DISPLAYED CONTENT VISION CORRECTION WITH ELECTRICALLY ADJUSTABLE LENS

• US 20110221656A1
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Inventors: Osterhout, Ralph F., Haddick, John D., Lohse, Robert Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/049,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20110221656A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• 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 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 11/10 Electronic devices other than hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1673 Arrangements for projecting a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/197 Matching; Classification
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/635 Region indicators; Field of view indicators
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/661 Transmitting camera control signals through networks, e.g. control via the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

This disclosure concerns an interactive, head-mounted eyepiece with an electrically adjustable liquid lens that adjusts a focus of the displayed content for the user. The electrically adjustable lens may be of the type wherein the lens is moved back and forth with a small worm drive. Alternatively, the electrically adjustable lens may be of the type that uses two liquids, a conducting liquid and a non-conducting liquid. The liquid lens may instead be a tunable liquid crystal cell, in which a non-uniform magnetic field is used to shape the liquid crystal and adjust a focus for the user.

Claims

1. An interactive head-mounted eyepiece, comprising:

an eyepiece for wearing by a user;

an optical assembly mounted on the eyepiece through which the user views a surrounding environment and a displayed content, wherein the optical assembly comprises a corrective element that corrects the user'"'"'s view of the environment;

an integrated processor for handling content for display to the user;

an integrated image source for introducing the content to the optical assembly; and

an electrically adjustable lens integrated with the optical assembly that adjusts a focus of the displayed content for the user.

2. The interactive head mounted eyepiece of claim 1, wherein the electrically adjustable lens is a liquid lens.

3. The interactive head mounted eyepiece of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor mounted on the camera or the eyepiece,

wherein an output from the at least one sensor is used to stabilize the displayed content of the optical assembly of the interactive head mounted eyepiece using at least one digital technique.

4. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 1, wherein the electrically adjustable lens is a tunable liquid crystal lens.

5. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 1, wherein the electrically adjustable lens comprises conducting and non-conducting liquids.

6. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 1, further comprising at least one sensor for sensing vibration and movement of the camera, and at least one computer software program stored in a memory of the integrated processor for stabilizing the displayed content via at least one digital technique.

7. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 6, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of a motion sensor, an inertial motion sensor, an accelerometer, a force sensor, a gyroscope, an angular velocity sensor, a body sensor and a position sensor.

8. An interactive head-mounted eyepiece, comprising:

an eyepiece for wearing by a user;

an optical assembly mounted on the eyepiece through which the user views a surrounding environment and a displayed content, wherein the optical assembly comprises a corrective element that corrects a user'"'"'s view of the surrounding environment;

an integrated processor of the interactive head-mounted eyepiece for handling content for display to the user;

an electrically adjustable liquid lens integrated with the optical assembly;

an integrated image source of the interactive head-mounted eyepiece for introducing the content to the optical assembly; and

a memory operably connected with the integrated processor, the memory including at least one software program for providing a correction for the displayed content by adjusting the electrically adjustable liquid lens.

9. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 8, wherein the electrically adjustable liquid lens further comprises transparent electrodes for applying a spatially non-uniform magnetic field.

10. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 8, wherein the electrically adjustable liquid lens comprises a conductive liquid and a non-conductive liquid.

11. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 8, wherein the at least one software program is selected from the group consisting of an optical stabilization program and a digital stabilization program.

12. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 8, wherein the software program is selected from the group consisting of keystone correction, a distortion correction and a perspective correction.

13. The interactive head-mounted eyepiece of claim 8, further comprising at least one sensor for sensing vibration and movement of the interactive head-mounted eyepiece, and wherein the memory further comprises a computer program for optical stabilization of the displayed content using the at least one sensor.