[0136] At operation 804, as discussed above, the brightness control system 224 modifies the brightness levels of pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in a first region of the image are set to a first brightness value and pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second brightness value that is lower than the first brightness value. The first brightness value can be, for example, a default or original brightness value for the image region or the pixels included therein.

[0137] Machine architecture

[0138] Figure 9 is a graphical representation of a machine 900 within which instructions 908 (e.g., software, program, application, applet, app, or other executable code) can be executed to cause the machine 900 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the instructions 908 can cause the machine 900 to perform any one or more of the methods described herein. The instructions 908 transform the general, unprogrammed machine 900 into a particular machine 900 programmed to perform the described and shown functions in the described manner. The machine 900 can operate as a stand-alone device or can be coupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the machine 900 can operate as a server machine or a client machine in a server-client network environment or as a peer machine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The machine 900 can include, but is not limited to: server computers, client computers, PCs, tablet computers, laptop computers, netbooks, STBs, PDAs, entertainment media systems, cellular phones, smartphones, mobile devices, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches), smart home devices (e.g., smart appliances), other smart devices, web appliances, network routers, network switches, network bridges, or any machine capable of sequentially or otherwise executing the instructions 908 specifying the actions to be taken by the machine 900. Further, although only a single machine 900 is shown, the term "machine" shall also be taken to include a collection of machines that individually or jointly execute the instructions 908 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the machine 900 can include a client device 92 or any one of a number of server devices forming part of a messaging server system 98. In some examples, the machine 900 can also include both a client system and a server system, where certain operations of a particular method or algorithm are executed on the server side and certain operations of the particular method or algorithm are executed on the client side.

[0139] Machine 900 may include a processor 902, a memory 904, and input / output (I / O) components 938 that may be configured to communicate with each other via a bus 940. In an example, the processor 902 (e.g., a CPU, a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a GPU, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 906 and a processor 910 that execute instructions 908. The term "processor" is intended to include multi-core processors, which may include two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as "cores") that may execute instructions simultaneously. Although Figure 9 multiple processors 902 are shown, machine 900 may include a single processor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores (e.g., a multi-core processor), multiple processors with a single core, multiple processors with multiple cores, or any combination thereof.

[0140] The memory 904 includes a main memory 912, a static memory 914, and a storage unit 916, all of which may be accessed by the processor 902 via the bus 940. The main memory 904, the static memory 914, and the storage unit 916 store instructions 908 that embody any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. The instructions 908 may also reside, completely or partially, within the main memory 912, within the static memory 914, within the machine-readable medium 918 within the storage unit 916, within at least one of the processors within the processor 902 (e.g., within the cache memory of the processor), or within any suitable combination thereof during execution by the machine 900.

[0141] The I / O components 938 may include various components for receiving input, providing output, generating output, sending information, exchanging information, capturing measurement results, and the like. The specific I / O components 938 included in a particular machine will depend on the type of the machine. For example, a portable machine such as a mobile phone may include a touch input device or other such input mechanism, while a headless server machine will likely not include such a touch input device. It should be appreciated that the I / O components 938 may include Figure 9Many other components not shown. In various examples, I / O component 938 can include user output component 924 and user input component 926. User output component 924 can include visual components (e.g., displays such as plasma display panels (PDPs), light emitting diode (LED) displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), projectors, or cathode ray tubes (CRTs)), acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., vibration motors, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, etc. User input component 926 can include alphanumeric input components (e.g., keyboards, touchscreens configured to receive alphanumeric input, optical keyboards, or other alphanumeric input components), point-based input components (e.g., mice, touchpads, trackballs, joysticks, motion sensors, or other pointing instruments), haptic input components (e.g., physical buttons, touchscreens that provide the location and force of a touch or touch gesture, or other haptic input components), audio input components (e.g., microphones), etc.

[0142] In other examples, I / O component 938 can include biometric component 928, motion component 930, environmental component 932, or positioning component 934, as well as various other components. For example, biometric component 928 includes components for detecting expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facial expressions, voice expressions, body postures, or eye tracking), measuring biometric signals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, sweating, or brain waves), identifying people (e.g., voice recognition, retina recognition, facial recognition, fingerprint recognition, or electroencephalogram-based recognition), etc. Motion component 930 includes acceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometers), gravity sensor components, rotational sensor components (e.g., gyroscopes).

[0143] Environmental component 932 includes, for example, one or more camera devices (with still image / photo and video capabilities), lighting sensor components (e.g., photometers), temperature sensor components (e.g., one or more thermometers that detect ambient temperature), humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g., barometers), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphones that detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g., infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gas detection sensors that detect the concentration of hazardous gases for safety or measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other components that can provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding to the surrounding physical environment.

[0144] Regarding the imaging device, the client device 102 may have an imaging device system that includes, for example, a front imaging device on the front surface of the client device 102 and a rear imaging device on the rear surface of the client device 102. The front imaging device may be used, for example, to capture still images and videos of the user of the client device 102 (e.g., “selfies”), which can then be enhanced with the above-described enhancement data (e.g., filters). For example, the rear imaging device may be used to capture still images and videos in a more conventional imaging device mode, where these images are similarly enhanced with enhancement data. In addition to the front imaging device and the rear imaging device, the client device 102 may further include a 360° imaging device for capturing 360° photos and videos.

[0145] Furthermore, the imaging device system of the client device 102 may include a dual rear imaging device (e.g., a main imaging device and a depth sensing imaging device), or even a triple, quadruple, or quintuple rear imaging device configuration on the front and rear sides of the client device 102. For example, these multiple imaging device systems may include a wide-angle imaging device, an ultra-wide-angle imaging device, a telephoto imaging device, a macro imaging device, and a depth sensor.

[0146] The positioning component 934 may include a position sensor component (e.g., a GPS receiver component), an altitude sensor component (e.g., an altimeter or barometer that detects air pressure, from which altitude can be obtained), an orientation sensor component (e.g., a magnetometer), etc.

[0147] A variety of techniques can be used to implement communication. The I / O component 938 also includes a communication component 936 that can operate to couple the machine 900 to the network 920 or the device 922 via a corresponding coupling or connection. For example, the communication component 936 may include a network interface component or other suitable device for docking with the network 920. In another example, the communication component 936 may include a wired communication component, a wireless communication component, a cellular communication component, a near field communication (NFC) component, components (e.g., low power consumption), components, and other communication components that provide communication via other modalities. The device 922 may be another machine or any of a variety of peripheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via USB).

[0148] In addition, the communication component 936 can detect an identifier or include components operable to detect an identifier. For example, the communication component 936 can include a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag reader component, an NFC smart tag detection component, an optical reader component (e.g., an optical sensor for detecting one-dimensional barcodes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) barcodes, multi-dimensional barcodes such as Quick Response (QR) codes, Aztec codes, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2D barcodes, and other optical codes), or an acoustic detection component (e.g., a microphone for identifying a tagged audio signal). In addition, various information can be derived via the communication component 936, such as a location via Internet Protocol (IP) geolocation, a location via signal triangulation, a location via detecting an NFC beacon signal that can indicate a specific location, and so on.

[0149] Various memories (e.g., main memory 912, static memory 914, and the memory of the processor 902) and the storage unit 916 can store one or more sets of instructions and data structures (e.g., software) implemented or used by any one or more of the methods or functions described herein. When executed by the processor 902, these instructions (e.g., instruction 908) cause various operations to implement the disclosed examples.

[0150] The instruction 908 can be sent or received via a network interface device (e.g., the network interface component included in the communication component 936) using a transmission medium and using any one of several well-known transmission protocols (e.g., HTTP) over the network 920. Similarly, the instruction 908 can be sent or received using a transmission medium via a coupling (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to the device 922.

[0151] Software Architecture

[0152] Figure 10 is a block diagram showing a software architecture 1004 that can be installed on any one or more of the devices described herein. The software architecture 1004 is supported by hardware, such as a machine 1002 that includes a processor 1020, a memory 1026, and I / O components 1038. In this example, the software architecture 1004 can be conceptualized as a stack of layers, where each layer provides a specific function. The software architecture 1004 includes layers such as an operating system 1012, libraries 1010, frameworks 1008, and applications 1006. In operation, the application 1006 activates API calls 1050 through the software stack and receives messages 1052 in response to the API calls 1050.

[0153] The operating system 1012 manages hardware resources and provides common services. The operating system 1012 includes, for example, a kernel 1014, services 1016, and drivers 1022. The kernel 1014 serves as an abstraction layer between the hardware and other software layers. For example, the kernel 1014 provides functions such as memory management, processor management (e.g., scheduling), component management, networking, and security settings. The services 1016 can provide other common services for other software layers. The drivers 1022 are responsible for controlling or interfacing with the underlying hardware. For example, the drivers 1022 can include a display driver, a camera device driver, or a low-power driver, a flash driver, a serial communication driver (e.g., a USB driver), drivers, an audio driver, a power management driver, etc.

[0154] The library 1010 provides a common low-level infrastructure used by the applications 1006. The library 1010 can include a system library 1018 (e.g., a C standard library), which provides functions such as memory allocation functions, string manipulation functions, mathematical functions, etc. In addition, the library 1010 can include an API library 1024, such as a media library (e.g., a library for supporting the presentation and manipulation of various media formats, such as Moving Picture Experts Group-4 (MPEG4), Advanced Video Coding (H.264 or AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group Layer-3 (MP3), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio codec, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG or JPG), or Portable Network Graphics (PNG)), a graphics library (e.g., the OpenGL framework for 2D and 3D presentation in graphical content on a display), a database library (e.g., SQLite that provides various relational database functions), a web library (e.g., WebKit that provides web browsing functions), etc. The library 1010 can also include various other libraries 1028 to provide many other APIs to the applications 1006.

[0155] The framework 1008 provides a common high-level infrastructure used by the applications 1006. For example, the framework 1008 provides various GUI functions, advanced resource management, and advanced location services. The framework 1008 can provide a wide range of other APIs that can be used by the applications 1006, some of which can be specific to a particular operating system or platform.

[0156] In an example, the application 1006 may include a home application 1036, a contacts application 1030, a browser application 1032, a book reader application 1034, a location application 1042, a media application 1044, a messaging application 1046, a gaming application 1048, and various other applications such as an external application 1040. The application 1006 is a program that executes functions defined in a program. One or more of the applications 1006 can be created using various programming languages, which can be structured in various ways, such as object-oriented programming languages (e.g., Objective-C, Java, or C++) or procedural programming languages (e.g., C or assembly language). In a particular example, the external application 1040 (e.g., an application developed using ANDROID TM or IOS TM SDK by an entity other than the vendor of a particular platform) can be mobile software running on a mobile operating system such as IOS TM 、ANDROID TM 、 Phone, or another mobile operating system. In this example, the external application 1040 can activate an API call 1050 provided by the operating system 1012 to facilitate the functions described herein.

[0157] Glossary

[0158] "Carrier signal" means any non - tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executable by a machine, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other non - tangible media for facilitating the communication of such instructions. Instructions can be sent or received via a network interface device over a network using a transmission medium.

[0159] "Client device" means any machine that interfaces with a communication network to obtain resources from one or more server systems or other client devices. A client device can be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a PDA, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a super - book, a netbook, a laptop computer, a multiprocessor system, a microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics product, a game console, an STB, or any other communication device that a user can use to access a network.

[0160] "Communication network" means one or more portions of a network, and the network can be an ad - hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the public switched telephone network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS) network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a network, other types of networks, or a combination of two or more such networks. For example, a network or a portion of a network may include a wireless network or a cellular network, and the coupling may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) connection, or other types of cellular or wireless couplings. In this example, the coupling may implement any of a variety of data transmission technologies, such as Single Carrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, GSM Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, 4th Generation Wireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, other data transmission technologies defined by various standards-setting organizations, other long-distance protocols, or other data transmission technologies.

[0161] "Component" refers to a device, physical entity, or logic having boundaries defined by a function or subroutine call, a branch point, an API, or other technological definitions that provide partitioning or modularization for a particular processing or control function. Components can be combined with other components via their interfaces to perform a machine process. A component can be an encapsulated functional hardware unit designed to be used with other components and is typically part of a program that performs a specific function among related functions.

[0162] Components can constitute software components (e.g., code implemented on a machine-readable medium) or hardware components. A "hardware component" is a tangible unit capable of performing certain operations and can be configured or arranged in some physical manner. In various examples, one or more computer systems (e.g., a stand-alone computer system, a client computer system, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware components of a computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) can be configured by software (e.g., an application or a portion of an application) to operate to perform certain operations described herein as a hardware component.

[0163] The hardware components can also be implemented mechanically, electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, the hardware components can include dedicated circuitry or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations. The hardware components can be a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an ASIC. The hardware components can also include programmable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations. For example, the hardware components can include software executed by a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor. Once configured by such software, the hardware components become a particular machine (or a particular component of a machine) that is uniquely customized to perform the configured functions and is no longer a general-purpose processor. It will be appreciated that the decision of whether to implement the hardware components mechanically in dedicated and permanently configured circuitry or in temporarily configured (e.g., software-configured) circuitry can be made for cost and time considerations. Thus, the phrase "hardware component" (or "hardware-implemented component") should be understood to include a tangible entity, i.e., an entity that is physically constructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarily configured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or to perform certain operations described herein.

[0164] Consider an example where the hardware components are temporarily configured (e.g., programmed). It is not necessary to configure or instantiate each of the hardware components at any given time. For example, in a case where the hardware components include a general-purpose processor that is configured by software to become a dedicated processor, the general-purpose processor can be configured as different dedicated processors (e.g., including different hardware components) at different times. The software accordingly configures one or more specific processors to form a particular hardware component at one time and different hardware components at different times.

[0165] The hardware components can provide information to and receive information from other hardware components. Thus, the described hardware components can be considered to be communicatively coupled. In a case where multiple hardware components exist simultaneously, communication can be achieved through signal transmission (e.g., via appropriate circuitry and buses) between or among two or more of the hardware components. In an example where multiple hardware components are configured or instantiated at different times, such communication between the hardware components can be achieved, for example, by storing information in a memory structure to which the multiple hardware components have access and retrieving the information from the memory structure. For example, one hardware component can perform an operation and store the output of the operation in a memory device communicatively coupled to it. Then, other hardware components can access the memory device at a subsequent time to retrieve the stored output and process it. The hardware components can also initiate communication with an input device or an output device and can operate on resources (e.g., a collection of information).

[0166] The various operations of the example methods described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more processors temporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured to perform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanently configured, such processors can constitute processor-implemented components that operate to perform one or more of the operations or functions described herein. As used herein, a "processor-implemented component" refers to a hardware component implemented using one or more processors. Similarly, the methods described herein can be at least in part processor-implemented, where a particular one or more processors are examples of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations of the method can be performed by one or more processors 902 or processor-implemented components. Additionally, one or more processors can also operate to support the performance of the relevant operations in a "cloud computing" environment or as a "software as a service" (SaaS) operation. For example, at least some of the operations can be performed by a group of computers (as examples of machines including processors), where the operations can be accessed via a network (e.g., the Internet) and via one or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., APIs). The performance of certain operations can be distributed among the processors, not residing only within a single machine but deployed across many machines. In some examples, the processor or processor-implemented components can be located in a single geographical location (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or a server farm). In other examples, the processor or processor-implemented components can be distributed across many geographical locations.

[0167] "Computer-readable storage medium" refers to both machine storage media and transmission media. Thus, the term includes both storage devices / media and carrier / modulated data signals. The terms "machine-readable medium", "computer-readable medium", and "device-readable medium" mean the same thing and can be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0168] "Ephemeral message" refers to a message that is accessible for a limited duration. An ephemeral message can be text, an image, a video, etc. The access time of an ephemeral message can be set by the message sender. Alternatively, the access time can be a default setting or a setting specified by the recipient. Regardless of the setting technique, the message is transient.

[0169] "Machine storage medium" means a single or multiple storage devices and media that store executable instructions, routines, and data (e.g., centralized or distributed databases, and associated caches and servers). Accordingly, the term should be regarded as including, but not limited to, solid-state memory as well as optical and magnetic media, including memory internal or external to a processor. Specific examples of machine storage media, computer storage media, and device storage media include non-volatile memory, including, for example, semiconductor memory devices such as erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FPGA, and flash memory devices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The terms "machine storage medium", "device storage medium", and "computer storage medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure. The terms "machine storage medium", "computer storage medium", and "device storage medium" expressly exclude carrier waves, modulated data signals, and other such media, at least some of which are covered by the term "signal medium".

[0170] "Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" means a tangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executable by a machine.

[0171] "Signal medium" means any intangible medium capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions executable by a machine, and includes digital or analog communication signals or other intangible media that facilitate the communication of software or data. The term "signal medium" should be regarded as including any form of modulated data signal, carrier wave, etc. The term "modulated data signal" refers to a signal in which one or more of its characteristics are set or changed in a manner that encodes information in the signal. The terms "transmission medium" and "signal medium" mean the same thing and may be used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[0172] Changes and modifications may be made to the disclosed examples without departing from the scope of this disclosure. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure as expressed in the claims.

Claims

1. A method, comprising: displaying an image on an eye-wearable device worn by a user; detecting a gaze direction of the user's pupil; identifying a first region of the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil; and modifying a brightness value of a pixel in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in the first region of the image are set to a first brightness value and pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second brightness value lower than the first brightness value.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second region corresponds to a first distance from the first region of the image towards which the pupil is focused.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: identifying a third region of the image corresponding to a second distance from the first region of the image towards which the pupil is focused, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and in response to determining that the third region corresponds to the second distance greater than the first distance, setting pixels in the third region to a third brightness value lower than the second brightness value.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein displaying the image comprises: activating one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate light representing corresponding pixels of the image.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the image is displayed on an additional display device of the eye-wearable device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the eye-wearable device comprises an augmented reality device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the eye-wearable device comprises a virtual reality device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the image corresponds to augmented reality content superimposed on a real-world environment viewed using the eye-wearable device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the power consumed by one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) associated with pixels in the second region is lower than the power consumed by one or more LEDs associated with pixels in the first region.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: interpreting a fovea position corresponding to the first region based on detecting the gaze direction, wherein the brightness value is modified based on the fovea position.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising: determining a type of content displayed in the second region of the image; and selecting a minimum value of the second brightness value based on the type of the content.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: determining whether the type of the content corresponds to an augmented reality item or a real-world item in the image; in response to determining that the type of the content corresponds to an augmented reality item, selecting a first minimum value as the minimum value; and in response to determining that the type of the content corresponds to a real-world item, selecting a second minimum value as the minimum value.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein, the first minimum value is greater than the second minimum value.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein, the second minimum value is greater than the first minimum value.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein, after modifying the brightness value, the resolution of the first region matches the resolution of the second region.

16. A system, comprising: a processor of an eye-wearable device; and a memory component having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations including: displaying an image on the eye-wearable device worn by the user; detecting a gaze direction of the user's pupil; identifying a first region of the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil; and modifying the brightness value of pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in the first region of the image are set to a first brightness value and pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second brightness value lower than the first brightness value.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein, the second region corresponds to a first distance from the first region of the image at which the pupil focuses away from the pupil.

18. The system according to any one of claims 16 to 17, the operations comprising: identifying a third region of the image, the third region corresponding to a second distance from the first region of the image at which the pupil focuses away from the pupil, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and in response to determining that the third region corresponds to the second distance greater than the first distance, setting pixels in the third region to a third brightness value lower than the second brightness value.

19. The system according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein, displaying the image includes: activating one or more light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to generate light representing corresponding pixels of the image.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising: displaying an image on an eye-wearable device worn by the user; detecting a gaze direction of the user's pupil; identifying a first region in the image corresponding to the gaze direction of the pupil; and modifying the brightness value of pixels in the image based on the gaze direction such that pixels in the first region of the image are set to a first brightness value and pixels in a second region of the image are set to a second brightness value lower than the first brightness value.

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