3-DIMENSIONAL ELECTRO-OPTICAL SEE-THROUGH DISPLAYS

• US 20160147067A1
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Original Assignee: Arizona Board of Regents (University of Arizona)
• Inventors: Hua, Hong, Liu, Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 11,079,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0145 creating an intermediate image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0147 comprising a device modifying the resolution of the displayed image
• 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 26/004 based on a displacement or a deformation of a fluid
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/34 Stereoscopes providing a stereoscopic pair of separated images corresponding to parallactically displaced views of the same object, e.g. 3D slide viewers
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/322 using varifocal lenses or mirrors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/383 for tracking with gaze detection, i.e. detecting the lines of sight of the viewer's eyes

Abstract

An exemplary display is placed in an optical pathway extending from an entrance pupil of a person'"'"'s eye to a real-world scene beyond the eye. The display includes at least one 2-D added-image source that is addressable to produce a light pattern corresponding to a virtual object. The source is situated to direct the light pattern toward the person'"'"'s eye to superimpose the virtual object on an image of the real-world scene as perceived by the eye via the optical pathway. An active-optical element is situated between the eye and the added-image source at a location that is optically conjugate to the entrance pupil and at which the active-optical element forms an intermediate image of the light pattern from the added-image source. The active-optical element has variable optical power and is addressable to change its optical power to produce a corresponding change in perceived distance at which the intermediate image is formed, as an added image to the real-world scene, relative to the eye.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for displaying, to a person via a see-through display, an image of a virtual 3-D scene containing objects located at differing 3-D depths within the scene, comprising:

providing a 2-D display physically extending in two directions away from an optical axis of the see-through display;

providing an active-optical element at a location to receive a light pattern emitted by the 2-D display, the active-optical element having an addressable and variable optical power;

switching the optical power of the active-optical element to provide multiple respective focal planes at respective focal distances, such that the focal distance of the light pattern produced by a 2-D display is modulated in a time-sequential manner; and

synchronously with switching of the focal planes, updating a pattern on the 2-D display to render respective virtual objects at distances approximately matched to the respective accommodation cues being provided by the display,

wherein the switching rate of the focal planes is sufficiently fast to avoid flicker.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the active-optical element is switched to change its optical power to produce a corresponding change in perceived distance at which an intermediate image is formed.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the intermediate image is added to a real-world scene observable through the see-through display.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein the distance at which the image is formed can serve as an accommodation cue for the person with respect to the intermediate image.

25. The method according to claim 22, wherein the step of switching the optical power includes correspondingly moving the intermediate image along the optical pathway relative to the focal plane to produce a corresponding change in distance of the image relative to the person'"'"'s eye.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein, in synchrony with a signal driving the active-optical element, far and near virtual objects are rendered on two or more separate image frames and displayed sequentially.

27. The method according to claim 21, wherein the switching rate, f_N, is given by

28. The method according to claim 21, wherein the 2-D display comprises a 2-D array of light-producing pixels.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein the step of switching the optical power includes controlling dioptric spacing between adjacent focal planes and the overall range of accommodation cues.

30. A see-through display for placement in an optical pathway extending from an entrance pupil of a person'"'"'s eye to a real-world scene beyond the eye, the display comprising:

a 2-D display physically extending in two directions away from an optical axis of the see-through display, the 2-D display addressable to produce at least two light patterns corresponding to respective virtual objects;

an active-optical element disposed at a location to receive the light pattern emitted by the 2-D display, the active-optical element having an addressable and variable optical power;

a controller in communication with the 2-D display and active-optical element, and configured to switch the optical power of the active-optical element to provide multiple respective focal planes at respective focal distances, such that the focal distance of the light pattern produced by a 2-D display is modulated in a time-sequential manner, the controller also configured to update a pattern on the 2-D display, synchronously with switching of the focal planes, to render respective virtual objects at distances approximately matched to respective accommodation cues being provided by the display.

31. The see-through display of claim 30, wherein the 2-D display comprises a 2-D array of light-producing pixels.

32. The see-through display of claim 30, comprising a spherical mirror disposed on the optical axis in optical communication with the active-optical element and at a location such that the active-optical element is disposed between the mirror and the 2-D display.

33. The see-through display of claim 32, wherein the active-optical element is offset along the optical axis from the center of a radius of curvature of the mirror.

34. The see-through display of claim 33, wherein the active-optical element is offset by Δ

, and the exit pupil of the 2-D display is magnified by

35. The see-through display of claim 30, wherein the active-optical element comprises a refractive active-optical element.

36. The see-through display of claim 35, wherein the refractive active-optical element comprises a liquid lens.