HEADS-UP DISPLAY INCLUDING EYE TRACKING

• US 20130207887A1
• Filed: 02/15/2012
• Published: 08/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Raffle, Hayes S., Wang, Chia-Jean
• Granted Patent: US 9,001,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/00 Optical systems or apparatus not provided for by any of the groups G02B1/00 - G02B26/00, G02B30/00
• 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 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10004 Still image; Photographic image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10048 Infrared image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30196 Human being; Person
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/70 Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras camera calibration G06T7/80

Abstract

Embodiments of an apparatus comprising a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a display positioned near the proximal end, an eye-tracking camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-tracking radiation, a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end. The proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-tracking camera and the distal optical element and the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a front surface and a back surface spaced apart from the front surface, an ambient input region on the front surface near the distal end, and an input/output region on the back surface near the distal end;

a display positioned near the proximal end;

an eye-tracking camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-tracking radiation;

a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end,

wherein the proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-tracking camera and the distal optical element such that it directs display light to the distal optical element and directs eye-tracking radiation received from the distal optical element to the eye-tracking camera, and

wherein the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region such that it directs display light to the input/output region and directs eye-tracking radiation from the input/output region to the proximal optical element.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display comprises:

a display light source positioned on the front surface; and

a display positioned on the back surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the proximal optical element and the distal optical elements are polarizing beamsplitters.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

a focusing element positioned at the distal end of the light guide; and

a quarter-wave plate positioned between the focusing element and the distal end of the light guide.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal element is a non-polarizing beamsplitter.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a half-wave plate positioned between the proximal optical element and the distal optical element.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal optical element is a polarizing plate.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the eye-tracking camera is mounted to the proximal end of the light guide.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising an optical element that optically couples the eye-tracking camera to the proximal end of the light guide.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation positioned at or near the distal end.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation include:

a first eye-tracking radiation source positioned and oriented to illuminate a user'"'"'s eye with eye-tracking radiation; and

a second eye-tracking radiation source positioned and oriented to create a glint in the user'"'"'s eye.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is of a non-visible wavelength.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is infrared.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a filter positioned over at least a part of the ambient input region.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more additional optical elements positioned in the light guide between the proximal optical element and the distal optical element.

16. A process comprising:

generating eye-tracking information via a display comprising;

a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a front surface, a back surface spaced apart from the front surface, an ambient input region on the front surface near the distal end, and an input/output region on the back surface near the distal end;

a display positioned near the proximal end;

an eye-tracking camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-tracking radiation;

a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end,

wherein the proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-tracking camera and the distal optical element such that it directs display radiation to the distal optical element and directs eye-tracking radiation received from the distal optical element to the eye-tracking camera, and

wherein the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region such that it directs display light to the input/output region and directs eye-tracking radiation from the input/output region to the proximal optical element; and

simultaneously directing display light from a display into the light guide, directing ambient light from the ambient input region to the input/output region, and directing eye-tracking radiation from the input/output region to the eye-tracking camera.

17. The process of claim 16, further comprising imaging at least a portion of a user'"'"'s eye with the eye-tracking camera.

18. The process of claim 16 wherein the proximal optical element and the distal optical elements are polarizing beam splitters.

19. The process of claim 18 wherein the display further comprises:

a focusing element positioned at the distal end of the light guide; and

a quarter-wave plate positioned between the focusing element and the distal end of the light guide.

20. The process of claim 16 wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal element is a non-polarizing beamsplitter.

21. The process of claim 16 wherein the display further comprises a half-wave plate between the proximal optical element and the distal optical element.

22. The process of claim 16, further comprising illuminating the user'"'"'s eye using one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation positioned at or near the distal end.

23. The process of claim 22 wherein illuminating the user'"'"'s eye using one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation includes:

illuminating the user'"'"'s eye using a first eye-tracking radiation source positioned and oriented to flood a user'"'"'s eye with eye-tracking radiation; and

illuminating the user'"'"'s eye using a second eye-tracking radiation source positioned and oriented to create a glint in the user'"'"'s eye.

24. The process of claim 16 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is of a non-visible wavelength.

25. The process of claim 24 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is infrared.

26. The process of claim 16, further comprising filtering the eye-tracking radiation from the ambient light received through the ambient input region.

27. A system comprising:

one or more displays, each display comprising;

a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a front surface, a back surface spaced apart from the front surface, an ambient input region on the front surface near the distal end, and an input/output region on the back surface near the distal end;

a display positioned near the proximal end;

an eye-tracking camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-tracking radiation;

a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end,

wherein the proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-tracking camera and the distal optical element such that it directs display light to the distal optical element and directs eye-tracking radiation received from the distal optical element to the eye-tracking camera, and

wherein the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region such that it directs display light to the input/output region and directs eye-tracking radiation from the input/output region to the proximal optical element; and

a computer coupled to the eye-tracking camera and the display.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the display comprises:

a display light source positioned on the front surface; and

a display positioned on the back surface.

29. The system of claim 27 wherein the proximal optical element and the distal optical elements are polarizing beam splitters.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a focusing element positioned at the distal end of the light guide; and

a quarter-wave plate positioned between the focusing element and the distal end of the light guide.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal element is a non-polarizing beamsplitter.

32. The system of claim 27, further comprising a half-wave plate between the proximal optical element and the distal optical element.

33. The system of claim 27 wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal optical element is a polarizing plate.

34. The system of claim 27 wherein the eye-tracking camera is mounted to the proximal end of the light guide.

35. The system of claim 34, further comprising an optical element that optically couples the eye-tracking camera to the proximal end of the light guide.

36. The system of claim 27, further comprising one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation positioned near the distal end.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the one or more sources of eye-tracking radiation includes:

a first eye-tracking radiation source oriented to flood a user'"'"'s eye with eye-tracking radiation; and

a second eye-tracking radiation source oriented to create a glint in the user'"'"'s eye.

38. The system of claim 27 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is of a non-visible wavelength.

39. The system of claim 38 wherein the eye-tracking radiation is infrared.

40. The system of claim 27, further comprising a filter positioned over at least part of the ambient input region.

41. The system of claim 27, further comprising one or more additional optical elements positioned in the light guide between the proximal optical element and the distal optical element.

42. The system of claim 27, further comprising a network communicatively coupled to the computer.

43. The system of claim 42, further comprising one or more servers coupled to the network.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein the one or more servers can analyze images receive from the eye-tracking camera and can transmit information about the eye position to the computer.

45. The system of claim 27 wherein the one or more displays are mounted in a pair of eyeglass frames.