Head-mountable display interocular distance estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head-mountable displays (HMDs) lack an efficient method to automatically determine the interocular distance of users, which is essential for adjusting the display settings to provide a comfortable and realistic viewing experience, as this distance varies among individuals.
Innovation Solution
A head-mountable display system equipped with a camera and motion detector that captures the user's eyes and tracks the movement of the HMD, allowing a controller to estimate the interocular distance by processing the relative separation of the eyes and the movement of the device, enabling adjustments to the video image positions and optical elements for improved alignment and comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual configuration of interocular distance is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring user adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The HMD system automatically determines the user's interocular distance through self-service mechanisms. The camera captures images of the user's eyes, the motion detector tracks head movements, and the controller processes this data to calculate and store the interocular distance without requiring manual user input or adjustment, thereby improving ease of operation while accepting increased device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by capturing eye images and determining interocular distance during the initial setup phase before actual use. This preliminary measurement is stored and used for subsequent operations, eliminating the need for manual configuration during normal operation and improving ease of operation
2Measurement precision
If automated eye tracking is implemented, then measurement precision of interocular distance is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The camera and motion detector serve multiple functions: the camera captures eye images for interocular distance measurement and can also capture display content, while the motion detector tracks head movements for stability detection and can also assist in determining spatial relationships. This multi-functionality improves measurement precision while mitigating the increase in device complexity by reusing existing components
Solution Approach 2:
The controller acts as an intermediary that processes data from the camera and motion detector to determine interocular distance. It captures images, detects motion signals, processes this information through algorithms, and stores the results. This intermediary processing layer improves measurement precision by systematically analyzing sensor data while managing the complexity through centralized control
3Adaptability or versatility
If interocular distance determination is added, then adaptability to different users is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional determination mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically adapts to different users through self-service mechanisms. When a new user wears the HMD, the camera captures their eye images, the motion detector tracks their head movements, and the controller processes this data to determine their specific interocular distance, which is then stored for personalized display optimization, thereby improving adaptability without requiring manual configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by determining and storing each user's interocular distance during their first use or setup phase. This preliminary measurement is saved in memory and automatically applied during subsequent operations, enabling the system to adapt to different users while managing complexity through one-time setup procedures
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A head-mountable display comprises a frame which is configured to be mounted on a user's head, a camera (600) mounted on the frame for capturing a view of the user's eyes, a motion detector (610) for detecting motion of the head mountable display device and for generating a motion signal representing a movement of the head mountable display with respect to time, and a controller. The controller is configured to estimate a distance Dr between the user's eyes by capturing a relative separation of the user's eyes from an image of the user's eyes captured by the camera at a start position, to process a motion period of the motion signal corresponding to a process in which the user moves the head mountable display from the start position (900) to dispose the head mountable display on the user's head at an end position, and to estimate a displacement of the user's eyes with respect to the frame by determining a distance Dx from the start position of the head mountable display at which the image of the user's eyes was captured to the end position in which the head mountable display is disposed on the user's head. The head mountable display can be arranged therefore to adjust a relative position at which a first image is displayed to one of the user's eyes and position at which a second image is displayed to the other of the user's eyes in accordance with the estimated distance between the user's eyes so as to provide an improved viewing experience.