Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion displays in wearable heads-up displays
First Claim
1. A wearable heads-up display comprising:
- a support structure that in use is worn on a head of a user;
a holographic combiner carried by the support structure, wherein the holographic combiner is positioned within a field of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user;
a scanning laser projector carried by the support structure, the scanning laser projector comprising a laser module to produce light signals and at least one scan mirror to reflect the light signals to select regions of the holographic combiner;
an exit pupil selector carried by the support structure and positioned in an optical path between the at least one scan mirror and the holographic combiner, the exit pupil selector controllably switchable into and between respective ones of N different discrete orientations, where N is an integer greater than 1, wherein in each one of the N different discrete orientations the exit pupil selector is positioned and oriented to receive at least one light signal generated by the scanning laser projector and redirect the at least one light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a respective one of N discrete spatially-separated virtual positions for the scanning laser projector, and wherein the holographic combiner comprises at least one hologram positioned and oriented to, for each one of the N different discrete orientations of the exit pupil selector, converge light signals received from the exit pupil selector to a respective one of N discrete exit pupils at or proximate the eye of the user; and
an eye tracker carried by the support structure and communicatively coupled to the exit pupil selector, the eye tracker positioned and oriented to determine a gaze direction of the eye of the user, wherein the exit pupil selector is controllably switchable into and between respective ones of the N different discrete orientations based on the gaze direction of the eye of the user determined by the eye tracker.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems, devices, and methods for eyebox expansion by exit pupil replication in wearable heads-up displays (“WHUDs”) are described. A WHUD includes a scanning laser projector (“SLP”), a holographic combiner, and an exit pupil selector positioned in the optical path therebetween. The exit pupil selector is controllably switchable into and between N different configurations. In each of the N configurations, the exit pupil selector receives a light signal from the SLP and redirects the light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a respective one of N virtual positions for the SLP. The holographic combiner converges the light signal to a particular one of N exit pupils at the eye of the user based on the particular virtual position from which the light signal is made to effectively originate. In this way, multiple instances of the exit pupil are distributed over the eye and the eyebox of the WHUD is expanded.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A wearable heads-up display comprising:
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a support structure that in use is worn on a head of a user; a holographic combiner carried by the support structure, wherein the holographic combiner is positioned within a field of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user; a scanning laser projector carried by the support structure, the scanning laser projector comprising a laser module to produce light signals and at least one scan mirror to reflect the light signals to select regions of the holographic combiner; an exit pupil selector carried by the support structure and positioned in an optical path between the at least one scan mirror and the holographic combiner, the exit pupil selector controllably switchable into and between respective ones of N different discrete orientations, where N is an integer greater than 1, wherein in each one of the N different discrete orientations the exit pupil selector is positioned and oriented to receive at least one light signal generated by the scanning laser projector and redirect the at least one light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a respective one of N discrete spatially-separated virtual positions for the scanning laser projector, and wherein the holographic combiner comprises at least one hologram positioned and oriented to, for each one of the N different discrete orientations of the exit pupil selector, converge light signals received from the exit pupil selector to a respective one of N discrete exit pupils at or proximate the eye of the user; and an eye tracker carried by the support structure and communicatively coupled to the exit pupil selector, the eye tracker positioned and oriented to determine a gaze direction of the eye of the user, wherein the exit pupil selector is controllably switchable into and between respective ones of the N different discrete orientations based on the gaze direction of the eye of the user determined by the eye tracker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A wearable heads-up display comprising:
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a support structure that in use is worn on a head of a user; a holographic combiner carried by the support structure, wherein the holographic combiner is positioned within a field of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user; a scanning laser projector carried by the support structure, the scanning laser projector comprising a laser module to produce light signals and at least one scan mirror to reflect the light signals to select regions of the holographic combiner; and an exit pupil selector carried by the support structure and positioned in an optical path between the at least one scan mirror and the holographic combiner, the exit pupil selector controllably switchable into and between respective ones of N different discrete orientations, where N is an integer greater than 1, wherein in each one of the N different discrete orientations the exit pupil selector is positioned and oriented to receive at least one light signal generated by the scanning laser projector and redirect the at least one light signal towards the holographic combiner along a respective optical path between the exit pupil selector and the holographic combiner, and wherein the holographic combiner comprises at least one hologram positioned and oriented to, for each one of the N different discrete orientations of the exit pupil selector, converge light signals received from the exit pupil selector to a respective one of N discrete exit pupils at or proximate the eye of the user; and an eye tracker carried by the support structure and communicatively coupled to the exit pupil selector, the eye tracker positioned and oriented to determine a gaze direction of the eye of the user, wherein the exit pupil selector is controllably switchable into and between respective ones of the N different discrete orientations based on the gaze direction of the eye of the user determined by the eye tracker. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method of operating a wearable heads-up display, the wearable heads-up display including a scanning laser projector, a controllably switchable exit pupil selector, an eye tracker communicatively coupled to the exit pupil selector, and a holographic combiner positioned within a field of view of an eye of a user when the wearable heads-up display is worn on a head of the user, the method comprising:
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determining a gaze direction of the eye of the user by the eye tracker; controllably switching the exit pupil selector into a first discrete orientation based on the gaze direction of the eye of the user determined by the eye tracker; generating a first light signal by a laser module of the scanning laser projector and reflecting the first light signal by at least one scan mirror of the scanning laser projector; receiving the first light signal reflected by the at least one scan mirror by the exit pupil selector in the first discrete orientation; redirecting the first light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a first discrete virtual position for the scanning laser projector by the exit pupil selector in the first discrete orientation; redirecting the first light signal towards a first discrete exit pupil at the eye of the user by the holographic combiner; determining the gaze direction of the eye of the user by the eye tracker; controllably switching the exit pupil selector into a second discrete orientation based on the gaze direction of the eye of the user determined by the eye tracker; generating a second light signal by the scanning laser projector; receiving the second light signal by the exit pupil selector in the second discrete orientation; redirecting the second light signal towards the holographic combiner effectively from a second discrete virtual position for the scanning laser projector by the exit pupil selector in the second discrete orientation, the second discrete virtual position spatially-separated from the first discrete virtual position; and redirecting the second light signal towards a second discrete exit pupil at the eye of the user by the holographic combiner, the second discrete exit pupil spatially-separated from the discrete first exit pupil.
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Specification