Systems, devices, and methods for wearable heads-up displays

• US 9,874,744 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2015
• Issued: 01/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thalmic Labs Inc.
• Inventors: Bailey, Matthew, Alexander, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US14/749,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20150378162A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/015 involving arrangement aiming to get less bulky devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0154 with movable elements
• 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 26/10 Scanning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0176 characterised by mechanical features
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/30 Collimators

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for transparent displays that are well-suited for use in wearable heads-up displays are described. Such transparent displays include one or more scanning projector(s) that is/are mounted on or proximate the lens portion(s) thereof, directly in the field of view of the user. Each scanning projector includes a respective light source that sequentially generates pixels or other discrete portions of an image and a respective dynamic optical beam-steerer that controllably steers the modulated light directly towards select regions of the eye of the user. Successive portions of the image are generated in rapid succession until the entire image is displayed to the user by projection directly onto the eye of the user from one or more point(s) within the user'"'"'s field of view.

Claims

1. A wearable heads-up display comprising:

a support structure that in use is worn on a head of a user;

a transparent element that is physically coupled to the support structure, wherein the transparent element is positioned within a field of view of an eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user; and

a scanning projector positioned on a transparent surface of the transparent element in the field of view of the eye of the user, the scanning projector comprising;

a light source to sequentially generate light signals representative of portions of an image; and

a dynamic optical beam-steerer positioned to receive light signals provided by the light source and to controllably scan the light signals over the eye of the user to produce a collective image at the eye of the user, the dynamic optical beam-steerer controllably variable in at least one parameter with respect to the light signals, wherein a direction or path of the light signals is controllably affected by the at least one parameter.

2. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1, further comprising a collimator to collimate light signals provided by the light source.

3. The wearable heads-up display of claim 2 wherein the collimator includes a parabolic reflector positioned in between the light source and the dynamic optical beam-steerer with respect to a path of light signals provided by the light source, and wherein the light source is oriented to direct light signals away from the eye of the user and the parabolic reflector is oriented to reflect the light signals from the light source towards the eye of the user.

4. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the light source includes at least one light source selected from the group consisting of:

a light-emitting diode and a laser.

5. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the dynamic optical beam-steerer is controllably rotatable about at least two axes.

6. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the dynamic optical beam-steerer is transmissive of the light signals provided by the light source.

7. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the dynamic optical beam-steerer controllably scans the light signals over the eye of the user by at least one of reflection, refraction, and/or diffraction.

8. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the transparent element includes a prescription eyeglass lens.

9. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the transparent element is positioned within a field of view of a first eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user, and further comprising:

a second transparent element that is physically coupled to the support structure, wherein the second transparent element is positioned within a field of view of a second eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user; and

a second scanning projector positioned on a transparent surface of the second transparent element in the field of view of the second eye of the user, the second scanning projector comprising;

a second light source to sequentially generate light signals representative of portions of an image; and

a second dynamic optical beam-steerer positioned to receive light signals provided by the second light source and controllably scan the light signals over the second eye of the user to produce an image at the second eye of the user, the second dynamic optical beam-steerer controllably variable in at least one parameter with respect to the light signals, wherein a direction or path of the light signals is controllably affected by the at least one parameter.

10. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the support structure has a general shape and appearance of an eyeglasses frame.

11. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1, further comprising:

a processor physically coupled to the support structure and communicatively coupled to the scanning projector; and

a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium physically coupled to the support structure and communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium stores processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

control the light signals provided by the light source of the scanning projector; and

control the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector to scan the light signals provided by the light source over the eye of the user.

12. The wearable heads-up display of claim 1 wherein the scanning projector includes a first scanning projector, and further comprising:

a second scanning projector positioned on or proximate the transparent element in the field of view of the eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user, the second scanning projector physically spaced apart from the first scanning projector, wherein the second scanning projector comprises;

a second light source to sequentially generate light signals representative of portions of an image; and

a second dynamic optical beam-steerer positioned to receive light signals provided by the second light source and controllably scan the light signals over the eye of the user, the second dynamic optical beam-steerer controllably variable in at least one parameter with respect to the light signals, wherein a direction or path of the light signals is controllably affected by the at least one parameter.

13. The wearable heads-up display of claim 9, further comprising:

at least one additional scanning projector positioned on or proximate the transparent element in the field of view of the eye of the user when the support structure is worn on the head of the user, the at least one additional scanning projector physically spaced apart from the first scanning projector and the second scanning projector, wherein the at least one additional scanning projector comprises;

at least one additional light source to sequentially generate light signals representative of portions of an image; and

at least one additional dynamic optical beam-steerer positioned to receive light signals provided by the at least one additional light source and controllably scan the light signals over the eye of the user, the at least one additional dynamic optical beam-steerer controllably variable in at least one parameter with respect to the light signals, wherein a direction or path of the light signals is controllably affected by the at least one parameter.

14. The wearable heads-up display of claim 12, further comprising an eye-tracker carried by the support structure, wherein both the first scanning projector and the second scanning projector are selectively activatable/deactivatable based, at least in part, on a position of the eye of the user as determined by the eye-tracker.

15. A method of operating a wearable heads-up display when the wearable heads-up display is worn on a head of a user, the wearable heads-up display including a transparent element positioned in a field of view of an eye of the user and a scanning projector positioned in the field of view of the eye of the user on a transparent surface of the transparent element, the scanning projector comprising a light source and a dynamic optical beam-steerer and the method comprising:

configuring the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector in a first configuration within the field of view of the eye of the user;

generating a first light signal representative of a first portion of an image by the light source of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

redirecting the first light signal directly towards a first region of the eye of the user by the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

configuring the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector in a second configuration within the field of view of the eye of the user;

generating a second light signal representative of at least a second portion of the image by the light source of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

redirecting the second light signal directly towards a second region of the eye of the user by the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the image includes N portions, where N is an integer greater than 2, the method further comprising:

until i=(N+1), where i is an integer with an initial value of 3, sequentially;

configuring the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector in an i^th configuration within the field of view of the eye of the user;

generating an i^th light signal representative of at least an i^th portion of the image by the light source of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

redirecting the i^th light signal directly towards an i^th region of the eye of the user by the dynamic optical beam-steerer of the scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

incrementing i by 1.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the wearable heads-up display includes a processor communicatively coupled to the light source and to the dynamic optical beam-steerer, and a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions, and wherein the method further comprises executing the processor-executable instructions by the processor to:

cause the processor to instruct the light source of the scanning projector to generate the first light signal representative of at least a first portion of the image within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

cause the processor to instruct the dynamic optical beam-steerer to adopt the first configuration within the field of view of the eye of the user.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the wearable heads-up display further includes a second scanning projector positioned on or proximate the transparent element and within the field of view of the eye of the user, the second scanning projector physically spaced apart from the first scanning projector and the second scanning projector comprising a second light source and a second dynamic optical beam-steerer, and wherein the method further comprises:

configuring the second dynamic optical beam-steerer of the second scanning projector in a first configuration within the field of view of the eye of the user;

generating a light signal representative of at least a portion of an image by the second light source of the second scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user; and

redirecting the light signal directly towards a region of the eye of the user by the second dynamic optical beam-steerer of the second scanning projector within the field of view of the eye of the user.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the wearable heads-up display further includes an eye-tracker, the method further comprising:

determining a position of the eye of the user by the eye-tracker; and

selectively activating/deactivating the first scanning projector and/or the second scanning projector based, at least in part, on the position of the eye of the user determined by the eye-tracker.