OPACITY FILTER FOR SEE-THROUGH HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY

• US 20120068913A1
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Published: 03/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bar-Zeev, Avi, Kipman, Alex Aben-Athar, Lewis, John, Crocco, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 8,941,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• 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 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

An optical see-through head-mounted display device includes a see-through lens which combines an augmented reality image with light from a real-world scene, while an opacity filter is used to selectively block portions of the real-world scene so that the augmented reality image appears more distinctly. The opacity filter can be a see-through LCD panel, for instance, where each pixel of the LCD panel can be selectively controlled to be transmissive or opaque, based on a size, shape and position of the augmented reality image. Eye tracking can be used to adjust the position of the augmented reality image and the opaque pixels. Peripheral regions of the opacity filter, which are not behind the augmented reality image, can be activated to provide a peripheral cue or a representation of the augmented reality image. In another aspect, opaque pixels are provided at a time when an augmented reality image is not present.

Claims

1. An optical see-through head-mounted display device, comprising:

a see-through lens extending between a user'"'"'s eye and a real-world scene when the display device is worn by the user, the see-through lens comprises an opacity filter having a plurality of pixels, each pixel is controllable to adjust an opacity of the pixel, and a display component;

an augmented reality emitter which emits light to the user'"'"'s eye using the display component, the light represents an augmented reality image having a shape;

at least one control which controls the opacity filter to provide an increased opacity for pixels which are behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the user'"'"'s eye, the increased opacity pixels are provided according to the shape of the augmented reality image.

2. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the see-through lens is mounted to a frame worn on the user'"'"'s head;

the optical see-through head-mounted display device further comprises a tracking component which tracks a location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame; and

the at least one control is responsive to the location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame.

3. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 2, wherein:

the tracking component is mounted to the frame and tracks a center of a pupil of the eye.

4. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the see-through lens is mounted to a frame front of a frame worn on the user'"'"'s head.

5. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one control maintains a registration of the pixels which are behind the augmented reality image with the augmented reality image in correspondence with the location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame.

6. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one augmented reality emitter maintains a registration of the augmented reality image with the pixels which are behind the augmented reality image in correspondence with the location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame.

7. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the display component comprises at least one optical component which combines light from the real-world scene and the light representing the augmented reality image, the display component is between the opacity filter and the user'"'"'s eye.

8. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the opacity filter is out of focus to the user'"'"'s eye; and

the augmented reality image is in focus to the user'"'"'s eye.

9. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control provides an increased opacity for pixels of the opacity filter which surround the augmented reality image, to provide a darkened region around the augmented reality image.

10. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the augmented reality image is limited to a first angular extent of a field of view of the user'"'"' eye; and

the opacity filter extends in a second angular extent which includes the first angular extent and a more peripheral angular extent of the field of view.

11. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one control provides an increased opacity for pixels of the opacity filter which are in the more peripheral angular extent to depict a peripheral cue for the augmented reality image.

12. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one control provides an increased opacity for pixels of the opacity filter which are in the more peripheral angular extent to depict a representation of the augmented reality image.

13. An optical see-through head-mounted display device, comprising:

a see-through lens extending in an optical path between a user'"'"'s eye and a real-world scene when the display device is worn by the user, the see-through lens comprises an opacity filter having a plurality of pixels, each pixel is controllable to adjust an opacity of the pixel; and

at least one control which controls the opacity filter, to provide an increased opacity for selected pixels in a field of view of the user'"'"'s eye, during a time in which no augmented reality image is provided to the user'"'"'s eye.

14. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 13, wherein:

the selected pixels are in a peripheral region of the field of view.

15. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 13, wherein:

the see-through lens is mounted to a frame worn on the user'"'"'s head;

the optical see-through head-mounted display device further comprises a tracking component which tracks a location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame; and

the selected pixels change in correspondence with a change in the location of the user'"'"'s eye relative to the frame.

16. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 14, wherein:

at another time, an augmented reality image is provided to the user'"'"'s eye in a more central region of the field of view of the user'"'"'s eye, and the at least one control controls the opacity filter to provide an increased opacity for pixels which are behind the augmented reality image in the more central region of the field of view of the user'"'"'s eye, from a perspective of the user'"'"'s eye, and to provide a lower opacity for pixels which are not behind the augmented reality image in the more central region of the field of view of the user'"'"'s eye, from the perspective of the user'"'"'s eye.

17. An optical see-through head-mounted display device, comprising:

a see-through lens extending between a user'"'"'s eye and a real-world scene when the display device is worn by the user, the see-through lens comprises an opacity filter having a plurality of pixels, each pixel is controllable to adjust an opacity of the pixel;

at least one augmented reality emitter which emits light to the user'"'"'s eye, the light represents an augmented reality image; and

at least one control which controls the opacity filter to provide a gradual transition in opacity for pixels which are behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the user'"'"'s eye.

18. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 17, wherein:

the augmented reality image extends in an augmented reality display region of a field of view of the user'"'"'s eye, the augmented reality display region of the field of view has a boundary;

a first portion of the augmented reality image is further from the boundary than a second portion of the augmented reality image; and

the at least one control, to provide the gradual transition, controls the opacity filter to provide a lower opacity for pixels which are behind the augmented reality image and closer to the boundary than for pixels which are behind the augmented reality image and further from the boundary.

19. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 18, wherein:

when a portion of the augmented reality image is cutoff at the boundary, the at least one control controls the opacity filter to provide a higher opacity for pixels which are outside the augmented reality display region of the first field of view, and which represent a continuation of the augmented reality beyond the boundary.

20. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one control gradually fades out the augmented reality image in correspondence with the gradual transition in opacity for the pixels which are behind the augmented reality image.