Occlusion-capable AR Display Using Cloaking Optics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current augmented reality (AR) systems struggle to provide occluded and high-contrast AR content that maintains the user's perspective, as they often invert the real-world image and change the user's perspective point, making the AR content appear semi-transparent and unable to display black colors effectively.
Innovation Solution
An AR system with a mask display screen and an AR display screen that occludes a portion of the user's view and inserts AR content at the occluded location, using a mathematical model to maintain the user's perspective by adjusting the characteristics and spacing of focusing elements, and optionally incorporating reflective surfaces to fold the optical path, ensuring the AR content appears opaque and integrated into the environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a lens is used to focus the real-world onto a plane with a first display to create a black silhouette for occlusion, then the AR content appearance becomes more vibrant and high-contrast, but the real-world image is inverted and the user's perspective is moved to a point in front of the AR display
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is segmented into multiple functional components: a first lens for focusing real-world light, a first display for creating the occlusion silhouette, a second lens for collimating and combining images, and a second display for generating AR content. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function without interfering with the overall perspective maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
A beam combiner is introduced as an intermediary element that merges the occluded real-world image from the first display with the AR content from the second display. The beam combiner enables both images to coexist in the same optical path while maintaining their respective characteristics, including the correct orientation of the real-world image
2Illumination intensity
If the real-world image is occluded before combining with AR content, then the AR content can display black colors and achieve high contrast, but the AR content appears semi-transparent and cannot effectively occlude the background
Solution Approach 1:
The real-world image is occluded in advance by the first display before being combined with the AR content. This preliminary occlusion creates a black silhouette that serves as a background for the AR content, enabling the AR content to display black colors effectively and appear opaque rather than semi-transparent
Solution Approach 2:
The occluded real-world image and the AR content are merged using a beam combiner, allowing both images to be combined in the same optical path. The merging process maintains the occlusion effect while integrating the AR content seamlessly, ensuring the AR content appears opaque and effectively occludes the background
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for vibrant, high-contrast AR content that includes black colors while maintaining the user's perspective, preventing the inversion of the real-world image and ensuring the AR content appears at the correct distance and depth within the environment, enhancing the integration of AR elements into the real world.
Implementation Method 1
a first focusing element configured to receive light defining a view of a user environment
Implementation Method 2
a mask display screen configured to occlude a selected portion of the view as the received light passes through the mask display screen
Implementation Method 3
a second focusing element configured to emit the view containing the AR content to a user
Implementation Method 4
a plurality of reflective surfaces configured to redirect an optical path of the received light as the received light travels between the first and second focusing elements
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein describe AR systems that provide occluded AR content to a user while maintaining the perspective of the user. In one embodiment, the AR system includes an optical cloak that contains a mask display device and an AR display device and one or more focusing elements for focusing light captured from the user's environment. As the light enters the optical cloak, the mask display device occludes a portion of the user's view to generate a black silhouette. The AR system then combines AR content displayed by the AR display device with the image of the environment such that the location of the AR content overlaps with the location of the black silhouette. Furthermore, the spacing and characteristics of the focusing elements is set to maintain the perspective of the user as the light passes through the optical cloak.