Image Generation Systems And Image Generation Methods

• US 20130201080A1
• Filed: 02/06/2012
• Published: 08/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Original Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute
• Inventors: Evans, Allan T., Bernacki, Bruce E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,982,014 B2
• 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 26/0833 the reflecting element being a micromechanical device, e.g. a MEMS mirror, DMD G02B26/0825 takes precedence; micromechanical devices in general B81B
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/105 with one or more pivoting mirrors or galvano-mirrors G02B26/101 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted

Abstract

Image generation systems and image generation methods are described. According to one aspect, an image generation system includes an imaging system configured to transmit light towards an observer'"'"'s eye to form a plurality of pixels of an image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at a moment in time; and a control system coupled with the imaging system and wherein the control system is configured to access data content regarding the image, to generate a plurality of control signals according to the accessed data content, and to output the control signals to the imaging system to control the transmission of the light by the imaging system towards the observer'"'"'s eye to form the plurality of pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

Claims

1. An image generation system comprising:

an attachment system configured to secure the image generation system to a head of a user in a position to be observed by the user;

an imaging system configured to reflect some light towards an observer'"'"'s eye to form a plurality of pixels of an image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at a moment in time and to reflect other light away from the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time; and

a control system coupled with the imaging system and wherein the control system is configured to access data content regarding the image, to generate a plurality of control signals according to the accessed data content, and to output the control signals to the imaging system to control the reflection of the some light by the imaging system towards the observer'"'"'s eye to form the plurality of pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time and to control the reflection of the other light away from the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging system is configured to reflect the some light to the observer'"'"'s eye from a plurality of different angles to enhance peripheral vision of the observer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging system is configured to reflect the some light comprising a plurality of light beams in parallel towards the observer'"'"'s eye.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging system is configured to reflect the some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time to simultaneously form the pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the image is a two-dimension image and the imaging system is configured to reflect the some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time to form the pixels in two dimensions upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the imaging system comprises:

a light source configured to emit the light; and

a light modulator optically coupled with the light source and comprising a plurality of mirrors which are configured to move between a plurality of positions, and wherein the control system is configured to generate the control signals to control a set of the mirrors to move to one of the positions to reflect the some light from the light source to the observer'"'"'s eye to form the pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the imaging system directs the some light reflected from the set of mirrors without further reflection to the observer'"'"'s eye.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the set of mirrors is a first set, and wherein the control system is configured to generate the control signals to control a second set of the mirrors to reflect the other light from the light source away from the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein the light source is configured to emit the light having different colors at respective ones of a plurality of different moments in time, and wherein the mirrors of the light modulator are configured to reflect the some light of the different colors to the observer'"'"'s eye at the different moments in time to form a color image.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the light source is an LED.

11. The system of claim 6 wherein the light source is a laser.

12. The system of claim 6 wherein the mirrors are configured to reflect an image of the observer'"'"'s eye to an eye monitoring system at another moment in time.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the image is a color image, and the imaging system is configured to generate a plurality of images of different colors upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at respective ones of a plurality of sequential moments in time, and wherein the imaging system is configured to simultaneously form, for one of the images of one of the colors, a plurality of pixels of the one of the colors upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

14. An image generation system comprising:

a data generation system configured to generate data content of a two-dimension color image;

an imaging system configured to transmit light towards an observer'"'"'s eye to simultaneously form a plurality of pixels of the two-dimension image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye;

a control system coupled with the data generation system and the imaging system, wherein the control system is configured to access the data content of the image, to generate a plurality of control signals according to the accessed data content, and to output the control signals to the imaging system to control the transmission of a plurality of light beams of the light and corresponding to respective ones the pixels in parallel towards the observer'"'"'s eye to simultaneously form the pixels of the two-dimension color image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye;

an eye monitoring system coupled with the control system, wherein the eye monitoring system is configured to monitor actions of the observer'"'"'s eye;

wherein the imaging system is configured to form a plurality of different color frames of the two-dimension color image at respective ones of a plurality of different moments in time, and the imaging system comprises;

a light source configured to emit the light having different colors at the different moments in time;

an optical fiber optically coupled with the light source and configured to homogenize the light; and

a light modulator optically coupled with the light source and the optical fiber, wherein the light modulator comprises a plurality of mirrors which are configured to move between a plurality of positions, and wherein the control system is configured to generate the control signals to control different sets of the mirrors to move to one of the positions to reflect the light from the light source to the observer'"'"'s eye at the different moments in time to form the different color frames of the two-dimension color image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the different moments in time and to reflect an image of the observer'"'"'s eye to the eye monitoring system at an additional moment in time; and

wherein the control system is configured to control at least one operation of the imaging system as a result of the reflection of the image of the observer'"'"'s eye to the eye monitoring system.

15. An image generation method comprising:

accessing data content regarding an image;

using the data content, identifying a plurality of pixels of the image which are to be formed at a moment in time; and

after the identifying, reflecting some light for the plural identified ones of the pixels of the image in parallel towards an observer'"'"'s eye to form the plural identified ones of the pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time and reflecting other light away from the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises reflecting a plurality of beams of the light in parallel.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises reflecting a plurality of beams of the light which correspond to respective ones of the identified pixels of the image.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises first reflecting using an optical modulator, and further comprising:

using the optical modulator, second reflecting an image of the observer'"'"'s eye at another moment in time; and

monitoring the image of the observer'"'"'s eye.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises reflecting using an optical modulator, and the identifying comprises identifying a plurality of mirrors of the optical modulator which correspond to the identified pixels, and further comprising controlling the identified mirrors to be in one of a plurality of different positions to reflect light beams for the identified pixels towards the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising controlling non-identified ones of the mirrors to be in a second of the different positions to reflect the other light away from the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye forms the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye without forming a real image which the user focuses upon.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises simultaneously forming the identified pixels of the image upon the retina of the observer'"'"'s eye at the moment in time.

23. The method of claim 15 further comprising emitting different colors of the light at different moments in time, wherein the identifying comprises identifying different pixels of the image to be formed at the different moments in time, and the reflecting some light towards the observer'"'"'s eye comprises reflecting the different colors of the light corresponding to the identified different pixels of the image at the different moments in time.