Variable Transparency Heads Up Displays

• US 20120086624A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 04/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Eldon Technology Limited (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Dove, Antony Michael, Thompson, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 10,036,891 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 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted

Abstract

A heads up display presents images to a user. A background is located behind the heads up display. The heads up display is operable to vary the transparency of the images such that images alone are viewable, the background is viewable through the images, or the background is viewable but the images are not. The heads up display may vary the transparency of the images by varying the transparency of a display screen. Alternatively, the heads up display may record the background using a visual recording element and may combine the recorded background with the images such to overlay the images over the recorded background. The, the display screen may display the images. Alternatively, the display screen may be a projection screen upon which an image projector projects the images. The heads up display may also include an illumination element that illuminates the background when not sufficiently illuminated.

Claims

1. A method for providing variable transparency heads up displays, the method comprising:

transmitting at least one image to at least one display screen of a head mountable viewing device utilizing at least one processing unit;

receiving an input, utilizing the at least one processing unit, that specifies to change a transparency of the at least one image; and

altering a transparency of the at least one image, utilizing the at least one processing unit, such that a background is viewable through the at least one image.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering the transparency of the at least one image, utilizing the at least one processing unit, such that the at least one image obscures viewing of the background.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising altering the transparency of the at least one image, utilizing the at least one processing unit, such that the background is viewable and the at least one image is not viewable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation of receiving an input, utilizing the at least one processing unit, that specifies to change a transparency of the at least one image comprises receiving the input from a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation of altering a transparency of the at least one image comprises altering a transparency of the at least one display screen.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording at least one background image of the background utilizing at least one visual recording device;

wherein said operation of altering a transparency of the at least one image comprises altering a transparency of the at least one display screen comprises;

transmitting a combination of the at least one image and the at least one background image to the at least one display screen of the head mountable viewing display such that the at least one background image is viewable through the at least one image.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said operation of recording at least one background image of the background utilizing at least one visual recording device comprises:

recording a plurality of viewing area portion images utilizing a plurality of visual recording devices; and

combining the plurality of viewing area portion images to form the at least one background image wherein a viewing area of each of the plurality of viewing area portion images is smaller than a viewing area of the at least one background image.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one display screen comprises at least one liquid crystal projection screen and wherein said operation of transmitting at least one image to at least one display screen of a head mountable viewing device utilizing at least one processing unit comprises projecting the at least one image on the at least one liquid crystal projection screen.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising illuminating the background when an illumination level of the background is below a threshold value.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising detecting the illumination level of the background.

11. A system for variable transparency heads up displays, comprising:

a head mountable viewing display including at least one display screen;

at least one non-transitory storage medium; and

at least one processing unit that executes instructions stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium to transmit at least one image to the at least one display screen of the head mountable viewing display;

wherein the at least one processing unit is operable to alter a transparency of the at least one image so that a background is viewable through the at least one image.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing unit alters the transparency of the at least one image by altering a transparency of the at least one display screen such that the background is viewable through the at least one display screen.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one visual recording device operable to record at least one background image of the background;

wherein the at least one processing unit alters the transparency of the at least one image by transmitting a combination of the at least one image and the at least one background image to the at least one display screen of the head mountable viewing display such that the at least one background image is viewable through the at least one image.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one visual recording device comprises a plurality of visual recording devices that record viewing area portion images wherein the at least one background image comprises a combination of the viewing area portion images such that a viewing area of the at least one background image is greater than a viewing area of the viewing area portion images.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one display screen comprises at least one liquid crystal display that is operable to display the at least one image transmitted by the at least one processing unit.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising an image projector wherein the at least one display screen comprises at least one liquid crystal projection screen upon which the image projector projects the at least one image transmitted by the at least one processing unit.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a user input device wherein the at least one processing unit alters the transparency of the at least one image in response to user input received by the user input device.

18. The system of claim 11, further comprising an illumination element operable to illuminate the background.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the illumination element comprises an infra red illumination element.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a light sensor operable to detect an illumination level of the background wherein the illumination element illuminates the background when the illumination level of the background is below a threshold value.