Optical beam tilt for offset head mounted display

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to the field of optics, and in particular but not exclusively, relates to head mounted displays.

[0002] A head mounted display (“HMD”) is a display device worn on or about the head. HMDs usually incorporate some sort of near-to-eye optical system to emit a light image within a few centimeters of the human eye. Single eye displays are referred to as monocular HMDs while dual eye displays are referred to as binocular HMDs. Some HMDs display only a computer generated image (“CGI”) while blocking the user's external view. These HMD displays are often referred to as virtual reality (“VR”) displays. Other HMDs are capable of superimposing CGI over a real-world view. This latter type of HMD can serve as the hardware platform for realizing augmented reality (“AR”). With AR the viewer's image of the world is augmented with an overlaying CGI. Another term used to refer to various types of HMDs is a heads-up display (“HUD”). A HUD is any display that permits the user to view a CGI without having to look down or otherwise taking their eyes significantly off their head up forward position. Both VR and AR HMDs can be implemented as HUDs.

[0003] HMDs have numerous practical and leisure applications. Aerospace applications permit a pilot to see vital flight control information without taking their eye off the flight path. Public safety applications include tactical displays of maps and thermal imaging. Other application fields include video games, transportation, and telecommunications. There is certain to be new found practical and leisure applications as the technology evolves; however, many of these applications are limited due to the cost, size, weight, limited field of view, small eyebox, or poor efficiency of conventional optical systems used to implemented existing HMDs. In particular, conventional HMDs often restrict the users view of the external world, making them awkward to wear during regular daily activities.

[0010] Embodiments of an apparatus, system, and method of operation of an eyepiece for a head mounted display (“HMD”) that outputs computer generated image (“CGI”) light along a tilted emission path are described herein. In the following description numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the techniques described herein can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring certain aspects.

[0011] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a head mounted display (“HMD”) 100 for wearing offset from a user's eye(s) 101, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The illustrated embodiment of HMD 100 includes an electronics housing 105 and eyepiece 110 supported on the head of the user by a frame assembly. The illustrated frame assembly includes a right ear arm 115, left ear arm (not illustrated), and a nose bridge 120. HMD 100 may be implemented as a monocular embodiment that includes a single eyepiece 110 for displaying CGI light 125 to a single eye 101 (illustrated) or a binocular embodiment that includes dual eyepieces 110 for displaying CGI light to both eyes (not illustrated).

[0013] Electronics housing 105 and eyepiece 110 are secured into an eyeglass arrangement that can be worn on the head of a user either above (illustrated) or below (not illustrated) the users eyes 101. The left and right ear arms rest over the user's ears while nose bridge 120 rests over the user's nose. The frame assembly is shaped and sized to position an eyepiece 110 in a near-to-eye configuration above (or below) the user's central forward vision. Of course, other frame assemblies having other shapes may be used (e.g., a visor with ear arms and a nose bridge support, a single contiguous headset member, a headband, goggles type eyewear, etc.). By positioning eyepiece 110 above the user's eyes, HMD 100 does not constrain the lateral field of view (“FOV”) of the user's forward vision. Eyepiece 110 is designed to emit CGI light 125 along an emission path that is tilted down towards the user's eye 101. The tilted emission path is achieved using an partially reflective surface having a compound folding angle housed internal to eyepiece 110. Thus, the external side surfaces of eyepiece 110 can maintain a vertical or near vertical position, thus improving the industrial design of HMD 100 and maintaining a pleasing aesthetics. To view CGI light 125, the user need only tilt their gaze upward by a gazing angle θ above horizontal 130 (or downward in the cases of eyepiece 110 suspended below the eye) to align with the downward tilt angle δ of CGI light 125 emitted from eyepiece 110. In one embodiment, the frame assembly is designed to hold eyepiece 110 relative to eye 101, such that tilt angle δ=−7 degree±3 degrees will centrally position the image on eye 101 when the user lifts their gazing angle θ by a corresponding angle. In other words, to view CGI light 125, θ≅−δ.

[0014] The illustrated embodiment of HMD 100 is capable of displaying an CGI to the user in the form of a heads up display (“HUD”) without undue obstruction of their forward vision. In one embodiment, the viewing region of eyepiece 110 is partially transparent, which further permits the user to see the external real world even through eyepiece 110 even when they look up. When looking up, the CGI light 125 may be seen by the user as virtual images superimposed over the real world as an augmented reality. In some embodiments, eyepiece 110 may be opaque and block their upward external vision. Electronics housing 105 may house various electronic components for operation of HMD 100 such as a power supply, a graphics engine, a microprocessor, input/output circuitry, a wireless transceiver, memory, etc.

[0015] FIGS. 2A-C illustrate various side views of an eyepiece 200 that outputs CGI light 125 along a tilted emission path, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Eyepiece 200 is one possible implementation of eyepiece 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. The illustrated embodiment of eyepiece 200 includes a display module 205, a light relay section 210, a viewing region 215, a quarter-wave plate rotator 220, and an end reflector 225. The illustrated embodiment of display module 205 includes a lamp source 230, an in-coupling beam splitter 235, a display panel 240, and a light absorbing coating 245. The illustrated embodiment of light relay section 210 includes small section 250, a half-wave plate polarization rotator 255, light blocks 260, and large section 265. The illustrated embodiment of viewing region 215 is a see-through region with an out-coupling beam splitter 270 having a partially reflective surface 275. Viewing region 215 includes an eye-ward side 271 for emission of CGI light 125 towards eye 101 and an external scene side 274 through which, in some embodiments, ambient light 276 may pass.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a process 300 of operation of eyepiece 200, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Process 300 is described with reference to FIGS. 2A-C. The order in which some or all of the process blocks appear in process 300 should not be deemed limiting. Rather, one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure will understand that some of the process blocks may be executed in a variety of orders not illustrated, or even in parallel.

[0017] In a process block 305, lamp source 230 generates lamp light used to illuminate display panel 240, which modules image data onto the lamp light to create CGI light 125. At least a portion of the lamp light passes through in-coupling beam splitter 235 to illuminate display panel 240 (process block 310). In one embodiment, in-coupling beam splitter 235 is a polarizing beam splitter (“PBS”) cube that substantially passes light of a first polarization (e.g., P polarization), while substantially reflecting light of a second polarization (e.g., S polarization). These two polarization components are typically orthogonal linear polarizations. The emitted light may be pre-polarized (e.g., P polarized) or unpolarized light. In either event, the P polarization component passes through in-coupling beam splitter 235 to illuminate display panel 240 while most of any remaining portions of S polarization are reflected back onto light absorbing coating 245 (e.g., flat black paint). Thus, in the illustrated embodiment, display panel 240 is mounted in opposition to lamp source 230 with in-coupling beam splitter 235 disposed in between. In other embodiments (not illustrated), display panel 240 and light absorbing coating 245 can swap locations.

[0018] Display panel 240 (e.g., liquid crystal on silicon panel, digital micro-mirror display, etc.) imparts image data onto the lamp light via selective reflection by an array of reflective pixels (process block 315). In an embodiment using an LCOS panel, reflection by display panel 240 rotates the polarization of the incident lamp light by 90 degrees. Upon reflection of the incident lamp light, CGI light 125 (which has been rotated in polarization by 90 degrees to be, for example, S polarized) is re-directed by in-coupling beam splitter 235 and propagates down light relay section 210 along a forward propagation path towards viewing region 215 (process block 320). In an embodiment using a digital micro-mirror display, in-coupling beam splitter 235 may be implemented as a standard 50/50 non-polarizing beam splitter and the CGI light 125 may be unpolarized light.

[0019] In the illustrated embodiment, CGI light 125 is directed along the forward propagation path within light relay section 210 without need of total internal reflection (“TIR”). In other words, the cross sectional shape and divergence of the light cone formed by CGI light 125 is confined such that the light rays reach end reflector 225 without need of TIR off the sides of light relay section 210.

[0020] In-coupling beam splitter 235, light relay section 210, and out-coupling beam splitter 270 may be fabricated of a number of materials including glass, optical grade plastic, fused silica, PMMA, Zeonex-E48R, or otherwise. The length of light relay section 210 may be selected based upon the temple-eye separation of the average adult and such that the focal plane of end reflector 225 substantially coincides with an emission aperture of display panel 240. To achieve focal plane alignment with the emission aperture of display panel 240, both the length of light relay section 210 and the radius of curvature of end reflector 225 may be selected in connection with each other.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, light relay section 210 includes half-wave plate polarization rotator 255 disposed at the interface between small section 250 and large section 265. Half-wave plate polarization rotator 255 servers to rotate the polarization of CGI light 125 by 90 degrees (e.g., convert the S polarized light back to P polarized light again). The illustrated embodiment of light relay section 210 further includes light blocks 260 disposed on the edges of large section 265 that extend past small section 250. Light blocks 260 reduce external light from leaking into light relay section 210. Light blocks 260 may be opaque paint, a opaque collar extending around small section 250, or otherwise. In other embodiments, light relay section 210 may not include a small section 250, rather the entire length of light relay section 210 may have a continuous sloped cross-section or a constant size cross-section.

[0022] In the illustrated embodiment, out-coupling beam splitter 270 is an out-coupling PBS cube configured to pass one linear polarization (e.g., P polarization), while reflecting the other linear polarization (e.g., S polarization). Thus, the out-coupling PBS passes CGI light 125 propagating along the forward propagation path through viewing region 215 to quarter wave-plate polarization rotator 220.

[0023] In a process block 330, CGI light 125 then passes through quarter-wave plate polarization rotator 220 along the forward propagation path. In so doing, the polarization of the CGI light is circularly polarized.

[0024] In a process block 335, CGI light 125 is reflected back along the reverse propagation path by end reflector 225. In one embodiment, end reflector 225 is a concave reflector and has a shape to substantially collimate CGI light 125 reflected along the reverse propagation path. Collimating the CGI light has an effect of virtually displacing the CGI image at or near infinity thereby helping the human eye 101 to bring the CGI image into focus in a near-to-eye configuration. Of course, end reflector 225 may reduce the divergence without fully collimating the light, thereby displacing the virtual image at a location less than infinity (e.g., 1 to 3 meters).

[0025] In a process block 340, the reflected CGI light traveling along the reverse propagation path once again passes through quarter-wave plate polarization rotator 220, causing the reversed circularly polarized CGI light to be linearly polarized at an orthogonal direction of polarization to the forward propagation path. Thus, after passing through polarization rotator 220 for the second time, CGI light 125 has a polarization that is substantially reflected by out-coupling beam splitter 270 (e.g., S polarization). In a process block 345, the CGI light is reflected by out-coupling PBS 215 and redirected out of eyepiece 200 through eye-ward side 271 towards eye 101.

[0026] Partially reflective surface 275 has a compound folding angle that not only redirects CGI light 125 along an emission path that is substantially normal to both the reverse propagation path and the eye-ward side 271 of viewing region 215 but also tilts downward at tilt angle δ to reach eye 101 located below eyepiece 200. However, the compound folding angle of partially reflective surface 275 results in image rotation to CGI light 125 due to tilt angle δ. Referring to FIGS. 2B and 2C, this image rotation is pre-compensated by rotating display panel 240 in a complementary direction by a rotation angle φ. The magnitude of φ is less than the magnitude of tilt angle δ due to the refractive bending of the emission path as CGI light 125 exits eyepiece 101 (see FIG. 2C). For example, to achieve a 7 degree tilt angle δ, display panel 240 may be rotated in a complementary direction by rotation angle φ of 4.55 degrees.

[0027] FIGS. 4A-C illustrate various views of an out-coupling beam splitter 400, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Out-coupling beam splitter 400 is one possible implementation of out-coupling beam splitter 270. The illustrated embodiment of out-coupling beam splitter 400 includes a partially reflective surface 405 having a compound folding angle. Partially reflective surface 405 may be implemented as a non-polarizing beam splitter (e.g., 50/50 beam splitter), such as a thin layer of silver, or a polarizing beam splitter, such as a multi-layer thin film structure.

[0028] The compound folding angle causes partially reflective surface 405 to slope along two independent axis with each axis having an independent folding angle. The first folding angle is responsible for redirecting the emission path of CGI light 125 to be approximately normal to eye-ward side 271 and normal to the reverse propagation path. The second folding angle ω is responsible for generating the downward tilt of the emission path. It is noteworthy that the second folding angle ω is substantially equal in magnitude though complementary in direction to rotation angle φ (see FIG. 2B) for rotating display panel 240. While a folding angle would typically be 45 degrees to achieve a normal emission path, due to the compound folding angles applied to partially reflective surface 405, a folding angle of approximately 44.82 degrees achieves a normal emission path. Similarly, a second folding angle ω of 7 degrees may be expected to achieve a tilted emission path of 7 degrees; however, due to the compound folding angles and the refraction of CGI light 125 as it exits eyepiece 200, a second folding angle ω of approximately 4.55 degrees achieves the 7 degree tilted emission path (e.g., tilt angle δ illustrated in FIG. 2C).

[0029] FIGS. 5A & B illustrate views of an eyepiece 500, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. Eyepiece 500 is another possible implementation of eyepiece 110 illustrated in FIG. 1. Eyepiece 500 is similar to eyepiece 200, except that the pre-compensation for image rotation due to folding angle ω is implemented by rotating the entire display module 205 along line 505 or along line 510 instead of rotating display panel 240 as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

[0030] The above description of illustrated embodiments of the invention, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. While specific embodiments of, and examples for, the invention are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

[0031] These modifications can be made to the invention in light of the above detailed description. The terms used in the following claims should not be construed to limit the invention to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined entirely by the following claims, which are to be construed in accordance with established doctrines of claim interpretation.