HMD Image Sensor Array for Accurate Eye-Level Perspective Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional head-mounted displays (HMDs) fail to accurately capture live video from the user's perspective due to camera placement issues, such as lateral distance and elevation discrepancies, which affect the captured perspective compared to the user's natural view.
Innovation Solution
An image sensor array is implemented, comprising a left and right portion of image sensors positioned to capture image data from the perspective of each eye, allowing for accurate live video capture and combination, similar to regular cameras positioned at the user's eye location, with the ability to integrate this data into a display for virtual, mixed, or augmented reality experiences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If two regular cameras are placed on the HMD in front of the user's eyes, then the HMD can capture live video, but the captured perspective is inaccurate due to lateral distance and elevation discrepancies from the user's eyes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the imaging system into multiple image sensors arranged in arrays for the left and right eyes. Each sensor captures a specific portion of the visual field, and the combined data from multiple sensors reconstructs the accurate perspective from the user's eye location, eliminating the need for complex single-camera positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple image sensors into integrated arrays that work together to capture the complete field of view from the user's perspective. By merging the data from multiple sensors positioned at different locations, the system achieves accurate perspective capture that no single camera could provide alone.
2Ease of manufacture
If cameras are placed on the HMD at a location other than the user's eyes, then the HMD structure is simpler, but the captured video perspective differs from the user's natural view
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses multiple image sensors to create copies of the visual scene from slightly different positions, similar to how multiple cameras would capture the same scene. By processing and combining these copied perspectives, the system reconstructs the accurate view from the user's eye location without requiring physical cameras at that exact position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms as intermediaries that take the raw data from multiple sensors positioned at convenient locations and transform it into accurate perspective video. These intermediary processing steps bridge the gap between the physical sensor positions and the desired virtual eye-position perspective.
3Device complexity
If cameras are placed above the user's eyes on the forehead, then the HMD structure is simplified, but the camera height creates elevation discrepancies causing inaccurate perspective capture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the imaging function across multiple sensors positioned at different elevations and lateral positions. This segmentation allows the system to capture visual information from various heights, and through processing, reconstruct the accurate perspective as if captured from the user's eye elevation, eliminating the need to position all sensors at the exact eye level.
Data Source
AI summary
Head-mounted Displays (HMDs) are commonly used for virtual reality, mixed reality, and augmented reality. HMDs are, by definition, worn on the head of a user to provide a display in the line of sight of the user. By viewing the display, the user is able to experience one of the aforementioned types of reality. Oftentimes, HMDs are configured to integrate live video captured from the user's perspective, especially in the case of the HMD providing augmented reality where a virtual environment is combined with video of the real world. The present disclosure provides a configuration for a HMD having an array of image sensors to accurately capture image data to form the live video from the user's perspective.