HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAY DEVICE WITH PROTECTIVE VISOR

• US 20160209655A1
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Published: 07/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Andriy Pletenetskyy
• Inventors: Frank, Philip, Pletenetskyy, Andriy, Riccomini, Roy, Tazbaz, Errol Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features

Abstract

A head-mounted display device includes a head fitting by which the display device can be worn on the head of a user, and a visor assembly mounted to the head fitting. The visor assembly includes a plurality of display elements arranged to be aligned with the eyes of the user, a plurality of sensors, and a protective enclosure that encloses the display elements and the sensors. The protective enclosure may include an upper portion aligned with the sensors and a lower portion aligned with the display elements. The upper portion may be substantially opaque to visible light and transparent to infrared light. The lower portion may have a variable tinting scheme in which at least some of the lower portion of the enclosure is transparent to visible light.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a head fitting by which the display device can be worn on the head of a user; and

a visor assembly mounted to the head fitting, the visor assembly including

a plurality of display elements arranged to be aligned with the eyes of the user when the display device is worn by the user;

a plurality of sensors; and

a protective enclosure enclosing the display elements and the sensors, the enclosure including an upper portion aligned with the sensors and a lower portion aligned with the display elements, the upper portion being substantially opaque to visible light and transparent to infrared light, the lower portion having a variable tinting scheme in which at least some of the lower portion of the enclosure is transparent to visible light.

2. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein a degree of transparency to visible light of the lower portion increases from top to bottom of the lower portion of the enclosure.

3. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors include an infrared camera and a visible-spectrum camera.

4. A display device as recited in claim 3, the upper portion having a window that is transparent to visible light, aligned with the visible-spectrum camera.

5. A display device as recited in claim 4, wherein the infrared camera is configured for use in acquiring depth measurements based on time-of-flight, and wherein the visible-spectrum camera is configured for use in performing head tracking of the user.

6. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of display elements comprises a plurality of waveguides that are transparent to visible light.

7. A display device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a chassis coupled to the head fitting, wherein the display elements and the sensors are coupled to the chassis.

8. A visor assembly for a head-mounted display device, the visor assembly comprising:

a plurality of display elements arranged to be aligned with the eyes of a user when the head-mounted display device is worn by the user;

a plurality of sensors; and

a protective enclosure enclosing the display elements and the sensors, the enclosure including an upper portion aligned with the sensors and a lower portion aligned with the display elements, the upper portion being substantially opaque to visible light, the lower portion having a variable tinting scheme in which at least some of the lower portion of the enclosure is transparent to visible light.

9. A visor assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein a degree of transparency to visible light of the lower portion increases from top to bottom of the lower portion of the enclosure.

10. A visor assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the plurality of sensors include an infrared camera and a visible-spectrum camera.

11. A visor assembly as recited in claim 10, wherein the upper portion is transparent to infrared light, the upper portion having a window that is transparent to visible light, aligned with the visible-spectrum camera.

12. A visor assembly as recited in claim 11, wherein the infrared camera is configured for use in acquiring depth measurements based on time-of-flight, and wherein the visible-spectrum camera is configured for use in performing head tracking of the user.

13. A visor assembly as recited in claim 8, wherein the display elements are transparent to visible light.

14. A visor assembly as recited in claim 8, further comprising a chassis coupled to the head fitting, wherein the display elements and the sensors are coupled to the chassis.

15. A display device comprising:

a head fitting by which the display device can be worn on the head of a user;

a chassis coupled to the head fitting;

a display assembly mounted to the chassis and including a plurality of waveguides arranged to project light into the eyes of the user when the display device is worn by the user, the waveguides being transparent to visible light;

a sensor assembly mounted to the chassis, the sensor assembly including an infrared camera and a plurality of visible-spectrum cameras; and

a protective enclosure coupled to the chassis and enclosing the display assembly and the sensor assembly, the enclosure including an upper portion vertically aligned with the sensor assembly and a lower portion vertically aligned with the plurality of waveguides, the upper portion having a substantially uniform tinting scheme such that the upper portion is substantially opaque to visible light and transparent to infrared light, the first tinting scheme having a plurality of windows defined therein that are transparent to visible light, each of the windows aligned with at least one of the visible-spectrum cameras, the lower portion having a vertically graded tinting scheme such that a degree of transparency to visible light of the lower portion increases from top to bottom of the lower portion of the enclosure, such that at least some of the lower portion is transparent to visible light.

16. A display device as recited in claim 15, wherein the infrared camera is configured for use in acquiring depth measurements based on time-of-flight, and wherein the plurality of visible-spectrum cameras are configured for use in performing head tracking of the user.