Wearable Heads-Up Display Symbol Rendering with Additive Color Mixing

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wearable heads-up displays face challenges in effectively drawing user attention to content while maintaining an unobtrusive presence in the user's external environment, requiring a balance between being aesthetically pleasing and attention-catching.

Innovation Solution

The method involves dynamically generating and combining multiple overlapping instances of a symbol with different intermediate colors and opacities, using a display system with multiple light sources to create the final color, allowing for gradual and attention-catching display of symbols like alphanumeric characters or graphics on a wearable heads-up display.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If multiple overlapping instances of symbols with different intermediate colors are displayed to draw user attention, then the attention-catching capability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveattention-catching capabilityVSAvoiddisplay system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The symbol is divided into multiple overlapping instances, each rendered with different intermediate colors and opacities. These segmented instances are drawn sequentially to create the final composite symbol, allowing complex visual effects to be achieved through simpler individual components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a temporal dimension to the display process by drawing multiple instances sequentially over time. The alpha blending operation combines these instances across time layers, transforming a static display problem into a dynamic temporal process that achieves attention-catching effects without requiring complex spatial arrangements

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Illumination intensity

If multiple light sources are used to create combined colors for symbols, then the visual display quality is improved, but the energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevisual display qualityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of activating all light sources simultaneously to create the final color, the patent uses partial action by drawing multiple instances with different intermediate colors sequentially. The alpha blending operation combines these partial contributions to achieve the final color, reducing peak energy consumption while maintaining visual quality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the temporal parameters of light source activation by controlling the timing and duration of each instance rendering. By adjusting the opacity and display duration of intermediate instances, the system optimizes energy consumption while achieving the desired visual effect through cumulative light accumulation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If symbols are displayed with high visibility to capture user attention, then the information delivery effectiveness is improved, but the aesthetic pleasingness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation delivery effectivenessVSAvoidaesthetic pleasingness
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic action by drawing multiple instances of the symbol in sequence rather than all at once. This temporal periodicity creates a gradual appearance effect that is less jarring to users while still delivering the information effectively, as each instance contributes to the cumulative visibility of the symbol

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The symbol display transitions from a static state to a dynamic process where multiple instances are drawn sequentially with varying opacities. This dynamic rendering creates an evolving visual appearance that captures attention through motion and change while maintaining aesthetic quality through controlled transitions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 allows for aesthetically pleasing and attention-catching visual displays that effectively overlay content on the user's environment without detracting from it, enhancing user engagement and experience.

Implementation Method 1

the first intermediate color and the second intermediate color combine to display the color of the symbol where the second instance overlaps the first instance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdditive color mixing:

Implementation Method 2

using a display system with multiple light sources to create the final color

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight emission: Light

Data Source

PatentUS10438391B1Systems, devices, and methods for displaying visual symbols
Publication Date: 2019.10.08 GOOGLE LLC
  • US10438391B1 patent drawing
  • US10438391B1 patent drawing
  • US10438391B1 patent drawing

AI summary

Systems, devices, and methods that display visual symbols are described. A visual symbol has a color and a linewidth. Multiple instances of the symbol are concurrently and progressively drawn, one on top of the other, in the display area of a display device. Each respective instance has a respective intermediate color. The respective intermediate colors combine to produce the color of the symbol where the respective instances overlap in the display area. Each respective instance also has a respective linewidth and the respective linewidths converge to the linewidth of the symbol as each instance is progressively drawn. A backwards progression through the same sequence is employed to regressively undraw a symbol from the display area of the display device. Computer program products comprising processor-executable instructions for performing the methods are also described.