Head-Up Display Eye-Tracking Fallback for Stable 3D Viewing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head-up displays (HUDs) face challenges in maintaining a continuous viewing experience when eye-tracking systems have low confidence in determining the user's eye position, particularly for 3D content with finite virtual image distances, and in compensating for complex windshield distortions.
Innovation Solution
The system uses eye-tracking to determine user positions with varying confidence levels, adjusting virtual image distances and hologram calculations to ensure continuous display, even when confidence is low, by projecting at infinite distances and incorporating eye-box positions to correct for windshield distortions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the system uses finite virtual image distances for 3D content display, then the viewing experience and depth perception are improved, but the system becomes sensitive to eye-tracking errors when confidence is low
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the virtual image distance based on eye-tracking confidence levels. When confidence is high, it uses finite distances for 3D content; when confidence drops below thresholds, it transitions to infinite distance or alternative display modes, ensuring continuous reliable operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the virtual image distance parameter from finite to infinite based on eye-tracking confidence thresholds. This parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain display continuity while adapting to varying eye-tracking reliability conditions
2Adaptability or versatility
If the system projects virtual images at finite distances for 3D content, then depth perception is enhanced, but image quality degrades when eye position determination is unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the virtual image distance parameter from finite to infinite based on eye-tracking confidence thresholds. This parameter adjustment allows the system to maintain display continuity while adapting to varying eye-tracking reliability conditions
3Measurement precision
If the system uses eye-tracking to determine precise eye positions, then hologram calculation accuracy is improved, but the system fails when eye-tracking confidence is low
Solution Approach 1:
The system prepares alternative display modes (infinite distance projection, different content presentations) in advance that can be activated when eye-tracking confidence drops, cushioning against potential failures and ensuring continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors eye-tracking confidence levels and uses this feedback to adjust hologram calculation parameters and display modes, transitioning between finite and infinite virtual image distances based on real-time confidence measurements
4Manufacturing precision
If the system compensates for windshield distortions using eye-box positions, then image quality is improved, but the complexity of hologram calculation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies distortion compensation specifically in the eye-box region where the user views the display, rather than uniformly across the entire field of view. This localized approach maintains image quality in the critical viewing area while reducing overall computational complexity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures a continuous and reliable viewing experience for safety-critical information by projecting virtual images at appropriate distances and compensating for optical distortions, even with unreliable eye-tracking, thereby maintaining image quality and driver safety.
Implementation Method 1
A spatial light modulator may be arranged to modulate the amplitude and/or phase of incident light
Implementation Method 2
Light scattered from an object contains both amplitude and phase information. This amplitude and phase information can be captured on, for example, a photosensitive plate by well-known interference techniques to form a holographic recording
Implementation Method 3
The display system comprises a waveguide pupil expander or replicator
Implementation Method 4
The hologram may be reconstructed by illumination with suitable light to form a two-dimensional or three-dimensional holographic reconstruction, or replay image, representative of the original object
Data Source
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AI summary
A display system having an eye-box or viewing window from within which image content formed by thereby can be seen. The display system comprises an image projector and a user-tracking system such as an eye-tracking system. The image projector is arranged to project a virtual image at a virtual image distance from the eye-box. In some embodiments, the image projector is arranged to project a first virtual image at a first virtual image distance and project a second virtual image at a second virtual image distance different to the first virtual image distance. The user-tracking system is arranged to try and determine an eye-box position of a user within the eye-box. The user-tracking system is further arranged to determine a corresponding confidence value or level associated with the determination. The image projector is arranged to project the virtual image at a finite virtual image distance if the confidence value is above a threshold value. The image projector is further arranged to project the virtual image at an infinite virtual image distance if the confidence value is below the threshold value.