Head-Mounted Passthrough Video Fallback Without Power Cycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-mounted devices face challenges in maintaining a stable passthrough video feed when processing subsystems crash, leading to visual discomfort for the user due to potential system restarts and degraded video quality.
Innovation Solution
The device includes dedicated and auxiliary compute blocks for processing video feeds, with the ability to switch between different passthrough modes based on processing circuit conditions, ensuring a reliable video feed by bypassing or using fallback settings for faulty auxiliary blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the head-mounted device uses multiple processing subsystems for video feed processing, then the video processing capability and features are improved, but the system reliability deteriorates when subsystems crash
Solution Approach 1:
The processing system is divided into multiple independent subsystems (first subsystem for basic video processing, second subsystem for extended reality content, third subsystem for gaze tracking, fourth subsystem for head pose tracking). Each subsystem can be independently activated or deactivated based on operational conditions, allowing the system to maintain core functionality even when specific subsystems fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its operational mode based on the status of processing subsystems. When all subsystems are functional, the device operates in full-featured mode with all processing capabilities enabled. When subsystems fail, the system automatically transitions to simplified modes with reduced processing features, ensuring continuous operation with degraded but stable functionality.
2Reliability
If the device restarts failing components when a crash occurs, then the system attempts to recover functionality, but the visual quality of the video feed deteriorates and user comfort is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares fallback processing modes in advance before any crash occurs. These simplified processing modes are pre-configured to provide stable, basic video feed processing. When a crash occurs, the system can immediately transition to these pre-prepared fallback modes without interruption or degradation in visual quality, cushioning the user from experiencing visual discomfort during recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs simplified processing modes that use fewer computational resources and simpler algorithms as fallback options. These fallback modes are designed to be computationally lightweight and visually adequate rather than optimal, providing sufficient video feed quality for navigation and awareness without requiring complex processing that could fail again.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the device operates in full-featured video passthrough mode, then the video processing features are comprehensive, but the system becomes more vulnerable to crashes and instability
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts its processing configuration based on real-time monitoring of subsystem stability. When operating conditions are favorable and all subsystems are stable, the system activates full-featured mode with comprehensive video processing capabilities. When instability is detected or subsystems fail, the system automatically reduces the processing configuration to a stable core subset, maintaining system composition stability while preserving essential functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A head-mounted device is provided that includes one or more cameras configured to acquire a raw video feed and one or more displays configured to present a passthrough video feed to a user. Generation of the passthrough video feed can involve processing the raw video feed using an image signal processor and auxiliary compute blocks. One or more of the auxiliary compute blocks can be bypassed in response to detecting one or more failures associated with the auxiliary compute blocks. Configured and operated in this way, the head-mounted device can fall back to a more reliable passthrough video feed without having to power cycle the head-mounted device when a failure occurs.