US 11,079,596 B2 · 3-dimensional electro-optical see-through displays

Abstract

An exemplary display is placed in an optical pathway extending from an entrance pupil of a person's eye to a real-world scene beyond the eye. The display includes at least one 2-D added-image source that is addressable to produce a light pattern corresponding to a virtual object. The source is situated to direct the light pattern toward the person's eye to superimpose the virtual object on an image of the real-world scene as perceived by the eye via the optical pathway. An active-optical element is situated between the eye and the added-image source at a location that is optically conjugate to the entrance pupil and at which the active-optical element forms an intermediate image of the light pattern from the added-image source. The active-optical element has variable optical power and is addressable to change its optical power to produce a corresponding change in perceived distance at which the intermediate image is formed, as an added image to the real-world scene, relative to the eye.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A method for displaying, to a person via a see-through display, an image of a virtual 3-D scene containing objects located at differing 3-D depths within the scene, comprising:

providing a 2-D display physically extending in two directions away from an optical axis of the see-through display;
providing an active-optical element at a location to receive a light pattern emitted by the 2-D display, the active-optical element having an addressable and variable optical power;
switching the optical power of the active-optical element to provide multiple respective focal planes at respective focal distances corresponding to the differing 3-D depths within the virtual 3-D scene, such that the focal distance of the light pattern produced by the 2-D display is modulated in a time-sequential manner;
creating a plurality of perspective views of the virtual 3-D scene, each perspective view containing respective virtual objects at distances associated with respective accommodation cues being provided by the 2-D display;
and
synchronously with switching of the focal planes, updating the light pattern on the 2-D display to render a selected one of the plurality of perspective views matched to the respective accommodation cues being provided by the 2-D display, wherein a switching rate of the focal planes is sufficiently fast to avoid flicker.

3 more elements

A see-through display for placement in an optical pathway extending from an entrance pupil of a person's eye to a real-world scene beyond the eye for displaying to the person via the see-through display, an image of a virtual 3-D scene containing objects located at differing 3-D depths within the virtual 3-D scene, the display comprising:

a 2-D display physically extending in two directions away from an optical axis of the see-through display, the 2-D display addressable to produce at least two light patterns corresponding to respective virtual objects;
an active-optical element disposed at a location to receive the at least two light patterns emitted by the 2-D display, the active-optical element having an addressable and variable optical power;
a controller in communication with the 2-D display and the active-optical element, and configured to switch the optical power of the active-optical element to provide multiple respective focal planes at respective focal distances corresponding to the differing 3-D depths within the virtual 3-D scene, such that the focal distances of the at least two light patterns produced by the 2-D display is modulated in a time-sequential manner, the controller also configured to create a plurality of perspective views of the virtual 3-D scene, each perspective view containing respective virtual objects at distances associated with respective accommodation cues being provided by the 2-D display and configured to update the at least two patterns on the 2-D display, synchronously with switching of the focal planes, to render a selected one of the plurality of perspective views matched to the respective accommodation cues being provided by the 2-D display.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

3-dimensional electro-optical see-through displays

Life of this patent

3-dimensional electro-optical see-through displays

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims16