Head-mounted display with high resolution inset and eye tracking

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional head-mounted displays waste resources by emitting high resolution images outside the fovea region of the human eye, where they cannot be perceived effectively, due to constant resolution imaging that does not match the varying acuity of the retina.

Innovation Solution

A head-mounted display generates composite content at retinal resolution by combining a background region of lower resolution with a high resolution inset region, using a transitional portion to smoothly blend resolutions, and includes a steerable inset region that adjusts based on eye tracking to center on the user's gaze direction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If high resolution images are emitted across the entire field of view, then image quality is improved, but power consumption and processing resources are wasted in regions where high resolution cannot be perceived

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage resolutionVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by rendering different regions of the display at different resolutions. The foveal region (center of vision) receives high-resolution rendering while peripheral regions receive lower-resolution rendering, matching the non-uniform acuity of the human retina. This resolves the contradiction by providing high image quality only where it can be perceived while reducing power consumption in peripheral regions where high resolution is unnecessary.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs dynamic resolution adjustment by tracking eye gaze and dynamically repositioning the high-resolution rendering region to follow the user's foveal direction. As the user moves their eyes across the field of view, the high-resolution inset dynamically relocates to maintain alignment with the fovea, optimizing both image quality and power consumption in real-time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Measurement precision

If high resolution images are emitted across the entire field of view, then image quality is improved, but processing resources are wasted rendering details that cannot be perceived outside the fovea

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimage resolutionVSAvoidprocessing efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by rendering different regions of the display at different resolutions. The foveal region (center of vision) receives high-resolution rendering while peripheral regions receive lower-resolution rendering, matching the non-uniform acuity of the human retina. This resolves the contradiction by providing high image quality only where it can be perceived while reducing power consumption in peripheral regions where high resolution is unnecessary.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs dynamic resolution adjustment by tracking eye gaze and dynamically repositioning the high-resolution rendering region to follow the user's foveal direction. As the user moves their eyes across the field of view, the high-resolution inset dynamically relocates to maintain alignment with the fovea, optimizing both image quality and power consumption in real-time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If variable resolution rendering is implemented to match retinal acuity, then resource efficiency is improved, but image seamless blending between regions becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource efficiencyVSAvoidimage processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a transitional portion as an intermediary region between the high-resolution inset and the low-resolution background. This transitional zone contains intermediate resolution values that smoothly bridge the gap between the two distinct resolution regions, preventing abrupt visual discontinuities and making the composite image seamless to the viewer.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by continuously varying the resolution parameter across the transitional portion, creating a gradient from high to low resolution. This gradual parameter transition smooths the visual discontinuity between regions of different resolutions, reducing the complexity of image processing required to create seamless blending.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10140695B2Head-mounted compound display including a high resolution inset

Publication Date: 2018.11.27 META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

A head-mounted display (HMD) that includes a high resolution (HR) inset display and a peripheral display. The HR inset display is configured to display an inset region that includes a portion of an image at a first resolution that corresponds to a resolution of a fovea region of a human eye. The peripheral display displays a background region, the background region having a second resolution that is less than the first resolution, the second resolution corresponding to a resolution of a non-fovea region of the human eye. The HMD includes an optics block that combines the inset region and the background region to create composite content at retinal resolution, and direct the composite content to an exit pupil of the HMD corresponding to a location of an eye of a user of the HMD.