{
  "patent_number": "US 10573086",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How AR Glasses Make Virtual Objects Look Solid",
  "original_title": "Opacity filter for display device",
  "summary": "This patent describes how augmented reality glasses can make virtual objects appear more distinct by selectively blocking real-world light behind them using a special pixelated filter.",
  "what_it_does": "The patent describes an optical see-through display device, like AR glasses, that helps virtual images look more real. It includes an \"opacity filter\" (Claim 1), which is a grid of tiny pixels, like a transparent screen, placed between your eye and the real world. A \"display component\" shows the augmented reality image. An \"opacity filter control circuit\" then makes specific pixels in this filter less transparent (more opaque) exactly where the augmented reality image is displayed (Claim 2). This selective blocking of real-world light behind the virtual image makes the virtual image appear more solid and distinct. For example, if you're wearing these glasses and a virtual dog appears to sit on your real-world table, the filter would darken the part of the table directly behind the virtual dog, making the dog look less ghostly and more like it's actually there. The filter can also adjust opacity around the edges of the virtual image (Claim 4, 5, 6) or based on the image's position relative to the display's boundaries (Claim 8, 9).",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover augmented reality systems that entirely block the real-world view (e.g., virtual reality headsets).",
    "Does not cover systems where the opacity filter's control is unrelated to the shape or position of the augmented reality image.",
    "Does not cover methods of making AR images appear distinct without using a pixelated, controllable opacity filter.",
    "Does not cover AR systems that only use projection onto the real world without a physical filter to adjust real-world light.",
    "Does not cover systems where the opacity filter is not positioned between the user's eye and the real-world scene."
  ],
  "filed": "2019-08-22",
  "granted": "2020-02-25",
  "expires": "2039-08-22",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/telefonaktiebolaget-lm-ericsson-ab",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Avi Bar-Zeev",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/avi-bar-zeev"
    },
    {
      "name": "Bob Crocco",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/bob-crocco"
    },
    {
      "name": "Alex Aben-Athar Kipman",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/alex-aben-athar-kipman"
    },
    {
      "name": "John Lewis",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/john-lewis"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 14,
  "tags": [
    "consumer_electronics",
    "software",
    "telecommunications",
    "ai_ml"
  ],
  "abstract": "An optical see-through head-mounted display device includes a see-through lens which combines an augmented reality image with light from a real-world scene, while an opacity filter is used to selectively block portions of the real-world scene so that the augmented reality image appears more distinctly. The opacity filter can be a see-through LCD panel, for instance, where each pixel of the LCD panel can be selectively controlled to be transmissive or opaque, based on a size, shape and position of the augmented reality image. Eye tracking can be used to adjust the position of the augmented reality image and the opaque pixels. Peripheral regions of the opacity filter, which are not behind the augmented reality image, can be activated to provide a peripheral cue or a representation of the augmented reality image. In another aspect, opaque pixels are provided at a time when an augmented reality image is not present.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10573086/opacity-filter-for-display-device",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10573086/opacity-filter-for-display-device/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10573086",
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}