Visor display with fiber optic faceplate correction

• US 5,309,169 A
• Filed: 02/01/1993
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Lippert, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARVEY, MINSUN OH
• Application Number:
  US08/012,099
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 340/705, 359/630, 359/632, 359/13, 359/14, 359/42, 359/34, 345/7, 345/8
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/011 comprising device for correcting geometrical aberrations, distortion
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0136 with a single image source for both eyes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0143 the two eyes not being equipped with identical nor symmetrical optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/015 involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0152 involving arrangement aiming to get lighter or better balanced devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0161 characterised by the relative positioning of the constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/10 with curved faces
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/06 the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/08 with fibre bundle in form of plate

Abstract

A display system for use with headgear of a user includes a visor display mounted to the headgear so as to define a cavity between the head of the user and an inner surface of the visor display. The visor display has at least one partially reflective aspheric surface section directed inward to the user. The partially reflective aspheric surface is at a position which intercepts a forward line of sight of at least one eye of the user and which is at a tilt angle with respect to a plane that is substantially transverse to the forward line of sight. A shallow packaged image source is positioned above an eye within the cavity at a predetermined angle with the plane which is substantially transverse with a forward line of sight. A fiber optic faceplate having a first and second end section is coupled to the image source at the first end section. The second end section has an aspherically shaped surface so as to project an image from the image source on the aspheric surface section of the visor display for reflection of the image to the eye of the user. The shape of the aspheric surface section being determined by a shape of the partially reflective aspheric surface, the tilt angle and the predetermined angle.

Claims

1. A display system for use with headgear of a user, comprising:

a visor display mounted to the headgear so as to define a cavity between the head of the user and an inner surface of the visor display, said visor display having at least one partially reflective aspheric surface section directed inward to the user, said partially reflective aspheric surface section being at a position which intercepts a forward line of sight of an eye of the user and which is at a tilt angle with respect to a plane that is substantially transverse to the forward line of sight;

a shallow packaged image source positioned above the eye within said cavity at a predetermined angle with said plane which is substantially transverse to the forward line of sight; and

a fiber optic faceplate having a first and second end section, said first end section coupled to said image source, said second end section having an aspherically shaped surface so as to project an image from said image source on said aspheric surface section of said visor display for reflection of said image to the eye of the user, said aspherically shaped surface being an aspherical shape determined by a shape of said partially reflective aspheric surface, said tilt angle and said predetermined angle.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said tilt angle and said predetermined angle are selected to minimize a fold angle of the system.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein said visor display includes a first and second visor section defining a first and second cavity portion between each eye of the user and an inner surface of each visor section, said first and second visor sections each having a respective first and second partially reflective aspheric surface section directed inward to the user and at a position which intercepts the respective forward line of sight of each eye of the user;

and

further wherein said shallow packaged image source comprises a first and second shallow packaged image source portion, said first and second image source portions positioned above the respective eye in the respective first and second cavity portions, each shallow packaged image source portion including a fiber optic faceplate portion having a first and second end section, said first end section coupled to said respective image source portion and each respective second end section having said aspherically shaped surface so as to project said image to each said respective partially reflective aspheric surface section of said visor section for reflection of said image to the respective eye of the user.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein each said respective partially reflective aspheric surface section of said visor display is positioned at said tilt angle with respect to said plane substantially transverse to the forward line of sight from each eye to the respective aspheric surface section and wherein each of said first and second image source portions is positioned at said predetermined angle with respect to said substantially transverse plane so as to minimize the fold angle for each respective eye.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein said aspheric surface section is toroidal.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein said aspherical shape of said aspherically shaped surface of said fiber optic faceplate is determined by ray trace modeling, said modeling including a plurality of infinitesimal surface area determined from the ray trace of ray bundles from a non-exit pupil forming area which are reflected from said aspheric surface section of said visor display to said image source.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said image is a color image and wherein said visor display, said image source and said faceplate form an all-reflective system which permits said color image to reach the user'"'"'s eyes with minimal aberrations.

8. A display system for use with headgear of a user, comprising:

a visor display mounted to the headgear so as to define a cavity between the user'"'"'s head and an inner surface of said visor display, said visor display having a partially reflective aspheric surface section directed inward toward the user, said partially reflective aspheric surface section being at a position which intercepts a forward line of sight of an eye of the user and which is at a tilt angle with respect to a plane that is substantially transverse to the forward line of sight; and

a substantially all-reflective shallow packaged image source positioned above the eye within said cavity at a predetermined angle with said plane which is substantially transverse to the forward line of sight so as to project a color image from an aspherically shaped surface of said image source on said aspheric surface section of said visor display for reflection of said color image to the eye of the user, said image source comprising;

a shallow packaged display having a display face; and

a fiber optic faceplate having a first and second end section, said first end section coupled to said display face of said display, said second end section having said aspherically shaped surface thereon so as to project said color image on said partially reflective aspheric surface section of said visor display for reflection of said colored image to the eye of said user, said aspherically shaped surface of said image source having an aspheric shape determined by a shape of said partially reflective aspheric surface, said tilt angle and said predetermined angle, whereby said image source and said visor display form an all-reflective system permitting said colored image to reach the user with minimal aberrations.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein said tilt angle of said aspheric surface section and predetermined angle of said image source are selected so as to minimize a fold angle of the system.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said visor display includes a first and second visor section defining a first and second cavity portion, said visor sections having a respective first and second partially reflective aspheric surface sections thereon at a predetermined position which intercepts the respective forward line of sight of each eye of the user;

further wherein said image source includes a first and second image source portion positioned above said respective eye within said respective first and second cavity so as to project said color image on said respective partially reflective aspheric surface section of said first and second visor portions for reflection of said color image from each said image source portion to the eyes of the user.

11. A system according to claim 8, wherein said aspheric shape of said aspherically shaped surface of said image source is determined by ray trace modeling, said modeling including a plurality of infinitesimal surface areas determined from a ray trace of ray bundles from an exit pupil area which are reflected from said aspheric surface section of said visor display to said image source.