Binocular display with improved contrast uniformity

• US 7,515,344 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2006
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TDG Acquisition Company, LLC
• Original Assignee: Vuzlx Corporation
• Inventors: Travers, Paul J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrington; Alicia M
• Application Number:
  US11/306,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20070153374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 359629-634, 345 7- 8
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 23/18 for binocular arrangements focusing binocular pairs G02B7/06; adjusting pupillary distance of binocular pairs G02B7/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2213/002 Eyestrain reduction by processing stereoscopic signals or controlling stereoscopic devices

Abstract

A binocular display deals with an optical contrast imbalance problem between display screens manifest over a range of interpupillary distances by orienting contrast asymmetries between the display screens in opposite directions.

Claims

1. A binocular display comprising left and right display screens for the left and right eyes of a user, each display screen having a characteristic optical contrast that varies with the viewing angle, the contrast being maximum at a first viewing angle and decreasing unsymmetrically for viewing angles greater or lesser than the first viewing angle,

the display screens being mounted with respect to a user such that the change in contrast with viewing angle trends opposite for the left and right display screens;

the display screens exhibiting a similar characteristic contrast,

one of the display screens being rotated with respect to the other display screen, and

left and right signal source being coupled to the left and right display screens and being adapted to accommodate the relative rotation between the display screens so that the left and right signals produce right side up images on both the left and right display screens.

2. A binocular display comprising

left and right display screens being mounted within a viewing device for viewing along respective viewing axes,

each of the display screens exhibiting a directionally sensitive contrast that varies asymmetrically from a direction of peak contrast within a lateral plane that includes the respective viewing axes,

the asymmetric contrasts exhibited by the left and right display screens being oriented in opposite directions within the lateral plane,

the left and right display screens exhibiting similar asymmetric contrasts, and

one of the display screens being rotated with respect to the other of the display screens to orient the asymmetric contrasts of the left and right display screens in opposite directions within the lateral plane,

wherein the one display screen is rotated with respect to the other display screen to produce a substantially reverse symmetry between the asymmetric contrasts exhibited by the two display screens.

3. A binocular display comprising

left and right display screens being mounted within a viewing device for viewing along respective viewing axes,

each of the display screens exhibiting a directionally sensitive contrast that varies asymmetrically from a direction of peak contrast within a lateral plane that includes the respective viewing axes, and

the asymmetric contrasts exhibited by the left and right display screens being oriented in opposite directions within the lateral plane,

wherein the left and right display screens exhibit different asymmetric contrasts, and the display screens are oriented so that the asymmetric contrasts approach mirror symmetry with respect to each other.

4. A binocular display comprising

left and right display screens mounted within a viewing device for viewing by corresponding left and right eyes of users,

both of the display screens having a predetermined top to bottom orientation and exhibiting a similar directionally sensitive contrast that varies asymmetrically with respect to a direction of peak contrast, and

one of the left and right display screens being rotated with respect to the other of the display screens within the viewing device so that the asymmetric contrasts are oriented in different directions with respect to the left and right eyes of the users for reducing differences in contrast presented to the left and right eyes of the users over a range of different interpupillary distances.

5. The binocular display of claim 4 in which the left and right display screens are relatively translated out of a lateral alignment with one another to further reduce differences in contrast presented to the left and right eyes of the users.

6. A binocular display comprising

first and second display screens mounted within a viewing device having first and second eyeboxes within which the respective first and second display screens are visible to users,

the first and second display screens having first and second viewing axes directed toward the first and second eyeboxes,

each of the first and second display screens exhibiting a direction of peak contrast that is inclined to the respective first and second viewing axes, and

the first display screen being oriented with respect to the second display screen so that the directions of peak contrast extend in different directions with respect to the first and second viewing axes to reduce contrast variations apparent between the different eyes of the users over a range of interpupillary distances.

7. The binocular display of claim 6 in which the first display screen is rotated with respect to the second display screen to orient the peak contrasts of the first and second display screens in opposite directions.

8. The binocular display of claim 6 in which contrast exhibited by the first and second display screens is a directionally sensitive contrast that varies asymmetrically with respect to the directions of peak contrast.

9. The binocular display of claim 6 in which the asymmetric contrasts also preferably extend in different directions with respect to the left and right eyes of the users.

10. The binocular display of claim 6 in which the left and right display screens are relatively translated out of a lateral alignment with one another to further reduce differences in contrast presented to the left and right eyes of the users.