Corneal Reflections for Peripheral Object Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Central vision focus reduces situational awareness, as peripheral vision has limited resolution and plays a crucial role in detecting objects and activities outside the central field of view.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method that capture and process corneal reflections to detect objects and activities in the peripheral field of view, providing alerts to the user through visual, auditory, or haptic outputs, enhancing situational awareness by distinguishing between central and peripheral reflections.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If central vision is focused towards a task, then visual acuity for the task is improved, but situational awareness is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual acuityVSAvoidsituational awareness

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the visual field into central and peripheral portions, using the cornea to reflect and capture peripheral visual information separately from central vision. This allows the user to maintain focused central vision for tasks while simultaneously capturing peripheral objects through corneal reflections, thus resolving the contradiction between visual acuity and situational awareness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cornea acts as an intermediary element that captures peripheral visual information without requiring the user to shift their central focus. By using the corneal reflection as a mediator, the system enables peripheral object detection while maintaining central vision concentration on the primary task.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If peripheral vision is used to detect objects, then situational awareness is improved, but detection precision is reduced due to limited resolution

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesituational awarenessVSAvoiddetection resolution

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from direct peripheral vision detection to indirect detection through corneal reflections. By capturing images of the cornea that reflect peripheral objects, the system obtains peripheral visual information in a different dimensional space (the corneal surface), allowing for enhanced processing and analysis of peripheral objects with improved precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

Improves real-time situational awareness by alerting users to peripheral objects and activities, reducing collision hazards and promoting evasive actions that might otherwise be overlooked.

Implementation Method 1

detect one or more objects and/or activities based on one or more reflections by a peripheral portion of the cornea

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectReflection: Reflection

Data Source

PatentUS11328508B2Alerts based on corneal reflections

Publication Date: 2022.05.10 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY

AI summary

According to various, but not necessarily all, embodiments there is provided an apparatus comprising means for: capturing at least one image of a cornea of the user; processing the at least one image to detect one or more objects and/or activities based on one or more reflections by a peripheral portion of the cornea; and providing an alert to the user for alerting the user to the detection of the one or more objects and/or activities.