VR Headset Long-Pass Filter for Visual Acuity Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring visual acuity, such as the pinhole test, require specialized equipment and are not easily adaptable for use in consumer-grade virtual reality (VR) headsets.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a custom long-pass filter with pinholes or etched regions into a consumer-grade VR headset to perform the pinhole test, allowing for both visible and near-infrared light transmission while blocking visible light in certain areas, enabling eye tracking and visual acuity measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a pinhole occluder is used to perform the pinhole test, then visual acuity measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase due to requiring specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes a consumer-grade VR headset perform multiple functions: it serves as both a virtual reality display device and a visual acuity measurement device. By integrating the pinhole test capability into the existing VR headset structure with a removable filter, the system eliminates the need for separate specialized equipment while maintaining measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the essential pinhole test function from traditional specialized equipment and implements it using common VR headset components. The long-pass filter with pinhole array is a simplified version of the traditional pinhole occluder that can be integrated into the VR headset's existing optical path.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a long-pass filter with pinholes is added to the VR headset, then pinhole test functionality is enabled, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The long-pass filter with pinhole array is designed to be removably coupled to the VR headset, allowing dynamic configuration. The filter can be installed when pinhole testing is needed and removed when not needed, enabling the device to adapt its functionality based on the examination requirements without permanently increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The filter is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently added to or removed from the VR headset. This segmentation allows the pinhole test functionality to be implemented without modifying the core VR headset structure, maintaining ease of manufacture and repair.
3Measurement precision
If visible light is blocked by the filter to enable near-infrared eye tracking, then eye tracking accuracy is improved, but visual acuity test visibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The long-pass filter is designed with different transmission characteristics for different wavelengths of light. It selectively transmits near-infrared light for eye tracking while blocking visible light to prevent interference with the eye tracking sensors, enabling both functions to operate simultaneously with optimal performance.
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
Enables accurate visual acuity measurement using a consumer-grade VR headset, facilitating cost-effective and accessible eye examinations by integrating eye tracking and pinhole test functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a long-pass filter arranged between the lens and the eye for examining the eye's ability to see the image, the long-pass filter having a first transmission region that transmits a visible light and a near-infrared light to the eye and a second transmission region that transmits the near-infrared light and blocks the visible light
Implementation Method 2
the first transmission region includes a number of pinholes formed through the long-pass filter
Data Source
AI summary
An eye examination apparatus comprising: a virtual reality device configured to be worn on a user's head, the virtual reality device having a housing containing a lens and a display operable to display an image to an eye of the user; and a long-pass filter arranged between the lens and the eye for examining the eye's ability to see the image, the long-pass filter having a first transmission region that transmits a visible light and a near-infrared light to the eye and a second transmission region that transmits the near-infrared light and blocks the visible light.