Smart Dimming Sunglasses for Photophobia Using Spatial Light Modulator

We introduce a smart dimming sunglasses system designed for photophobia sufferers, particularly those highly sensitive to light intensity. The system incorporates a spatial light modulator (SLM) to filter light based on camera-detected scenes, controlling pixel transmittance via a modulation function for automated non-linear field of view dimming, thus offering flexible light modulation to meet the visual needs of photophobic users. However, a conventional occlusion mask on the SLM, aimed at blocking incoming light, appears blurred and insufficient due to a misaligned focal plane. Previous attempts to remedy this with an aperture-based expanded mask led to over-blocking (occlusion leak), due to an excessively large expansion radius. Our work, therefore, focuses on developing an optimization model that simulates a defocused occlusion mask and determines the degraded pixels' effective contribution by studying pixel transmittance occlusion efficiency. This optimized mask successfully attenuates bright areas to appropriate brightness levels without unnecessary attenuation of areas that do not require modulation, overcoming the limitations of both the unprocessed and aperture-based expanded masks.