SUPER-RESOLUTION VIRTUAL REALITY HEAD-MOUNTED DISPLAYS AND METHODS OF OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20170221266A1
• Filed: 02/03/2016
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: SCHUBERT, Martin Friedrich, SPITZER, Mark Bradley
• Granted Patent: US 10,475,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4053 based on super-resolution, i.e. the output image resolution being higher than the sensor resolution
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4076 using the original low-resolution images to iteratively correct the high-resolution images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/007 Use of pixel shift techniques, e.g. by mechanical shift of the physical pixels or by optical shift of the perceived pixels

Abstract

Super-resolution virtual-reality (VR) head-mounted displays, and methods of operating the same are disclosed herein. An example disclosed method includes emitting light from a pixel at a first location in a display assembly in a VR head-mounted display, and emitting light from the pixel at a second different location in the display assembly in the VR head-mounted display

Claims

1. A method comprising:

emitting light from a pixel at a first location in a display assembly in a virtual-reality head-mounted display; and

emitting light from the pixel at a second different location in the display assembly in the virtual-reality head-mounted display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively emitting light from the pixel at the first and second locations to form a higher resolution image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising physically moving at least a portion of the display assembly in at least one direction to emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the portion comprises at least one of a light-emitting portion, a mask positioned adjacent a surface of a light-emitting portion, and/or a layer positioned adjacent the surface of a light-emitting portion.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling a refractive index of a liquid crystal material of the display assembly to emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at the first location at a first angle, and to emit light from the pixel at the second location at a second angle different from the first angle.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at the first location at a first angle, and to emit light from the pixel at the second location at generally the first angle.

8. A display assembly for use in a virtual-reality head-mounted display, the display assembly comprising:

a light emitting portion configured to emit light from a pixel at a first time and at a first location in the virtual-reality head-mounted display; and

a movement to move a portion of the display assembly to emit light from the pixel at a second time and at a second different location in the virtual-reality head-mounted display.

9. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the emitting light from the pixel at the first and second locations forms a higher resolution image.

10. The display assembly of claim 8, wherein the movement is configured to move at least a portion of the display assembly in at least one direction to emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

11. The display assembly of claim 10, wherein the portion comprises at least one of the light-emitting portion, a mask located adjacent a surface of the light-emitting portion, and/or a layer located adjacent the surface of the light-emitting portion.

12. A display assembly for use in a virtual-reality head-mounted display, the display assembly comprising:

a light emitting portion configured to emit light at a first time from a pixel at a first location in the virtual-reality head-mounted display; and

a layer configurable to direct light emitted from the pixel at a second time and at a second different location in the virtual-reality head-mounted display.

13. The display assembly of claim 12, wherein the layer comprises a liquid crystal material having a refractive index controllable to selectively emit light at the second location rather than at the first location.

14. The display assembly of claim 12, wherein the layer comprises a plurality of holes.

15. The display assembly of claim 14, further comprises a movement to translate the layer.

16. The display assembly of claim 14, wherein a first of the plurality of hole comprises a slot overlying the pixel and a second pixel.

17. The display assembly of claim 12, wherein the layer comprises a mask layer.

18. The display assembly of claim 12, wherein the layer comprises a plurality of light guiding wedges, the layer translated by a movement.