US-12620185-B2 - Systems and methods for generating subtractive contrast in an augmented reality display

Abstract

The disclosed computer-implemented system and method may include a dark source that—when applied as part of an augmented reality projector—can temporarily reduce the photosensitivity of a user's eyes. By causing a reduction in photosensitivity, the disclosed systems and methods can project virtual reality objects within an augmented reality display at lower brightness levels than would otherwise be necessary when the augmented reality device is used outdoors and/or in brightly lit environments. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Inventors

• Burkley Delesdernier Patterson

Assignees

• META PLATFORMS TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231220

Claims (20)

1. 1 . A subtractive contrast system comprising: a light source that introduces subtractive contrast using laser pulses directed into a user's eyes to temporarily reduce photosensitivity of the user's eyes; a steering mechanism that applies the subtractive contrast to one or more regions of an augmented reality display; a rendering pipeline that renders the augmented reality display onto the user's eyes while incorporating the subtractive contrast; and at least one processor for implementing the rendering pipeline and controlling the light source and the steering mechanism.
2. 2 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 1 , further comprising a gaze estimation subsystem that determines a viewing direction of the user's eyes relative to a surrounding environment.
3. 3 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 1 , further comprising an environment awareness subsystem that determines light levels of a surrounding environment.
4. 4 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 1 , wherein the subtractive contrast comprises an additional channel in an RGB augmented reality projector.
5. 5 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 1 , wherein the steering mechanism applies the subtractive contrast to at least one of the one or more regions of the augmented reality display that correspond to placement of one or more virtual reality objects within the augmented reality display.
6. 6 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 5 , wherein the steering mechanism applies the subtractive contrast to the at least one of the one or more regions of the augmented reality display that correspond to the placement of the one or more virtual reality objects within the augmented reality display by applying the subtractive contrast such that a dim halo appears to exist around the one or more virtual reality objects while a remainder of a surrounding environment appears unchanged within the augmented reality display.
7. 7 . The subtractive contrast system of claim 1 , further comprising an additive contrast subsystem that decreases a brightness level of one or more additional regions of the augmented reality display such that all regions of the augmented reality display are evenly illuminated by the subtractive contrast in concert with the additive contrast subsystem.
8. 8 . A computer-implemented method comprising: generating an augmented reality display comprising a plurality of regions; applying a subtractive contrast to at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display; and rendering the augmented reality display onto a user's eyes while incorporating the subtractive contrast by introducing laser pulses into the user's eyes to temporarily reduce photosensitivity of the user's eyes relative to the at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display.
9. 9 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising determining a viewing direction of the user's eyes relative to an environment surrounding an augmented reality device worn by the user.
10. 10 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising determining light levels of a surrounding environment.
11. 11 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the subtractive contrast comprises an additional channel in an RGB augmented reality projector housed within an augmented reality device worn by the user.
12. 12 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display corresponds to placement of one or more virtual reality objects within the augmented reality display.
13. 13 . The computer-implemented method of claim 12 , wherein applying the subtractive contrast to the at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display comprises applying the subtractive contrast such that a dim halo appears to exist around the one or more virtual reality objects while a remainder of a surrounding environment appears unchanged within the augmented reality display.
14. 14 . The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , further comprising decreasing a brightness level of one or more additional regions of the augmented reality display such that all regions of the augmented reality display are evenly illuminated.
15. 15 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to: generate an augmented reality display comprising a plurality of regions; apply a subtractive contrast to at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display; and render the augmented reality display onto a user's eyes while incorporating the subtractive contrast by introducing laser pulses into the user's eyes to temporarily reduce photosensitivity of the user's eyes relative to the at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display.
16. 16 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to determine a viewing direction of the user's eyes relative to an environment surrounding an augmented reality device worn by the user.
17. 17 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to determine light levels of a surrounding environment.
18. 18 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the subtractive contrast comprises an additional channel in an RGB augmented reality projector housed within an augmented reality device worn by the user.
19. 19 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the at least one region of the plurality of regions in the augmented reality display corresponds to placement of one or more virtual reality objects within the augmented reality display.
20. 20 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19 , further comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor of the computing device, cause the computing device to decrease a brightness level of one or more additional regions of the augmented reality display such that all regions of the augmented reality display are evenly illuminated.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/499,610, filed 2 May 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated, in its entirety, by this reference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary implementations and are a part of the specification. Together with the following description, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principles of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates how a conventional augmented reality system operates in environments with brighter light levels. FIG. 2 illustrates an overview of a subtractive contrast system in accordance with one or more implementations discussed herein. FIG. 3 illustrates a flow chart of steps performed by the subtractive contrast system while applying a dark source to an augmented reality display to temporarily reduce sensitivity in different regions of the user's retina in accordance with one or more implementations discussed herein. FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate how the subtractive contrast system makes virtual reality objects easier to see when brighter direct light exists in an environment surrounding an augmented reality device worn by a user in accordance with one or more implementations discussed herein. FIG. 5 illustrates components and subsystems of the subtractive contrast system in accordance with one or more implementations discussed herein. FIG. 6 is an illustration of exemplary augmented-reality glasses that may be used in connection with embodiments of this disclosure. FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary system that incorporates an eye-tracking subsystem capable of tracking a user's eye(s). FIG. 8 is a more detailed illustration of various aspects of the eye-tracking subsystem illustrated in FIG. 7. Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and descriptions indicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. While the exemplary implementations described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific implementations have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the exemplary implementations described herein are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the present disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claim. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Augmented and virtual reality systems are increasingly commonplace. For example, an augmented reality system can project virtual reality objects into a user's eyes (e.g., via a pair of augmented reality glasses) such that the user views the virtual reality objects overlaid on the environment within the user's natural gaze. While such augmented reality (AR) systems generally present clear and bright AR objects while a user is indoors or in darker environments (e.g., in the shade), typical AR systems suffer multiple shortcomings when used in environments with brighter light levels. To illustrate, FIG. 1 shows a user 104 wearing an augmented reality device 102 (e.g., a pair of augmented reality glasses) to view a virtual reality object 106 while outdoors. As further shown in FIG. 1, the virtual reality object 106 appears dim (e.g., indicated by the dashed lines) when viewed via the augmented reality device 102 in light from a bright light source 108 (e.g., direct sunlight). In order to ensure that the virtual reality object 106 can be seen at all by the user 104, the augmented reality system operating within the augmented reality device 102 must project the virtual reality object 106 at a very bright level. Projecting at such levels of brightness, however, can create a power drain within the augmented reality device 102 which—in turn—reduces the battery life of the augmented reality device 102. To remedy these issues, the present disclosure describes a subtractive contrast system that introduces laser light into the user's eyes to temporarily modulate the sensitivity of the user's photoreceptors. By reducing photoreceptor sensitivity, the subtractive contrast system can temporarily make the environment viewed by the user appear darker such that virtual reality objects viewed within that environment appear brighter. In this way, the subtractive contrast system can project virtual reality objects at lower brightness levels with less power output. This can result in longer battery life and extended usage periods associated with augmented reality devices where the subtractive contrast system is implemented. Features from any of the implementations described herein may be used in combination with one another in accordance with the general principles described herein. These and other implementations, features, and advantages will be more fully understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying claim. As mentioned above, typical augm