Super-resolution Foveated Rendering for VR Visual Quality

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current foveated rendering technologies face challenges in producing a smooth transition between high-resolution central vision and low-resolution peripheral vision, leading to visual artifacts and a degraded user experience in VR/MR applications.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a super-resolution based foveated rendering system that uses a neural network trained with synthesized foveated rendering images to enhance the region of interest with high pixel resolution and provide a smooth transition to medium quality peripheral regions, reducing hardware requirements and network bandwidth.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If traditional foveated rendering is used to reduce hardware requirements and network bandwidth, then resource consumption is reduced, but visual quality deteriorates due to abrupt transitions and visual artifacts between high-resolution and low-resolution regions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware requirements and network bandwidthVSAvoidvisual quality and transition smoothness

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies super-resolution technology to transform the resolution parameter of the central foveated region from medium quality to high quality, while maintaining the low-resolution peripheral regions. This parameter change enables the central region to achieve visual quality comparable to full-resolution rendering, thereby reducing the visual quality gap and eliminating abrupt transitions between regions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements different quality levels in different spatial regions: high resolution in the central foveated area and medium resolution in peripheral areas. By applying super-resolution specifically to the central region, the system optimizes visual quality locally where the human eye is most sensitive, while maintaining resource efficiency in peripheral regions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If high-resolution rendering is applied to the entire image, then visual quality is improved, but hardware requirements and network bandwidth increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevisual qualityVSAvoidhardware requirements and network bandwidth

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the image into two distinct regions: a central foveated region and peripheral regions. The central region is rendered at medium resolution and then enhanced with super-resolution technology, while peripheral regions are rendered directly at the target resolution. This segmentation allows the system to apply computational resources selectively, improving visual quality in the most critical area without proportionally increasing overall hardware and bandwidth requirements

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces super-resolution technology as an intermediary process between medium-resolution rendering and final high-resolution display. This intermediary step enables the central foveated region to achieve high visual quality without requiring the graphics processing unit to render the entire image at high resolution, thereby reducing hardware requirements and network bandwidth consumption

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS10643307B2Super-resolution based foveated rendering

Publication Date: 2020.05.05 INTEL CORP

AI summary

An embodiment of a semiconductor package apparatus may include technology to identify a region of interest portion of a first image, and render the region of interest portion with super-resolution. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.