U.S. patent application number 15/298977 was filed with the patent office on 2017-02-09 for using a 3d display to train a weak eye.
This patent application is currently assigned to Elwha LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is Elwha LLC. Invention is credited to Steven Bathiche, Alistair K. Chan, William Gates, Roderick A. Hyde, Edward K.Y. Jung, Jordin T. Kare, Jaron Lanier, John L. Manferdelli, Clarence T. Tegreene, David B. Tuckerman, Charles Whitmer, Lowell L. Wood,, JR., Victoria Y.H. Wood.
Application Number | 20170035646 15/298977 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51164880 |
Filed Date | 2017-02-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170035646 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bathiche; Steven ; et
al. |
February 9, 2017 |
USING A 3D DISPLAY TO TRAIN A WEAK EYE
Abstract
A method for treating a weak viewer-eye includes the steps of
receiving eye-strength data indicative of an eye-strength of the
weak viewer-eye and causing a 3D display system to vary, in
accordance with the eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye, display
characteristics of a perspective that the 3D display system
displays.
Inventors: |
Bathiche; Steven; (Kirkland,
WA) ; Chan; Alistair K.; (Bainbridge Island, WA)
; Gates; William; (Medina, WA) ; Hyde; Roderick
A.; (Redmond, WA) ; Jung; Edward K.Y.;
(Bellevue, WA) ; Kare; Jordin T.; (San Jose,
CA) ; Lanier; Jaron; (Sausalito, CA) ;
Manferdelli; John L.; (San Francisco, CA) ; Tegreene;
Clarence T.; (Mercer Island, WA) ; Tuckerman; David
B.; (Lafayette, CA) ; Whitmer; Charles; (North
Bend, WA) ; Wood,, JR.; Lowell L.; (Bellevue, WA)
; Wood; Victoria Y.H.; (Livermore, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elwha LLC |
Bellevue |
WA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Elwha LLC
Bellevue
WA
|
Family ID: |
51164880 |
Appl. No.: |
15/298977 |
Filed: |
October 20, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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14973315 |
Dec 17, 2015 |
9486386 |
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15298977 |
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13743168 |
Jan 16, 2013 |
9216133 |
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14973315 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61H 5/005 20130101;
A61H 2201/5084 20130101; A61B 3/0025 20130101; A61B 3/112 20130101;
A61H 2201/5092 20130101; A61B 3/113 20130101; A61H 2201/5007
20130101; A61H 2201/5048 20130101; A61H 2201/5097 20130101; A61H
2201/5058 20130101; A61H 2201/5064 20130101; A61B 3/0033 20130101;
G02B 27/0093 20130101; A61H 2201/5079 20130101; A61B 3/08
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A61H 5/00 20060101
A61H005/00; A61B 3/00 20060101 A61B003/00; A61B 3/08 20060101
A61B003/08; A61B 3/113 20060101 A61B003/113; A61B 3/11 20060101
A61B003/11 |
Claims
1. A method for treating a weak viewer-eye, the method comprising:
receiving eye-strength data indicative of an eye-strength of a weak
viewer-eye with respect to a strong viewer-eye; and causing a 3D
display system to vary, in accordance with the eye-strength of the
weak viewer-eye, display characteristics of a perspective that the
3D display system displays, wherein varying the display
characteristics cause the weak viewer-eye to work harder than the
strong viewer-eye to visualize the perspective without alerting the
viewer of the weak viewer-eye working harder.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the eye-strength data is received
from an external storage medium.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the eye-strength data is received
from an integral eye-monitoring system.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating, at an
eye-monitoring system, the eye-strength data.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the eye-strength data
comprises tracking the focus of the weak viewer-eye and a
corresponding strong viewer-eye.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the eye-strength data
comprises determining the strength of the weak viewer-eye relative
to the strong viewer-eye based on the tracked focus.
7. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the eye-strength data
comprises monitoring the dilation of the weak viewer-eye to
determine the eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye.
8. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the eye-strength data
comprises: using the 3D display system to perform an eye-strength
test; and as part of the eye-strength test, receiving user-input
indicative of the eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye.
9. The method of claim 4, wherein generating the eye-strength data
comprises: causing the 3D display system to display a first
perspective of an image to the weak viewer-eye and a second
perspective of the image to a strong viewer-eye, wherein the strong
viewer-eye is a dominant viewer-eye; receiving an indication
regarding a quality of a viewer's perceived 3D effect from the
images; determining, in accordance with the received indication,
data associated with the eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the 3D display system comprises
a gaming system, and wherein the received indication comprises a
metric of the viewer's game play performance.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the received eye-strength data
comprises user-input indicating at least the eye-strength of the
weak viewer-eye.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the 3D display system comprises
at least one of a lenticular display screen, a parallax-barrier 3D
display screen, a holographic display screen, a directed-beam
display system, a pulsed-projection display system, and a
glasses-based 3D display.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the 3D display system to
vary, in accordance with the eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye,
the display characteristics comprises: evaluating a difference in
eye-strength between the weak viewer-eye and a second viewer-eye;
determining that the evaluated difference in eye-strength is larger
than a predefined threshold difference in eye-strength; in response
to determining that the evaluated difference is larger than the
threshold difference, causing the 3D display system to vary the
display characteristics.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: determining that
the evaluated difference in eye-strength is larger than any of a
plurality of predefined threshold differences in eye-strength; and
in response to determining that the evaluated difference is larger
than a particular set of threshold differences of the plurality of
threshold differences, causing the 3D display system to vary the
display characteristics in accordance with the particular set of
threshold differences.
15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of threshold
differences constitute a substantially continuous set of threshold
differences in eye-strength, wherein the display characteristics
are varied in accordance with incremental changes in the
eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye.
16. A method of training a first viewer-eye comprising: causing a
3D display system to display a first perspective of an image and a
second perspective of the image; determining an eye-strength of a
first viewer-eye with respect to an eye-strength of a second
viewer-eye, wherein the first perspective is intended for display
to the first viewer-eye, and wherein the second perspective is
intended for display to the second viewer-eye; and varying, based
at least in part on the determined eye-strength of the first
viewer-eye, display characteristics of at least one of the first
perspective and the second perspective, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the at least one of the first perspective and
the second perspective cause the first viewer-eye to work harder
than the second viewer-eye to visualize the intended
perspective.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the varied display
characteristics comprise one or more of (a) brightness, (b) spatial
resolution, (c) sharpness, (d) complexity, (e) image size, (f)
image position, (g) peripheral content, (h) spectral content, (i)
color saturation, and (j) temporal resolution.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises decreasing a relative brightness of the
first perspective with respect to a brightness of the second
perspective.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises reducing a relative amount of time that
that the second perspective is displayed with respect to an amount
of time that the first perspective is displayed.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises reducing, in relative image complexity,
the second perspective with respect to an image complexity of the
first perspective.
21. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises varying the display characteristics in a
way that increases a viewing difficulty of the first perspective
with respect to a viewing difficulty of the second perspective.
22. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises varying the display characteristics in a
way that decreases a viewing difficulty of the first perspective
with respect to an unvaried viewing difficulty of the first
perspective.
23. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises: initially varying the display
characteristics in a way that decreases a viewing difficulty of the
first perspective; and gradually increasing the viewing difficulty
of the first perspective.
24. The method of claim 16, wherein varying the display
characteristics comprises: initially varying the display
characteristics in a way that increases a viewing difficulty of a
perspective associated with the first viewer-eye, wherein the first
viewer-eye is a weak viewer-eye; and gradually decreasing the
viewing difficulty of the perspective associated with the weak
viewer-eye.
25. The method of claim 16, further comprising storing a
viewer-profile, wherein the viewer-profile comprises eye-strength
data associated with a viewer.
26. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the eye-strength of
the first viewer-eye comprises: determining that a current viewer
is associated with a particular viewer-profile; and accessing the
eye-strength data from the particular viewer-profile associated
with the current viewer.
27. The method of claim 16, further comprising: determining an
eye-strength for each viewer-eye of a first set of additional
viewer-eyes with respect to an eye-strength of a corresponding
viewer-eye from a second set of additional viewer-eyes, wherein the
first perspective is intended for display to each of the first set
of viewer-eyes, and wherein the second perspective is intended for
display to each of the second set of viewer-eyes; and varying,
based at least in part on one of the determined eye-strengths, the
display characteristics of at least one of the first perspective
and the second perspective.
28. The method of claim 16, wherein causing the 3D display system
to vary, in accordance with the eye-strength of the first
viewer-eye, display characteristics comprises causing the 3D
display system to vary display characteristics in accordance with
the relative eye-strength of the first viewer-ye and a second
viewer-eye.
29. A method of training a first viewer-eye comprising: causing a
3D display system to display a first perspective of an image and a
second perspective of the image; determining an eye-strength of the
first viewer-eye with respect to an eye-strength of a second
viewer-eye, wherein the first perspective is intended for display
to the first viewer-eye, and wherein the second perspective is
intended for display to a second viewer-eye; and varying, based at
least in part on the determined eye-strength of the first
viewer-eye, display characteristics of at least one of the first
perspective and the second perspective.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the varied display
characteristics comprise at least one of (a) brightness, (b)
spatial resolution, (c) sharpness, (d) complexity, (e) image size,
(f) image position, (g) peripheral content, (h) spectral content,
(i) color saturation, and (j) temporal resolution.
31. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the perspective comprises decreasing a relative
brightness of a perspective that is displayed to the first
viewer-eye with respect to a brightness of a perspective that is
displayed to the second viewer-eye, wherein the second viewer-eye
is a dominant viewer-eye.
32. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the perspective comprises reducing a relative
amount of time that a perspective for the second viewer-eye is
displayed with respect to an amount of time that a perspective for
the first viewer-eye is displayed, wherein the second viewer-eye is
a dominant viewer-eye and the first viewer-eye is a weak
viewer-eye.
33. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the perspective comprises reducing, in relative
image complexity, a perspective displayed to a dominant viewer-eye
with respect to an image complexity of a perspective displayed to
the weak viewer-eye.
34. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the perspective comprises varying the display
characteristics in a way that increases a viewing difficulty of a
perspective for the weak viewer-eye with respect to a viewing
difficulty of a perspective for a dominant viewer-eye, wherein the
dominant viewer-eye is second viewer-eye.
35. The method of claim 29, wherein varying the display
characteristics of the perspective comprises varying the display
characteristics in a way that decreases a viewing difficulty of a
perspective associated with the first viewer-eye with respect to a
previous viewing difficulty, wherein the first viewer-eye is a weak
viewer-eye, wherein the dominant viewer-eye is second viewer-eye.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 14/973,315, entitled "USING A 3D DISPLAY TO
TRAIN A WEAK EYE," filed Dec. 12, 2015, which is currently
copending and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.
13/743,168, entitled "USING A 3D DISPLAY TO TRAIN A WEAK EYE,"
filed Jan. 16, 2013, each of which are incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties and for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Many people suffer from vision disorders in which one eye is
weaker than the other, leading to problems with binocular vision,
motion-perception, depth perception, and spatial acuity. If left
untreated, a person's brain may increasingly rely on the stronger
eye for information, further reducing the effectiveness of the
weaker eye until, in some cases, the weak eye becomes
non-functional.
[0003] To treat such disorders, a physician may block or obscure
the view of the patient's stronger eye to make the weaker-eye work
harder (i.e., force the person to rely more on the weak eye). With
his or her vision obscured, the patient may engage in activities in
which good vision is necessary for a prescribed period of time, in
order to train the weaker eye. The improvement in eye strength of
the patient's weak eye is generally proportional to the amount of
time that the patient spends training the weak eye. Because such
training takes many hours to effect a change in the patient, the
training routine typically takes place under the patient's
discretion and without professional supervision. One drawback of
such an approach is that a patient may occasionally avoid or forget
the training.
[0004] 3D display systems have existed in a variety of forms for
many years. Generally, these systems convey a sense of depth by
presenting slightly different perspectives of the same image to
each of a viewer's eyes. One typical 3D display process involves
presenting two superimposed images simultaneously from a single
display screen with the superimposed images modified to be
separable from each other through the use of optical filters.
Different filters may then be placed in front of each of a viewer's
eyes (e.g., in 3D glasses) so that the viewer sees one image with
the left eye and a different image with the right eye. If the two
images are slightly offset views of the same scene, the viewer will
instinctively combine the images into a 3D representation of the
scene. Conventional systems have employed color filters (such as
red/cyan tinted glasses), type of light-polarization (i.e., planar,
elliptical, linear, etc.), or polarization angle as characteristics
for filtering images using filters placed near to the eyes.
[0005] More recently, displays have been developed that can present
3D images without placing filters near the eyes. Such systems,
known as autostereoscopic displays, hold tremendous potential for
bringing 3D display technology to a variety of untapped
applications. Emerging uses for 3D technology include medical
imaging, entertainment, diagnostics, education, and defense, among
many other fields.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one exemplary embodiment, a method for treating a weak
viewer-eye involves receiving eye-strength data indicative of an
eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye. The method also involves
causing a 3D display system to vary, in accordance with the
eye-strength of the weak viewer-eye, display characteristics of a
perspective that the 3D display system displays.
[0007] In another exemplary embodiment, a display-control device
includes a computer-readable medium with program instructions
stored thereon that are executable by an included processor to
cause the processor to perform certain functions. The functions
include receiving eye-strength data representative of the
eye-strength of a set of viewer-eyes that includes a weak
viewer-eye. The functions further include causing a 3D display
system to vary, in accordance with the eye-strength of the weak
viewer-eye, the display characteristics of a perspective that the
3D display system displays.
[0008] In yet another exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory
computer-readable medium contains program instructions executable
by a processor to cause a display-control device to perform certain
functions. The functions include receiving eye-strength data
representative of an eye-strength of a weak viewer-eye and causing
a 3D display system to vary, in accordance with the eye strength of
the weak viewer-eye, display characteristics of a perspective that
the 3D display system displays.
[0009] In a further exemplary embodiment, a 3D display system
includes a 3D display screen, a processor, and program instructions
stored on a computer-readable medium. The 3D display screen is
configured to display multiple perspectives of an image. The
program instructions are executable to cause the processor to
receive eye-strength data representative of an eye-strength of a
weak viewer-eye and vary display characteristics of a perspective
of the image in accordance with the eye-strength of the weak
viewer-eye.
[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, an exemplary method
involves causing a 3D display system to display a first and second
perspective of an image, with the first perspective intended for a
first viewer-eye and the second perspective intended for a second
viewer-eye. The method also involves determining an eye-strength of
the first viewer-eye with respect to the second viewer-eye and
varying display characteristics of the first or second perspective
of the image based on the determined eye-strength of the first
viewer-eye.
[0011] In still another exemplary embodiment, an eye-monitoring
system for controlling a 3D display system includes an eye sensor
configured to detect characteristics of a viewer's eyes and a
display-system interface connecting the eye-monitoring system to
the 3D display system. The eye-monitoring system also includes
control circuitry configured to generate eye-strength data from the
characteristics detected by the eye sensor.
[0012] The foregoing is a summary and thus by necessity contains
simplifications, generalizations and omissions of detail.
Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the
summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way
limiting. Other aspects, inventive features, and advantages of the
devices and/or processes described herein, as defined solely by the
claims, will become apparent in the detailed description set forth
herein and taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic design of a 3D display system
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0014] FIG. 2A is a light-ray diagram of an example display system
in use.
[0015] FIG. 2B is a light-ray diagram of an example display system
in use.
[0016] FIG. 2C is a light-ray diagram of an example display system
in use.
[0017] FIG. 2D is a light-ray diagram of an example display system
in use.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic design of a 3D display device
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic design of a display-control system
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic design of an eye-monitoring system
according to an exemplary embodiment.
[0021] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a process according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a process according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0023] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a process according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a process according to an exemplary
embodiment.
[0025] FIGS. 10A-10F illustrate example variations that may be made
to display characteristics of an image.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Referring generally to the figures, systems and methods for
using a 3D display system to diagnose and/or treat weakness in one
of a viewer's eyes are shown and described. For example, to treat
such eye-weakness, a 3D display system may provide an enhanced
image to the viewer's weak eye and/or provide a diminished or
obscured image to the viewer's dominant eye. In this way, the
viewer's weak eye can be trained without the viewer needing to
physically obstruct the dominant eye. Although the dominant
viewer-eye may also herein be referred to as the strong viewer-eye
or strong eye, the viewer's dominant eye need not be particularly
strong. Additionally, displaying a perspective to a "viewer-eye," a
"weak eye," a "strong eye," or a "dominant eye" need not require
that a viewer be actually watching. Rather, the perspective is
displayed towards what the display system interprets as a
"viewer-eye," etc.
Example Device and System Architecture
[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a display system 100 according to
an exemplary embodiment. As shown, display system 100 includes
display screen 102, eye-monitoring system 104, processor 110,
computer-readable medium (CRM) 112, and communication interfaces
116, each coupled to system bus 108. As further shown in FIG. 1,
program instructions 114 are stored on CRM 112. Some embodiments
may not include all the elements shown in FIG. 1 and/or may include
additional elements not shown in the example system of FIG. 1.
[0028] System bus 108 is shown in FIG. 1 as a single connection for
simplicity. However, elements in an exemplary system may connect
through a variety of interfaces, communication paths, and
networking elements. Connections may be wired, wireless, optical,
mechanical, or any other connector type.
I. Display Screen
[0029] Display screen 102 may include one or more light sources and
a variety of other optical features for presenting images. Light
sources may include, for example, light emitting diodes, other
electroluminescent components, incandescent light sources, gas
discharge sources, lasers, electron emission sources, and/or
quantum dot sources, among other existing and future light-source
technologies. In an example display screen, sets of light sources
may be organized into arrays and other such groupings in order to
form complex images or patterns. In such an arrangement, each light
source may behave as an individual illuminated location (sometimes
referred to as a pixel) on a larger display screen. In other
arrangements, single light sources may illuminate several
pixels.
[0030] The light-producing elements of display screen 102 may
connect to various display-control interfaces. A control unit that
signals the screen elements to manage the display may take various
forms, as will be discussed in a later section. In some
arrangements, a controller may independently signal each pixel
through an individual electrical or optical connection.
[0031] In other arrangements, a set of pixels may interface
collectively with a control unit. For example, three differently
colored light sources may be signaled collectively so that the
combined output is a particular color. As another example, several
superimposed signals may be transmitted to a set of pixels with
each signal intended for one of the pixels. At the display screen,
the combined signal may be filtered into its constituent parts and
each signal sent to its intended pixel.
[0032] In still other arrangements, a controller may control a
single light source in order to provide light for multiple pixels.
For example, the light output from a single light source may be
expanded, split, and/or filtered to produce multiple simultaneously
displayed pixels. As another example, a source may be configured to
illuminate each of a set of display-locations on a display screen
sequentially, cycling through the locations and providing light to
each location one at a time. Other example control arrangements may
also be used.
[0033] Optical features other than light sources may include, for
example, lenses, mirrors, beam-splitters, liquid crystals,
electronic ink, baffles, filters, polarizers, and/or waveguides. As
one example, a lenticular display-screen may include arrays of
small convex lenses (called lenticules) arranged above an
underlying image in such a way as to magnify different portions of
the underlying image depending on the angle from which the image is
viewed. In particular, lenticules and underlying images may be
designed so that two or more entirely different images are
presented when the screen is viewed from specific angles. As will
be discussed, optical deflectors may also be used to change the
direction of light output from display screen 102. Other examples
are possible.
[0034] In some implementations, optical elements other than light
sources may be controllable through mechanical, electrical,
acoustic, optical, or other stimuli. In such cases, a control unit
may communicate either independently or collectively with
controllable elements in much the same way that the control unit
may communicate with arrays of pixels.
[0035] As a particular example, display system 100 may use
controllable optical-deflectors to adjust the direction of light
output from display screen 102. Because, in some cases, the
direction of narrow (i.e., low divergence) beams of light may be
adjusted more effectively than higher-divergence light sources,
such an implementation may be termed a "beam-to-viewer" system. The
direction of the light, for instance, may be adjusted so that a
particular image is directed to one viewer's eye. In such a system,
display screen 102 may direct images associated with a right-eye
view towards a viewer's right eye and images associated with a
left-eye view to the viewer's left eye. In other systems, the
direction that a light source emits light may be controlled
directly without actively deflecting the light. For example, a
system may physically turn light sources to change the
direction.
[0036] FIGS. 2A-2D are ray diagrams illustrating example
beam-to-viewer display systems in use. FIG. 2A shows light rays
deflecting towards a left viewer-eye 222 at a first time-step and
FIG. 2B shows light rays deflecting towards a right viewer eye 224
at a second time-step. Although the embodiment shown alternates
between displaying one view and another, other beam-to-viewer
systems may send different beams simultaneously to each of a
viewer's eyes. As shown in FIG. 2A, light is emitted from light
sources 202, 204, 206, and 208, through optical deflectors 212,
214, 216, and 218 towards the left viewer-eye 222 of viewer 220.
Although deflectors 212-218 are shown as separate devices in FIGS.
2A-B, an example optical-deflection system may alternatively use a
single-device deflection system.
[0037] As shown in FIG. 2B, at a second time-step, light sources
202, 204, 206, and 208 continue to emit light rays through optical
deflectors 212, 214, 216, and 218. In contrast to the first
time-step, however, optical deflectors 212-218 deflect light
towards the right viewer-eye 224 of viewer 220 during the second
time-step. In an example process, the light may alternate between
the first and second time-steps. The time-step shown in FIG. 2A is
termed the "first" time-step only to differentiate it from the
second time-step. Throughout the present disclosure, no intended
order of operations should be implied from the labels "first" or
"second" unless otherwise specified.
[0038] FIGS. 2C and 2D are light-ray diagrams showing another
beam-to-viewer system in use. In particular, the light rays are
deflected to the eyes of two viewers in an alternating sequence. In
other implementations, a beam-to-viewer system may display to both
viewers simultaneously. The particular sequence shown involves
displaying both the left and right views of the 3D images to viewer
280 at a first time-step (shown in FIG. 2C) and displaying both the
left and right views of the 3D images to viewer 290 at a second
time-step. As shown, at the first time-step, light sources 254,
258, 262, and 266 emit light rays (shown as solid lines)
representing a left-eye view through optical deflector 268 and
lenticules 272, 274, 276, and 278 towards the left viewer-eye 282
of viewer 280. Also at the first time-step, light sources 252, 256,
260, and 264 emit light rays (shown as dashed lines) representing a
right-eye view through optical deflector 268 and lenticules 272,
274, 276, and 278 towards the right viewer-eye 282 of viewer 280.
Although optical deflector 268 is shown as a single segmented
deflector, other embodiments may include separate deflectors for
each light source or lenticule.
[0039] At the second time-step, FIG. 2D shows that light sources
252-266 emit portions of the left and right views in the same way
as in the first time-step. However, the light rays are deflected by
deflector 268 so that, after passing through lenticules 272-278,
the light rays are directed to viewer 290's left viewer-eye 292 and
right viewer-eye 294. Other implementations and procedures may be
used as well to display 3D images to two or more viewers.
[0040] In addition to beam-to-viewer systems, a 3D display screen
may use a variety of techniques to portray different images to
different viewers. For instance, near-eye optical filters (e.g., 3D
glasses) may be used to separate superimposed images. As another
example, a system may use holographic displays, lenticular screens,
parallax-barrier displays, or wiggle stereoscopy to present the
pair of images. Although a 3D display screen 102 and a 3D display
device 100 may be particularly used for displaying 3D images, these
systems may also display 2D images. For example, if a 3D display
system receives a 2D image or video, the system may display
substantially the same image(s) for each perspective of the 2D
image or video. Because system may vary the display
characteristics, the perspectives may not be exactly the same.
II. Eye-Monitoring System
[0041] Eye-monitoring system 104 may also be included in or
connected to display system 100. In some arrangements,
eye-monitoring system 104 may be integral in the same device as
display screen 102 and other elements. In other cases,
eye-monitoring system 104 may communicate with other elements of
the system, through an electrical, optical, or other communicative
interface. In some cases, eye-monitoring system 104 may control
itself, sending eye-strength and other data automatically. In other
arrangements, a central controller may send control signaling
eye-monitoring system 104 to initiate generation of eye-strength
data.
[0042] Eye-monitoring system 104 may use a variety of sensors to
generate eye-strength data. For example, a video-processing
approach may involve capturing images in the direction that display
screen 102 faces and analyzing the images to detect portions of the
image that are representative of characteristics of a viewer-eye.
As another example, reflection sensors may detect characteristics
of viewer-eyes by sending optical or acoustic signals towards the
eyes, measuring signals that are reflected back towards the sensor,
and processing the reflected signals to detect eye-characteristics.
In some optical reflection-sensor systems, the light may reflect
off the surface of the eye. In other systems, the light may pass
through portions of the eye and reflect off the back of the eye. In
still other reflection-sensor systems, the light or sound waves may
reflect off areas other than the eye itself (e.g., skin around the
eye or other body features). In systems that detect multiple
eye-characteristics, eye-monitoring system 104 may include various
sensors and sensor-types to monitor the eyes.
[0043] In some implementations, eye-monitoring system 104 may be
configured to generate new eye-strength data occasionally by
determining a current eye-strength of the detected eyes and
updating the eye-strength data with the most current data. For
example, eye-monitoring system 104 may determine eye strength
periodically, that is, at predefined time-intervals. In some cases,
the time intervals between successive determination steps may be so
brief as to create a substantially continuous reading of the eye
strength. In other embodiments, eye-monitoring system 104 may
determine eye strength in response to a particular signal. For
example, eye-monitoring system 104 may receive movement data from
one or more motion sensors and initiate an eye-strength
determination procedure in response to receiving data indicating a
sufficiently large movement in the viewing area of display screen
102. Such a technique may help the system to recognize when a
particular viewer stops watching, so that the system may stop
varying display characteristics.
[0044] The strength of a viewer-eye may be determined in a variety
of ways. In some systems, eye-monitoring system 104 may internally
process sensor readings to determine the eye-strength of the
viewer-eye. In other systems, eye-monitoring system 104 may send
data to a centralized processor for processing and analysis to
determine eye strength. In still other systems, eye-strength data
may be accessed from storage or input directly, so that no
eye-monitoring system is used.
[0045] In addition to eye strength, eye-monitoring system 104 may
determine and report other information about viewer-eyes. For
example, eye-monitoring system 104 may report the location of
detected eyes. Such eye-location data may help beam-to-viewer
systems to direct the light towards the viewer-eyes or other 3D
displays to determine which viewer-eye (e.g., right or left) was
viewing each pixel of the display. As another example,
eye-monitoring system 104 may report eye-movement data based on
previous eye-location data. Another example eye-monitoring system
104 may estimate future eye-locations based on eye-movement and
current eye-location data. As still another example, eye-strength
data may represent specific characteristics of the viewer-eyes
(e.g., right eye, left eye, first viewer, second viewer, specific
viewer identity, etc.)
[0046] In other embodiments, additional information about
viewer-eyes may be determined by separate systems. For example,
display system 100 might include eye-monitoring system 104, for
determining eye strength, and a separate eye-tracking device for
determining the viewer-eye's position.
III. Other Elements
[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, display system 100 may also include
computing elements for control of system 100 and processing of
signals to/from display screen 102, eye-monitoring system 104, and
communication interfaces 116. In particular, display system 100
includes a processor 110 and a computer-readable medium (CRM) 112.
CRM 112 may contain program instructions that processor 110 may
execute to cause system 100 to perform certain functions. Processor
110 and CRM 112 may be integrally connected in a display device or
these elements may connect locally or remotely to a display
device.
[0048] Processor 110 may include any processor type capable of
executing program instructions 114 in order to perform the
functions described herein. For example, processor 110 may be any
general-purpose processor, specialized processing unit, or device
containing processing elements. In some cases, multiple processing
units may be connected and utilized in combination to perform the
various functions of processor 110.
[0049] CRM 112 may be any available media that can be accessed by
processor 110 and any other processing elements in system 100. By
way of example, CRM 112 may include RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM
or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other
magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to
carry or store desired program code in the form of program
instructions or data structures, and which can be executed by a
processor. When information is transferred or provided over a
network or another communications connection (either hardwired,
wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to a machine,
the machine properly views the connection as a CRM. Thus, any such
connection to a computing device or processor is properly termed a
CRM. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope
of computer-readable media. Program instructions 114 may include,
for example, instructions and data capable of causing a processing
unit, a general- purpose computer, a special-purpose computer,
special-purpose processing machines, or server systems to perform a
certain function or group of functions.
[0050] In some embodiments, display screen 102, eye-monitoring
system 104, communication interface 116, and/or other connected
devices may include separate processing and storage elements for
execution of particular functions associated with each system. As
an example, eye-monitoring system 104 may store observed
information (e.g., focal properties, gaze-tracking data, etc.)
about viewer-eyes in an internal CRM and use internal processors to
determine eye-strength. In this example, eye-monitoring system 104
may autonomously determine and transmit the eye-strength data
instead of transmitting the observed information to central
processor 110. Indeed, any of the processing, calculating,
estimating, or control functions described above as being performed
by display screen 102 or eye-monitoring system 104 may
alternatively be performed by processor 110. In some cases,
specific processors and CRM may be dedicated to the control or
operation of one system although not integrated into that system.
For example, processor 110 may include a display-control subsystem
that uses a special-purpose processing unit to service display
screen 102.
[0051] Display system 100 also includes communication interfaces
116 for communicating with local and remote systems. Communication
interfaces 116 may include, for example, wireless chipsets,
antennas, wired ports, signal converters, communication protocols,
and other hardware and software for interfacing with external
systems. For example, display system 100 may receive images for
display via communication interfaces 116 from content providers
(e.g., television, internet, video conferencing providers, etc.) or
from local media sources (e.g., gaming systems, disc players,
portable media players, computing systems, cameras, etc.) As
another example, display system 100 may receive user-input and
user-commands via communication interfaces 116 such as, for
instance, remote control signals, touch-screen input, actuation of
buttons/switches, voice input, and other user-interface
elements.
IV. Illustrated Example Systems
[0052] FIGS. 3-5 are schematic designs of particular device
implementations according to exemplary embodiments. Elements shown
in FIGS. 3-5 that are similar to elements described with respect to
FIG. 1 (for example, processors 110, 310, 402, and 502) may be
implemented and used in the ways described above with respect to
FIG. 1. The devices and systems illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 are not
intended to be exhaustive. Other arrangements and implementations
will be clear to those of skill in the art, based on this
disclosure.
[0053] FIG. 3 is a schematic design of a display device 300
according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, display device 300
includes display screen 302, eye-monitoring system 304, processor
310, CRM 312, and communication interfaces 316, with each element
communicatively coupled through system bus 308. Display device 300
may function as a self-contained unit, receiving content from
communication interfaces 316 or CRM 312 and processing and
displaying the content according to the functions set forth in
program instructions 314 and data received from eye-monitoring
system 304. Display device 300 may be any type of 3D display device
or system containing the components shown in FIG. 3. For example,
display device 300 may be a 3D-television system, a portable media
player, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a personal digital
assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, or a self-contained gaming system,
among other devices.
[0054] FIG. 4 is a schematic design of display-control system 400
arranged according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown,
display-control system 400 includes processor 402 and CRM 404,
which stores program instructions 406, communicatively coupled
through system bus 408. Program instructions 406 may be executable
by processor 402 to cause display-control system 400 to perform
various functions as will be described. Some functions may involve
communicating with 3D display device 416 and eye-monitoring system
418 through display-device interface 410 and eye-monitor interface
412. Interfaces 410 and 412 may include various hardware and
software for communicating with 3D display device 416 and
eye-monitoring system 418. Other exemplary display control systems
may include additional components such as communication
interfaces.
[0055] In some implementations, display-control system 400 may
function as an external device to 3D display device 416 and
eye-monitoring system 418. In other implementations,
display-control system 400 may be integrated within a display
system, display device, eye-monitoring system, or communication
interface. In any arrangement, interfaces 410 and 412 may be simple
electrical or optical connections, such as a pin connector or a
fiber bundle; or complex interfacing systems, including chipsets,
antennas, switching circuits, communication protocols, and/or
dedicated program instructions, to name only a few examples.
[0056] FIG. 5 is a schematic design of an eye-monitoring system 500
arranged according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown,
eye-monitoring system 500 includes processor 502, CRM 504, which
stores program instructions 506, and eye sensor 510, all
communicatively coupled through system bus 508. Program
instructions 506 may be executable by processor 502 to cause
eye-monitoring system 500 to perform various functions as will be
described. Some functions may involve communicating with 3D display
device 514 through display-device interface 512. Eye sensor 510 may
include any of the various sensors, emitters,
[0057] In some implementations, eye-monitoring system 500 may
function as independent device externally connected to 3D display
device 514. In other implementations, eye-monitoring system 500 may
be integrated within a display system, display device,
display-control system, or communication interface. Interface 512
may include various hardware and software, such as those described
above with respect to interfaces 410 and 412. Other exemplary
eye-monitoring system may include additional components such as
communication interfaces, motion sensors, and displays.
Example Operation
[0058] Functions and procedures described in this section may be
executed according to any of several embodiments. For example,
procedures may be performed by specialized equipment that is
designed to perform the particular functions. As another example,
the functions may be performed by general-use equipment that
executes commands related to the procedures. As still another
example, each function may be performed by a different piece of
equipment with one piece of equipment serving as control or with a
separate control device. As a further example, procedures may be
specified as program instructions on a computer-readable
medium.
[0059] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method 600 according to
an exemplary embodiment. As shown, method 600 involves receiving
eye-strength data for a weak and a strong eye (step 602). Method
600 further involves varying characteristics of an image displayed
by a 3D display system in accordance with the eye-strength data
(step 604).
[0060] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating another method 700
according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, method 700 involves
requesting eye-strength data from an external eye monitor (step
702). Method 700 further involves receiving eye-strength data for a
weak and a strong eye from the eye monitor (step 704). Method 700
further involves varying characteristics of an image displayed by a
3D display system in accordance with the received eye-strength data
(step 706).
[0061] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating still another method 800
according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, method 800 involves
using an internal eye-monitoring system to generate eye-strength
data for a weak and a strong eye (step 802). Method 800 further
involves receiving the eye-strength data from the eye monitor to a
processing unit (step 804). Method 800 further involves varying
characteristics of an image displayed by a 3D display system in
accordance with the received eye-strength data (step 806).
[0062] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating still another method 900
according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown, method 900 involves
causing a display device to display left and right perspectives of
an image (step 902). Method 900 further involves determining the
strength of a viewer's left and right eyes (step 904). Method 900
further involves varying characteristics of the perspectives in
accordance with the strength of the viewer's eyes (step 906).
[0063] Although FIGS. 6-9 show particular steps and particular step
orderings, exemplary methods may include additional steps, omit
shown steps, or reorder the steps in a variety of ways. In the
following sections, aspects of each illustrated method, along with
other exemplary procedures, are discussed with reference to the
systems illustrated in FIGS. 1-5 and the example methods of FIGS.
6-9.
I. Requesting and Receiving Eye-Strength Data
[0064] A display-control system or display device may receive
eye-strength data from various sources. For example, step 702 of
method 700 involves requesting eye-strength data from an external
eye-monitoring system. In other cases, eye-strength data may be
received from integral eye-monitors into the processing components
of a system. In still other cases, eye-strength data may be
received as user-input as part of an eye-testing procedure or as
determined by previous eye testing. In still other cases, stored
eye-strength data may be loaded from CRM (such as CRM 112). In any
case, the system may send a command, request, or instruction to
initiate the generation of or access to eye-strength data.
[0065] For example, a system may periodically instruct an
eye-monitoring system to generate eye-strength data. Such a system
may periodically receive new eye-strength data while a certain
viewer is watching the display. In this way, the system may track
the progress or deterioration of the viewer's eye strength in real
time. The system may adjust the amount of training or compensation
that the viewer receives, in real time, in accordance with the
tracked eye-strength.
[0066] As another example, eye-strength data may be requested
whenever a new viewer is detected. A new viewer or a set of new
viewers may be detected, for instance, when the display device is
turned on. A system may also use sensors (such as the
eye-monitoring system, an additional eye-detection system, or
motion sensors) to determine that the viewership has changed. For
instance, a display device may receive motion-sensor readings that
indicate a threshold amount of movement in the device's viewing
area and, in response to this detection, send a request to an
eye-monitoring system.
[0067] In some cases, eye-strength data may be requested when the
identity of the new viewer is recognized. For example, a
viewer-profile may be stored in a display system or control device
and activated by the viewer or an internal process whenever the
viewer is watching the display device. The system may determine
that the viewer is watching by using, for example, facial
recognition, voice recognition, or user-input, among other
examples. A viewer-profile may be stored on CRM 112 or on a local
or remote storage system that communicates with system 100 through
communication interfaces 116. A viewer-profile may include, for
example, eye-strength data, results of previous testing or
calibration, viewer preferences, data for use in recognition,
historical data regarding previous viewing sessions, and/or other
viewer information.
[0068] As a further example, a system may receive requests to
generate eye-strength data from communication interfaces 116. In
particular, a viewer (or a caregiver) may request that the system
initiate eye-strength data gathering or generation via a
user-interface. In another arrangement, a stand-alone eye-detection
system may send a request via communication interfaces 116.
[0069] Any request for eye-strength data may include a variety of
information pertaining to the requested data. For example, when a
system requests eye-strength data associated with a particular
viewer that the system recognizes, the request may include
information about the particular viewer (e.g., name, system ID,
data location of stored eye-strength data, previous eye-strength
readings, etc.) As another example, the request may include
information from other sensors that would be useful in monitoring
the eyes (e.g., position of the viewer, positions of each eye,
movement of the viewer, characteristics of currently displayed
content, etc.) As a further example, the request may include
instructions for collecting the data (e.g., number of times to
test, a time period over which to repeatedly test, additional data
to collect with eye-strength data, desired format of the
eye-strength data, etc.)
[0070] The system may also receive eye-strength data without
requesting the data from external or internal systems. In
particular, eye-monitoring systems may be programmed to generate or
collect eye-strength data at certain times (e.g., periodically or
in response to certain stimuli) and send the data to a display or
control system. In other cases, an eye-monitoring system may
receive requests for data from external sources without the
interaction of a display system or display control. In still other
arrangements, remote servers or systems may send eye-strength data
via communication interfaces 116 to a display system.
[0071] Whether received data is requested or unrequested, the
system may process eye-strength data to determine the eye-strength
of viewer-eyes. In particular, the system may compare eye-strength
data for each eye to determine a relative eye-strength. In some
cases, the display system may receive raw collected data from an
eye-monitoring system and process the data to determine and/or
compare the eye-strength that the data indicates. In other cases,
as will be described, the display system may receive eye-strength
data that an eye-monitoring system has already processed from raw
collected data.
[0072] The relative eye-strength may be represented by Boolean
variables (i.e., an eye is either "strong" or "weak"), a
qualitative description (an eye is much stronger, much weaker,
slightly weak, etc.), or a quantitative description (an eye's
strength is reported as a numerical representation). In some cases,
eye-strength data may only indicate the relative eye-strength of
viewer-eyes (i.e., how a viewer's eyes compare to each other). In
other cases, the eye-strength data may indicate the absolute
eye-strength of the viewer's eyes (i.e., how each eye compares to a
standard measure of eye strength).
[0073] In some cases, the eye-strength data may include
eye-strength readings for each eye. In other cases, the
eye-strength data may indicate only the difference in eye strength.
In still other cases, the data may indicate the absolute
eye-strength value for the weak viewer-eye, but not for the strong
viewer-eye.
[0074] Some example display systems may receive eye-strength data
from external sources via communication interfaces 116, instead of
receiving eye-strength data from an eye-monitoring system. For
example, if a viewer already received an eye-strength test, such as
a professionally administered test, then the results of that test
may be entered into a display system through communication
interfaces 116. As another example, a system may request and
receive eye-strength data from an external database or server. In
addition to the value of eye strength, such data may indicate other
pertinent information with regard to the viewer's vision. For
example, the data may include information regarding such vision
problems as cataracts, color blindness, and near-/far-sightedness.
Other examples are also possible.
II. Generating Eye-Strength Data
[0075] Eye-monitoring system 104 may use a variety of
eye-characteristics to determine the eye strength of a viewer-eye.
For example, eye-monitoring system 104 may track the gaze direction
of each viewer-eye to determine whether there is a difference in
how much each eye moves. If the viewer moves one of his or her eyes
less than the viewer moves the other, this may indicate that the
less mobile eye may be weaker than the more responsive eye. In some
embodiments, a control system may locate the focal point of an
image that is displayed on display screen 102 and use this
determined focal point in combination with the gaze-tracking data
to determine eye strength. For example, while display screen 102 is
displaying a video in which an emphasized object moves across the
image in one direction, eye-monitoring system 104 may track the
gaze-direction of viewer-eyes to determine how much each viewer-eye
moves in that direction. Then, a control system may correlate the
movement of the emphasized object and the eyes to determine whether
one eye is weaker (e.g., less used or less responsive) than the
other.
[0076] For a viewer with a strabismus (a condition in which the
eyes are not properly aligned to each other), the system may use
gaze-tracking information to determine how often the viewer fixates
with each eye. If the viewer has equal eye-strength in each eye,
the viewer will alternate between fixating with the right eye and
fixating with the left. The fixation may be observed as a turning
of the eye to face the object of interest (in this case, the
display screen). When a viewer with strabismus switches the eye
with which they are fixating, the viewer's eyes move slightly to
the left or right. A system may track these movements and record
the amount of time spent fixating with each eye. The difference in
the time spent fixating with each eye may then be used as a measure
of eye strength.
[0077] As another example, eye-monitoring system 104 may use
dilation data to determine the eye-strength of viewer-eyes. In
particular, a weak viewer-eye may respond to changes in light
slower than a strong viewer-eye. Hence, eye-monitoring system 104
may detect eye strength by determining the difference in dilation
characteristics of each eye. A system may also analyze the
brightness of images presented to the viewer for comparison to
detected dilation changes. For example, when the system detects
that a displayed image has significantly increased in brightness,
the system may track corresponding dilation changes with the
expectation that responsive eyes will dilate less to adjust for the
increasing brightness.
[0078] As a further example, eye-monitoring system 104 may detect
the focus of the viewer-eyes and use the detected focus as an
indication of eye-strength. The focus of a viewer-eye in this sense
is a measure of the depth of the viewer's gaze. An eye sensor may
detect focus, for example, by emitting light through the center of
the eye, so that the light reflects off the back of the eye, and
analyzing the reflected light to determine characteristics of the
eye's lens. Processors in eye-monitoring system 104 or connected to
display system 100 may then compare the depth of focus for each eye
with respect to the other eye and with respect to the viewer's
distance from display screen 102. A difference in focus may
indicate a difference in eye strength between the viewer-eyes. For
example, a weak eye may focus on a depth that is significantly
different from the physical distance from the viewer to display
screen 102, because the viewer is not relying on that eye for
looking at the screen. In other implementations, a gaze-tracker may
facilitate determining the viewer's focus-depth by comparing the
two eyes' directions. For example, the level to which a viewer
crosses or uncrosses his or her eyes may indicate the viewer's
focus depth. In such an arrangement, the system may then compare
the focus indicated by the eye-directions to the focus of the
individual eyes as determined by reflecting light off the back of
the eyes.
[0079] Some embodiments may generate eye-strength data without
actively monitoring a viewer's eyes. Instead, such embodiments may
receive data from communication interfaces 116 and process this
data to generate eye-strength data. For example, a system may
conduct an eye-strength test by presenting images to a viewer,
receiving viewer-input, and correlating the viewer-input to the
presented images to determine eye strength. In particular, a system
may show a succession of images in which the brightness of the
image reduces until the viewer indicates that the image is no
longer visible. As another implementation, a system may display 3D
images in which one of the perspectives is reduced in brightness
and ask the viewer to indicate "good" images and "bad" images. In a
further implementation, a viewer may perform a side-by-side
comparison in which (1) an image is displayed to each eye so that
the two images are beside each other, (2) the viewer varies the
display brightness of one or both images, and (3) once the images
appear equivalent, the viewer indicates that the current altered
brightness settings produce equivalent perspectives. Based on the
viewer-input, the system may determine the relative or absolute
eye-strength of the viewer and generate corresponding eye-strength
data. Although brightness is used as an example of an altered
characteristic in the above examples, any of the described
embodiments may involve varying other display characteristics
instead of, or in addition to brightness.
[0080] In a gaming system with a 3D display, the eye strength of a
viewer (player) may be determined by altering image characteristics
while the viewer is playing a game and monitoring how well the
viewer plays. For example, a display system may receive updates
from the gaming system indicating how well the player is performing
in a 3D-graphics-based game. Then, in response to detecting that
the viewer plays worse when a first perspective is dimmed, the
system may report that the viewer-eye associated with the first
perspective is the weak viewer-eye. Correspondingly, in response to
detecting that the viewer plays better when the first perspective
is dimmed, the system may report that the viewer-eye associated
with the first perspective is a strong viewer-eye. If, instead, a
2D-graphics-based game (or 3D game that does not require much 3D)
is used, then dimming the perspective displayed to the dominant eye
may actually decrease the player's effectiveness, reversing the
resulting diagnosis.
[0081] In some embodiments, eye-strength data may also indicate
information about the detected viewer-eyes other than just the
eye-strength. For example, eye-monitoring system 104 may be
configured to detect the locations and/or motion of the viewers'
eyes and include this detected information in the eye-strength
data. As another example, when the system detects two viewer-eyes
that move together and/or are separated by less than a certain
distance, eye-monitoring system 104 may determine that the
viewer-eyes belong to a single viewer and indicate the left
viewer-eye and the right viewer-eye in the eye-strength data.
[0082] Some example systems may be configured to serve multiple
viewers at once. In particular, a system may detect multiple eyes
in the viewing area and determine which of the viewer-eyes most
likely belong to the same viewer. The system may use one of a
variety of techniques to determine the likelihood that particular
eyes belong to the same viewer. For example, the system may use the
location and motion of each of the viewer-eyes and determine
whether the separation or relative movement of the eyes is
indicative of the viewer-eyes belonging to a single viewer. As
another example, a camera-based eye-monitoring system may determine
whether viewer-eyes belong to the same viewer by comparing images
associated with each viewer-eye to detect assess the similarity
between the eyes. In response to determining that the viewer-eyes
are threshold similar, the system may determine that they belong to
the same viewer. In some cases, a system may annotate data that
represents a viewer's pair of eyes with an identifier of the
particular viewer represented by the pair of viewer-eyes. For
example, in response to determining that two pairs of eyes belong
to two viewers, a system may label each pair as "VIEWER A" or
"VIEWER B." Other labels may also be used and viewer-eye data may
include many other forms of information as well.
[0083] In a system where eye-monitoring system 104 detects the
location of viewer-eyes, the eye-strength data may indicate the
relative directions (i.e., a relative angular position vector) from
display-screen 102 to the detected eyes. Such directional position
data may be gathered, for example, by comparing the direction from
eye-monitoring system 104 towards the detected eyes to the
position/orientation of eye-monitoring system 104 relative to the
display screen. Additionally, eye-strength data may indicate the
relative distance from the display screen to the detected eyes. For
example, a proximity sensor may determine relative distance of a
detected object by outputting light or sound waves, detecting
returning waves, calculating the propagation time of the waves, and
using the speed of propagation to calculate the distance of the
object off which the wave reflected.
[0084] Eye-strength data may also indicate the movement of detected
eyes. For example, eye-monitoring system 104 may determine
eye-locations occasionally and compare the determined set of
eye-locations with one or more previous eye-locations in order to
estimate the motion of detected eyes. In determining motion of a
particular eye, the eye-location data from a current set of
eye-locations may be associated with corresponding eye-location
data in each of several previous sets of eye locations. For
example, the eye locations may be associated based on a detected
similarity in the data that represents each corresponding
eye-location (e.g., image, geometry, reflectivity or other
similarities of the data). As another example, corresponding
eye-locations may be associated based on a detected similarity in
their position relative to other eye-locations.
[0085] Using the current and previous values of eye-location from
the associated eye-location data, eye-monitoring system 104 may
calculate motion characteristics associated with the determined
eye-locations. Such motion information may include, for instance,
speed, direction of movement, velocity, acceleration, movement
pattern, and/or jerk, among other movement characteristics.
Eye-monitoring system 104 may then include the determined motion
information in the eye-location data that it sends to the control,
processing, or other elements of display system 100.
[0086] In some cases, eye-monitoring system 104 may process motion
information and current eye-location data in order to estimate
future eye-locations. For example, in response to determining that
a detected eye is moving in a particular direction at a particular
speed, eye-monitoring system 104 may estimate the distance the eye
will move in a given duration of time by multiplying the given
duration by the particular speed. Eye-monitoring system 104 may
then estimate the eye's future location at the end of the given
duration by adding the estimated distance in the particular
direction to the current eye-location. In other arrangements, the
system may factor acceleration, jerk, or the other motion
information into an estimation of the future eye-location. Then,
eye-monitoring system 104 may include the future eye-location data
in the eye-location data that it sends to control elements in
system 100.
[0087] In some embodiments, an eye-monitoring system (or other
system that generates eye-strength data) may send raw collected
data to a display system. For example, eye-position, movement,
focus, alignment, and/or dilation data may simply be collected and
transmitted to display-system processors. In such a case, the
display-system processors may perform the techniques described
above to determine and/or compare eye strength. In other
embodiments, the eye-monitoring system may process the data to
determine or compare eye strength and send the resulting data to
the display system. In still other embodiments, an eye-monitoring
system, such as system 500, may fully process the eye-strength data
and autonomously determine adjustments to be made to the displayed
images. In such an embodiment, the eye-monitoring system may send
eye-strength data to the display system or device in the form of
instructions, directing the display system how to adjust for the
eye-strength. Such instructions may be indicative of the
eye-strength, therefore, without explicitly indicating the eye
strength.
[0088] III. Varying Display Characteristics
[0089] At step 604, method 600 of FIG. 6 involves varying the
display characteristics of an image displayed by a 3D display
system in accordance with the received eye-strength data. Similar
procedures are performed at steps 706, 806, and 906 of methods 700,
800, and 900 respectively. In some cases, a single display device
or system may determine how to vary display characteristics and
vary the characteristics. In other cases, a control system, such as
display control system 400, may determine how to vary the display
characteristics and cause a separate display device to vary the
characteristics. As will be described, a system may vary any of
various display characteristics such as, brightness, resolution,
complexity, image size/position, peripheral content, spectral
content, saturation, or temporal complexity, among other
examples.
[0090] As stated earlier, a 3D display system may be used to
display 3D or non-3D images. The images that are displayed to each
eye are referred to as perspectives in the following sections
regardless of whether the images combine to give the impression of
depth (e.g., 3D images) or not (e.g., non-3D images).
[0091] In some embodiments, a system may vary the brightness of a
displayed perspective. In one implementation, a system may vary the
brightness by changing the luminance of each pixel associated with
the perspective. For example, a system may determine which pixels
are associated with the perspective and vary the amount of
electrical current delivered to a light source to alter the
luminance of the source. As another example, a system may use
optical filters to reduce the brightness of a perspective by
absorbing light from pixels associate with the perspective. In
another implementation, a system may vary the brightness by
changing the amount of time that each pixel associated with the
view is emitting light. Such an implementation may function through
active pulsing of the light or through pulsed wave modulation (PWM)
technique. In a further implementation, a system that displays two
perspectives from the same pixels (e.g., by sequentially displaying
each perspective) may vary brightness by changing the amount of
time the pixels display each perspective. In yet another
implementation, a system may turn off a portion of the pixels
associated with one perspective.
[0092] In some embodiments, a system may vary the spatial
resolution of an image. The spatial resolution of a displayed image
refers to the number of independently addressable pixels the
display uses to produce the image. In order to reduce the spatial
resolution of an image, a set of adjacent pixels may be assigned a
single address so that the pixels in the set of adjacent pixels all
display the same portion of the image. Such a modification is
illustrated by FIGS. 10A and 10B. FIG. 10A shows an unmodified
image that could be a perspective of a 3D image. FIG. 10B shows the
same image with a reduced spatial resolution. To reduce the spatial
resolution, a system may detect what color would be displayed in
full resolution image by each pixel in the set, determine an
average color for the set, and display that color for every pixel
in the set. In the example of FIG. 10B, a set of nine pixels are
averaged into a single pixel by counting the number of white pixels
and black pixels in the set and choosing either white or black
depending on which color is more prevalent. This type of average
color may be called the "mode" of the pixels. In other examples,
the system may use a lighter or darker shade of gray for the
average color depending on whether the percentage of black pixels
is lower or higher, respectively. This average color is closer to a
"mean" average color.
[0093] In color images, the system may also reduce the spatial
resolution of the image by choosing an average color. The average
color may be chosen as the most prevalent color (the mode) or as an
intermediate color (the median or mean). Choosing an intermediate
color may be more complicated in a color image than in a
black/white or grayscale image. In choosing such a color, the
system may rank all the colors used in the set of pixels based on
one or more characteristics of the color (e.g., hue, brightness,
saturation, amount of red in an RGB system, amount of cyan in a
CMYK system, etc.) Then, to choose a "median" color, the system may
find a color that is in the middle of the rankings and select this
color as the average color. Alternatively, the system may choose a
mean color by (1) assigning each color a numerical value, based on
the ranking criteria; (2) calculating the numerical mean of the
assigned values, and (3) picking the color that would be associated
with that numerical value. For example, if ranking is based on hue,
then the system may use a standard set of hue variants (such as the
256-hue system used in many computing applications) to assign a
value to each color from a group of pixels, calculate the mean
value, and use the same standard system to pick the color
associated with the mean value. Hence, the mean color may be a
color that would not be displayed in any of the pixels from the
full-resolution image, but rather, represents the average value of
the full-resolution colors. Because many color systems use multiple
independent variables (e.g., RGB, CMYK, and HSL variables, among
others) to define a color, the determination of a mean or median
color may take a separate calculation for each variable. Although
the example of FIG. 10B shows sets of nine pixels that form squares
being averaged, an example system may reduce the spatial resolution
by averaging any number of pixels that form any of several
shapes.
[0094] In some embodiments, a system may vary the complexity of a
displayed perspective. For example, a system may remove features of
one perspective to make the perspective less complex. A feature may
be removed, for instance, by turning off pixels related to that
feature. In other embodiments, a feature may be removed by changing
the color the pixels to the color of the pixels surrounding the
feature. For example, to remove a black line across a green
background, a display may change the pixels in the line from black
to green. In grayscale or color images, a system may use
image-processing techniques to define what a "feature" of the image
is and what portion of the image it occupies.
[0095] To determine which features to remove, the system may use
several techniques, some of which are shown in FIGS. 10C-10F. As
illustrated in FIG. 10C, a system may determine the size of the
various features within an image and reduce complexity by removing
features below a certain size from one perspective. In the example
FIG. 10C, lines are removed based on their thickness. Other
examples of feature size may also be used as criteria for
distinguishing between large and small features such as, length,
pixel area, 3D volume (the product of the area across the screen
and the perceived depth of a 3D feature), 3D surface area (the
topographical surface area of a feature calculated from two of:
length, width, and perceived depth).
[0096] As shown in FIGS. 10D and 10E, a system may reduce
complexity by removing features at the periphery of an image (also
known as "peripheral content"). For example, a system may remove
features near the edge of the screen. Such an example is shown in
FIG. 10D, in which the system defines a border 1002 around the
center of the image As another example, a system may receive
indications of which portion of an image is the focal point or
center of attention and remove features that are far from this
focal point. FIG. 10E shows an example of a system that defines a
border 1004 around a focal point of the image. Although borders
1002 and 1004 are shown as oval-shaped and slightly smaller than
the full screen, a system may use any shape or size of boundary to
distinguish between peripheral content and the rest of the image.
Because the peripheral content is removed outside of the border,
the size, shape, and position of the border may, in this case,
define an "image size," an "image shape," and an "image position."
In some cases, the removed "peripheral content" may actually be at
the center of the image or center of attention in the image. For
example, a system may remove important features (e.g., features
that are indicated as focal points of an image) from the
perspective of the strong viewer-eye, so that the viewer must rely
more heavily on the weak eye. Such a variation may be particularly
effective in a 3D-gaming application, because the viewer may need
to see particular 3D-features in an image to succeed at the
game.
[0097] As shown in FIG. 10F, a system may also combine
complexity-reducing techniques. In particular, the image of 10F
illustrates a technique in which a border 1006 defines the
periphery of the image and small features in the periphery are
removed. Larger features in the periphery, such as line 1008 and
arc 1010 have not been removed by this technique. In other
embodiments, the spatial resolution, spectral content, or other
characteristic of peripheral content may be varied. More generally,
a system may define image portions of any number, size, and shape
in which to vary any of the display characteristics. For example, a
system may increase the brightness of one side of the image. As
another example, a system may reduce the temporal resolution of
most of an image, while continuing to display a particular feature
in an image at a non-reduced temporal resolution. Other examples
are also possible.
[0098] In some embodiments, a system may vary the spectral content
of a perspective. For example, a system may reduce the spectral
content of a perspective by filtering the perspective to reduce the
number of different colors that are displayed in the perspective.
In particular, such filtering may involve comparing each pixel in
the full-color image to a reduced set of colors and selecting the
color from the reduced set that most closely resembles the original
color of the pixel. In some cases, the reduced set of colors may
include a relatively full range of colors (such as a standard 16 or
256 color set). In other cases, the reduced set of colors may
include only colors from a particular color palette. For example, a
system may include only colors with a reduced saturation (i.e.,
colors that are spectrally broadened to produce a "grayed out"
image) in a reduced set of colors.
[0099] In other embodiments, a system may vary the color saturation
of a perspective by applying a uniform filter to all pixels in the
perspective. For example, a system may increase the color
saturation by altering the frequency spectrum of the light that
each pixel emits so that each pixel emits only a single frequency
of light. In practice, a saturated color may contain some light
that is outside of the single desired frequency, but the spectrum
overall would have a single narrow peak in intensity at the desired
frequency and reduced intensity at frequencies outside of the peak.
As another example, a system may reduce the saturation by reducing
the intensity of light that is emitted at the peak frequency or by
increasing the intensity of other frequencies. In some embodiments,
the intensity of light at the peak frequency of each pixel may be
entirely equalized to the intensity of light at non-peak
frequencies of that pixel, producing a grayscale image.
[0100] In some embodiments, a system may vary the temporal
resolution of a perspective of a 3D video. For example, the system
may reduce the rate at which frames change for one perspective. In
particular, the system may reduce the frame rate in half by
displaying each frame for twice the normal duration. To maintain
consistency between the perspectives, the system may refrain from
displaying every other frame of the reduced perspective of the 3D
video. In this way, the two perspectives may present a coherent
image, but one perspective with also display an intermediate image.
A system may reduce the frame rate to rates other than simply half
the normal rate. For example, the same strategy could easily be
applied to frame rates that are one-third, one-fourth, or one-fifth
as frequent. Further, frame rates of any arbitrary ratio may be
simply accomplished by refraining from displaying the appropriate
portion of frames. In some embodiments, the system may also change
when the frames of the reduced perspective are refreshed, so that
the reduced frame rate is regular. For example, if the reduced
frame rate is two-thirds of the normal frame rate, then, instead of
refreshing the image simultaneously with the normal perspective for
two frames and not refreshing at the third frame, a system may
delay the refresh time of the second frame by a half duration. In
this way, the system refreshes the reduced perspective regularly,
at durations that are 1.5 times longer than the normal
duration.
[0101] Example systems may also vary multiple display
characteristics in combination. For example, a system that
increases the saturation of a perspective may also increase the
brightness of the perspective. As another example, a system may
reduce both the spatial resolution and the temporal resolution of
one perspective. Other examples are also possible.
[0102] In addition to controlling whether any of the
above-described display characteristics are changed, a system may
also control how much a characteristic is changed. For example, a
system may brighten a pixel a small amount by slightly increasing
the electrical current through the light source, and brighten the
pixel a large amount by greatly increasing the electrical current
through the light source. As another example, a system may define a
larger or smaller area of the image to be "peripheral content" that
is subject to reductions in complexity or resolution. Similar
control can be applied to resolution, spectral content, temporal
resolution, saturation, and other display characteristics.
[0103] In order to determine how much to vary the display
characteristics, the system may evaluate the difference in eye
strength between a viewer's eyes. In some cases, a system may
refrain from varying the display characteristics in response to
determining that the difference in eye-strength is smaller than a
predefined threshold difference. In such a case, the system may
evaluate the difference in eye-strength by comparing the difference
to the preset threshold level.
[0104] Some systems may use multiple threshold values to determine
which characteristics to vary and how much each characteristic
should be varied. For example, the system may vary the spatial
resolution of a perspective in response to determining that a
detected eye-strength difference is larger than one threshold value
and vary the complexity of the perspective in response to the
difference being larger than a different threshold value. As
another example, in response to detecting a difference that
surpasses a low threshold value, a system may reduce the temporal
resolution of a perspective by one-half and, in response to
detecting that the difference is larger than a higher threshold,
the system may reduce the temporal resolution by one-third.
[0105] Some systems may use a sufficient number of threshold values
that correspond to amounts of display varying that the range of
values are substantially continuous. In particular, a system may
assign a numerical scale to the amount that a display
characteristic may be varied and, then, vary that characteristic in
direct proportion to the eye-strength indicated in the eye-strength
data. For example, the system may assign a numerical scale to the
possible values of brightness for an image and then fit possible
differences in eye strength to the same numerical scale. When such
a system receives eye-strength data, the system may use these
assigned values to match the difference in eye-strength indicated
in the received eye-strength data to the amount of varied
brightness. A system may also assign values to more than one
display characteristic, so that multiple characteristics may be
varied in proportion to the eye-strength difference. In such an
embodiment, the particular display characteristics may either be
varied over the entire range of eye-strength differences or be
varied only in certain ranges. For example, a system may vary one
characteristic when the eye-strength difference is small and vary a
different characteristic when the eye-strength difference is
larger.
[0106] In a system that occasionally (e.g., periodically) receives
or generates new eye-strength data, the system may also
occasionally update whether, and how much, particular display
characteristics are varied. For example, each time that new
eye-strength data is received, the system may determine how the
viewer's eye strength has changed and adjust the display
characteristics accordingly. In some embodiments, instead of
adjusting display characteristics in direct response to each
reception of new eye-strength data, the system may analyze (e.g.,
using filtration, curve-fitting, linear or nonlinear regression,
etc.) a set of eye-strength data to identify a time-dependent
trend. The system may then adjust display characteristics in
accordance with the trend. In this way, some embodiments may cause
a predictive adjustment, based on a forward projection of the
trend.
IV. Compensating for a Weak Viewer-Eye
[0107] In varying the display characteristics, some variations may
make the perspective more or less complex. For example, decreasing
the image complexity, image size, amount of peripheral content,
spectral content, spatial resolution, and/or temporal resolution of
a perspective may decrease the complexity of the perspective,
because the eye has less visual information to receive and
process.
[0108] Other variations may make the perspective easier or harder
to view or recognize. Such a variation may be herein termed a
change in viewing difficulty. For example, increasing the
brightness, saturation, or contrast of a perspective may decrease
the viewing difficulty, because the visual information may be
easier to see and/or discern. In contrast, decreasing the
brightness, saturation, or contrast of an image may increase the
viewing difficulty. Some changes to viewing difficulty may be less
direct. For example, if image-complexity variations are taken to
the extreme, like the resolution change shown in FIG. 10B, then the
viewing difficulty may actually increase, because the image will be
harder to discern. That is, the natural ability of the mind to
group bits of information into larger objects may be degraded,
causing the viewer to use conscious energy to analyze the image. As
another example, moving the image position (by changing the
position of removed peripheral content) to an area that is not near
the original image center or center of attention may increase the
viewing difficulty, because removing the focal point may make the
image less recognizable.
[0109] In practice, a system may vary image complexity and viewing
difficulty of a perspective relatively: that is, with respect to
the other perspective. Because relative changes to one perspective
may be thought of as producing opposite changes to the other
perspective, the system may relatively vary the characteristics of
one perspective without actually changing that perspective. For
example, decreasing the spatial resolution of the perspective
associated with the strong viewer-eye may be taken as an increase
to the spatial resolution of the perspective associated with the
weak viewer-eye. In other cases, the system may actually vary the
display characteristics of the intended perspective (which amounts
to an absolute change and a relative change). In some cases, the
system may determine how to vary the display characteristics based
on whether a change is even possible. For example, if an original
image is already at the full spatial resolution of the display
device, then the system may increase the spatial resolution of a
perspective only by decreasing the resolution of the other
perspective.
[0110] When a system detects a weak viewer-eye, the system may
compensate by decreasing the viewing difficulty of the perspective
presented to the weak eye and/or decreasing the image complexity of
the same perspective. Because a viewer may perceive or distinguish
less visual-information through the weak eye than the strong eye, a
decrease in viewing difficulty may give the viewer the impression
that each of his or her eyes are receiving images equivalently. For
example, if eye-strength data indicates that the weak viewer-eye
has dimmed eyesight (i.e., less of the light received by the eye is
perceived by the brain than on a normal eye), then a system may
increase the brightness of the image to this eye (or a decrease the
brightness of the view to the other eye) so that the viewer
perceives the same amount of light through each eye.
[0111] A system may reduce the image complexity, for example, to
conserve resources without reducing the quality of the displayed 3D
image. For example, if the eye-strength data indicates that the
weak viewer-eye is blurry (i.e., having a lower spatial resolution
than a normal eye), then a system may reduce the spatial resolution
of the perspective to this eye without the viewer perceiving the
change. As another example, if the eye-strength data indicates that
a viewer has a cataract at the top of the weak eye, then a system
may increase the brightness of the top of the perspective
associated with this eye. As a further example, if the eye-strength
data indicates that the weak viewer-eye is wholly or partly color
blind, the system may reduce the saturation or spectral content
without greatly affecting the viewer's perception. In the example
of one color-deficient eye, the system may also reduce the
saturation or spectral content of the perspective associated with
the dominant viewer-eye, to conserve resources associated with
display of a saturated color image and to avoid the situation where
the colors of the two perspectives disagree.
[0112] In compensating for the weak viewer-eye, a system may limit
the amount to which the complexity or viewing difficulty is
reduced, so that these variations do not further weaken the
viewer-eye. In particular, when the complexity or resolution of the
weak viewer-eye's perspective is reduced, the viewer may rely less
on that perspective and, instead, rely more on the dominant eye.
Such reliance may further exacerbate the eye's weakness by
obviating the use of the weak viewer-eye. To help avoid this issue,
the system may use eye-strength data and/or eye-location data to
estimate the amount of image change that would be indiscernible by
the viewer. Then, the system may use this estimated amount of
change as a cutoff and not allow the display characteristics to
vary more than the cutoff. In practice, a system may maintain
changes well below the cutoff in case of incorrect estimation. As
an example of estimating, a system may determine (or receive
already determined) the maximum resolution that a weak viewer-eye
can discern at a given distance and scale that resolution to the
distance between the display screen and the detected
eye-locations.
V. Training a Weak Viewer-Eye
[0113] In addition to compensating for a weak viewer-eye, a system
may be configured to train the weak viewer-eye so that the viewer
may learn to rely more on the weak eye. To compensate for the weak
viewer-eye, the system may decrease the viewing difficulty and/or
complexity of the perspective associated with the weak eye. In
contrast, to train the weak viewer-eye, a system may increase the
viewing difficulty of the perspective associated with the strong
viewer-eye and/or decrease the image complexity of the perspective
associated with the strong viewer-eye.
[0114] The system may increase the viewing difficulty of the
strong-eye's perspective to give the viewer the impression that
each of his or her eyes are receiving images equivalently, in the
same way that the system may decrease the weak viewer-eye's
difficulty to give this impression when compensating for the weak
viewer-eye. In contrast to the compensation technique, however, the
system may increase the viewing difficulty for the strong eye
beyond the level that gives a viewer the impression of equivalent
perspectives. In some cases, the system may even completely turn
off the strong viewer-eye's perspective so that the viewer must
rely entirely on the weak eye. In other cases, the system may
increase the viewing difficulty of the perspective of the strong
viewer-eye until that perspective is only slightly less difficult
to view than the perspective of the weak viewer-eye. In this
situation, the viewer may compensate for the slight difference in
viewing difficulty by relying slightly more on the weak eye. The
viewer may not notice such a small increase in viewing difficulty
and therefore the training is not intrusive.
[0115] Decreasing the image complexity of the strong viewer-eye's
perspective may also cause the viewer to rely more on the weak eye
without conscious effort. For example, a system may remove
peripheral content from the strong-eye's perspective so that, in
order to see the peripheral content, the viewer must rely on the
weak eye. Because the content is not at the focus of the image, the
viewer again may not notice the change but subconsciously may begin
using the weak eye more. As another example, a system may reduce
the temporal resolution of the strong viewer-eye's perspective so
that the weak viewer-eye may receive more visual information in a
given timeframe, without consciously performing an active
treatment. In some cases, the system may both increase the viewing
difficulty and decrease the complexity simultaneously. For example,
a system may greatly reduce the spatial resolution of the strong
eye's perspective so that the image is both more difficult to
recognize and contains less visual information. As a further
example, a system may remove important features from the strong
eye's perspective as another technique for increasing viewing
difficulty and decreasing complexity in the strong eye's
perspective.
[0116] In some embodiments, the system may change over time how the
display characteristics are varied. In some cases, a system may
update how characteristics are varied when the system receives or
generates new eye-strength data. In other cases, a system may
initially vary the display characteristics in one way and, then,
gradually change the amount of variation that the system applies to
the display characteristics. For example, the system may initially
vary the viewing difficulty so that the perspectives appear
equivalent and, then, slowly increase the viewing difficulty of the
perspective for the weak viewer-eye. In this way, the system may
progressively train the weak viewer-eye to work harder without
alerting the viewer of such training. As another example, if a
system does not initially vary the complexity of either
perspective, then the system may gradually decrease the complexity
of the dominant viewer-eye's perspective. Again, such a technique
may train the viewer to rely on the weaker eye, without drawing
attention to this training.
[0117] As yet another example, a system may initially vary the
perspectives in a way that stimulates reliance on the viewer's weak
eye (e.g., by increasing the relative viewing difficulty and/or
complexity of the weak viewer-eye's perspective) and, then,
gradually decreasing the amount of variation that is applied to the
display characteristics. Such a technique may help, for instance,
to adjust for improvements in the viewer's eyesight. In some cases,
the variation may decrease simply by changing in accordance with
new eye-strength data as the weak viewer-eye improves. In other
cases, the system may follow a preset pattern in decreasing the
variation. For example, a system may be programmed to record the
amount of time that a viewer uses the training program and adjust
the variance in accordance with the total amount of time. Such a
technique may be facilitated by the viewer-profile system in that
the profile may store historical eye-strength readings and viewing
behavior. As another example, a system may be programmed to
decrease variation gradually during each viewing session.
[0118] In some embodiments, the system may use a periodic cycle of
variation. For example, the system may periodically increase and
decrease the variation in a sinusoidal, triangle wave, saw-tooth
wave, or other periodic pattern. In this way, the system may help
prevent a viewer from adjusting to the changes in a way that
circumvents the training (e.g., increasing the overall brightness
of the screen, moving closer, squinting, etc.) Some cycles may
include durations in which no variation is performed or in which
the variation causes the viewer to perceive equivalent
perspectives. Other time-dependent training techniques are also
possible.
[0119] The construction and arrangement of the elements of the
systems and methods as shown in the exemplary embodiments are
illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present
disclosure have been described in detail, those skilled in the art
who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many
modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions,
structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values
of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors,
orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel
teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For
example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of
multiple parts or elements. The elements and assemblies may be
constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide
sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of
colors, textures, and combinations. Additionally, in the subject
description, the word "exemplary" is used to mean serving as an
example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design
described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed
as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs.
Rather, use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts
in a concrete manner. Accordingly, all such modifications are
intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.
The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied
or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Any
means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures
described herein as performing the recited function and not only
structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other
substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in
the design, operating conditions, and arrangement of the preferred
and other exemplary embodiments without departing from scope of the
present disclosure or from the scope of the appended claims.
[0120] Although the figures show a specific order of method steps,
the order of the steps may differ from what is depicted. Also, two
or more steps may be performed concurrently or with partial
concurrence. Such variation will depend on the software and
hardware systems chosen and on designer choice. All such variations
are within the scope of the disclosure. Likewise, software
implementations could be accomplished with standard programming
techniques with rule-based logic and other logic to accomplish the
various connection steps, processing steps, comparison steps, and
decision steps.
* * * * *