3D Media Reprojection for User-Specific Interpupillary Distance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing 3D media items captured with a fixed inter-axial distance (IAD) often fail to match individual users' interpupillary distances (IPDs), leading to sub-optimal viewing experiences due to scale perception difficulties and vergence conflicts.

Innovation Solution

A system and method to generate multiple versions of 3D media items that are synthesized to accommodate various IPDs by reprojecting image frames, allowing playback devices to select the appropriate version based on user IPD, either on the device or a network device with less processing constraints.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If 3D media is captured with a fixed inter-axial distance (IAD), then the media can be stored and distributed efficiently, but it cannot accommodate users with different interpupillary distances (IPDs) leading to sub-optimal viewing experiences

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to different IPDsVSAvoidcomplexity of providing multiple IPD versions

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-generates multiple versions of 3D media items, each synthesized for a specific target IPD, before the user requests playback. This preliminary synthesis allows the media server to store and serve pre-processed content without requiring real-time processing, thus improving adaptability while managing complexity through advance preparation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the IAD parameter of the 3D media by synthesizing multiple versions with different inter-axial distances corresponding to different target IPDs. This parameter transformation enables a single captured media item to be adapted to multiple user IPDs, resolving the contradiction between fixed capture configuration and variable user requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple versions of 3D media are synthesized for different IPDs, then adaptability to various users is improved, but processing requirements and system complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport for multiple IPDsVSAvoidprocessing power requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The media server acts as an intermediary between the original 3D media capture and the user's playback device. It performs the computationally intensive synthesis operation once and stores the result, then serves multiple users without requiring each client device to have high processing power. This intermediary approach shifts the processing burden from client devices to the server

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs the IPD synthesis operation in advance during media preparation, rather than requiring real-time processing at the client device. This preliminary action reduces the processing power requirements of playback devices while maintaining support for multiple IPDs

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Manufacturing precision

If 3D media is reprojected to match user IPD, then viewing quality and depth perception are improved, but processing time and resource consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprecision of depth and scale perceptionVSAvoidprocessing time for IPD synthesis

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs the reprojection and synthesis operations in advance during media preparation, before the user requests playback. This preliminary processing ensures that when the user views the content, the correctly synthesized version is already ready, eliminating processing time delays during actual viewing while maintaining high depth perception precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares multiple pre-synthesized versions of the media in advance, cushioning against the potential time consumption of real-time processing. By having pre-computed versions ready, the system ensures immediate playback quality without requiring computational resources during the critical viewing moment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS12574613B1Multiple inter-pupillary distance streams

Publication Date: 2026.03.10 APPLE INC

AI summary

Providing multiple versions of a 3D media item includes obtaining a 3D media item associated with a first interpupillary distance, synthesizing a plurality of additional versions of the 3D media item each associated with an additional interpupillary distance, and providing the 3D media item and the plurality of additional versions of the 3D media item to one or more playback devices. For each additional interpupillary distance, the 3D media item is reprojected based on a particular additional interpupillary distance and a predetermined depth.