Segmented AR Dimming for Bright Source Eye Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable optical systems, such as augmented reality devices, face challenges in extreme light conditions where bright light sources irritate the user's eyes and obscure virtual content, making it difficult to see both real-world and virtual imagery effectively.

Innovation Solution

The system employs left and right segmented dimmers to adjust light intensity based on data from cameras, generating 3D and 2D brightness maps to compute dimming values, protecting the user's eyes from high brightness while retaining visibility in low-light areas, using liquid crystal or electrochromic technology for pixel-wise dimming.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If uniform dimming is applied across the entire field of view, then eye irritation from bright light sources is reduced, but visibility of virtual content in low-light areas deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeye irritation from bright lightVSAvoidvisibility of virtual content in low-light areas

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The field of view is divided into multiple zones (first field zone and second field zone) with different dimming characteristics. The first zone corresponds to the bright light source direction and applies stronger dimming, while the second zone corresponds to darker areas and applies weaker dimming, thereby resolving the contradiction between reducing eye irritation and maintaining virtual content visibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the field of view are assigned different dimming qualities. The dimming amount is spatially varying, with higher dimming applied locally where the bright light source is present and lower dimming applied locally where visibility is needed, thus simultaneously addressing both eye protection and content visibility requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If strong dimming is applied to reduce brightness of light sources, then eye protection is improved, but overall visibility of the real world deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveeye protection from bright lightVSAvoidoverall real-world visibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The real world view is segmented into different brightness zones, allowing selective dimming application. Only the zones containing bright light sources receive strong dimming treatment, while other zones maintain their original brightness, thus protecting eyes without compromising overall visibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dimming characteristic is made spatially non-uniform, with local dimming applied only where needed (in the direction of bright light sources) rather than uniformly across the entire field of view, preserving real-world visibility in areas not affected by bright lights.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Illumination intensity

If localized dimming is implemented to preserve visibility in dark areas, then visibility in low-light regions is improved, but eye irritation from bright areas persists

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisibility in low-light areasVSAvoideye irritation from bright light

Core Design Contradiction:

Illumination intensityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The field of view is segmented into a first field zone (bright area) and a second field zone (dark area), with differentiated dimming control. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously preserve visibility in the second zone while applying protective dimming in the first zone where the bright light source is located.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dimming characteristic varies locally across different field zones. The first zone experiences stronger dimming to reduce eye irritation, while the second zone experiences weaker dimming to maintain visibility, thus resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

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

This approach effectively reduces eye irritation and enhances the visibility of both real-world and virtual content by dynamically adjusting light intensity, improving the augmented reality experience.

Implementation Method 1

using liquid crystal or electrochromic technology for pixel-wise dimming

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectLiquid crystal: Liquid Crystals

Implementation Method 2

using liquid crystal or electrochromic technology for pixel-wise dimming

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElectrochromism: Electrochromism

Data Source

PatentUS20260086361A1Localized Dimming at Wearable Optical System

Publication Date: 2026.03.26 MAGIC LEAP INC

AI summary

Described herein are systems and methods that provide localized dimming of world light emanating from world light sources. An optical system can include left and right dimmers. The optical system can also include left and right cameras configured to capture a left and right brightness images. The optical system can generate a 3D brightness source map based on the left and right brightness images, and generate left and right 2D brightness maps based on the 3D brightness source map. The optical can compute left and right dimming values for the left and right dimmers based on the left and right 2D brightness maps, and adjust the left and right dimmers to reduce an intensity of the world light.