Dynamic VR Processing Offload to HMD for Latency Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual reality (VR) environments face issues with frame drops and latencies due to post-processing operations like barrel distortion correction, asynchronous time warp, and chromatic aberration correction, leading to poor user experience and simulation sickness.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a graphics processing system that dynamically offloads processing tasks such as barrel distortion correction, asynchronous time warp, and chromatic aberration correction from the host computer to a head-mounted display (HMD) or dynamically allocates processing between the host and HMD based on system cues like battery level, thermal budget, and processing load, to improve rendering efficiency and reduce latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If post-processing operations (barrel distortion correction, asynchronous time warp, chromatic aberration correction) are performed on the host computer, then processing capability is sufficient, but frame drops and latencies occur leading to poor user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the post-processing operations (barrel distortion correction, asynchronous time warp, chromatic aberration correction) from the host computer and relocates them to the HMD's dedicated processing unit. This extraction eliminates the communication bottleneck and processing delays associated with host-based rendering, thereby reducing frame latency and improving user experience quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dedicated processing unit within the HMD as an intermediary between the host computer and the display. This intermediary handles post-processing operations locally, acting as a buffer that decouples the host rendering pipeline from the display refresh cycle, thereby eliminating frame drops and reducing latency without sacrificing processing capability.
2Power
If all processing is performed on the host computer, then processing power is充足, but system complexity and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the VR processing pipeline into distinct functional components: the host computer handles high-level rendering and application logic, while the HMD's dedicated processing unit handles post-processing operations. This segmentation distributes computational load across multiple processors, reducing the complexity burden on any single device while maintaining adequate power utilization.
3Productivity
If post-processing operations are performed on the host computer, then processing resources are available, but frame drops occur reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the HMD's dedicated processing unit prepare post-processed frames in advance of the display refresh cycle. By pre-processing the next frame while the current frame is being displayed, the system ensures that processed frames are ready for immediate display, eliminating frame drops and ensuring consistent frame delivery without compromising rendering efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Virtual reality systems and methods are described. For example, one embodiment of an apparatus comprises: a communications interface to provide frame data of a virtual reality scene to a head mounted display (HMD); at least one performance monitor coupled to at least one component of the apparatus the at least one performance monitor to monitor performance of the at least one component and to send an alert based on the performance of the at least one component; a processor to process the frame data; a controller to receive the alert based on the performance of the at least one component and to offload processing of the frame data from the processor to the HMD for processing; and a display to show the rendered view of the scene.