Head mounted display eyepiece with integrated depth sensing

• US 8,786,686 B1
• Filed: 09/16/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Amirparviz, Babak
• Primary Examiner(s): SENFI, BEHROOZ M
• Application Number:
  US13/234,961
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• Field of Search: 348/36, 348/42, 348/51, 348/58, 348/333.01, 349/11, 349/9, 349/96, 349/117, 349/113, 349/114, 349/65, 349/57, 349/62, 359/237, 359/462, 359/471, 359/472, 359/458, 359/485.05, 359/480, 359/7, 359/8
• US Class Current: 348/58
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0125 Field-of-view increase by wavefront division
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0127 comprising devices increasing the depth of field
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

An eyepiece for a head mounted display includes an imaging region and a viewing region. The imaging region includes a camera. The viewing region is aligned with an eye of a user and includes a first beam splitter and a second beam splitter. The viewing region is partially transparent to pass a first portion of ambient scene light received through an ambient scene side of the eyepiece out an eye-ward side of the eyepiece. The first BS and the second BS are partially reflective and oriented to redirect offset portions of the ambient scene light received through the ambient scene side along the eyepiece towards the imaging region. The camera is positioned to capture both of the offset portions of the ambient scene light redirected by the first beam splitter and the second beam splitter.

Claims

1. An eyepiece for a head mounted display, the eyepiece comprising:

an imaging region including a camera; and

a viewing region to be aligned with an eye of a user and including a first beam splitter (“

BS”

) and a second BS, wherein the viewing region is partially transparent to pass a first portion of ambient scene light received through an ambient scene side of the eyepiece out an eye-ward side of the eyepiece, wherein the first BS and the second BS are partially reflective and oriented to redirect offset portions of the ambient scene light received through the ambient scene side along the eyepiece towards the imaging region,

wherein the camera is positioned to capture both of the offset portions of the ambient scene light redirected by the first BS and the second BS.

2. The eyepiece of claim 1, further comprising a processing unit coupled to the camera and including logic to analyze the offset portions of the ambient scene light to determine a distance between the eyepiece and an item portrayed within the ambient scene light.

3. The eyepiece of claim 2, wherein the logic includes further logic to:

identify the item within the ambient scene light;

measure a magnitude of an offset between the offset portions of the ambient scene light; and

determine the distance between the eyepiece and the item based at least in part upon the magnitude of the offset between the offset portions of the ambient scene light.

4. The eyepiece of claim 1, further comprising:

a third BS disposed within the imaging region and oriented to redirect the offset portions of the ambient scene light received from the first BS and the second BS into the camera;

an image source disposed at the imaging region for launching computer generated image (“

CGI”

) light along a forward propagating path within the eyepiece; and

an end reflector disposed at an opposite end of the eyepiece from the imaging region to reflect the CGI light back along a reverse propagation path,

wherein the first BS and the second BS redirect the CGI light traveling along the reverse propagation path out of the eye-ward side of the eyepiece.

5. The eyepiece of claim 4, wherein the first BS comprises a polarizing beam splitter and the second BS and the third BS each comprise a non-polarizing beam splitter, wherein the first BS is disposed between the second BS and the third BS.

6. The eyepiece of claim 5, further comprising:

a polarization rotator disposed in the forward and reverse propagation paths of the CGI light between the viewing region and the end reflector.

7. The eyepiece of claim 6, wherein the polarization rotator comprises a quarter wave-plate polarization rotator.

8. The eyepiece of claim 4, wherein the first BS and second BS are offset from each other and orientated substantially parallel to each other and have reflectivities selected to reflect substantially equal intensities of the CGI light out of the eye-ward side of the eyepiece.

9. The eyepiece of claim 4, wherein the image source comprises one of a organic light emitting diode (“

OLED”

) panel, a back-lit liquid crystal display (“

LCD”

) panel, or a quantum dot array.

10. The eyepiece of claim 4, wherein the end reflector comprises a concave reflective surface, the eyepiece further comprising:

a light relay disposed between the viewing region and imaging region, the light relay having a length selected to substantially position an emission aperture of the light source at a focal plane of the end reflector,

wherein the end reflector substantially collimates the CGI light reflected along the reverse propagation path.

11. A head mounted display comprising:

an eyepiece including;

an imaging region including an imaging source, a first beam splitter (“

BS”

), and a camera, the imaging source for launching computer generated image (“

CGI”

) light along a forward propagating path within the eyepiece;

an end reflector disposed at an opposite end of the eyepiece from the imaging region to reflect the CGI back along a reverse propagation path within the eyepiece; and

a viewing region to be aligned with an eye of a user, the viewing region disposed between the imaging region and the end reflector and including a second BS and a third BS, the viewing region to redirect the CGI light from the reverse propagation path out of an eye-ward side of the eyepiece,

wherein the second and third BS of the viewing region each redirect offset portions of ambient scene light received through an ambient scene side of the eyepiece in the viewing region back to the imaging region and the first BS positioned to reflect the offset portions of the ambient light into the camera; and

a frame assembly to support the eyepiece for wearing on a head of the user with the viewing region positioned in front of the eye of the user.

12. The head mounted display of claim 11, further comprising a processing unit coupled to the camera and including logic to analyze the offset portions of the ambient scene light to determine a distance between the eyepiece and an item portrayed within the ambient scene light.

13. The head mounted display of claim 12, wherein the logic includes further logic to:

identify the item within the ambient scene light;

measure a magnitude of an offset between the offset portions of the ambient scene light; and

determine the distance between the eyepiece and the item based at least in part upon the magnitude of the offset between the offset portions of the ambient scene light.

14. The head mounted display of claim 11, wherein the second BS comprises a polarizing beam splitter and the first BS and the second BS each comprise a non-polarizing beam splitter, wherein the second BS is disposed between the first BS and the third BS within the eyepiece.

15. The head mounted display of claim 14, further comprising:

a polarization rotator disposed in the forward and reverse propagation paths of the CGI light between the viewing region and the end reflector.

16. The head mounted display of claim 14, wherein the first BS and second BS are offset from each other and orientated substantially parallel to each other and have reflectivities selected to reflect substantially equal intensities of the CGI light out of the eye-ward side of the eyepiece.

17. The head mounted display of claim 16, wherein the end reflector comprises a concave reflective surface, the eyepiece further comprising:

a light relay disposed between the viewing region and imaging region, the light relay having a length selected to substantially position an emission aperture of the light source at a focal plane of the end reflector,

wherein the end reflector substantially collimates the CGI light reflected along the reverse propagation path.

18. A method of operation of a head mounted display (“

HMD”

) eyepiece having an ambient scene side and an eye-ward side, the method comprising;

passing a first portion of ambient scene light received at a viewing region of the HMD eyepiece through the ambient scene side and the eye-ward side so that the user can view the ambient scene light;

redirecting a second portion of the ambient scene light as a first ambient scene image by a first beam splitter (“

BS”

) disposed within the viewing region, the first ambient scene image redirected down the HMD eyepiece between the ambient scene side and the eye-ward side towards an imaging region of the HMD eyepiece;

redirecting a third portion of the ambient scene light as a second ambient scene image by a second BS disposed within the viewing region and offset from the first BS;

coupling the first and second ambient scene images into a depth sensing camera mounted proximate to the imaging region of the HMD eyepiece; and

determining a distance to an item portrayed in the first and second ambient scene images based upon an offset between the first and second ambient scene images.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein determining the distance to the item comprises:

identifying the same item in the first and second ambient scene images;

measuring a magnitude of the offset between the same item in the first and second ambient scene images; and

determine the distance between the HMD eyepiece and the item based at least in part upon the magnitude of the offset between the first and second ambient scene images.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the item is viewed by the user in the first portion of the ambient scene light while the determining the distance to the item is executed.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising

launching computer generated image (“

CGI”

) light into the HMD eyepiece along a forward propagation path with an image source mounted to the imaging region, wherein the forward propagation path extends through the viewing region between the ambient scene side and the eye-ward side;

reflecting the CGI light along a reverse propagation path with an end reflector disposed adjacent to the viewing region;

redirecting a first portion of the CGI light traveling along the reverse propagation path out the eye-ward side with the second BS and redirecting a second portion of the CGI light traveling along the reverse propagation path out the eye-ward side with the first BS such that the CGI light is superimposed over the first portion of the ambient scene light viewed by the user.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first beam splitter comprises a polarizing beam splitter, the second beam splitter comprises a non-polarizing beam splitter, and the first beam splitter is disposed between the imaging region and the second beam splitter, the method further comprising:

rotating the CGI light with a polarization rotator disposed between the viewing region and the end reflector as the CGI light travels along the forward and reverse propagation paths.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein coupling the first and second ambient scene images into a depth sensing camera mounted proximate to the imaging region of the HMD eyepiece;

comprises;

redirecting portions of the first and second ambient scene images into the depth sensing camera using another non-polarizing beam splitter disposed within the imaging region of the HMD eyepiece.