HMD Image Transfer Bandwidth Reduction via Stencil Mesh
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transfer of image data from a rendering computer to a head-mounted display (HMD) often requires significant bandwidth, leading to increased power consumption, thermal issues, and reduced image quality due to the need to transmit large amounts of data, including inactive pixels outside the viewable area.
Innovation Solution
The technique reduces bandwidth by not transferring inactive pixels or pixel data outside the viewable area, using active processing to reposition images based on interpupillary distance (IPD) and employing a stencil mesh to identify and exclude inactive pixels from the data transfer, thereby optimizing the image transfer over wired or wireless connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If image data including inactive pixels is transferred from rendering computer to HMD, then complete image information is transmitted, but bandwidth consumption increases and power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes inactive pixel data from the image transfer stream. By identifying pixels outside the viewable area (determined by HMD field of view parameters) and excluding them from transmission, the system reduces bandwidth consumption and power usage while maintaining complete transmission of all visually relevant image information to the HMD.
2Manufacturing precision
If large amounts of image data are transferred over the link, then image quality is maintained, but thermal performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes thermally unnecessary data transmissions by extracting only the active pixel information required for the HMD display. By calculating the viewable area based on HMD optical parameters and transferring only pixels within this area, the system reduces data transfer volume and associated thermal load while preserving complete transmission of all pixels that will actually be displayed.
3Loss of information
If inactive pixels are included in the transfer, then no data is lost, but transfer bandwidth increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates inactive pixel data from the transfer stream by determining the HMD's viewable area parameters and excluding pixels outside this region. This extraction process maintains complete transmission of all visually relevant information while significantly reducing the total data volume transferred, thereby improving transfer efficiency and bandwidth utilization.
4Device complexity
If all pixels including those outside viewable area are transmitted, then image rendering is simplified, but link bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary calculation of the HMD's viewable area parameters (field of view angles, pixel density, active display region) before the image transfer process. This preliminary action enables the rendering system to pre-identify and exclude inactive pixels from the transfer stream, reducing data volume without requiring complex post-processing or additional rendering operations at the HMD.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for an HMD system including an HMD and a computing device. The computing device to render an image for the HMD, and transfer the image to the HMD without inactive pixels of the image. The inactive pixels include pixels outside of a viewable area of the image.