INTERACTIVE DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20150235629A1
• Filed: 01/15/2015
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Large, Timothy Andrew, Bathiche, Steven, Powell, Karlton David
• Granted Patent: US 9,653,044 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/10 Projectors with built-in or built-on screen
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/58 collapsible, e.g. foldable; of variable area
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/60 characterised by the nature of the surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/10 Display system comprising arrangements, such as a coprocessor, specific for motion video images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/373 for modifying the size of the graphic pattern

Abstract

A display system comprises a head-mounted projector including an exit aperture and a projection engine to project image light through the exit aperture. The image light is projected onto a retro-reflective display that reflects image light in a first dimension at above 90% efficiency within a 25 degree exit angular spread and reflects image light in the first dimension below 10% efficiency outside of a 35 degree exit angular spread.

Claims

1. A display system, comprising:

a head-mounted projector, including;

an exit aperture, and

a projection engine to project image light through the exit aperture; and

a retro-reflective display that reflects image light in a first dimension at above 90% efficiency within a 25 degree exit angular spread and reflects image light in the first dimension below 10% efficiency outside of a 35 degree exit angular spread.

2. The display system of claim 1, wherein the retro-reflective display includes a diffuser layer adhered to a retro-reflective film.

3. The display system of claim 2, wherein the diffuser layer is characterized by a top-hat type diffusion profile.

4. The display system of claim 3, wherein the diffuser layer includes a graded index diffuser.

5. The display system of claim 2, wherein the diffuser layer includes a substantially one-dimensional surface relief diffuser, and where the retro-reflective display diffuses light in the first dimension, and substantially retro-reflects image light without diffusion in a second dimension, perpendicular to the first dimension.

6. The display system of claim 2, further comprising a frame, wherein the frame mounts the exit aperture horizontally to an outside of a user'"'"'s eyes.

7. The display system of claim 1, wherein the projection engine has a field of projection and auto-crops the field of projection to avoid projecting outside boundaries of the retro-reflective display.

8. The display system of claim 7, further comprising an optical stabilization subsystem configured to adjust the auto-cropping of the field of projection responsive to the retro-reflective display moving within the field of projection.

9. The display system of claim 8, where the optical stabilization subsystem is further configured to adjust a projection direction of the projection engine by physically moving the projection engine relative to the retro-reflective display responsive to the retro-reflective display moving outside of the field of projection.

10. The display system of claim 9, where the optical stabilization subsystem comprises a rotational motor coupled to the projection engine.

11. The display system of claim 8, further comprising one or more cameras to receive light reflected off of the retro-reflective display, and where the optical stabilization subsystem is configured to determine boundaries of the retro-reflective display based on the received light.

12. The display system of claim 11, where the optical stabilization subsystem is configured to determine a size of the retro-reflective display based on the boundaries of the retro-reflective display, and further configured to adjust auto-cropping of the field of projection based on the size of the retro-reflective display.

13. The display system of claim 11, further comprising:

one or more IR LEDs; and

an input subsystem to determine the position of one or more objects on or near the retro-reflective display based on IR light received by the one or more cameras.

14. The display system of claim 13, where the projection engine is further configured to mask the one or more objects from the projected image light.

15. The display system of claim 1, where the retro-reflective display is a foldable display.

16. A method for a display system, comprising:

receiving boundaries of a retro-reflective display relative to a field of projection of a projection engine;

auto-cropping the field of projection to avoid projecting outside the boundaries of the retro-reflective display; and

dynamically adjusting the auto-cropping of the field of projection responsive to movement of the retro-reflective display within of the field of projection.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting a projection direction of the projection engine by physically moving the projection engine relative to the retro-reflective display responsive to one or more boundaries of the retro-reflective display moving outside of the field of projection.

18. The method of claim 16, where receiving boundaries of a retro-reflective display further comprises:

at one or more cameras, receiving IR light retro-reflected off of the retro-reflective display.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

determining a position of one or more objects located between the retro-reflective display and the projection engine based on IR light received by the one or more cameras; and

masking the one or more objects on or near the retro-reflective display from image light projected by the projection engine.

20. A display system, comprising:

a head-mounted projector, including;

an exit aperture;

a projection engine to project image light within a field of projection through the exit aperture; and

a frame to mount the exit aperture horizontally to an outside of a user'"'"'s eyes;

a retro-reflective display including a graded index diffuser adhered to a retro-reflective film such that the retro-reflective display reflects image light with a top-hat type diffusion profile; and

an optical stabilization subsystem to adjust auto-cropping of image light within the field of projection responsive to the retro-reflective display moving within the field of projection.