Head-mounted display system

• US 6,140,980 A
• Filed: 02/02/1995
• Issued: 10/31/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kopin Corporation
• Inventors: Spitzer, Mark B., Gale, Ronald, Jacobsen, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US08/295,826
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 345/6-8, 359/54, 359/55, 359/59, 359/630
• US Class Current: 345/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 3/113 for determining or recording eye movement
• 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 2027/0187 slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0198 System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0093 with means for monitoring data relating to the user, e.g. head-tracking, eye-tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• 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: G02F 1/13336 Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136277 formed on a semiconductor substrate, e.g. of silicon
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/105 single crystal Si
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0251 Precharge or discharge of pixel before applying new pixel voltage
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/042 for monitor identification
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/30 using electroluminescent panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 : using liquid crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3607 : for displaying colours or for displaying grey scales with a specific pixel layout, e.g. using sub-pixels display of colours in flat matrix panels other than liquid crystal displays G09G3/2003; grey scales specific for television H04N3/127
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 : using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/8221 : Three dimensional integrated circuits stacked in different levels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/6835 : used as a support during build up manufacturing of active devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68359 : used as a support during manufacture of interconnect decals or build up layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2221/68363 : used in a transfer process involving transfer directly from an origin substrate to a target substrate without use of an intermediate handle substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0756 : Stacked arrangements of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/50 : Multistep manufacturing processes of assemblies consisting of devices, each device being of a type provided for in group H01L27/00 or H01L29/00 H01L21/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/0688 : Integrated circuits having a three-dimensional layout
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1203 : the substrate comprising an insulating body on a semiconductor body, e.g. SOI three-dimensional layout H01L27/0688
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 : comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1266 : the substrate on which the devices are formed not being the final device substrate, e.g. using a temporary substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/146 : Imager structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/156 : two-dimensional arrays
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/786 : Thin film transistors, i.e. transistors with a channel being at least partly a thin film transistors having only the source or the drain region on an insulator layer H01L29/0653; thin film FinFETs H01L29/785
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78603 : characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78648 : arranged on opposing sides of the channel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/01023 : Vanadium [V]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/04953 : TaN
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/09701 : Low temperature co-fired ceramic [LTCC]
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0062 : for devices with an active region comprising only III-V compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/105 : with a resonant cavity structure
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0217 : Removal of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 : having a vertical cavity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7441 : the modulator being an array of liquid crystal cells
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 : of head mounted projectors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 : Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/12 : Light sources with substantially two-dimensional radiating surfaces

Abstract

A head-mounted display system including a high resolution active matrix display which reduces center of gravity offset in a compact design. The active matrix display can be either a liquid crystal display or a light emitting display.

Claims

1. A method of displaying images with a head mounted display system comprising:

providing a support frame that is mounted on a user'"'"'s head;

providing a transmissive active matrix display and a light source coupled to the display along a single optical axis and mounted on the support frame, the display comprising an array of pixel circuits formed with a silicon material, an array of pixel electrodes formed with a silicon material and connected to a pixel circuit, a row driver circuit and a column driver circuit formed with the silicon material and electrically connected to each pixel circuit such that actuation of a pixel circuit transmits light through a pixel electrode and a liquid crystal material adjacent to said pixel electrode, the display having at least 200 row lines per centimeter and a diagonal length of 1.27 centimeters or less;

generating an image with the active matrix display;

magnifying the image with a lens positioned along the single optical axis; and

directing the magnified image through the lens along the single optical axis to an eye of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a color active matrix display.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an array of pixel circuits formed in a layer of single crystal silicon.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing a row driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising providing a column driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing an active matrix liquid crystal display.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising reflecting the generated image with a reflecting surface along the line-of-sight of the user.

8. A method of displaying images with a head mounted liquid crystal display system comprising;

providing a support frame that is mounted on a user'"'"'s head;

providing a transmissive liquid crystal active matrix display mounted on the support frame, the display comprising a backlight source, an array of pixel circuits formed with a silicon material, the pixel circuits being bonded to an optically transmissive substrate with an adhesive layer, an array of pixel electrodes formed with a silicon material and that are each connected to a pixel circuit, and a row driver circuit and a column driver circuit formed with the silicon material and electrically connected to each pixel circuit the display having at least 400 row lines per centimeter and a diagonal length of 1.27 centimeters or less;

generating an image with the active matrix display;

magnifying the image with a lens, the lens, the backlight, and the active matrix display being aligned along a single optical axis; and

directing the magnified image along the single optical axis coinciding with a line-of-sight of the user.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing a color active matrix display.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising providing an array of pixel circuits formed in a layer of single crystal silicon.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a row driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing a column driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising reflecting the generated image with a reflecting surface along the line-of-sight of the user.

14. A method of displaying images with a direct view display system comprising;

providing a support frame that supports the display system for viewing by a user'"'"'s eye;

providing an active matrix liquid crystal display and a display light source mounted on the support frame, the display comprising an array of pixel circuits an array of pixel electrodes formed with a silicon material and that are each connected to a pixel electrode, and a row driver circuit and a column driver circuit which are electrically connected to each pixel circuit the display having at least 400 row lines per centimeter and a diagonal length of 1.27 centimeters or less;

generating an image with light source and the active matrix liquid crystal display;

magnifying the image with a lens positioned along a single optical axis with the display light source and the active matrix liquid crystal display, the lens being positioned at a distance of less than 2.54 centimeters from the display; and

directing the magnified image through the lens along the single optical axis coinciding with a line-of-sight of the user.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a color active matrix display.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a row driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a column driver circuit formed in the layer of single crystal silicon.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising providing a mirror surface mounted on the frame.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of providing an active matrix display further comprises providing an image detector electrically connected to the display and a plurality of light emitting diodes.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of providing an active matrix display further comprises providing a display having a polarizer that polarizes light from the light source that is directed onto the display.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the display comprises a video display.