Head tracking system for head wearable device including display device

• US 10,580,389 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Tiana, Carlo L., Wood, Robert B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, David D
• Application Number:
  US16/104,292
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 10/00 Flight suits helmets in general A42B3/00; breathing helmets A62B18/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 43/00 Arrangements or adaptations of instruments arrangements of cameras B64D47/08; aeronautical measuring instruments per se G01C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• 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 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0492 Change of orientation of the displayed image, e.g. upside-down, mirrored
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/12 Avionics applications
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/38 with means for controlling the display position

Abstract

A system may include a structure, a head wearable device, emitters, receivers, and a processor. The emitters may be configured to emit signals and may be implemented on at least one of the structure or the head wearable device. The receivers may be configured to receive at least some of the signals from the emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the received signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as signal data. The receivers may be implemented on at least one of the structure or the head wearable device. A processor may be configured to: receive the signal data from the receivers; determine a position and an orientation of the head wearable device based on the signal data; and output image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the head wearable device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one structure;

a head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device;

a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic signals from the plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as electromagnetic signal data, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a computing device comprising a processor, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers, the processor configured to;

receive the electromagnetic signal data from the plurality of receivers;

determine a position and an orientation of the head wearable device at a given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

output at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, the at least one of image or symbolic data being aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure,

wherein the at least one structure is implemented in or on a vehicle, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position and an orientation of the vehicle with respect to earth and to determine a position and orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure and to earth based at least on the electromagnetic signal data, wherein the at least one of image or symbolic data is aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure and to earth.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft, wherein the at least one structure is at least one cockpit structure, wherein the head wearable device is implemented in a cockpit of the aircraft.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of at least some of the plurality of receivers is configured to receive particular electromagnetic signals from a particular emitter of the plurality of emitters.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of at least some of the plurality of emitters is configured to emit particular electromagnetic signals having particular unique signal properties, the particular unique signal properties including at least one of an at least semi-unique pulse frequency, an at least semi-unique signal code, an at least semi-unique polarization, or an at least semi-unique signal wavelength, wherein each of at least some of the plurality of receivers is configured to receive the particular electromagnetic signals having the particular unique signal properties from a particular emitter and to filter out electromagnetic signals other than the particular electromagnetic signals having the particular unique signal properties.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the particular unique signal properties include the at least semi-unique pulse frequency.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the head wearable device, wherein at least some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the at least one structure.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to:

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters, the particular emitters implemented on the head wearable device; and

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters of the plurality of emitters with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least some of the plurality of emitters implemented on the head wearable device are implemented in clusters of at least two emitters, the at least two emitters of each cluster arranged generally linearly, the clusters including a first cluster and a second cluster, wherein the first cluster and the second cluster are arranged in a non-parallel manner.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the at least one structure, wherein at least some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the head wearable device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to:

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters; and

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of particular receivers of the plurality of receivers with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters, the particular receivers implemented on the head wearable device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least some of the plurality of receivers implemented on the head wearable device are implemented in clusters of at least two receivers, the at least two receivers of each cluster arranged generally linearly, the clusters including a first cluster and a second cluster, wherein the first cluster and the second cluster are arranged in a non-parallel manner.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the at least one structure and other emitters of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the head wearable device, wherein some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the at least one structure and other of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the head wearable device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to:

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters, the particular emitters implemented on the head wearable device;

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters of the plurality of emitters with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters;

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of particular receivers of the plurality of receivers with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the other emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the other emitters, the particular receivers implemented on the head wearable device; and

determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the determined angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters and the determined angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular receivers.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are configured to emit electromagnetic signals in fan beam patterns.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of emitters are configured to emit electromagnetic signals in overlapping fan beam patterns.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are configured to emit infrared signals.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of emitters and the plurality of receivers are implemented on the at least one structure, wherein the head wearable device includes a plurality of reflectors configured to reflect emitted signals from one or more of the plurality of emitters to one or more of the plurality of receivers.

18. A cockpit head tracking system, comprising:

at least one cockpit structure implemented in an aircraft;

a head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one cockpit structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device, wherein the head wearable device is implemented in a cockpit of the aircraft;

a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one cockpit structure or the head wearable device;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic signals from the plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as electromagnetic signal data, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of the at least one cockpit structure or the head wearable device;

an avionics computing device comprising a processor, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers, the processor configured to;

receive the electromagnetic signal data from the plurality of receivers;

determine a position and an orientation of the aircraft with respect to earth;

determine a position and orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one cockpit structure and to earth based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

output at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, wherein the at least one of image or symbolic data is aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one cockpit structure and to earth.

19. A method of operating a head tracking system, comprising:

receiving, by a processor of a computing device, electromagnetic signal data from a plurality of receivers, the plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of electromagnetic signals from a plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as the electromagnetic signal data to the computing device, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of at least one structure or a head wearable device, the plurality of emitters configured to emit the electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device, the head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers;

determining, by the processor, a position and an orientation of the head wearable device at a given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

outputting, by the processor, at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, the at least one of image or symbolic data being aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure,

wherein the at least one structure is implemented in or on a vehicle, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a position and an orientation of the vehicle with respect to earth and to determine a position and orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure and to earth based at least on the electromagnetic signal data, wherein the at least one of image or symbolic data is aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure and to earth.

20. A system, comprising:

at least one structure;

a head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device;

a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic signals from the plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as electromagnetic signal data, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a computing device comprising a processor, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers, the processor configured to;

receive the electromagnetic signal data from the plurality of receivers;

determine a position and an orientation of the head wearable device at a given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

output at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, the at least one of image or symbolic data being aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure,

wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the head wearable device, wherein at least some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the at least one structure,

wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to;

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters, the particular emitters implemented on the head wearable device; and

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters of the plurality of emitters with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters.

21. A system, comprising:

at least one structure;

a head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device;

a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic signals from the plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as electromagnetic signal data, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a computing device comprising a processor, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers, the processor configured to;

receive the electromagnetic signal data from the plurality of receivers;

determine a position and an orientation of the head wearable device at a given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

output at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, the at least one of image or symbolic data being aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure,

wherein at least some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the at least one structure, wherein at least some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the head wearable device,

wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to;

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters; and

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of particular receivers of the plurality of receivers with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters, the particular receivers implemented on the head wearable device.

22. A system, comprising:

at least one structure;

a head wearable device implemented in proximity to the at least one structure, the head wearable device comprising a head wearable device processor and at least one display device;

a plurality of emitters configured to emit electromagnetic signals, the plurality of emitters implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a plurality of receivers configured to receive at least some of the electromagnetic signals from the plurality of emitters, to detect at least one signal property including signal intensity of the at least some of the electromagnetic signals, and to output information of the at least one signal property as electromagnetic signal data, the plurality of receivers implemented on at least one of the at least one structure or the head wearable device;

a computing device comprising a processor, the computing device communicatively coupled to the head wearable device and the plurality of receivers, the processor configured to;

receive the electromagnetic signal data from the plurality of receivers;

determine a position and an orientation of the head wearable device at a given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data; and

output at least one of image or symbolic data to the head wearable device to be displayed by the display device of the head wearable device, the at least one of image or symbolic data being aligned with the position and the orientation of the head wearable device with respect to the at least one structure,

wherein some of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the at least one structure and other emitters of the plurality of emitters are implemented on the head wearable device, wherein some of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the at least one structure and other of the plurality of receivers are implemented on the head wearable device,

wherein the processor being configured to determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the electromagnetic signal data comprises the processor being further configured to;

identify particular emitters of the plurality of emitters based at least on particular unique signal properties associated with the particular emitters, the particular emitters implemented on the head wearable device;

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters of the plurality of emitters with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the particular emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the particular emitters;

determine angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of particular receivers of the plurality of receivers with respect to the at least one structure at the given time at least by comparing received signal strengths associated with at least one of the other emitters against received signal strengths associated with at least another of the other emitters, the particular receivers implemented on the head wearable device; and

determine the position and the orientation of the head wearable device at the given time with respect to the at least one structure based at least on the determined angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular emitters and the determined angular orientations and three-dimensional positions of the particular receivers.