See-through near-eye display glasses with the optical assembly including absorptive polarizers or anti-reflective coatings to reduce stray light

• US 9,182,596 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Border, John N., Haddick, John D., Lohse, Robert Michael, Osterhout, Ralph F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustine, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/429,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,324 Days
• Field of Search: 715/756, 715/757, 715/773, 349/11, 345/629, 353/20, 359/630
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/014 comprising information/image processing systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/005 Input arrangements through a video camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

This disclosure concerns an interactive head-mounted eyepiece with an integrated processor for handling content for display and an integrated image source for introducing the content to an optical assembly through which the user views a surrounding environment and the displayed content. The optical assembly includes absorptive polarizers or anti-reflective coatings to reduce stray light.

Claims

1. An interactive head-mounted device, comprising:

an optical assembly through which a surrounding environment is viewable, the optical assembly including a partially transparent curved mirror optically intermediate the surrounding environment and a user'"'"'s eye and a polarizing beam splitter optically intermediate the partially transparent curved mirror and the user'"'"'s eye;

an integrated processor for handling virtual content for display;

an integrated image source for introducing the virtual content to the optical assembly; and

an absorptive polarizer optically intermediate the integrated image source and the polarizing beam splitter.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the absorptive polarizer comprises an anti-reflective coating.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the absorptive polarizer is disposed after a focusing lens of the optical assembly to reduce light passing through an optically flat film of the optical assembly.

4. An interactive head-mounted device, comprising:

an optical assembly including a curved mirror through which a surrounding environment is viewable;

an integrated processor for handling virtual content for display;

an integrated image source for introducing the virtual content to the optical assembly, the curved mirror of the optical assembly configured to reflect the virtual content to a user'"'"'s eye; and

an anti-reflective coating in the optical assembly to reduce stray light.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on a polarizer of the optical assembly.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on a retarding film of the optical assembly.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the retarding film is a quarter wave film.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the retarding film is a half wave film.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on an outer surface of a partially reflecting mirror.

10. The device of claim 4, wherein light from the image source is polarized to increase contrast.

19. The device of claim 4, wherein the curved mirror has a concave curvature relative to the user'"'"'s eye.

11. An augmented reality system, comprising:

an image source for projecting virtual content, the image source including an absorptive polarizer;

a curved mirror optically intermediate a surrounding environment and a user'"'"'s eye; and

a beam splitting layer optically intermediate the image source and the curved mirror on a reflection path and optically intermediate the curved mirror and the user'"'"'s eye on a transmission path;

wherein virtual content projected from the image source reflects off the beam splitting layer on the reflection path to the curved mirror, and reflects off the curved mirror through the beam splitting layer on the transmission path to the user'"'"'s eye; and

wherein light from the surrounding environment passes through the curved mirror and the beam splitting layer on the transmission path to the user'"'"'s eye.

12. The augmented reality system of claim 11, wherein the absorptive polarizer comprises an anti-reflective coating.

13. The augmented reality system of claim 11, wherein the absorptive polarizer is optically intermediate an unpolarized light source and a wire-grid polarizer.

14. The augmented reality system of claim 13, wherein the image source further comprises a diffuser optically intermediate the unpolarized light source and the absorptive polarizer.

15. The augmented reality system of claim 13, wherein the unpolarized light source includes a light emitting diode.

16. The augmented reality system of claim 13, wherein the image source further comprises a liquid crystal on silicon panel optically downstream of the wire-grid polarizer.

17. The augmented reality system of claim 16, wherein the liquid crystal on silicon panel is configured to reflect light back through the wire-grid polarizer.

18. The augmented reality system of claim 11, wherein light from the image source is S-polarized.

20. The augmented reality system of claim 11, wherein the curved mirror has a concave curvature relative to the user'"'"'s eye.