AR Eyewear Ghost Buster Reflective Lens Array
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional augmented reality eyewear fails to effectively block environmental light from shining through virtual objects, making them appear transparent and 'ghost-like', especially in bright environments.
Innovation Solution
The use of eyewear with a frame, at least one lens, and an array of selectively-movable reflective elements that can be configured to either allow environmental light to pass through or block it, ensuring that virtual objects appear solid by reflecting light from the light emitter back to the eye.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If conventional augmented reality eyewear uses transparent lenses to allow environmental light to pass through, then the user can see their environment clearly, but virtual objects appear transparent and ghost-like because environmental light shines through them
Solution Approach 1:
The lens is segmented into multiple independently controllable regions or pixels, allowing selective control of light transmission in different areas. This enables the system to block environmental light only in regions where virtual objects are displayed while maintaining transparency in other regions, thus preventing the ghost-like appearance without compromising overall environmental visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The lens incorporates dynamically adjustable properties through liquid crystal elements or microlens arrays that can change their light transmission characteristics in real-time. This dynamic control allows the lens to adapt its transparency selectively, blocking environmental light where needed for virtual object display while remaining transparent elsewhere, resolving the contradiction between environmental visibility and virtual object solidity
2Reliability
If the eyewear blocks environmental light to make virtual objects appear solid, then virtual object visibility improves, but the user's view of the environment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the lens have different optical properties - some regions are transparent for environmental viewing while others are opaque or reflective for virtual object display. This local differentiation allows the lens to simultaneously provide both environmental visibility and solid virtual object appearance in different spatial zones, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements
3Device complexity
If a fixed transparent lens is used, then the structure is simple, but the lens cannot selectively block light in specific areas, causing virtual objects to appear ghost-like
Solution Approach 1:
The lens performs multiple functions simultaneously - it acts as both a transparent window for environmental viewing and a controllable light blocking element for virtual object display. By integrating these dual functions into a single component through technologies like liquid crystal layers or programmable microlens arrays, the system achieves selective light control without requiring separate components, thus managing complexity while improving virtual object appearance
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
This configuration prevents environmental light from interfering with virtual objects, enhancing their visibility and solidity, thereby reducing the 'ghost-like' appearance in augmented reality displays.
Implementation Method 1
an array of selectively-movable reflective elements that can be configured to either allow environmental light to pass through or block it, ensuring that virtual objects appear solid by reflecting light from the light emitter back to the eye
Implementation Method 2
a first reflector in the array of reflectors, wherein the first reflector has a first configuration which allows a first amount of light from the environment to pass through the lens, wherein the first reflector has a second configuration in which the first reflector blocks a second amount of light from the environment from passing through the lens
Data Source
AI summary
This invention is augmented reality eyewear with a radial, honeycomb, or nested-ring array of selectively-movable reflective elements. These reflective elements can each be moved from a first configuration which is parallel to a line of sight from an eye to a second configuration which is perpendicular to this line of sight. The second configuration reflects light displaying a virtual image to the eye and blocks environmental light in the area of the virtual image. Since light from the environment does not shine through the virtual object, the virtual object appears solid instead of “ghost like.”