See-Through HMD Image Processing for Selective Real-Object Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mixed reality systems using see-through HMDs struggle with maintaining wearer concentration and immersion due to real objects in the visual field, such as people or obstacles, which interfere with the display of important real objects like keyboards, and previous techniques fail to address this issue by making virtual objects transparent.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus that sets a reference depth based on user input, allowing real objects within this depth to be visible while objects beyond it are invisible, by combining real and virtual images using depth information and user-defined boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If real objects are made visible in the mixed reality image, then the wearer can see important objects like keyboards, but other real objects may distract the wearer and impair concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making different regions of the mixed reality image have different transparency properties. Specifically, the system identifies important real objects (like keyboards) and makes them visible, while making other real objects transparent to eliminate distractions. This selective transparency based on local region importance resolves the contradiction between visibility and distraction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the real space into multiple regions based on their importance to the wearer's task. By dividing the visual field into important regions (where real objects should be visible) and non-important regions (where real objects should be transparent), the system resolves the contradiction by applying different transparency treatments to different segments of the scene.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a see-through HMD displays a combined image of real and virtual objects, then the wearer can see both real and virtual objects simultaneously, but real objects in the visual field may interfere with the wearer's concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains the ability to display both real and virtual objects simultaneously while improving concentration by applying local quality differentiation. Important real objects remain visible to maintain task reliability, while non-important real objects are made transparent to reduce distractions. This selective approach preserves versatility while enhancing reliability.
3Loss of information
If virtual objects are made transparent within a predetermined distance, then the wearer can see real objects behind them, but this technique does not address the problem of real objects distracting the wearer
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of making virtual objects transparent to see real objects (the conventional approach), the patent inverts the approach by making real objects transparent selectively. This inversion allows the system to control which real objects are visible and which are hidden, thereby solving both the visibility problem and the distraction problem simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
In a mixed reality image using a see-through HMD, a wearer's concentration and immersion are improved. In an image processing apparatus generating a mixed reality image which is obtained by combining a real image with a virtual reality image and is displayed on a see-through captured image display device worn on a person's head, an area of the mixed reality image in which a real object seen in the real image is visible is determined based on an instruction from a wearer and the mixed reality image is generated by combining the real image with the virtual reality image according to the determined area.