Extended reality system including AI-assisted image capture optical character recognition for use with visual aid correction for low vision

1 . An extended reality (XR) system comprising:

a headset adapted to be worn by a user;

a camera coupled to the headset;

a display system mounted to the headset for displaying a display screen including computer-generated images thereon; and

a controller coupled to the camera and the display system, and including one or more processors programmed to execute an algorithm for operating in an optical character recognition (OCR) mode and a scrolling text mode to display computer-generated images using the display system including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode to display a text selection screen by:

receiving video images from the camera;

accessing a retinal map associated with the user identifying a non-viewable boundary defining an area of the user's field of vision associated with low vision;

generating an image distortion zone within the text selection screen associated with the identified non-viewable boundary;

modifying the received video images to adjust a viewable image attribute of a portion of the received video images displayed within the image distortion zone;

displaying the modified video images on the text selection screen; and

selecting text images displayed within the modified video images; and

operating in the scrolling text mode to display a text display screen by:

generating machine-readable text of the selected text images using optical character recognition (OCR);

modifying the generating machine-readable text using a lightweight language model for text correction; and

displaying the modified generated machine-readable text as an animated line of text scrolling across the text display screen.

2 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

increasing a scale factor to adjust the viewable image attribute of a portion of the received video images displayed within the image distortion zone.

3 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

identifying text images displayed within the image distortion zone; and

displaying user-selectable text identifiers around portions of the identified text images.

4 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

receiving a tracked location of the user's gaze from an eye tracking system and adjusting a location of the image distortion zone based on the tracked location of the user's gaze.

5 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

animating the modified generated machine-readable text as a single line of text scrolling across the text display screen.

6 . The XR system of claim 5 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

displaying the text display screen including the image distortion zone; and

animating the single line of text scrolling across the text display screen such that letters appearing adjacent a first edge of the image distortion zone sequentially appear at a second edge of the image distortion zone as the line of text scrolls across the text display screen.

7 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

displaying the modified generated machine-readable text as multiple lines of text arranged in a column;

animating a current line of text displayed within a scrolling section of the text display screen to scroll across the text display screen and having a scale factor greater than a scale factor of adjacent lines of text; and

animating a subsequent line of text upwardly into the scrolling section after the current line of text has completed scrolling such that adjacent lines of text are displayed above and below the scrolling section.

8 . The XR system of claim 7 , wherein the one or more processors is programmed to execute the algorithm including the steps of:

modifying one of the scale factor, a scroll speed, a brightness, and a contrast of the current line of text displayed within the scrolling section based on user input.

9 . The XR system of claim 1 , wherein the display system includes:

a pair of near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines mounted to the headset, each of the near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines including:

an image generator forming a 2D image;

an optical imaging assembly configured to form the display screen as an exit pupil for viewing the 2D image by a viewer, and

an optical image relay assembly positioned between the optical imaging assembly and the image generator for conjugating the formed 2D image from the image generator to the optical imaging assembly.

10 . A method of operating an extended reality (XR) system including a headset adapted to be worn by a user, a camera coupled to the headset, a display system mounted to the headset for displaying a display screen including computer-generated images thereon, and a controller including one or more processors coupled to the camera and the display system, the method including the one or more processors performing an algorithm for operating in an optical character recognition (OCR) mode and a scrolling text mode to display computer-generated images using the display system including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode to display a text selection screen by:

receiving video images from the camera;

accessing a retinal map associated with the user identifying a non-viewable boundary defining an area of the user's field of vision associated with low vision;

generating an image distortion zone within the text selection screen associated with the identified non-viewable boundary;

modifying the received video images to adjust a viewable image attribute of a portion of the received video images displayed within the image distortion zone;

displaying the modified video images on the text selection screen; and

selecting text images displayed within the modified video images; and

operating in the scrolling text mode to display a text display screen by:

generating machine-readable text of the selected text images using optical character recognition (OCR);

modifying the generating machine-readable text using a lightweight language model for text correction; and

displaying the modified generated machine-readable text as an animated line of text scrolling across the text display screen.

11 . The method of claim 10 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

increasing a scale factor to adjust the viewable image attribute of a portion of the received video images displayed within the image distortion zone.

12 . The method of claim 10 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

identifying text images displayed within the image distortion zone; and

displaying user-selectable text identifiers around portions of the identified text images.

13 . The method of claim 10 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode by:

receiving a tracked location of the user's gaze from an eye tracking system and adjusting a location of the image distortion zone based on the tracked location of the user's gaze.

14 . The method of claim 10 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

animating the modified generated machine-readable text as a single line of text scrolling across the text display screen.

15 . The method of claim 14 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

displaying the text display screen including the image distortion zone; and

animating the single line of text scrolling across the text display screen such that letters appearing adjacent a first edge of the image distortion zone sequentially appear at a second edge of the image distortion zone as the line of text scrolls across the text display screen.

16 . The method of claim 10 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

operating in the scrolling text mode by:

displaying the modified generated machine-readable text as multiple lines of text arranged in a column;

animating a current line of text displayed within a scrolling section of the text display screen to scroll across the text display screen and having a scale factor greater than a scale factor of adjacent lines of text; and

animating a subsequent line of text upwardly into the scrolling section after the current line of text has completed scrolling such that adjacent lines of text are displayed above and below the scrolling section.

17 . The method of claim 16 , including the one or more processors performing the algorithm including the steps of:

modifying one of the scale factor, a scroll speed, a brightness, and a contrast of the current line of text displayed within the scrolling section based on user input.

18 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the display system includes:

a pair of near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines mounted to the headset, each of the near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines including:

an image generator forming a 2D image;

an optical imaging assembly configured to form the display screen as an exit pupil for viewing the 2D image by a viewer, and

an optical image relay assembly positioned between the optical imaging assembly and the image generator for conjugating the formed 2D image from the image generator to the optical imaging assembly.

19 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon to operate an extended reality (XR) system including a headset adapted to be worn by a user, a camera coupled to the headset, a display system mounted to the headset for displaying a display screen including computer-generated images thereon, and a controller including one or more processors coupled to the camera and the display system, when executed by the one or more processors the computer-executable instructions cause the one or more processors to perform an algorithm for operating in an optical character recognition (OCR) mode and a scrolling text mode to display computer-generated images using the display system including the steps of:

operating in the OCR mode to display a text selection screen by:

receiving video images from the camera;

accessing a retinal map associated with the user identifying a non-viewable boundary defining an area of the user's field of vision associated with low vision;

generating an image distortion zone within the text selection screen associated with the identified non-viewable boundary;

modifying the received video images to adjust a viewable image attribute of a portion of the received video images displayed within the image distortion zone;

displaying the modified video images on the text selection screen; and

selecting text images displayed within the modified video images; and

operating in the scrolling text mode to display a text display screen by:

generating machine-readable text of the selected text images using optical character recognition (OCR);

modifying the generating machine-readable text using a lightweight language model for text correction; and

displaying the modified generated machine-readable text as an animated line of text scrolling across the text display screen.

20 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage media of claim 19 , wherein the display system includes:

a pair of near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines mounted to the headset, each of the near-eye pupil forming catadioptric optical engines including:

an image generator forming a 2D image;

an optical imaging assembly configured to form the display screen as an exit pupil for viewing the 2D image by a viewer, and

an optical image relay assembly positioned between the optical imaging assembly and the image generator for conjugating the formed 2D image from the image generator to the optical imaging assembly.