INTEGRATED BI-SENSING OPTICAL STRUCTURE FOR HEAD MOUNTED DISPLAY

• US 20150177831A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 06/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science And Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hong Kong Applied Science And Technology Research Institute Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tang, Weiping, Chan, Kin Lung
• Granted Patent: US 9,360,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037

Abstract

A bi-sensing optical system capable of transmitting signals for eye and object tracking and/or detection, and/or capable of transmitting signals comprising visible light to an eye of a user and non-visible light for eye tracking and object detection and/or tracking is disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

an integrated optical system for infrared (IR) and visible light comprising;

a visible light source;

a first beam splitter to combine visible light from the visible light source and IR light from an IR light source on a single transmission path;

a second beam splitter to (a) divert the visible light and a first portion of the IR light in a first direction to an eye of a user, and (b) divert a second portion of the IR light in a second direction different from the first direction for object detection; and

an IR sensor capable of sensing (a) a reflection of the first portion of the IR light from the eye, and (b) a reflection of the second portion of the IR light from the object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first portion of the IR light has a different (a) wavelength, (b) intensity, (c) polarization state, or (d) time sequence than the second portion of the IR light.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the first and second portions of the IR light form a detection pattern.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the detection pattern of the first portion of the IR light enables eye tracking.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the IR sensor is capable of capturing the reflection of the first portion of the IR light at a first time, and capturing the reflection of the second portion of the IR light at a second time.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the visible light directed to the eye comprises a graphical overlay.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reflection of the first and second portions of the IR light propagate to the IR sensor via the single transmission path.

8. A method comprising:

directing light of a first and a second wavelength range via at least a first beam splitter to an eye of a user, wherein the light of the first wavelength range comprises visible light and the light of the second wavelength range comprises IR light;

directing light of a third wavelength range via the at least the first beam splitter for object detection and/or tracking, wherein the light of the third wavelength range comprises IR light;

combining light of the first, the second, and the third wavelength ranges for transmission along an axis of a light transmission path;

receiving, at a light sensor, light reflected from the object and the eye of the user;

detecting an object based at least in part on the received light; and

using a detection pattern from the light of the third wavelength range to enable an interaction with an interactive element in the light of the first wavelength range.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining an eye orientation based at least in part on the received light.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising correlating the eye orientation to a point relative to a field of view.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the reception of reflected light comprises receiving reflected light based at least in part on the light of the second wavelength range at a first time, and receiving reflected light based at least in part on the light of the third wavelength range at a second time.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein directing the light of the second and third wavelength ranges comprises directing based on an intensity of the light of the second wavelength range relative to the light of the third wavelength range.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining an orientation of the iris of the eye of the user; and

correlating the orientation of the iris to a field of view.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the using the detection pattern comprises detecting and/or tracking an object in the detection pattern.

15. A device comprising:

an integrated optical system for directing visible light from a visible light source and IR light from an IR light source, the integrated optical system comprising;

an optical part comprising at least one surface having a coating, wherein the visible light and the IR light propagate along at least a portion of a length of the optical part;

one or more beam splitters capable of receiving the visible light and the IR light propagating along a common transmission path, splitting the IR light into a first part and a second part, directing both the first part and the visible light to an eye of a user, and directing the second part for object detection and/or tracking; and

a sensor capable of capturing the IR light reflected back from an object or the eye.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein the coating increases the signal to noise ratio of at least the first part of the IR light.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein the coating reduces transmission of IR light outside of the wavelength of the first part of the IR light to and from the eye of the user.

18. The device of claim 15 wherein the reflected IR light is based at least in part on the first and second parts of the IR light, and the sensor is capable of capturing the first part independently of the second part.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the capture of the first and second parts is based at least in part on a time sequence.

20. The device of claim 15 wherein the first and second parts each enable a detection pattern.