Opacity filter for display device

• US 9,286,730 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bar-Zeev, Avi, Crocco, Bob, Kipman, Alex Aben-Athar, Lewis, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Mishler, Robin
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, KUO-KONG
• Application Number:
  US14/605,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20150193984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 345/582, 345/656
• 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 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• 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 26/026 based on the rotation of particles under the influence of an external field, e.g. gyricons, twisting ball displays based on orientable dipolar particles G02F1/172; based on electrophoresis G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/001 using specific devices not provided for in groups G09G3/02 - G09G3/36, e.g. using an intermediate record carrier such as a film slide; Projection systems; Display of non-alphanumerical information, solely or in combination with alphanumerical information, e.g. digital display on projected diapositive as background slide projectors per se G03B23/00 = 42 HP
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2003 Display of colours specific for liquid crystal displays G09G3/3607

Abstract

An optical see-through head-mounted display device includes a see-through lens which combines an augmented reality image with light from a real-world scene, while an opacity filter is used to selectively block portions of the real-world scene so that the augmented reality image appears more distinctly. The opacity filter can be a see-through LCD panel, for instance, where each pixel of the LCD panel can be selectively controlled to be transmissive or opaque, based on a size, shape and position of the augmented reality image. Eye tracking can be used to adjust the position of the augmented reality image and the opaque pixels. Peripheral regions of the opacity filter, which are not behind the augmented reality image, can be activated to provide a peripheral cue or a representation of the augmented reality image. In another aspect, opaque pixels are provided at a time when an augmented reality image is not present.

Claims

1. An optical see-through head-mounted display device, comprising:

a see-through lens comprising an augmented reality display region and an opacity filter, the opacity filter comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel is controllable to adjust an opacity of the pixel, and the augmented reality display region extends in a field of view between a first boundary line and second boundary line of the field of view;

at least one augmented reality emitter which emits light to an eye of a user via the augmented reality display region, the light represents an augmented reality image having a boundary; and

at least one control circuit, the at least one control circuit is configured to cause the opacity filter to provide a region having a shape which corresponds to a shape of the augmented reality image, to provide the region with an opacity which is relatively high when the augmented reality image is at least a specified distance from the first boundary line and the second boundary line, and to provide a gradual transition in the opacity to a relatively low opacity as a head of the user moves sideward and the augmented reality image moves correspondingly toward the first boundary line, the gradual transition is based on a distance between the first boundary line and the boundary of the augmented reality image.

2. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the opacity filter with a region of pixels with the relatively high opacity and a region of pixels with the gradual transition in opacity, adjacent to the region of pixels with the relatively high opacity.

3. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the opacity filter comprises a region of pixels with the relatively high opacity and a region of pixels with the gradual transition in opacity; and

the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the region of pixels with the relatively high opacity and the region of pixels with the gradual transition in opacity behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the eye of the user.

4. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the opacity filter with a region of pixels with the relatively high opacity behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the eye of the user and a region of pixels with the gradual transition in opacity peripherally outside the augmented reality image, from the perspective of the eye of the user.

5. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the opacity filter comprises with region of pixels with the relatively high opacity which extends behind the augmented reality image and peripherally outside the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the eye of the user, and a region of pixels with the gradual transition in opacity peripherally outside the augmented reality image, from the perspective of the eye of the user.

6. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the opacity filter has an angular extent which extends peripherally past an angular extent of the augmented reality display region; and

when the boundary of the augmented reality image is at the first boundary line, the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the gradual transition in opacity for pixels of the opacity filter which are in a portion of the opacity filter which extends peripherally past the angular extent of the augmented reality display region.

7. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the augmented reality image comprises a first portion of a virtual object; and

when the boundary of the augmented reality image is at the first boundary line, the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the pixels of the opacity filter for which the gradual transition in opacity is provided to represent a size and shape of a second portion of the virtual object, as a continuation of the virtual object, in a portion of the opacity filter which is peripherally beyond the boundary of the augmented reality display region.

8. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to not provide the pixels of the opacity filter for which the gradual transition in opacity is provided behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the eye of the user, based on the distance from the boundary of the augmented reality image.

9. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to provide the pixels of the opacity filter for which the gradual transition in opacity is provided behind the augmented reality image, from a perspective of the eye of the user, based on the distance from the boundary of the augmented reality image.

10. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to gradually fade out the augmented reality image in correspondence with the gradual transition in opacity.

11. A method for displaying an augmented reality image on a head-mounted display device, comprising:

emitting light to an eye of a user via an augmented reality display region of the head-mounted display device, the light represents an augmented reality image, the augmented reality image comprises a virtual object having a size and shape;

causing an opacity filter of the head-mounted display device to provide a first region of increased opacity, the first region of increased opacity is separated from the virtual object and corresponds to the size and shape of the virtual object; and

causing the opacity filter to provide a second region of increased opacity which is behind the virtual object, from a perspective of the eye of the user, the second region of increased opacity is separated from the first region of increased opacity by a transmissive region of the opacity filter.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

using the first region of increased opacity region to accentuate movement of the virtual object.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the second region of increased opacity is spaced apart horizontally and is on a same level horizontally as the first increased opacity region.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the second region of increased opacity has a size and shape which corresponds to the size and shape of the virtual object.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first region of increased opacity is in a region of the opacity filter which extends peripherally beyond the augmented reality display region.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the first region of increased opacity has a color corresponding to a color of the virtual object.

17. An optical see-through head-mounted display device, comprising:

a see-through lens comprising an augmented reality display region and an opacity filter, the opacity filter comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel is controllable to adjust an opacity of the pixel, the augmented reality display region extends in a central field of view between a first boundary line and a second boundary line, the opacity filter extends in a field of view, the field of view of the opacity filter comprises a central portion which is behind the augmented reality display region from a perspective of an eye of a user and a peripheral portion which is peripheral to the central portion from the perspective of the eye of the user;

at least one augmented reality emitter which emits light to the eye of the user via the augmented reality display region, the light represents an augmented reality image which has a shape and a movement; and

at least one control circuit, the at least one control circuit is configured to make a detection of when the augmented reality image reaches the first boundary line as a head of the user moves sideward and the augmented reality image moves correspondingly toward the first boundary line, and in response to the detection, activate the opacity filter to provide a region of increased-opacity pixels in the peripheral portion of the field of view of the opacity filter, the region of increased-opacity pixels represents the augmented reality image.

18. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 17, wherein:

the region of increased-opacity pixels has a shape and a movement based on the shape and the movement, respectively, of the augmented reality image in the augmented reality display region.

19. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 17, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to deactivate the region of increased-opacity pixels when the region of increased-opacity pixels moves toward the first boundary line.

20. The optical see-through head-mounted display device of claim 19, wherein:

the at least one control circuit is configured to deactivate the augmented reality image after the augmented reality image reaches the first boundary line and to activate the augmented reality image when the region of increased-opacity pixels moves toward the first boundary line.