Secure content microdisplay

• US 7,440,592 B1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Nimmer, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bella; Matthew C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, SATHYANARAYA V
• Application Number:
  US10/932,975
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 382/117, 382/275
• US Class Current: 382/117
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

A secure content near eye display apparatus includes a microdisplay device. A user verification system of the secure content near eye display apparatus is configured to verify whether a user is an authorized user. A controller coupled to the microdisplay device and to the user verification system controls the microdisplay device to display secure content information to the user only if the user verification system has verified that the user is the authorized user. In some embodiments, a display-eye interface detector is included in the secure content near eye display apparatus to detect when the display-eye interface is broken. In response, the controller controls the microdisplay device to stop displaying the secure content information.

Claims

1. A secure content near eye display apparatus comprising:

a microdisplay device;

an eye shroud, the user placing his or her eye adjacent to the eye shroud to establish a display-eye interface to view the secure content information;

a user verification system configured to verify whether the user is an authorized user, wherein the user verification system includes an eye scanner configured to verify whether the user is the authorized user by scanning the user'"'"'s eye once the display-eye interface is established between the user'"'"'s eye and the microdisplay device;

a beam splitter arranged to allow the eye scanner to function coaxially with the microdisplay device such that the eye scanner verifies whether the user is the authorized user while the user views the microdisplay device after the display-eye interface is established;

a controller coupled to the microdisplay device and to the user verification system, the controller being configured to control the microdisplay device to display secure content information to the user only if the user verification system has verified that the user is the authorized user; and

wherein the eye scanner is a non-disruptive eye scanner and is configured to continuously verify whether the user is the authorized user while the user views the microdisplay device after the display-eye interface is established, and wherein the controller is configured to control the microdisplay device to stop displaying the secure content information if the eye scanner is unable to verify that the user is the authorized user, thereby indicating that the display-eye interface is broken.

2. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the eye scanner is a retina scanner.

3. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the eye scanner is an iris scanner.

4. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising a display-eye interface detector which detects when the display-eye interface between the user and the eye shroud is broken, wherein the controller is configured to control the microdisplay device to stop displaying the secure content information when the display-eye interface detector detects that the display-eye interface is broken.

5. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display-eye interface detector comprises a pressure sensor which detects a change in pressure as the user removes his or her eye from the area adjacent the eye shroud to break the display-eye interface.

6. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display-eye interface detector comprises an infrared sensor configured to detect external modulated infrared signals reflected off of the face of the user after the user removes his or her eye from the area adjacent the eye shroud to break the display-eye interface.

7. A secure content near eye display apparatus comprising:

a microdisplay device;

an eye shroud against which a user places his or her eye to establish a display-eye interface with the microdisplay device;

a user verification system configured to verify whether the user is an authorized user after the user has established the display-eye interface, wherein the user verification system includes an eye scanner configured to verify whether the user is the authorized user by scanning the user'"'"'s eye once the display-eye interface is established;

a beam splitter arranged to allow the eye scanner to function coaxially with the microdisplay device such that the eye scanner verifies whether the user is the authorized user while the user'"'"'s eye is placed against the eye shroud to view the microdisplay device after the display-eye interface is established;

a display-eye interface detector which detects when the display-eye interface between the user and the secure content near eye display apparatus is broken, wherein the display-eye interface detector comprises a pressure sensor which detects a change in pressure as the user removes his or her eye from the area adjacent the eye shroud to break the display-eye interface; and

a controller coupled to the microdisplay device, to the user verification system, and to the display-eye interface detector, the controller being configured to control the microdisplay device to display secure content information to the user only if the user verification system has verified that the user is the authorized user, and only if the display-eye interface detector has not detected that the display-eye interface has been broken.

8. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the display-eye interface detector comprises an infrared sensor configured to detect external modulated infrared signals reflected off of the face of the user as the user breaks the display-eye interface.

9. The secure content near eye display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the microdisplay device generates display images, the apparatus further comprising a lens array disposed and arranged to generate larger virtual images of the display images generated by the microdisplay device.