AR Contrast Ratio Control Using Auto-Tinting and Ambient Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing AR systems struggle to adjust display brightness and lens transmission uniformly across different AR content types, leading to suboptimal user experiences due to global dimming and fixed white-point brightness settings.
Innovation Solution
An auto-tinting mechanism adjusts display brightness and lens dimming based on world brightness measurements and combined target contrast ratios for multiple AR content types, using disparity image sensors to indirectly measure ambient light without dedicated hardware.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If global dimming is applied to adjust display brightness for different AR content types, then energy consumption is reduced and display comfort is improved, but all content receives uniform brightness adjustment which degrades visual quality for content types requiring different contrast ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the AR content into different types (e.g., video, text, graphics) and applies different contrast ratio settings to each type. The system determines a first contrast ratio for video content and a second contrast ratio for text/graphics content, allowing each content type to have optimized display parameters rather than applying a uniform global dimming setting to all content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying different brightness and contrast characteristics to different regions or content types within the same AR display. Video content receives one set of display parameters while text and graphics content receive different parameters, ensuring each content type displays with optimal quality for its specific requirements.
2Device complexity
If fixed white-point brightness settings are used, then device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but the system cannot adapt to different ambient light conditions or content types leading to suboptimal user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic brightness control where the system continuously monitors ambient light conditions and automatically adjusts display parameters accordingly. The white-point brightness is no longer fixed but dynamically adapts based on detected ambient light levels and content type, allowing the system to optimize user experience across varying environmental conditions without requiring complex manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by monitoring ambient light conditions and content characteristics, then using this information to automatically adjust display brightness and contrast settings. This closed-loop approach allows the system to adapt to changing conditions while maintaining manageable device complexity through automated control algorithms.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform lens transmission is applied across all AR content, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but visual clarity and comfort are degraded for diverse content types requiring different transparency levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the optical path to apply different transmission characteristics to different content types. By identifying whether content is video or text/graphics, the system applies appropriate lens transmission settings, allowing video content to benefit from higher transmission while text and graphics can use lower transmission for enhanced contrast and readability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes optical parameters (lens transmission, display brightness) based on content type and ambient conditions. Rather than manufacturing different physical lenses for different content types, the system adjusts transmission parameters through electronic control, maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving optimized visual clarity for each content category.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, system, and method for contrast ratio adjustment in a multi-application augmented reality (AR) environment are described herein. In some aspects, methods include receiving first AR content and second AR content to be provided to a user of a head-mounted display. A combined target contrast ratio based at least in part on the first AR content and the second AR content is generated. The combined target contrast ratio is used to adjust a contrast ratio of the head-mounted display by adjusting a display brightness or adjusting a global dimming of a lens of the head-mounted display.