Microdisplay based immersive headset

• US 9,733,481 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eMagin Corporation (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: eMagin Corporation (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Carollo, Jerome T., Ho, John Chi-Liang, Rosen, Andrew Thomas Manning, Ghosh, Amal
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Azongha, Sardis F
• Application Number:
  US15/149,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20160274364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0132 comprising binocular systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0152 involving arrangement aiming to get lighter or better balanced devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0156 with optionally usable elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0161 characterised by the relative positioning of the constitutive elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0169 Supporting or connecting means other than the external walls
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0178 Eyeglass type eyeglass details G02C
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0181 Adaptation to the pilot/driver
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0179 Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2360/10 Display system comprising arrangements, such as a coprocessor, specific for motion video images
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/286 having separate monoscopic and stereoscopic modes

Abstract

An immersive headset device is provided that includes a display portion and a body portion. The display portion may include microdisplays having a compact size. The microdisplays may be movable (e.g., rotational) relative to the body portion and can be moved (e.g., rotated) between a flipped-up position and a flipped-down position. In some instances, when the microdisplays are flipped up, the headset provides an augmented reality (AR) mode to a user, and when the microdisplays are flipped down, the headset provide a virtual reality (VR) mode to the user. In certain implementations, the headset includes an electronics source module to provide power and/or signal to the microdisplays. The electronics source module can be attached to a rear of the body portion in order to provide advantageous weight distribution about the head of the user.

Claims

1. An immersive headset device comprising:

a body portion adapted to be worn on a head of a user and comprising a strap assembly adapted to secure the body portion around a rear of the head; and

a display portion movably attached to a front of the body portion with a pin-and-barrel hinge, the pin-and-barrel hinge comprising a center barrel and opposing outer barrels, the display portion comprising at least one display and adapted to move between an immersed position in which the display is in a line-of-sight of the user and a non-immersed position,

wherein the strap assembly comprises an electronics source module for housing at least one of power and display signal electronics located at a rear of the body portion at the rear of the head, and

wherein the electronics source module comprises at least one cable, at least a portion of which is routed to the display portion through an end of at least one outer barrel of the pin-and-barrel hinge to communicate with the display portion.

2. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the body portion further comprises semi-rigid side frame members.

3. The immersive headset of claim 2, wherein the strap assembly further comprises a support adapted to connect the semi-rigid side frame members about the rear of the head.

4. The immersive headset of claim 3, wherein the electronics source module is shaped to hold the strap assembly in an appropriate location on the head.

5. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the display portion further comprises a diopter adjust mechanism and an interpupillary distance adjust mechanism.

6. The immersive headset of claim 5, wherein at least one of the diopter adjust mechanism and the interpupillary distance adjust mechanism is adapted to be adjusted without removing the headset from the head of the user.

7. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the display comprises at least one microdisplay.

8. The immersive headset of claim 7, wherein the microdisplay comprises a diagonal dimension in a range from about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches.

9. The immersive headset of claim 7, wherein the microdisplay displays an image having a resolution selected from the group consisting of 1024×

576, 1152×

648, 1280×

720, 1600×

900, 1920×

1080, 2560×

1440, 3840×

2160, and 1366×

768.

10. The immersive headset of claim 7, wherein the microdisplay comprises two microdisplays comprising one microdisplay for each eye of the user.

11. The immersive headset of claim 10, wherein each microdisplay is adapted to receive an independent input from the electronics source module.

12. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the display portion is adapted to move between the immersed position and the non-immersed position by rotating with respect to the body portion.

13. The immersive headset of claim 12, wherein the pin-and-barrel hinge is adapted to rotate the display portion with respect to the body portion.

14. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the electronics source module forms a disk shape.

15. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the electronics source module is adapted to provide data in both 2D and 3D formats.

16. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the electronics source module is adapted to provide at least one of a single and a dual output.

17. The immersive headset of claim 1, further comprising a holding structure adapted to maintain the display portion in at least one of the immersed position and the non-immersed position.

18. The immersive headset of claim 17, wherein the holding structure is selected from the group consisting of a spring mechanism, a snap connector, a latch, a catch, a detent, and a ratcheting mechanism.

19. The immersive headset of claim 1, wherein the cable is routed substantially along a rotational axis of the pin-and-barrel hinge.

20. A method of configuring an immersive headset device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a body portion adapted to be worn on a head of a user and comprising a strap assembly adapted to secure the body portion around a rear of the head, wherein the strap assembly comprises an electronics source module for housing at least one of power and display signal electronics at a rear of the body portion at the rear of the head; and

providing a display portion movably attached to a front of the body portion with a pin-and-barrel hinge, the pin-and-barrel hinge comprising a center barrel and opposing outer barrels, the display portion comprising at least one display and adapted to move between an immersed position in which the display is in a line-of-sight of the user and a non-immersed position,

wherein the electronics source module comprises at least one cable, at least a portion of which is routed to the display portion through an end of at least one outer barrel of the pin-and-barrel hinge to communicate with the display portion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the body portion further comprises semi-rigid side frame members.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising interconnecting the semi-rigid side frame members about the rear of the head with a support of the strap assembly.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the display comprises at least one microdisplay.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the microdisplay comprises a diagonal dimension in a range from about 0.5 inches to about 1.5 inches.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the microdisplay comprises two microdisplays comprising one microdisplay for each eye of the user.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising interconnecting each microdisplay to the electronics source module with an independent input.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the display portion is adapted to move between the immersed position and the non-immersed position by rotating with respect to the body portion.

28. The method of claim 20, wherein the electronics source module forms a disk shape.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the electronics source module is adapted to provide data in both 2D and 3D formats.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising providing a holding structure adapted to maintain the display portion in at least one of the immersed position and the non-immersed position.