Current drain reduction in AR/VR display systems

• US 10,649,527 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2019
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Magic Leap, Inc.
• Inventors: Mor, Tal
• Primary Examiner(s): Taylor, Jr., Duane N
• Application Number:
  US16/544,707
• Publication Number:
  US 20190369724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 267 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0435 Change or adaptation of the frame rate of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

In some embodiments, eye tracking is used on an AR or VR display system to determine if a user of the display system is blinking or otherwise cannot see. In response, current drain or power usage of a display associated with the display system may be reduced, for example, by dimming or turning off a light source associated with the display, or by configuring a graphics driver to skip a designated number of frames or reduce a refresh rate for a designated period of time.

Claims

1. A display system with reduced power use, comprising:

an inward-facing sensor;

a display comprising a light source, wherein the display system comprises an AR or VR system configured to provide image content to the user with different amounts of divergence, such that the image content appears to the user to be located at different depths; and

processing electronics in communication with the inward-facing sensor and the display, the processing electronics configured to;

detect a first change in a user'"'"'s eye status using the inward-facing sensor, the first change comprising an indication associated with a closed state of the user'"'"'s eyes,

detect a second change in a user'"'"'s eye status, the second change comprising an indication associated with an open state of the user'"'"'s eyes,

reduce a current drain of the display system in response to detecting the first change in the user'"'"'s eye status, wherein reducing the current drain of the display comprises dimming the light source of the display without turning off the light source, and

increase a current drain of the display system in response to the detected second change in the user'"'"'s eye status.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the first and second changes in the user'"'"'s eye status corresponds to a blink.

3. The display system of claim 1, wherein reducing the current drain of the display further comprises configuring a graphics driver associated with the display to reduce an amount of power consumed by the display.

4. The display system of claim 3, wherein the graphics driver is further configured to skip a designated number of frames, the designated number of frames based upon a length of time that the user is unable to see.

5. The display system of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

6. The display system of claim 1, wherein the inward-facing sensor comprises a camera.

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein the processing electronics is further configured to reduce the current drain of the display by reducing a refresh rate associated with the display.

8. The display system of claim 1, further comprises a graphics driver wherein reducing the current drain of the display system further comprises reducing the power consumption of the graphics driver.

9. The display system of claim 1, wherein the display system comprises a head-mounted display configured to be worn by a user and disposed on a frame configured to support said display thereon, said display configured to project light into said user'"'"'s eye to display augmented reality image content to the user'"'"'s vision field, at least a portion of said display being transparent and disposed at a location in front of the user'"'"'s eye when the user wears the frame such that said transparent portion transmits light from a portion of an environment in front of the user and said head-mounted display to the user'"'"'s eye to provide a view of said portion of the environment in front of the user and said head-mounted display.

10. The display system of claim 1, wherein the user is unable to see between the first and second changes.

11. A method for reducing power use of a display system, comprising:

detecting a first change in a user'"'"'s eye status using an inward-facing sensor, the first change comprising an indication associated with a closed state of the user'"'"'s eyes,

detecting a second change in a user'"'"'s eye status, the second change comprising an indication associated with an open state of the user'"'"'s eyes,

reducing a current drain of the display system in response to detecting the first change in the user'"'"'s eye status, wherein reducing the current drain of the display comprises dimming a light source of the display without turning off the light source, and

increasing a current drain of the display system in response to detecting the second change in the user'"'"'s eye status,

wherein the display system comprises an AR or VR system configured to provide image content to the user with different amounts of divergence, such that the image content appears to the user to be located at different depths.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second changes in the user'"'"'s eye status corresponds to a blink.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein reducing the current drain of the display system further comprises configuring a graphics driver associated with the display system to reduce an amount of power consumed by the display system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising skipping a designated number of frames, the designated number of frames based upon when the user is unable to see.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising reducing an amount of power consumed by the display system for a designated period of time, based upon a length of a blink.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the display system comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD).

17. The method of claim 11, wherein reducing the current drain of the display system further comprises reducing a refresh rate associated with the display.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein reducing the current drain of the display system further comprises reducing the power consumption of a graphics driver.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the display system comprises a head-mounted display configured to be worn by a user and disposed on a frame configured to support said display thereon, said display configured to project light into said user'"'"'s eye to display augmented reality image content to the user'"'"'s vision field, at least a portion of said display being transparent and disposed at a location in front of the user'"'"'s eye when the user wears the frame such that said transparent portion transmits light from a portion of an environment in front of the user and said head-mounted display to the user'"'"'s eye to provide a view of said portion of the environment in front of the user and said head-mounted display.