Eye-fatigue reduction system for head-mounted displays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9794550-B2
Application number	US-201514969263-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2015
Priority date	Nov 3, 2015
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments include method, systems and computer program products for reducing eye-fatigue for users of binocular head-mounted displays. Aspects include displaying a content item by a display device of the binocular head-mounted display and calculating an estimated eye-fatigue of the user of the binocular head-mounted display. Based on a determination that the estimated eye-fatigue of the user exceeds a threshold level, aspects also include modifying the content item, by the processor, to encourage the user to take an eye-fatigue reduction action and displaying the modified content item by the display device of the binocular head-mounted display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for reducing eye-fatigue for a user of a binocular head-mounted display, the method comprising:
displaying a content item by a display device of the head-mounted display;
calculating, by a processor, an estimated eye-fatigue of the user of the binocular head-mounted display;
based on a determination that the estimated eye-fatigue of the user exceeds a threshold level, modifying the content item, by the processor, to encourage the user to take an eye-fatigue reduction action that includes inserting an object into the content item having a stereoscopic depth that is greater than a fixed distance; and
displaying the modified content item by the display device of the binocular head-mounted display.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated eye-fatigue of the user is calculated based on measurements of one or more characteristics of the user's eyes.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the content item includes inserting a reference object into the content item that is visible during use of the binocular head-mounted display.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the fixed distance is determined to be at least twice a mean stereoscopic depth of objects in the content item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the reference object is a rendition of a nose and wherein the reference object is inserted in a center of a field of view of the content item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the estimated eye-fatigue of the user is calculated based on duration of use of the binocular head mounted display.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein estimated eye-fatigue of the user is calculated based on a mean stereoscopic depth of objects in the content item and a standard deviation of the stereoscopic depth of the objects content item.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the eye-fatigue reduction action includes one or more of focusing on the object inserted in the modified content item and blinking.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Khabiri Elham
• Kozloski James R
• Pickover Clifford A

Classifications

• G06K9/00617

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B2027/014

  comprising information/image processing systems · CPC title

• G02B2027/0134

  of stereoscopic type · CPC title

• H04N13/0459 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic