Optical system for a head mounted display combining high and low resolution images

• US 5,808,589 A
• Filed: 10/25/1994
• Issued: 09/15/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fergason Patent Properties
• Original Assignee: James L. Fergason
• Inventors: Fergason, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Application Number:
  US08/328,371
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 345/8-9, 345/87, 359/630-633, 359/629, 359/464, 359/466, 359/471-475, 359/530, 359/80, 273/358, 348/123, 250/574, 356/438
• US Class Current: 345/8
• 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 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0143 the two eyes not being equipped with identical nor symmetrical optical devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0147 comprising a device modifying the resolution of the displayed image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/30 Polarising elements light-modulating devices with active elements G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 15/12 using mirrors

Abstract

A display system includes a relatively higher resolution display for presenting visual information, and a relatively lower resolution display for presenting visual information, the displays being positioned to present the visual information images therefrom in substantially side-by-side relation, the lower resolution image being provided by the cooperation of focusing optics which form a real image at a retro-reflector, which reflects light along an optical path conjugate with light incident thereon to provide an image for viewing, and the higher resolution image being provided without passing through the focusing optics. A method of display includes forming a relatively lower resolution real image, reflecting the image to the eye of an observer, forming a relatively higher resolution image, and directing the relatively higher resolution image to the eye of the observer such that at least a portion of the relatively lower resolution image circumscribes at least a portion of the relatively higher resolution image.

Claims

1. A display system comprising

a viewing location from which an image with a high resolution portion and a low resolution portion is viewed;

a field of view in which the image is formed;

a high resolution image source for presenting the high resolution portion of the image at the field of view;

a low resolution image source for presenting the low resolution portion of the image at the field of view;

a reflective surface in the field of view;

one of the image sources forming its respective portion of the image on the reflective surface in the field of view whereby its reflection will be viewed at the viewed location;

the other of the image sources forming its respective portion of the image substantially in the same plane as the reflective surface, and

wherein the high resolution image source forms its portion of the image in the same plane as the field of view and wherein the low resolution image source forms its portion of the real image on the reflective surface in the field of view.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said high resolution image source, said low resolution image source, and said reflective surface in the field of view present the portions of the image one within the other.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the the low resolution portion of the image at least substantially surrounds the high resolution portion of the image.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the image sources has plural pixels operative to display the respective portion of the image, and wherein the high resolution image source has a larger number of pixels per unit area than the low resolution image source.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising circuit means for driving said pixels to form said image.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said low resolution portion of the image comprises a real image and wherein said system further comprises:

lens means positioned optically between the low resolution image source and the reflective surface in the field of view for focusing the real image from the low resolution image source on the reflective surface, and

conjugate optics means for receiving light from the lens means and directing light toward the field of view, said conjugate optics means including means for effectively placing the directed light functionally as though at said lens means, whereby the real image from the low resolution image source effectively is at the image plane of the lens means.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said high resolution image source is positioned to present the high resolution portion of the image in a path parallel to at least part of the conjugate optics path.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising focusing optics, and a beamsplitter, and wherein said reflective surface is a retroreflector, said focusing optics focusing light from said low resolution image source toward said retroreflector via said beamsplitter to form the low resolution portion of the image.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said high resolution image source presents the high resolution portion of the image in at least a portion of the low resolution portion of the image.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said focusing optics are operative to form a real image from light received from said low resolution image source.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said image sources comprises an active matrix liquid crystal display.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said image sources comprises a reflective active matrix liquid crystal display.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of said active matrix liquid crystal displays is formed on a respective semiconductor substrate.

14. A display system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a second high resolution image source for presenting the high resolution portion.

15. A display system as set forth in claim 14 further comprising a second reflective surface surrounding the second high resolution image source and wherein the reflective surfaces are positioned non-coplanar relative to each other.

16. A display system as set forth in claim 14 wherein the reflective surfaces are positioned substantially perpendicular to each other.

18. The system of claim 7, said retroreflector comprising at least two retroreflectors.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein at least one of said retroreflectors is non-planar.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of said retroreflectors is curved.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein said retroreflectors have the same resolution.

24. A display system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a focusing optical device and conjugate optical device, wherein the focusing optical device focuses the low resolution portion at the conjugate optical device and the conjugate optical device directs the focused low resolution portion to the reflective surface in the field of view.

17. A display system comprising a relatively higher resolution display for presenting a high resolution visual information image, a relatively lower resolution display for presenting a low resolution visual information image, a high resolution image source, a low resolution image source, focusing optics, a retroreflector, and a beamsplitter,

said displays being positioned to present the visual information images therefrom in substantially side-by-side relation,

said focusing optics focusing light from said low resolution image source toward said retroreflector via said beamsplitter to form the low resolution visual information;

said focusing optics being operative to form a real image from light received from said low resolution image source;

said high resolution image source located in said retroreflector thereby to present the relatively higher resolution visual information image for viewing while being surrounded by the real image.

22. A display system comprising:

a viewing location;

a first display, including a retroreflector, means for focusing an image toward said retroreflector, and a pair of beamsplitter means for reflecting and transmitting light relative to said retroreflector, whereby one of said beamsplitter means transmits light and reflects light toward said retroreflector for focusing at said retroreflector and the other of said beamsplitter means transmits light and reflects light from said retroreflector for viewing at the viewing location, and

a second display including means for presenting a relatively higher resolution image than the image presented by said first display, and means for presenting the relatively higher resolution image within the image presented by said first display;

wherein said means for presenting of said second display is positioned at least substantially at said retroreflector.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein said means for focusing comprises means for forming a real image from light received from an image source.