Compensating visual impairment by using an eye-mounted display

• US 10,459,255 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tectus Corporation
• Inventors: Tuan, Kuang-mon Ashley, Wiemer, Michael West
• Primary Examiner(s): Tra, Tuyen
• Application Number:
  US15/886,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20190235283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 351 41, 35115901, 35115902
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2202/10 Optical elements and systems for visual disorders other than refractive errors, low vision
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/04 Contact lenses for the eyes disinfection or sterilisation of contact lenses A61L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/20 in augmented reality scenes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/174 Facial expression recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris

Abstract

An eye-mounted display is used to enhance vision of a user with visual impairment. Images of a user'"'"'s unimpaired view of a surrounding environment are captured. These image are modified to compensate for the user'"'"'s visual impairment. For example, the captured images can be magnified, an angular extent of the captured images can be compressed, or a contrast of the captured images can be enhanced. Also, the captured images can be modified by including identification of an object, a face, or an emotion. For a captured image including text, the text in the captured images can be modified. The eye-mounted display projects the compensated images onto the user'"'"'s retina. When the user'"'"'s retina has a damaged section, the eye-mounted display projects the compensated images away from the damaged section.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing vision of a user with visual impairment, the method comprising:

capturing images of a user'"'"'s unimpaired view of a surrounding environment;

modifying the captured images to create compensated images, the modification compensating for the user'"'"'s visual impairment; and

projecting, by an eye-mounted display, the compensated images onto the user'"'"'s retina;

where the visual impairment is that a portion of the user'"'"'s unimpaired view would be imaged by the user'"'"'s eye to a damaged section of the user'"'"'s retina, and the eye-mounted display projects the compensated images away from the damaged section of the user'"'"'s retina.

2. The method of claim 1, where modifying the captured images further comprises magnifying the captured images.

3. The method of claim 1, where the damaged section is a foveal section of the retina, and the eye-mounted display projects the compensated images to a more peripheral section of the retina.

4. The method of claim 3, where modifying the captured images comprises magnifying the captured images so that the compensated images projected to the peripheral section of the retina have a same or better resolution compared to if the user'"'"'s unimpaired view would be imaged onto an undamaged fovea.

5. The method of claim 1, where the damaged section is a peripheral section of the retina, and the eye-mounted display projects the compensated images to a more central section of the retina.

6. The method of claim 5, where modifying the captured images comprises compressing an angular extent of the captured images.

7. The method of claim 6, where the captured images are sufficiently compressed in angular extent, so that the compensated images projected to the more central section of the retina represent a same or larger field of view than the user'"'"'s unimpaired view.

8. The method of claim 1, where modifying the captured images further comprises:

identifying one or more objects in the captured images; and

modifying the captured images to include identification of the one or more objects.

9. The method of claim 1, where the captured images include a person'"'"'s face and modifying the captured images further comprises enhancing facial features of the person'"'"'s face.

10. The method of claim 1, where the captured images include a person'"'"'s face and the method further comprises:

identifying the person based on the captured image of the person'"'"'s face.

11. The method of claim 1, where the captured images include a person'"'"'s face and the method further comprises:

determining whether the person is speaking to the user based on the captured image of the person'"'"'s face.

12. The method of claim 1, where the captured images include text and modifying the captured images further comprises at least one of enlarging a font size of the text, changing a color of the text, and changing a color of a background to the text.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating audio based on the captured images; and

playing the audio to the user.

14. A method for enhancing vision of a user with visual impairment, the method comprising:

capturing images of a user'"'"'s unimpaired view of a surrounding environment;

modifying the captured images to create compensated images, the modification compensating for the user'"'"'s visual impairment; and

projecting, by an eye-mounted display, the compensated images onto the user'"'"'s retina;

where the visual impairment is impaired adaptation of the eye to dark environments, and modifying the captured images comprises enhancing a contrast of the captured images.

15. The method of claim 14, where the visual impairment is night blindness.

16. The method of claim 14, where the visual impairment is slow adaptation of the eye when transitioning from brighter to darker environments, and modifying the captured images comprises temporarily enhancing a contrast of the captured images during said transition.

17. A method for enhancing vision of a user with visual impairment, the method comprising:

capturing images of a user'"'"'s unimpaired view of a surrounding environment;

modifying the captured images to create compensated images, the modification compensating for the user'"'"'s visual impairment; and

projecting, by an eye-mounted display, the compensated images onto the user'"'"'s retina;

where the captured images include a person'"'"'s face and modifying the captured images comprises;

identifying an emotion of the person based on the person'"'"'s face; and

modifying the captured images to include identification of the emotion.

18. A system for enhancing vision of a user with visual impairment, comprising:

one or more cameras that capture images of a user'"'"'s unimpaired view of a surrounding environment;

a component that modifies the captured images to create compensated images, the modification compensating for the user'"'"'s visual impairment; and

an eye-mounted display that projects the compensated images onto the user'"'"'s retina;

where the visual impairment is that a portion of the user'"'"'s unimpaired view would be imaged by the user'"'"'s eye to a damaged section of the user'"'"'s retina, and the eye-mounted display projects the compensated images away from the damaged section of the user'"'"'s retina.

19. The system of claim 18, where the eye-mounted display comprises a contact lens and a femtoprojector mounted in the contact lens, and at least one camera is mounted in the contact lens.