Beamed-Pixel Retinal Displays

• US 20140043320A1
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Published: 02/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carol Ann Tosaya, John William Sliwa
• Original Assignee: Carol Ann Tosaya, John William Sliwa
• Inventors: Tosaya, Carol Ann, Sliwa, John William
• Granted Patent: US 9,250,445 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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 27/0172 characterised by optical features

Abstract

A beamed-pixel retinal display (BPRD) system comprises a near-eye or on-eye display system which delivers any one or more of 2D or 3D images or data to at least one of a user'"'"'s retinas using a bundle of simultaneously—and differently—statically directed light beams. Each individual beam is of low or no divergence and each angularly fixed beam of the bundle originates from a different corresponding source-image pixel and is delivered through a display-system exit aperture each at static, fixed angles. The bundle of differently statically directed, individually low- or no-divergence pixel beams can be overlaid upon a user'"'"'s eye-entrance pupil.

Claims

1. A beamed-pixel retinal display (BPRD) system comprising a near-eye or on-eye display system which delivers any one or more of 2D or 3D images or data to at least one of a user'"'"'s retinas using a bundle of simultaneously—

and differently—

statically directed light beams, each individual beam of low or no divergence and each angularly fixed beam of the bundle originating from a different corresponding source-image pixel and delivered through a display-system exit aperture each at static fixed angles, and which bundle of differently statically directed, individually low- or no-divergence pixel beams can be overlaid upon a user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil, the BPRD system comprising;

a) at least one multipixel, flat or curved source-image display,

b) one or more optical elements which;

(i) couple to each pixel, (ii) separately form a low-divergence or nondiverging pixel beam from the coupled light from each pixel and (iii) differently statically direct each pixel'"'"'s low-divergence or nondiverging pixel beam through the display exit aperture and overlaying the user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil,

c) a head- or eye-worn appliance to hold the display exit aperture overlaid with a user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil, and

d) a source of display power and presentable images or data.

2. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the many low-divergence or nondiverging pixel beams, before their arrival at the display exit aperture and during their transit from source display to display exit aperture, at least one of:

a) do not cross paths,

b) do not overlap,

c) each has a divergence of less than a few degrees, more preferably less than one degree, and most preferably less than a few minutes of arc, or

d) one or more pixel beams may transition from converging to diverging on its way toward the retina, however they still meet the divergence criteria of (c) before arrival at the display exit pupil.

3. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the optical element includes any of:

a lens or lens array whether refractive, diffractive or holographic, a reflective surface or array of reflective elements, a prism or mirror or array thereof, shaped or not, or an array of light-passing conduits which physically pass, capture, mask, constrain or guide light.

4. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein optical elements which form low-divergence or nondiverging pixel beams from each emitting pixel—

or from each pixel and its associated coupler—

also spatially organize the many pixel beams into a bundle of such beams.

5. The BPRD system of claim 4 wherein either of:

(a) the divergence-limiting elements carry pixel beams which are parallel to each other and therefore do not steer individual pixel beams differently, or (b) the divergence-limiting elements carry pixel beams which are nonparallel to each other because some individualized pixel-beam angular directing also is accomplished in these elements.

6. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the user'"'"'s worn or carried display system internally contains any one or more of:

microprocessor(s), memory, power-related components, a video camera(s), an audio component, a location or orientation sensor, an eye-gaze or pupil-position sensor, connectors or plugs for external connectivity or services, transmitting or receiving radios, transceivers or antennas for external connectivity or services or for internal connectivity, or any type of corrective lens.

7. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein, while wearing the display, the user can view at least one of:

(a) electronic data or images, (b) his/her actual live surroundings, c) both (a) and (b) whether or not along the same line of sight or at the same time.

8. The BPRD system of claim 7 wherein the user, at at least one time during display-system use, at least one of:

(a) sees electronic images or data overlaying, overlaid or associated with objects in his/her real surroundings view or in an electronic data image of his/her surroundings view, (b) sees electronic images or data situationally, (c) sees or hears advertising, possibly situationally, (d) sees or hears live or recorded educational, instructional, entertainment, advisory, guidance or other information.

9. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the user at least one of:

(a) communicates with another person or device such as by making or receiving a live or recorded voice, video or audio/video phone call, (b) utilizes a social network, (c) utilizes an online retailer or service, (d) utilizes an online search engine, (e) utilizes texting, messaging or email, (f) utilizes a cloud service or remote server, g) utilizes a graphical user interface or web browser.

10. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the display or any portion thereof includes, is compatible with, incorporates or attaches to vision-corrective eyeglasses or contact lens(es) or to noncorrective eyeglasses, contact lens(es), an eyeglass-like frame, or any head-mounted appliance that can maintain a stable overlap or alignment between the display-system exit aperture and at least one user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil.

11. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein at least one optical component or element of the display, whether that optical component or element supports data visualization, surroundings visualization, or both, is prescribed for a particular user or is chosen based on an eye test or BPRD-based test.

12. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein a source display or displays utilize(s) any one or more display technologies.

13. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein the optical element(s) used to control or limit pixel-beam divergence, direct a pixel beam or act as a pixel-beam light conduit includes any one or more of:

a) a fiber-optic faceplate, whether flat or curved,

b) a microcapillary plate, whether flat or curved,

c) a plate which is a fiber-optic faceplate on one face and a microchannel plate on an aligned opposed face, whether flat or curved,

d) a lens array selected from the group consisting of GRIN lens arrays, Fresnel lens arrays and aspheric lens arrays,

e) the emitting pixel itself already having low divergence,

f) an array of optical conduits, whether fused together or separate, whether optically masking or guiding, or

g) any of a, b, c, d, e and f in combination.

14. The BPRD system of claim 1 wherein an optical element that performs or contributes to directing pixel beams at different angles or to different spatial positions with offsets includes one or more of:

a) a diffractive, refractive or holographic lens or lens array, mirror or reflective surface,

b) an array of light-masking or light-guiding conduits consisting of any of vacuum-, gas- or liquid-filled conduits, fiber-optic faceplate or fiber-optic fiber conduits, opaque-walled filled or unfilled conduits or channels, hollow waveguides, high-aspect-ratio (length divided by diameter) conduits or channels and thin-walled conduits or channels,

c) a Fresnel lens, a prism or array thereof, or

d) an aspheric, compound, gradient-index, electro-fluidic, voltage-controlled, voltage-controlled LCD/photoresist or color-corrected lens.

15. The BPRD display system of claim 1 wherein source display light-emitting pixels are cointegrated with a collimator or divergence limiter such that each optical conduit of the cointegrated collimator/limiter and pixel-source component produces light emission and passes onward divergence-limited light.

16. The BPRD display system of claim 15 wherein the cointegrated emitting pixels comprise plasma chambers, phosphor-containing chambers or optically resonant cavities implemented within at least a portion of the optical conduits.

17. The BPRD display system of claim 1 wherein the user sees only source-display-provided images of data and of his/her surroundings, whether overlaid or not, whether simultaneously or not, for at least a period of use.

18. A near-eye or on-eye BPRD system which delivers any one or more of 2D or 3D images or data to at least one of a user'"'"'s retinas using a bundle of simultaneously and differently statically directed light beams, each individual beam of low or no divergence and each angularly fixed beam of the bundle originating from a different corresponding source-image pixel and delivered through a display-system exit aperture, each at static, fixed angles, and which bundle of differently statically directed, individually low- or no-divergence pixel beams can be overlaid upon a user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil, the BPRD display system comprising:

a) at least one multipixel flat or curved source-image display,

b) one or more optical elements which;

(i) couple to each pixel, (ii) separately form a low-divergence or nondiverging beam from the coupled light from each pixel and (iii) differently statically direct each pixel'"'"'s low-divergence or nondiverging pixel beam through the display exit aperture and overlaying the user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil,

c) a head- or eye-worn appliance to hold the display exit aperture overlaid upon a user'"'"'s eye entrance pupil, and

d) a source of display power and presentable images or data,

wherein at least some of the converging, parallel or diverging pixel-beam bundle passes through the overlaid user'"'"'s eye-entrance pupil, the passing beam bundle, upon arrival at the retina, forms a retinal image of some or all of the source image,

and wherein at least one of;

1) the pixel beams do not cross paths before their arrival at the display exit aperture while propagating from their source pixels,

2) the pixel beams do not overlap before their arrival at the display exit aperture while propagating from their source pixels,

the low divergence or nondivergence and direction of each pixel beam respectively being sufficiently low or different to allow (1) or (2) to be possible.

19. The BPRD system of claim 18 wherein pixel beams do not cross paths at least one of:

a) at the same instant,

b) during the presentation of one image frame,

before their arrival at the display exit aperture.

20. The BPRD system of claim 18 wherein potential optical interference in or between incoming pixel beams that are arriving at the retina is avoided by one or more of:

a) using microchannel, microcapillary or optical-conduit divergence limiters or beam formers having a channel diameter several times larger than a monochromatic wavelength to avoid Airy self-interference,

b) spacing retinal impacting beams far enough apart to reduce neighbor-to-neighbor interference,

c) making the position locational grid of the retinal pixels somewhat irregular relative to a regular grid with fixed spacings,

d) not firing near-neighbor, same-color, monochromatic beams truly simultaneously but instead firing them with an imperceptible delay between them,

e) slewing the wavelength of a primary color such that it is instantaneously different than that of a neighboring beam, or

f) using broadband backlighting or broadband color filters.