NEAR-EYE OPTIC POSITIONING IN DISPLAY DEVICES

• US 20150035744A1
• Filed: 08/22/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Robbins, Steve, McEldowney, Scott C., Lou, Xinye, Bohn, David D., Miller, Quentin Simon Charles, Nister, David, Schneider, Gerhard, Ackerman, Nathan, Mei, Christopher Maurice
• Granted Patent: US 10,345,903 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0125 Field-of-view increase by wavefront division
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• 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 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0185 Displaying image at variable distance
• 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 27/0093 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 27/0179 Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/19 Sensors therefor

Abstract

Embodiments are disclosed for adjusting alignment of a near-eye optic of a see-through head-mounted display system. In one embodiment, a method of detecting eye location for a head-mounted display system includes directing positioning light to an eye of a user and detecting the positioning light reflected from the eye of the user. The method further includes determining a distance between the eye and a near-eye optic of the head-mounted display system based on attributes of the detected positioning light, and providing feedback for adjusting the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic.

Claims

1. A method of detecting eye location for a head-mounted display system, the method comprising:

directing positioning light to an eye of a user;

detecting the positioning light reflected from the eye of the user;

determining a distance between the eye and a near-eye optic of the head-mounted display system based on attributes of the detected positioning light; and

providing feedback for adjusting the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback for adjusting the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic includes visual feedback provided to the user via the near-eye optic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback for adjusting the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic includes audio feedback provided to the user via the head-mounted display system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein directing positioning light to the eye of the user includes directing positioning light from a first light source and a second light source to the eye.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic of the head-mounted display system includes determining a distance between positioning light from the first light source and positioning light from the second light source as reflected from the eye.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing feedback to the user to perform the adjustment if the distance between the positioning light from the first light source and the positioning light from the second light source as reflected from the eye is above a threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein directing positioning light further comprises controlling a numerical aperture of a light source to direct light to a selected area of the eye of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback indicates a direction of movement of the near-eye optic relative to the eye of the user to adjust the near-eye optic to a target optic location.

9. A head-mounted display system for detecting eye location, the head-mounted display system comprising:

a display device;

an eye-tracking camera;

a positioning light source;

a logic machine; and

a storage machine configured to store instructions executable by the logic machine to;

direct positioning light to an eye of a user;

detect the positioning light reflected from the eye of the user;

determine a distance between the eye and a near-eye optic of the head-mounted display system based on attributes of the detected positioning light; and

provide feedback for adjusting the distance between the eye and the near-eye optic.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a freeform prism configured to direct the positioning light to the eye of the user.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the positioning light source includes one or more infrared light sources.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the positioning light source includes one or more visible light sources.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the positioning light source includes two positioning light sources that are spatially and angularly separated from one another.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the eye-tracking camera is one of a plurality of cameras, and wherein determining a distance between the eye and a near-eye optic of the head-mounted display system includes measuring angles of incidence of positioning light reflected from the eye as received by each of the plurality of eye-tracking camera to determine a location of the eye based on the measured angles.

15. A method of detecting eye location for a head-mounted display system, the method comprising:

directing positioning light from one or more light sources to an eye of a user;

controlling a numerical aperture of each of the one or more light sources to direct the positioning light to one of a plurality of selected locations relative to a target pupil location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more light sources includes as least two light sources, the method further comprising controlling the numerical aperture of each of the at least two light sources to direct the positioning light outside of the target pupil location.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising directing the positioning light from a first visible light source of the one or more light sources to a different target location of the eye of the user than positioning light from a second visible light source of the one or more light sources.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the positioning light from the first visible light source is directed outside of a target pupil location and the positioning light from the second visible light source is directed to the target pupil location.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the positioning light emitted from the first visible light source is a different color than positioning light emitted from the second visible light source.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising increasing a luminance of the one or more light sources to decrease the size of the pupil.