Apple patents eye-tracking display that sharpens only what you look at
This filing describes a method where a device uses sensors to track where a user is looking and how their head is positioned. It then increases the resolution of only that specific area of the screen while keeping the rest at a lower resolution to save processing power. The final image combines these two parts so the user sees a sharp view of their focus point.
In the filing’s own words
Various implementations disclosed herein include devices, systems, and methods that that upscale a small portion of a source image based on a determined region of interest. For example, a process may obtain source content at a first resolution for presentation to a user via a display of a device. The process may further identify a user gaze direction and a user head pose based on sensor data and in response, predict a region of interest corresponding to an area of the source content. The process may further upscale the area of the source content to a second resolution that is greater than the first resolution and generate combined content by combining the upscaled area with a remaining area of the source content having the first resolution. The process may further present a view of the combined content to a user via the display.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: at an electronic device having a processor and one or more displays: obtaining source content at a first resolution for presentation to a user via the one or more displays; identifying a user gaze direction and a user head pose based on sensor data obtained via one or more sensors; predicting a region of interest corresponding to an area of the source content based on the identified user gaze direction and the identified user head pose; upscaling the area of the source content to a second resolution that is greater than the first resolution; generating combined content by combining the upscaled area having the second resolution with a remaining area of the source content having the first resolution; and presenting, to the user via the one or more displays, a view of the combined content.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- FOVEATED UPSCALING
- Publication number
- US20260301125A1
- Application number
- 19565747
- Filed
- Mar 13, 2026
- Published
- Oct 1, 2026
- Inventors
- 8
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06T 5/50 Physics & computingG06F 3/012 Physics & computingG06F 3/013 Physics & computingG06T 3/4053 Physics & computingG06V 10/25 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AR, VR & displays
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.