Variable immersion vignetting display

• US 6,456,438 B1
• Filed: 08/12/1999
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Funk, Harry B., Lee, James C.
• Primary Examiner(s): MACK, RICKY LEVERN
• Application Number:
  US09/372,824
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 359/630, 359/631, 359/634, 345/7, 345/8, 345/9
• US Class Current: 359/630
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0118 comprising devices for improving the contrast of the display / brillance control visibility
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 2027/0138 comprising image capture systems, e.g. camera
• 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 2027/0198 System for aligning or maintaining alignment of an image in a predetermined direction
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/01 Head-up displays
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted

Abstract

A see through display includes a variably transmissive element positioned between a real world view and an eye of a user, and a generated display optical system for generating a displayed information image superimposed over the real world view in the visual field of the user. The variably transmissive element is controllable to dynamically vary the light intensity passing through the element into the visual field of the user. The variably transmissive element may be spatially addressed to allow selective variable transfer of light intensity through the element into the visual field of the user.

Claims

1. A view registered display, comprising:

a display optical system for generating a displayed information view superimposed over a real world view;

a combiner; and

a variably transmissive element disposed outside of the combiner at an input end of the display, wherein the variably transmissive element is capable of adjusting a ratio of light intensity of the real world view to a light intensity of the displayed information view.

2. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is a flat panel window.

3. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is disposed immediately adjacent the combiner.

4. The view registered display of claim 1, and further comprising:

a control module, operatively connected to the variably transmissive element to control the amount of light intensity passing through the variably transmissive element.

5. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is an electrochromic window.

6. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is a pair of cross polarized panels wherein relative orientation of polarization can be varied.

7. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is a cholesteric liquid crystal window.

8. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is a window having electric field alignable suspended particle shutters.

9. The view registered display of claim 1, and further comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart transmissivity control effectors positioned on the variably transmissive element, each transmissivity control effector spatially addressing a portion of the variably transmissive element.

10. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the view registered display is a head mounted display.

11. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the view registered display is a see through display.

12. The view registered display of claim 1, wherein the variably transmissive element is spectrally differentiable.

26. The view registered display of claim 1, and further comprising:

a variably transmissive auditory element for selectively passing auditory signals to an ear of the user.

13. A view registered display, comprising:

a variably transmissive element positioned immediately adjacent a real world view at an input end of the view registered display and arranged in an optical path between the real world view and an eye of a user; and

a display optical system arranged between the eye and the variable transmissive element, for generating a displayed information image superimposed over the real world view in the visual field of the user.

14. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the variably transmissive element is an electrochromic window.

15. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the variably transmissive element is a pair of cross polarized panels wherein relative orientation of polarization can be varied.

16. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the variably transmissive element is a cholesteric liquid crystal window.

17. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the variably transmissive element is a window having electric field alignable suspended particle shutters.

18. The view registered display of claim 13, and further comprising:

a plurality of spaced apart transmissivity control effectors spatially addressing the variably transmissive element.

19. The view registered display of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of, transmissivity control effectors spatially addresses a unique portion of the variably transmissive element.

20. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the view registered display is a head mounted display.

21. The view registered display of claim 13, wherein the view registered display is a see through display.

22. A method, comprising:

providing a variably transmissive element in a view registered display system having a displayed information image, wherein real world light entering the view registered display system is first incident, on the variable transmissive element arranged at an input end of the view registered display; and

varying the ratio of the intensity of real world light entering a visual field of a user of the system to the displayed information image.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein varying the ratio further comprises:

spatially addressing the variably transmissive element; and

selectively varying the transmission of real world light intensity through the variably transmissive element to change the ratio of the light intensity of the real world view to the light intensity of the displayed information image.

27. The method of claim 22, and further comprising:

providing filtered ambient sound to an ear of the user.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein varying also comprises spatially varying the light intensity of the real world view.

24. A machine readable medium comprising machine readable instructions for causing a computer to perform a method comprising:

varying the ratio of the intensity of real world light entering a visual field of a user through a variable transmissive element arranged at an input end of a conformally registered display system to a displayed information image.

25. The machine readable medium of claim 24, wherein the machine readable medium further comprises machine readable instructions for causing the computer to selectively vary the transmission of real world light intensity through the variably transmissive element of the conformally registered display system to change the ratio of the light intensity of the real world view to the light intensity of the displayed information image.

28. A method of operating a view registered display, comprising:

generating a displayed image in a visual field of a user;

superimposing a real world view and the displayed image in the visual field of the user;

varying the light intensity of the real world view in the visual field of the user by passing the light intensity of the real world view through a variable transmissive element arranged at an input end of the display; and

dynamically controlling the ratio of light intensity of the real world view to the light intensity of the displayed image view in the visual field of the user.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein passing the real world view through a variably transmissive element further comprises passing the real world view through a spectrally differentiable variably transmissive element.

31. A method comprising:

varying the ratio of the intensity of real world light entering a visual field of a user of a conformally registered display system to a displayed information image by first passing the real world light through a variably transmissive element located at an input end of the system.

32. A view registered display system, comprising:

a display for display of a generated view, wherein the display is variably transmissive at an input end; and

a tracking module, the tracking module spatially registering a real world view and the generated view; and

a control module operatively connected to the display to control the amount of light intensity passing through the display at the input end.

33. The view registered display system of claim 32, wherein the tracking module is a head tracking module.

34. The view registered display system of claim 32, wherein the tracking module is an eye tracking module.