Super-resolution displays and methods of operating the same

• US 10,475,241 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Schubert, Martin Friedrich, Spitzer, Mark Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Amin, Jwalant
• Application Number:
  US15/014,622
• Publication Number:
  US 20170221266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4053 based on super-resolution, i.e. the output image resolution being higher than the sensor resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4076 using the original low-resolution images to iteratively correct the high-resolution images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/007 Use of pixel shift techniques, e.g. by mechanical shift of the physical pixels or by optical shift of the perceived pixels

Abstract

Super-resolution displays, and methods of operating the same are disclosed herein. An example disclosed method includes emitting light from a pixel at a first location in a display assembly, and emitting light from the pixel at a second different location in the display assembly.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a first lower resolution image and a second lower resolution image from a higher resolution image, the first lower resolution image and the second lower resolution image each having a resolution corresponding with a resolution of a light-emitting portion of a display assembly in a head-mounted display, the higher resolution image having a higher resolution than the light-emitting portion;

emitting light based on the first lower resolution image from a pixel of the light-emitting portion at a first location in the display assembly in the head-mounted display;

physically translating the light-emitting portion to position the pixel at a second different location in the display assembly in the head-mounted display, the second different location being previously occupied by another pixel of the light-emitting portion; and

emitting light based on the second lower resolution image from the pixel of the light-emitting portion at the second different location in the display assembly in the head-mounted display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively emitting light from the pixel at the first and second locations to form the higher resolution image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the physically translating the light-emitting portion includes physically translating the light-emitting portion of the display assembly in at least one direction to emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at the first location at a first angle, and to emit light from the pixel at the second location at a second angle different from the first angle.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at the first location at a first angle, and to emit light from the pixel at the second location at generally the first angle.

6. A display assembly comprising:

a light-emitting portion configured to emit light from a pixel at a first time and at a first location in the display assembly based on a first lower resolution image generated from a higher resolution image, the first lower resolution image having a resolution corresponding with a resolution of the light-emitting portion, the higher resolution image having a higher resolution than the light-emitting portion;

a movement to physically translate the light-emitting portion of the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at a second time and at a second different location in the display assembly based on a second lower resolution image generated from the higher resolution image, the second lower resolution image having a resolution corresponding with the resolution of the light-emitting portion; and

a second movement to physically translate the light-emitting portion of the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at a third time and at a third different location in the display assembly based on a third lower resolution image generated from the higher resolution image.

7. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the emitting light from the pixel at the first and second locations forms the higher resolution image.

8. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the movement is configured to physically translate the light-emitting portion of the display assembly in at least one direction to emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

9. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the second location is offset from the first location in a first direction, and the third location is offset from the second location in a second direction.

10. The display assembly of claim 9, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

11. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the movement includes a linear actuator.

12. The display assembly of claim 6, wherein the movement includes a piezo-electric oscillator.

13. A display assembly for use in a display, the display assembly comprising:

a light-emitting portion configured to emit light at a first time from a pixel at a first location in the display based on a first lower resolution image generated from a higher resolution image, the first lower resolution image having a resolution corresponding with a resolution of the light-emitting portion, the higher resolution image having a higher resolution than the light-emitting portion; and

a layer configurable to;

direct light emitted from the pixel at a second time at a second different location in the display based on a second lower resolution image generated from the higher resolution image, the second lower resolution image having a resolution corresponding with the resolution of the light-emitting portion and the layer including a liquid crystal material having a refractive index controllable to selectively emit light at the second location rather than at the first locations and

direct light emitted from the pixel at a third time at a third different location in the display based on a third lower resolution image generated from the higher resolution image.

14. The display assembly of claim 13, wherein the emitting light from the pixel at the first and second locations forms the higher resolution image.

15. The display assembly of claim 13, wherein the light-emitting portion includes an OLED light-emitting portion.

16. The display assembly of claim 13, wherein the light-emitting portion includes an LCD light-emitting portion.

17. The display assembly of claim 13, wherein the second location is offset from the first location in a first direction, and the third location is offset from the second location in a second direction.

18. The display assembly of claim 17, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.