Near-Eye Display Vision Enhancement via Digital Contour Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional low vision aids are ineffective in managing complex eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, end-stage glaucoma, and Stargardt's disease, which cause permanent loss of central or peripheral vision, as they fail to provide adequate enhancement for navigating and reading due to limitations in magnification, contrast, and field of view.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and device that processes images from a user's left and right viewpoints, applying image transformations such as contour detection and graphical indication to enhance visibility, specifically for users with low vision, by combining transformed images on a near-eye display to provide augmented reality-like enhancements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional low vision aids (magnifiers, telescopes) are used to provide increased magnification, then magnification power is improved, but the field of view is reduced and contrast enhancement is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional optical magnification systems with electronic image capture and processing. Instead of using physical magnifying lenses that narrow the field of view, the system uses cameras to capture images and then applies digital transformations to enhance magnification while maintaining a wider field of view through computational methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies multiple image transformations that modify parameters such as contrast, brightness, saturation, and sharpness independently. By changing these parameters digitally rather than optically, the system can enhance magnification power while preserving the field of view and improving contrast simultaneously.
2Measurement precision
If conventional low vision aids are used to provide higher magnification, then detail visibility is improved, but contrast enhancement is insufficient for complex eye diseases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies independent parameter adjustments to contrast, brightness, and saturation to enhance detail visibility. By modifying these parameters digitally, the system can improve contrast enhancement while maintaining high magnification power, addressing the limitations of conventional optical aids.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of relying on optical contrast enhancement through lenses, the system uses digital image processing to adjust contrast and brightness parameters, providing superior contrast enhancement for patients with complex eye diseases while maintaining detailed visibility.
3Device complexity
If generic low vision aids are used, then device simplicity is maintained, but effectiveness for complex eye diseases is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts image transformation parameters based on the specific visual impairment and disease type. Rather than using a fixed simple optical design, the system adapts its processing characteristics in real-time to match the user's visual needs, improving effectiveness for complex eye diseases while keeping the user interface simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides multiple adjustable parameters for image transformation that can be customized according to the specific eye disease and visual impairment. This flexibility allows the system to achieve high reliability for complex conditions while maintaining ease of use through automated or semi-automated parameter adjustment.
4Illumination intensity
If multiple image transformations are applied to enhance visibility, then contrast and orientation cues are improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies image transformations in a predetermined sequence of optimized steps, preparing each image layer in advance for subsequent processing. By planning and executing transformations in an efficient order, the system reduces overall processing time while maintaining high contrast and orientation cue enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously processes images through multiple transformation stages without interruption, maintaining useful action throughout the pipeline. By ensuring continuous processing and avoiding idle time between transformations, the system minimizes total processing time while delivering comprehensive contrast and orientation enhancement.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for enhancing a user's vision is disclosed. The method includes: obtaining a first image corresponding to a left viewpoint of a scene and a second image corresponding to a right viewpoint of the scene; identifying a first central region of the first image corresponding to a central visual field of the user's left eye and a second central region of the second image corresponding to a central visual field of the user's right eye; applying a first image transformation to one of the first central region and a first peripheral region surrounding the first central region to obtain a first transformed image, wherein applying the first image transformation to a region of an image includes: detecting contours of objects in the region; generating graphical indications of the detected contours of the objects; and modifying the image to include the graphical indications; applying the first image transformation to one of the second central region and a second peripheral region surrounding the second central region to obtain a transformed second image; combining the transformed first and second images to obtain a third image; displaying the third image on a near-eye display.