OPTICAL CONFIGURATIONS FOR HEAD WORN COMPUTING

• US 20150205108A1
• Filed: 03/11/2014
• Published: 07/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mentor Acquisition One, LLC (Magic Leap, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Osterhout Design Group
• Inventors: Border, John N., Haddick, John D.
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,001 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• 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 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0101 characterised by optical features G02B27/0172 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to optical systems in head worn computing.

Claims

1. A head-worn computer, comprising:

a. a housing including an mounting platform adapted to hold a see-through optics facility in front of an eye of a person when the person is wearing the head-worn computer, wherein the see-through optics facility also functions as a computer display for the person;

b. an image light production facility, supported by the mounting platform, including a mirror support platform including a plurality of multi-positional mirrors on a front surface of the platform;

c. a lighting facility positioned adjacent to the mirror support platform and adapted to produce a cone of illumination light along an optical axis directed away from the multi-positional mirrors and towards a substantially flat partially reflective surface, wherein the substantially flat partially reflective surface is angled to reflect the illumination light such that the multi-positional mirrors are substantially uniformly illuminated;

d. wherein each of the multi-positional mirrors has a first state positioned to reflect a first portion of the illumination light, forming image light, on an optical axis in-line with the see-through optics facility, and a second state positioned to reflect a second portion of the illumination light, forming dark light, on an optical axis off-line with the see-through optics facility and in-line with a light absorption facility;

e. wherein the image light and the dark light are substantially transmitted by the partially reflective surface; and

f. the light absorption facility is positioned to terminate the off-line optical axis within the housing and adapted to prevent dark light from being reflected to the eye of the person.

2. The head-worn computer of claim 1, further comprising a solid optic that reflects a substantial portion of the illumination light, and transmits a substantial portion of the image light and the dark light.

3. The head-worn computer of claim 2, wherein the substantially flat partially reflecting surface is a surface internal to the solid optic.

4. The head worn computer of claim 3 wherein the substantially flat partially reflecting surface includes a thin air gap so that the substantially flat partially reflecting surface reflects the illuminating light by total internal reflection and transmits the image light.

5. The head-worn computer of claim 2, wherein the substantially flat partially reflecting surface is a reflective polarizer.

6. The head-worn computer of claim 5, wherein the solid optic is a matched wedge set and the reflective polarizer is positioned between the matched wedges.

7. The head worn computer of claim 2 wherein the solid optic includes a corrective wedge with an exit surface that is oriented perpendicular to the in-line optical axis, so the image light is substantially unrefracted and the dark light is refracted away from the optical axis in-line with the see-through optics facility.

8. The head-worn computer of claim 7, further comprising a redirection wedge to redirect the dark light to a position in proximity with a side of the mirror support platform.

9. The head-worn computer of claim 8 wherein the redirection wedge includes a thin air gap to provide total internal reflection of the dark light.

10. The head worn computer of claim 1 wherein the light absorption facility comprising a mask to block scattered light from the light absorption facility from entering the see-through optics facility.

11. The head worn computer of claim 1 wherein the light absorption facility comprising a absorptive light trap at the end of a tunnel.

12. The head worn computer of claim 1 wherein the lighting facility includes a structure to collimate the cone of illumination light.

13. The head-worn computer of claim 5, further comprising a ¼

wave polarization facility positioned between the plurality of mirrors and the reflective polarizer.

14. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the see-through optics facility comprises a holographic mirror adapted to reflect narrow bands of the image light directly, without further reflections, to the eye of the person and transmit light from the environment.

15. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the see-through optics facility comprises a notch mirror adapted to reflect narrow bands of the image light directly, without further reflections, to the eye of the person and transmit light from the environment.

16. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the lighting facility is an LED lighting facility.

17. The head worn computer of claim 1 wherein the lighting facility further comprises a filter adapted to provide narrow bands of illumination light.

18. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the lighting facility is a quantum dot lighting facility.

19. The head-worn computer of claim 1, wherein the see-through optics facility comprises a TIR optic adapted to internally reflect the image light in one or more reflections to a transmission position where the image light transmits from the TIR optic to the eye of the person.

20. The head-worn computer of claim 1, further comprising an eye imaging camera, wherein the eye imaging camera is positioned adjacent to the light absorption facility, such that light from the eye of the person that is reflected off of a plurality of the multi-positional mirrors that are in the second state, can be captured by the camera to provide an image of the eye of the person.