Dynamic focus 3D display
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorAlexander Shpunt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A direct retinal projector system that provides dynamic focusing for virtual reality (VR) and/or augmented reality (AR) is described. A direct retinal projector system scans images, pixel by pixel, directly onto the subject's retinas. This allows individual pixels to be optically affected dynamically as the images are scanned to the subject's retinas. Dynamic focusing components and techniques are described that may be used in a direct retinal projector system to dynamically and correctly focus each pixel in VR images as the images are being scanned to a subject's eyes. This allows objects, surfaces, etc. that are intended to appear at different distances in a scene to be projected to the subject's eyes at the correct depths.
Claims13
A system, comprising:
- a projector configured to scan a frame of a scene to a subject's eye, wherein the projector comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and a focusing mechanism, wherein the focusing mechanism comprises a plurality of microlenses located in front of the plurality of light emitting elements, and wherein the microlenses respectively correspond to respective ones of the light emitting elements to focus beams of light emitted by the respective ones of the light emitting elements at different focus distances;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- determine a depth at each pixel in the scene;
- and
- cause the focusing mechanism to focus each pixel at a focus distance that corresponds to the determined depth at the pixel as the frame is being scanned by the projector,
- wherein focusing each pixel at a focus distance that corresponds to the determined depth at the pixel as the frame is being scanned by the projector causes objects in the scene that are intended to appear at different depths to be projected to the subject's eye at correct depths.
A method, comprising:
- scanning, by a projector under control of a controller, an image of a scene to a subject's eye, wherein the projector comprises a plurality of light emitting elements and a focusing mechanism, wherein the focusing mechanism comprises a plurality of microlenses located in front of the plurality of light emitting elements, wherein the microlenses respectively correspond to respective ones of the light emitting elements to focus beams of light emitted by the respective ones of the light emitting elements at different focus distances, and wherein said scanning comprises:
- determining, by the controller, a depth at each pixel in the scene;
- and
- focusing, by the projector under control of the controller, each pixel at a focus distance that corresponds to the determined depth at the pixel as the image is being scanned by the projector,
- wherein focusing each pixel at a focus distance that corresponds to the determined depth at the pixel as the image is being scanned by the projector causes objects in the scene that are intended to appear at different depths to be projected to a subject's eyes at correct depths.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.