Head-Mounted Display Gaze-Region Processing for Reduced Display Latency

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing head-mounted display systems face a trade-off between high-definition image processing and timely image display, leading to user discomfort due to lag in displaying images that follow the user's head movements.

Innovation Solution

The system varies the processing fineness of image analysis and generation based on regions within the image plane, prioritizing higher processing for areas of focus to enhance timeliness and quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If high-definition image processing is performed for the entire image, then image quality is improved, but processing time increases causing display lag

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoiddisplay latency
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different processing fineness to different regions of the image based on the user's gaze position. The gaze region (where the user is looking) receives high-definition processing, while non-gaze regions receive lower-resolution processing. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining high image quality only where needed, reducing overall processing time and display latency while preserving visual fidelity in the critical gaze area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The image is divided into multiple regions: gaze region and non-gaze regions. Each region is processed at different fineness levels independently. This segmentation allows the system to prioritize processing resources for the gaze region, achieving high-definition display where the user actually looks, while reducing processing burden on peripheral areas, thus balancing quality and timeliness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If high-definition image processing is performed, then image quality is improved, but data processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimage qualityVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system determines the user's gaze position and applies high-definition processing only to the gaze region, while using lower-resolution processing for non-gaze regions. This local differentiation reduces the total data volume requiring high-definition processing, simplifying the overall processing complexity while maintaining high image quality in the critical viewing area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

By segmenting the image into gaze and non-gaze regions, the system can apply different processing pipelines to each segment. This reduces the complexity of processing the entire image at high definition, as only a portion requires intensive processing, making the system more manageable and efficient.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3422296B1Information processing device, information processing system, and information processing method
Publication Date: 2025.09.24 SONY INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT LLC
  • EP3422296B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3422296B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3422296B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

In an information processing device 200, a photographed image acquiring unit 250 acquires an image which has been photographed by a camera attached to a head mount display 100. A region determining unit 254 predicts a region which a user gazes at in a display image. An image analyzing unit 258 has a first fineness processing unit 270 and a second fineness processing unit 272, with the former analyzing a region corresponding to the gaze region in the photographed image with a higher fineness than the latter. An information processing unit 260 performs information processing by using the result of analysis. An image generating unit 262 has a first fineness processing unit 274 and a second fineness processing unit 276, with the former generating a display image on the gaze region with a higher fineness than the latter. An output unit 264 sends data of the display image to the head mount display 100.