Wearable AR System with Peripheral Projection for Information Recognition
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Solution Overview
Problem
In augmented reality (AR), users face difficulty in distinguishing and recognizing digital information from real-world information, particularly with existing devices like smartphones and AR glasses, which limit the visibility and recognition of AR information due to narrow visual fields and obstructed views.
Innovation Solution
A wearable device system comprising a head wearable device that captures a surrounding image with an image capture range beyond the user's visual field and a body wearable device that projects AR information onto a determined projection destination, allowing for clear differentiation and recognition of digital and real-world information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If AR information is displayed using smartphones or AR glasses, then digital information can be provided to the user, but the user has difficulty recognizing digital information from real world information due to narrow visual fields and obstructed views
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions AR display from the user's direct visual field (2D screen/overlay) to the surrounding environment (3D spatial projection). By projecting AR information onto surfaces in the user's peripheral or non-visual field, the system expands the effective display area from the limited screen dimension to the three-dimensional space around the user, resolving the contradiction between information delivery and visual field constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the capture function (surrounding image capturing unit) from the display function (projection unit). The surrounding image capturing unit acquires information from the environment, while the projection unit independently renders AR information onto selected surfaces. This segmentation allows the AR information to be displayed outside the user's direct visual field, improving recognizability without constraining the visual field range.
2Loss of information
If AR information is superimposed on real world information in the user's visual field, then digital information can be displayed, but real world information and digital information become difficult to distinguish from each other
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts AR information display from the user's direct visual field and places it in the surrounding environment. By projecting digital information onto surfaces outside the user's immediate view, the system separates digital information from real world information in the visual field, making them easily distinguishable while maintaining high visibility of the AR content.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection unit acts as an intermediary that takes digital information and translates it into physical light projections on surrounding surfaces. This intermediary mechanism allows digital information to be displayed in a form and location that is naturally distinct from real world visual information, resolving the distinguishability issue while maintaining visibility.
3Device complexity
If the image capture range is limited to the user's visual field, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to provide comprehensive surrounding information is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The surrounding image capturing unit serves multiple functions: it captures images for AR projection, determines projection destinations, and provides environmental context. By making the image capture system multi-functional, the patent achieves comprehensive surrounding environment recognition without proportionally increasing device complexity, as the same hardware supports multiple capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary image capture of the surrounding environment before the user needs to interact with or recognize specific AR information. By pre-acquiring and processing surrounding images, the system prepares projection destination data and AR content in advance, enabling versatile environment recognition without requiring complex real-time processing during user interaction.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wearable device includes a first device (2) wearable by a user and a second device (3) wearable by the user. The first device (2) includes a surrounding image capturing unit (22, 400) to capture a surrounding image having an image capture range including a range out of a visual field of the user. The second device (3) includes a projection unit (40, 414) to project a projection image determined based on the surrounding image onto a projection destination determined based on the surrounding image.