Eye projection system

• US 10,539,789 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2018
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VoxelSensors SRL
• Original Assignee: EyeWay Vision Ltd.
• Inventors: Greenberg, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Sherman, Stephen G
• Application Number:
  US16/052,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20180341107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 345158, 345 8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/104 for use with scanning systems scanning systems G02B26/10
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/20 Filters polarising elements G02B5/30
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence

Abstract

Systems and methods for direct projection of images onto an eye retina including, for example, systems and methods for directing a projection/imaging optical path so as to track a location of the eye in accordance with a gaze direction thereof. This enables for projecting images onto specific/fixed locations on the eye retina, while the gaze direction changes.

Claims

1. An eye projection system, comprising:

an image projection system adapted to obtain image data and produce an image projection comprising a plurality of light beam portions corresponding to pixels of said image data;

an eye projection optical module adapted to direct the plurality of light beam portions of said image projection towards an eye of a user; and

a gaze tracking controller configured and operable for controlling the operation of at least one of the image projection system or the eye projection optical module in accordance with data indicative of a gaze direction of the eye, so as to direct the plurality of light beam portions of the projected image onto a retina of the eye in accordance with a line of sight of the eye at different gaze directions to thereby compensate for changes in the gaze direction, while not compensating for changes in the line of sight that are associated with at least one of saccadic or tremor eye movements of the eye, thereby providing that the projected image on the retina, in any specific gaze direction, appears stable and fixed to extent permitted by saccadic eye movement.

2. The eye projection system of claim 1, further comprising one or more beam collimators adapted for effecting a collimation of said plurality of light beam portions such that said plurality of light beam portions impinge on said pupil while being substantially collimated, thereby enabling direct projection of the image on said retina, whereby said image is perceived to be originating from an infinite distance from the eye.

3. The eye projection system of claim 1 configured such that said plurality of light beam portions of said image projection are directed to the eye with narrow beam widths, being narrower than a diameter of an eye'"'"'s pupil such that said image projection on the retina has an extended depth of focus.

4. The eye projection system of claim 3, further comprising one or more optical modules adapted for effecting widths of said plurality of light beam portions to obtain said narrow beam widths.

5. The eye projection system of claim 1, wherein the eye projection optical module comprises a gaze tracking deflector comprising:

an addressable optical deflecting unit located along said general optical propagation path, and a field selector optical module located in said optical path downstream from said addressable optical deflecting unit with respect to a light propagation direction through the system.

6. The eye projection system of claim 5, wherein said addressable optical deflecting unit is associated with said gaze tracking controller, and is responsive to signals obtained indicative of the gaze direction obtained from the gaze tracking controller, and operable for adjusting a deflection angle thereof to deflect a light beam incident thereon to propagate along a respective optical path corresponding to the gaze direction;

and said field selector optical module is configured and operable to receive beams of light propagating along various respective optical paths corresponding to different gaze directions and direct them towards corresponding locations of said pupil associated with said different gaze directions respectively.

7. The eye projection system of claim 6, wherein said field selector optical module comprises a-spherical optics.

8. The eye projection system of claim 6, wherein said field selector optical module is configured such that adjustment of the deflection angle of addressable optical deflecting unit in accordance with the gaze direction, affects an intersection location of the plurality of light beam portions propagating towards the pupil with a virtual surface defining the possible locations of said pupil, such that the plurality of light beam portion intersects the pupil location.

9. The eye projection system according to claim 1, wherein the eye projection optical module further comprises an angular beam relay module and a gaze tracking deflector comprising an addressable optical deflecting unit.

10. The eye projection system of claim 9, wherein said angular beam relay module comprises a first optical module and a second optical module respectively associated with first and second focal lengths, the first and second optical modules being spaced apart from one another along said general optical propagation path by an optical distance being substantially equal to a sum of said first and second focal lengths.

11. The eye projection system according to claim 9 wherein said addressable optical deflecting unit is located along a general optical propagation path of the angular beam relay module, and in between first and second optical modules of the angular beam relay module.

12. The eye projection system according to claim 9 wherein the image projection system is configured for projecting each light beam portion of said plurality of light beam portions with a respective projection angle α

_scn={α

^x_scn, α

^y_scn}=S({P_x,P_y} corresponding to a two dimensional location {P_x,P_y} of the corresponding pixel thereof in said image data, where S is an image scan function.

13. The eye projection system according to claim 12 wherein the angular beam relay module and the gaze tracking deflector of the eye projection optical module are configured and operable for directing each light beam portion of said plurality of light beam portions, to impinge on the pupil with corresponding pupil incidence angle:

α

_in=F_opt(α

_scn)−

β

;

wherein β

≡

{β

^x, β

^y} is the gaze direction of the eye excluding changes in the line of sight associated with said at least one of tremor and saccadic movements, F_opt is a monotonic function; and

α

_scn is the respective projection angle of the light beam portion;

thereby yielding a dependence between the location of the projection of the corresponding pixel on the retina, and the gaze direction β

.

14. The eye projection system according to claim 12 wherein the angular beam relay module and the gaze tracking deflector of the eye projection optical module are configured and operable for selectively directing each light beam portion of said plurality of light beam portions, to impinge on the pupil with corresponding pupil incidence angle α

_m being one of the following;

(a) α

_in=F_opt(α

_scn)−

β

;

wherein β

≡

{β

^x, β

^y} is the gaze direction of the eye excluding changes in the line of sight associated with said at least one of tremor and saccadic movements, F_opt is a monotonic optical function; and

α

_scn is the respective projection angle of the light beam portion;

thereby obtaining a dependence between the location of the projection of the corresponding pixel on the retina, and the gaze direction β

;

or

(b) α

_in=F′

_opt(α

_scn, β

)−

β

;

where F′

_opt(α

_scn, β

)=F_opt(α

_scn)+β

is a modified optical function;

thereby obtaining invariance of the pupil incidence angle α

_in to the gaze direction β

.

15. The eye projection system according to claim 14 configured to obtain said invariance of the pupil incidence angle α

_m to the gaze direction, by one or more of the following;

(a) operation of said eye projection optical module with said modified optical function, F′

_opt(α

_scn , β

), being tunable in accordance with the gaze direction β

;

(b) the image projection system utilizes a modified image scan function S′

for said mapping of the respective projection angle α

_scn of the image pixels α

_scn=S′

({P_x,P_y} corresponding to a two dimensional location {P_x,P_y} of the corresponding pixel in said image data, whereby the modified image scan function S′

satisfies F_opt (S′

({P_x,P_y}, β

))=F_opt(S({P_x,P_y}))+β

;

or

(c) operation of said eye projection optical module with said modified optical function F′

_opt(α

_scn, β

₁), for compensating for a part β

₁ of the gaze direction angle β

by the gaze tracking deflector; and

the image projection system utilizes a modified image scan function S′

({P_x,P_y}, β

−

β

₁) for said mapping of the respective projection angle α

_scn of the image pixel α

_scn=S′

({P_x,P_y}), β

−

β

₁) thereby compensating for the (β

−

β

₁) part of the gaze direction.

16. The eye projection system according to claim 1 wherein said image projection system comprises:

a light module providing an input light beam;

an image scanner located in the optical path of said input light beam and adapted to split said input light beam into said plurality of light beam portions and directing said one or more of said plurality of light beam portions to propagate with respective projection angles α

_scn relative to said general optical propagation path;

a light intensity modulator located in an optical path of at least one of said input light beam and said one or more of said plurality of light beam portions and adapted for controllably adjusting the intensity of said one or more of said plurality of light beam portions; and

a projection controller connectable to said light intensity modulator module and configured and operable to obtain said image data and operate said light intensity modulator module for adjusting the intensities of said light beam portion in accordance with a value of a pixel of said image corresponding to said plurality of light beam portions respectively.

17. An eye projection method, comprising:

obtaining image data and producing an image projection comprising a plurality of light beam portions corresponding to pixels of said image data; and

directing the plurality of light beam portions of said image projection towards an eye of a user;

wherein said directing comprises compensating for changes in the gaze direction to direct the plurality of light beam portions of the projected image onto a retina of the eye in accordance with a line of sight of the eye at different gaze directions; and

wherein said compensating for changes in the gaze direction does not include compensations for changes in the line of sight of the eye that are associated with at least one of saccadic and tremor eye movements of the eye, thereby providing that the projected image on the retina, in any specific gaze direction, appears stable and fixed to extent permitted by saccadic or tremor eye movement.

18. The eye projection method of claim 17, further comprising collimation of said plurality of light beam portions such that said plurality of light beam portions are incident on said pupil while being substantially collimated.

19. The eye projection method of claim 17, further comprising adjusting beam widths of said plurality of light beam portions such that said plurality of light beam portions are directed to the eye with narrow beam widths, being narrower than a diameter of an eye'"'"'s pupil.

20. The eye projection method of claim 17, further comprising affecting an intersection location of the plurality of light beam portions propagating towards the pupil with a virtual surface defining the possible locations of said pupil, such that the plurality of light beam portions intersect the pupil location at said gaze direction.

21. An eye projection system, comprising:

an image projection system adapted to obtain image data and produce an image projection comprising a plurality of light beam portions corresponding to pixels of said image data, such that each light beam portion of said plurality of light beam portions being projected with respective projection angle α

_scn={α

^x_scn , α

^y_scn}=S({P_x,P_y} corresponding to a two dimensional location {P_x,P_y} of its corresponding pixel in said image data, where S is an image scan function;

an eye projection optical module adapted to direct the light beam portions of said image projection towards an eye of a user, the eye projection optical module comprising an angular beam relay module and a gaze tracking deflector comprising an addressable optical deflecting unit; and

a gaze tracking controller is configured and operable for controlling the operation of at least one of the image projection system and the eye projection optical module in accordance with data indicative of a gaze direction of the eye, so as to direct the light beam portions of the projected image onto a retina of the eye in accordance with a line of sight of the eye at different gaze directions to thereby compensate for changes in the gaze direction;

wherein said gaze tracking controller is configured and operable not to compensate for changes in the line of sight that are associated with at least one of saccadic and tremor eye movements of the eye.