Peripheral field-of-view illumination system for a head mounted display

• US 9,961,332 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KAYA Dynamics LLC
• Original Assignee: Ariadne's Thread (Usa), Inc.
• Inventors: Passmore, Charles Gregory, Li, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): PINKNEY, DAWAYNE
• Application Number:
  US15/472,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20170208318A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• Field of Search: 359630-639, 359404, 359407, 359409-410, 359618-619, 359625, 359 13- 14, 359727, 359732, 345 7, 345 9, 349 11, 631633, 631640, 353 11- 12, 353 28, 353119, 348115, 351 41-158, 351205-206, 351210, 351221
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 21/084 Head fittings
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/006 applied to portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 5/045 the lens having discontinuous faces, e.g. Fresnel lenses
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 7/0075 for portable lighting devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0123 comprising devices increasing the field of view
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0134 of stereoscopic type
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0147 comprising a device modifying the resolution of the displayed image
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0174 holographic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0172 characterised by optical features
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/04 Texture mapping
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/50 Lighting effects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/506 Illumination models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/20 Finite element generation, e.g. wire-frame surface description, tesselation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/006 Mixed reality object pose determination, tracking or camera calibration for mixed reality G06T7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/344 with head-mounted left-right displays

Abstract

A display system for a head mounted device that illuminates the peripheral regions of the user'"'"'s field of view to enhance an immersive experience. The system may use peripheral light emitters to the left and right of one or more central displays. Peripheral light emitters may provide lower resolution images, or only with vertical resolution, corresponding to the user'"'"'s lower resolution vision in these peripheral regions. Reflective surfaces and lenses may be used to direct peripheral light into desired shapes and patterns. Rendering of peripheral light colors and intensities at each peripheral pixel may use approximations for improved performance since users may not be sensitive to precise color values in the peripheral regions.

Claims

1. A peripheral field-of-view illumination system for a head-mounted display comprising:

a mount configured to be worn on a head of a user;

one or more displays coupled to said mount and located in front of a left eye and a right eye of said user;

a left peripheral light emitter located on a left side of said one or more displays;

a right peripheral light emitter located on a right side of said one or more displays;

wherein

said one or more displays form one or more display images in a central portion of said user'"'"'s field-of-view;

light from said left peripheral light emitter is projected left of said one or more display images;

light from said right peripheral light emitter is projected right of said one or more display images;

said left peripheral light emitter and said right peripheral light emitter each comprise a plurality of peripheral light pixels located at different vertical positions; and

a vertical resolution of said peripheral light pixels is less than a vertical resolution of each of said one or more displays;

one or more left reflective surfaces located to the left of said one or more displays; and

,

one or more right reflective surfaces located to the right of said one or more displays;

wherein

at least a portion of said light from said left peripheral light emitter is reflected from said one or more left reflective surfaces towards said left eye of said user;

at least a portion of said light from said right peripheral light emitter is reflected from said one or more right reflective surfaces towards said right eye of said user; and

,

said light from said right peripheral light emitter and said left peripheral light emitter is reflected away from said one or more display images in said central portion of said user'"'"'s field-of-view and directed towards peripheral areas of said user'"'"'s field-of-view.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is at least 120 degrees.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is at least 150 degrees.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is at least 180 degrees.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is more than 180 degrees.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising

a 3D model of a scene;

a display renderer coupled to said 3D model of said scene and to said one or more displays;

a peripheral renderer coupled to said 3D model of said scene, to said left peripheral light emitter, and to said right peripheral light emitter;

wherein

said display renderer assigns a display pixel color to each pixel of said one or more displays based on said 3D model of said scene;

said peripheral renderer assigns a peripheral light pixel color to each of said peripheral light pixels based on said 3D model of said scene.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said peripheral renderer

determines a peripheral light pixel area for each of said peripheral light pixels;

calculates a sample color for one or more sample locations within each of said peripheral light pixel areas to the left of said one or more displays, from a color of a closest object in said 3D model of said scene on a ray between said left eye of said user and said sample location;

calculates said sample color for one or more sample locations within each of said peripheral light pixel areas to the right of said one or more displays, from a color of a closest object in said 3D model of said scene on a ray between said right eye of said user and said sample location;

averages the sample colors for all of said sample locations within each of said peripheral light pixel areas to form an average color value for said peripheral light pixel area;

assigns said average color value as the peripheral light pixel color for the peripheral light pixel corresponding to each peripheral light pixel area.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said peripheral renderer

averages said display pixel colors for pixels of said one more displays that are adjacent to or near to each of said peripheral light pixels, to form an average color value for each of said peripheral light pixels;

assigns said average color value as the peripheral light pixel color for each of said peripheral light pixels.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising

one or more lenses coupled to said mount, each located between one or more of the left and right eyes of said user and one or more of said one or more displays, said left peripheral light emitter, and said right peripheral light emitter;

wherein

said one or more lenses bend light from said left peripheral light emitter left;

said one or more lenses bend light from said right peripheral light emitter right.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of said one or more lenses comprise a gradient index lens.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of said one or more lenses comprise a Fresnel lens.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein at least one of said one or more lenses comprise a holographic optical element.

13. A peripheral field-of-view illumination system for a head-mounted display comprising:

a mount configured to be worn on a head of a user;

one or more displays coupled to said mount and located in front of a left eye and a right eye of said user;

a left peripheral light emitter located on a left side of said one or more displays;

a right peripheral light emitter located on a right side of said one or more displays;

one or more left reflective surfaces located to the left of said one or more displays;

one or more right reflective surfaces located to the right of said one or more displays;

one or more lenses coupled to said mount, each located between one or more of the left and right eyes of said user and one or more of said one or more displays, said left peripheral light emitter, and said right peripheral light emitter;

a 3D model of a scene;

a peripheral renderer coupled to said 3D model of said scene, to said left peripheral light emitter, and to said right peripheral light emitter;

wherein

said one or more displays form one or more display images in a central portion of said user'"'"'s field-of-view;

light from said left peripheral light emitter is projected left of said one or more display images;

light from said right peripheral light emitter is projected right of said one or more display images;

said left peripheral light emitter and said right peripheral light emitter each comprise a plurality of peripheral light pixels located at different vertical positions;

a vertical resolution of said peripheral light pixels is less than the vertical resolution of each of said one or more displays;

said one or more lenses bend light from said left peripheral light emitter left;

said one or more lenses bend light from said right peripheral light emitter right;

a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is at least 120 degrees;

at least a portion of said light from said left peripheral light emitter is reflected from said one or more left reflective surfaces towards said left eye of said user;

at least a portion of said light from said right peripheral light emitter is reflected from said one or more right reflective surfaces towards said right eye of said user;

said light from said right peripheral light emitter and said left peripheral light emitter is reflected away from said one or more display images in said central portion of said user'"'"'s field-of-view and directed towards peripheral areas of said user'"'"'s field-of-view; and

,

said peripheral renderer assigns a peripheral light pixel color to each of said peripheral light pixels based on said 3D model of said scene.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising a display renderer coupled to said 3D model of said scene and to said one or more displays.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said display renderer assigns a display pixel color to each pixel of said one or more displays based on said 3D model of said scene.

16. The system of claim 13 wherein at least one of said one or more lenses comprise a gradient index lens or a Fresnel lens or a holographic optical element.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein a total horizontal field-of-view spanned by said one or more display images, said light from said left peripheral light emitter viewed by said user, and said light from said right peripheral light emitter viewed by said user is at least 180 degrees.