Mixed Reality Edge Overlay for Smoke Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing augmented-reality solutions for limited-visibility environments can disrupt natural human vision by overlaying virtual content on real-world objects that are actually visible, leading to a disturbed view of the real-world scene.
Innovation Solution
A Mixed-Reality (MR) device equipped with both visible-range and extended-range sensors, which captures representations of real-world scenes and generates delta representations of edges that are only visible in the extended-range but not in the visible-range, allowing these edges to be displayed as an overlay without disturbing the natural view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If real-world objects are displayed as overlaid virtual content in limited-visibility environments, then the extended range visibility is improved, but the natural human vision view is disturbed or hampered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the edges of objects that are not visible in the visible spectrum but are detected in the extended range (e.g., infrared). By extracting only this specific information rather than displaying full virtual content, the system enhances visibility of hidden objects while minimizing disruption to the user's natural vision of visible objects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different display treatments to different regions of the field of view. Specifically, it overlays virtual content only on regions where objects are detected in extended range but not in visible range, while leaving regions with naturally visible objects undisturbed. This localized approach maintains natural vision quality in visible areas while providing enhanced information where needed.
2Reliability
If overlaid virtual content is displayed to enhance visibility, then objects in limited-visibility environments become visible, but the view of the real-world scene is disturbed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the limitation of human vision (inability to see in extended ranges like infrared) into a benefit by using sensors to detect what humans cannot see, then selectively displaying only the differences. This transforms the harmful limitation into a useful enhancement without introducing significant visual disturbance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by displaying only a subset of the detected extended-range information - specifically, only the edges of objects that are not already visible. This partial display approach provides sufficient information to improve object detection reliability while avoiding excessive virtual content that would cause visual disturbance.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2D
AI summary
A Mixed-Reality (MR) device for augmenting human vision in limited-visibility environments (e.g., due to smoke 103) is provided. The MR device comprises a visible-range sensor for capturing a visible-range representation of a real-world scene surrounding the MR device with a range commensurate with human vision,an extended-range sensor for capturing an extended-range representation of the real-world scene with an extended range wider than the range commensurate with human vision, a display, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry causes the MR device to be operative to generate a visible-range representation of edges of one or more physical objects (104) present in the real-world scene by extracting edges from the visible-range representation captured by the visible-range sensor, generate an extended-range representation of edges of the one or more physical objects (104) by extracting edges from the extended-range representation captured by the extended-range sensor, generate a delta representation of edges of the one or more physical objects (104), comprising edges present in the extended-range representation of edges but absent in the visible-range representation of edges (illustrated with thick lines in Fig. 2D), and display the delta representation of edges on the display.