Visual display with increased field of view

• US 7,495,638 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2003
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
• Original Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
• Inventors: Lamvik, Michael K., Lewis, John S. III, McGuire, Gary E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham; Tammy
• Application Number:
  US10/437,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20040227703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,114 Days
• Field of Search: 345/204, 345/133, 345/3.3, 345 7- 8, 345/76, 345694-698, 345/96, 351/206
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0407 Resolution change, inclusive of the use of different resolutions for different screen areas
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/7491 of head mounted projectors

Abstract

This invention provides a continuous display with non-uniform pixel density, forming a foveated display. A single, continuous display has a higher pixel density at the center of the display than at the periphery of the display. Where two continuous displays are used in accordance with the present invention, the central forward gaze of the viewer'"'"'s image will be displayed in high resolution while the leftmost portion of the left eye display will be in low resolution and the rightmost portion of the right eye display will be in low resolution. The pixel resolution of the visual display may correspond to the visual acuity of the human eye. A foveated image display system using a continuous display with non-uniform pixel density increases the field of view while reducing the image bandwidth. A foveated image display system may be hardware-based by employing anamorphic lenses or sensors rather than relying upon image interpolation to modify the resolution of the resultant image data communicated to the continuous display with non-uniform pixel density.

Claims

1. An image display device comprising:

an optical display panel having a center region and a peripheral region that at least partially surrounds the center region;

a plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the optical display panel such that a greater pixel density exists in the center region than in the peripheral region; and

a pattern of drivers and electrodes disposed on a substrate supporting the plurality of light emitting pixels,

wherein the center region includes at least one center-region pixel and the peripheral region includes at least one peripheral region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the center region pixel,

wherein the physical size of the at least one peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the peripheral region as compared to the center region, and

wherein the pattern of drivers and electrodes are disposed underneath the plurality of light emitting pixels in a configuration where a lower density of drivers and electrodes exist in the peripheral region as compared to the center region.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral region completely surrounds the central region.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel further defines a medial region that at least partially surrounds the center region and wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels are disposed within the optical display panel such that greater pixel density exists in the center region than in the medial region and greater pixel density exists in the medial region than in the peripheral region.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the medial region completely surrounds the center region.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels are disposed within the optical display panel such that the pixel density is foveated.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the foveated pixel density approximates the foveated resolution of a human eye.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one region of the optical display panel including the plurality of light emitting pixels comprises a radial curvature.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel has a unitary physical structure.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the at least one region is concave.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel comprises an organic light emitting diode display panel or array of organic light emitting diode display segments.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the optical display panel comprises a flexible organic light emitting diode display panel.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel comprises a polymer light emitting diode display panel or an array of polymer light emitting diode display segments.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel comprises a liquid crystal display panel or an array of liquid crystal display segments.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical display panel comprises a clear plastic substrate.

48. The device of claim 1, wherein the peripheral region further comprises segmented regions having a uniform pixel density within the segmented regions, and respective pixel densities of the segmented regions decrease with a distance from the center region.

49. The device of claim 48, wherein a number of the segmented regions is in a range from one to the number of pixels in the peripheral region.

50. The device of claim 48, wherein a size of any one of the segmented regions is in a range from the size of the peripheral region down to a single pixel.

54. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels are disposed within the optical display panel such that an arrangement of the light emitting pixels corresponds to the foveated resolution of the human eye.

55. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels is disposed within the optical display panel such that the pixel density changes continuously across the optical display panel.

15. An image display device comprising:

a first optical display panel having a first center region and a first peripheral region that at least partially surrounds the first center region;

a first plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the first optical display panel such that a greater pixel density exists in the first center region than in the first peripheral region,

said first center region including at least one first center-region pixel and said first peripheral region including at least one first peripheral-region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the first center-region pixel, wherein the physical size of the at least one first peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the first peripheral region as compared to the first center region;

a second optical display panel having a second center region and a second peripheral region that at least partially surrounds the second center region;

a second plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the second optical display panel such that a greater pixel density exists in the second center region than in the second peripheral region; and

a pattern of drivers and electrodes disposed on support members for the first and second plurality of light emitting pixels,

wherein the second center region includes at least one second center-region pixel and the second peripheral region includes at least one second peripheral-region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the second center-region pixel, and the physical size of the at least one second peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the second peripheral region as compared to the second center region, and

wherein the pattern of drivers and electrodes are disposed underneath the first and second plurality of light emitting pixels in a configuration where a lower density of drivers and electrodes exist in the first and second peripheral regions as compared to the first and second center regions.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the first and second optical display panels do not overlap.

17. An image display device comprising:

a first optical display panel having a left center region and right periphery region;

a second optical display panel having a right center region and a left periphery region;

wherein the first and second optical display panels do not overlap; and

a plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the first and second optical display panels such that a greater pixel density exists in the left center region and the right center region than in the right periphery region and the left periphery region, and

a pattern of drivers and electrodes disposed on a support member supporting the plurality of light emitting pixels,

wherein the left and right center regions include at least one center-region pixel and the left and right peripheral regions include at least one peripheral-region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the center-region pixel,

wherein the physical size of the at least one peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the left and right peripheral regions as compared to the left and right center regions, and

wherein the pattern of drivers and electrodes are disposed underneath the plurality of light emitting pixels in a configuration where a lower density of drivers and electrodes exist in the left and right peripheral regions as compared to the left and right center regions.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels are disposed within the optical display panels such that the pixel density is foveated.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the foveated pixel density approximates the foveated resolution of a human eye.

20. The device of claim 17, wherein the first and second optical display panels have unitary physical structures.

21. The device of claim 17, wherein the first and second optical display panels including the plurality of light emitting pixels are concave.

22. The device of claim 17, wherein the first and second optical display panels comprise organic light emitting diode displays panels or arrays of organic light emitting diode display segments.

23. The device of claim 17, wherein the first and second optical display panels comprise liquid crystal display panels or arrays of liquid crystal display segments.

24. A display system comprising:

a support member;

an image source adapted to generate foveated imagery and affixed to the support member; and

an image display adapted to display foveated imagery, affixed to the support member, and coupled to the image source, comprising;

an optical display panel having a center region and a peripheral region that at least partially surrounds the center region;

a plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the optical display panel such that a greater pixel density exists in the center region than in the peripheral region; and

a pattern of drivers and electrodes disposed on the support member supporting the plurality of light emitting pixels,

wherein the center region includes at least one center-region pixel and the peripheral region includes at least one peripheral-region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the center-region pixel,

wherein the physical size of the at least one peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the peripheral region as compared to the center region, and

wherein the pattern of drivers and electrodes are disposed underneath the plurality of light emitting pixels in a configuration where a lower density of drivers and electrodes exist in the peripheral region as compared to the center region.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the arrangement of pixel density on the image display corresponds to the foveated imagery of the image source.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the foveated pixel density on the image display approximates the foveated resolution of a human eye.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the image source comprises a lens.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the lens has a non-uniform radius of curvature.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source further comprises a radiation sensitive device.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the radiation sensitive device records uniform resolution and the lens has a non-uniform radius of curvature.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the radiation sensitive device records non-uniform resolution and the lens has a uniform radius of curvature.

32. The system of claim 27, further comprising an image processor coupled to the image source and the image display.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the image processor comprises an image interpolation module, an image merge module, an image gain module, or an image clipping module.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the image processor comprises an image interpolation module and an image merge module.

35. The system of claim 32, wherein the image processor further comprises an image gain module or an image clipping module.

36. The system of claim 27, wherein the support member comprises a helmet.

37. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source is adapted to record electromagnetic radiation in the visible light spectrum.

38. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source is adapted to record electromagnetic radiation at wavelengths other than in the visible light spectrum.

39. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source is adapted to record electromagnetic radiation at infrared wavelengths.

40. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source is adapted to record electromagnetic radiation at ultraviolet wavelengths.

41. The system of claim 27, wherein the image source comprises at least two lens and radiation sensitive device pairings.

42. The system of claim 27, further comprising a retinal-tracker coupled to the image source.

43. The system of claim 27, further comprising a head-tracker coupled to the image source.

44. The display system of claim 27, further comprising a remote transmitter coupled to the image source and the image display.

51. The device of claim 24, wherein the peripheral region further comprises segmented regions having a uniform pixel density within the segmented regions, and respective pixel densities of the segmented regions decrease with a distance from the center region.

52. The device of claim 51, wherein a number of the segmented regions is in a range from one to the number of pixels in the peripheral region.

53. The device of claim 51, wherein a size of any one of the segmented regions is in a range from the size of the peripheral region down to a single pixel.

56. The device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels are disposed within the optical display panel such that an arrangement of the light emitting pixels corresponds to the foveated resolution of the human eye.

57. The device of claim 24, wherein the plurality of light emitting pixels is disposed within the optical display panel such that the pixel density changes continuously across the optical display panel.

58. The device of claim 24, wherein the image source is configured to provide a foveated image to the plurality of light emitting pixels.

45. A display system comprising:

a support member;

an image source adapted to generate foveated imagery and affixed to the support member; and

an image display adapted to display foveated imagery, affixed to the support member, and coupled to the image source system comprising;

a first optical display panel having a left center region and right periphery region;

a second optical display panel having a right center region and a left periphery region;

wherein the first and second optical display panels do not overlap; and

a plurality of light emitting pixels disposed within the first and second optical display panels such that a greater pixel density exists in the left center region and right center region than in the right periphery region and the left periphery region, and

a pattern of drivers and electrodes disposed on the support member supporting the plurality of light emitting pixels,

wherein the left and right center regions include at least one center-region pixel and the left and right peripheral regions include at least one peripheral-region pixel having a physical size greater than a size of the center-region pixel,

wherein the physical size of the at least one peripheral-region pixel is increased in two dimensions to produce a lower pixel density in the left and right peripheral regions as compared to the left and right center regions, and

wherein the pattern of drivers and electrodes are disposed underneath the plurality of light emitting pixels in a configuration where a lower density of drivers and electrodes exist in the left and right peripheral regions as compared to the left and right center regions.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the arrangement of pixel density on the image display corresponds to the foveated imagery of the image source.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the foveated pixel density on the image display approximates the foveated resolution of a human eye.

59. The device of claim 45, wherein the image source is configured to provide a foveated image to the plurality of light emitting pixels.