Edge-of-View Visual Auras for Reduced AR Eye Strain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing VR, AR, and MR technologies struggle to provide a comfortable and natural-feeling presentation of virtual image elements within the user's field of view, often causing eye strain and discomfort due to mismatches between accommodative and vergence responses.
Innovation Solution
A wearable system that utilizes a stacked waveguide assembly with multiple depth planes to simulate three-dimensional imagery, incorporating inward- and outward-facing imaging systems to track user pose and render visual auras on the edge of the field of view for objects outside the current field of view, providing contextual cues through visual, audio, and tactile feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual image elements are presented within the user's field of view, then the user can perceive digital images as real, but eye strain and discomfort occur due to mismatches between accommodative and vergence responses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new spatial dimension by placing visual auras at the periphery of the field of view rather than directly in the center. This peripheral positioning allows contextual information to be conveyed without requiring the user's focal attention, thereby maintaining accommodation-vergence alignment for central visual elements while reducing eye strain through distributed peripheral cues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different visual presentation strategies to different spatial zones: central field of view elements maintain traditional immersive presentation for accurate perception, while peripheral elements use visual auras with adjusted properties (brightness, size, opacity) to provide contextual information without causing discomfort. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each zone for its specific function.
2Manufacturing precision
If the field of view is limited to what the display system can present, then digital images can be rendered clearly, but objects outside the field of view remain undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by detecting objects that are outside the current field of view using external sensors (cameras, LIDAR) and pre-rendering visual auras for these objects before they enter the user's direct line of sight. This allows the system to prepare contextual information in advance, so when objects enter the field of view, the user already has accumulated contextual cues, eliminating information loss without compromising central image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces visual auras as intermediary elements that bridge the gap between objects outside the field of view and the user's perception. These auras act as mediators by conveying essential object information (type, distance, relevance) through peripheral visual cues, allowing the user to detect and contextualize objects without directly viewing them, thus preventing information loss while maintaining central display precision.
3Loss of information
If visual auras are rendered for objects outside the field of view, then contextual cues are provided, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by using a single visual aura rendering mechanism to serve multiple functions: detecting objects outside the field of view, determining their contextual relevance, conveying object type and distance information, and guiding user attention. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems, reducing overall complexity while maintaining comprehensive contextual information delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by dynamically adjusting visual aura properties (brightness, size, opacity, color) based on object characteristics and user context. This allows a single visual aura system to convey multiple types of information through parameter variation alone, eliminating the need for multiple distinct visual indicators and thereby reducing system complexity while preserving rich contextual information.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wearable device can have a field of view through which a user can perceive real or virtual objects. The device can display a visual aura representing contextual information associated with an object that is outside the user's field of view. The visual aura can be displayed near an edge of the field of view and can dynamically change as the contextual information associated with the object changes, e.g., the relative position of the object and the user (or the user's field of view) changes.