AR Display Luminance Adjustment via Gaze Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

Augmented reality devices face overheating and increased size due to high power consumption, leading to discomfort and potential injury, as well as inefficiencies in battery size and weight, which current cooling solutions struggle to address effectively.

Innovation Solution

The system dynamically adjusts the luminance of an augmented reality scene based on the user's gaze, using sensors to determine the location of focus and controlling optical engine power consumption, thereby reducing overall heat and device size by optimizing power usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Illumination intensity

If AR systems continuously render displays at high luminance, then image quality and user experience are improved, but power consumption increases causing overheating and device size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveluminanceVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts luminance based on real-time gaze detection. When the user's gaze is directed at a specific region, that region receives high luminance for optimal viewing quality. When gaze moves away or is not detected, luminance is reduced or turned off, thereby reducing power consumption and heat generation while maintaining good user experience during actual viewing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of uniformly applying high luminance across the entire display, the system applies high luminance only to the specific region where the user is looking (detected via gaze sensors). Other regions operate at lower luminance or remain dark, providing local optimization of power consumption while maintaining image quality where needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Temperature

If cooling components are added to manage heat, then overheating is prevented, but device size and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinternal temperatureVSAvoiddevice weight

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potential harm of high power consumption into a benefit by using gaze-based dynamic luminance adjustment. This reduces overall power consumption and heat generation, meaning less aggressive cooling is needed, thereby reducing the size and weight of cooling components while still preventing overheating.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Use of energy by moving object

If display luminance is reduced to save power, then power consumption decreases, but image quality and visibility deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower consumptionVSAvoidimage quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses dynamic luminance adjustment triggered by gaze detection. When gaze is detected, luminance is increased to provide high-quality images. When gaze is not detected or moves to non-critical regions, luminance is reduced to save power. This dynamic switching maintains image quality during viewing while reducing power consumption during non-viewing periods.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS11506890B2Adjustment of luminance within an augmented reality scene

Publication Date: 2022.11.22 LENOVO SWITZERLAND INTERNATIONAL GMBH

AI summary

One embodiment provides a method, including: producing, using one or more optical engines of an augmented reality display, an augmented reality scene; determining, using at least one sensor, a location of a gaze of the user on the augmented reality display; identifying, based upon the location of the gaze, at least one object a user is viewing; and adjusting, based upon identification of the at least one object, luminance within the augmented reality scene. Other aspects are described and claimed.