Wearable Heads-Up Display Brightness Control via Eye-Proximal Ambient Light Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wearable heads-up displays face challenges in adjusting display brightness effectively due to varying ambient light conditions, which can lead to user discomfort and reduced visibility.
Innovation Solution
A wearable heads-up display system that includes a support structure with a transparent combiner, a light engine, and an ambient light sensor positioned close to the user's eye, allowing for accurate detection and adjustment of display brightness based on ambient light levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If display brightness is increased to improve visibility in bright environments, then display visibility is improved, but user discomfort increases and environmental awareness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic adjustment of display brightness based on real-time ambient light detection. The system transitions from static brightness settings to dynamic control, where the light engine continuously adapts its output intensity in response to changing environmental conditions detected by the ambient light sensor, resolving the contradiction between visibility and comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes a feedback loop where the ambient light sensor continuously monitors environmental light levels and feeds this information back to the light engine controller. This closed-loop control system automatically adjusts display brightness to match ambient conditions, preventing both excessive brightness in dark environments and insufficient brightness in bright environments, thereby eliminating user discomfort
2Object-affected harmful factors
If display brightness is decreased in dark environments to reduce discomfort, then user comfort is improved, but display visibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts brightness in both directions based on ambient light levels. In dark environments, the light engine automatically increases display brightness to maintain visibility, while in bright environments, it decreases brightness to match ambient conditions, thereby resolving the contradiction between comfort and visibility through adaptive control
Solution Approach 2:
The feedback mechanism ensures that when ambient light levels are low, the system receives feedback indicating dark conditions and automatically increases display brightness accordingly. This prevents the display from being too dim in dark environments while still reducing brightness when ambient light is high, eliminating the visibility-comfort contradiction
3Measurement precision
If ambient light sensor is positioned close to the user's eye for accurate detection, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the ambient light sensor within the existing head-mounted display structure, nesting it among other optical components. The sensor is positioned to utilize the same optical path and structural framework already present in the device, allowing accurate eye-proximal detection without adding separate mounting structures or increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the ambient light detection function with the existing display optical system. The sensor is integrated into the same structural framework that guides display light to the user's eye, merging multiple functions (display light delivery and ambient light detection) into a unified optical architecture, thereby achieving accurate detection without proportionally increasing device complexity
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
The system ensures optimal display visibility by accurately adjusting brightness in response to ambient light conditions, enhancing user experience by minimizing discomfort and maintaining clear environmental awareness.
Implementation Method 1
a transparent combiner carried by the support structure... positioned and oriented to direct the display light towards the eye of the user
Implementation Method 2
the transparent combiner having a user-side which is to face an eye of a user... and a world-side which is to face away from the eye
Implementation Method 3
an ambient light sensor carried by a portion of the support structure which is faced by the user-side of the transparent combiner
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, and methods for detecting ambient light with wearable heads-up displays are described. An ambient light sensor can be positioned close to a user's eye area on a user-side of a wearable heads-up display. By positioning the ambient light sensor on a user-side of the wearable heads up display, the ambient light sensor can be in a position and/or orientation which receives ambient light in a similar manner a user's eye, and thus ambient light detection can be more accurate. Brightness of display light output by the wearable heads-up display can be adjusted in response to the detected brightness of ambient light.