IP Library Granted Patent US 12681315
Granted Patent B2
US 12681315 · App. 18/902,030 · Granted Jul 14, 2026

Display devices with in-field calibration

Inventors: Dominic P Cincione (San Francisco, CA); Cameron A Harder (San Francisco, CA); Christopher Patton (San Jose, CA); Nicholas C Soldner (Los Altos, CA); Scott M DeLapp (San Diego, CA)
G02B27/0179G02B27/0172G06T7/70G02B2027/0132G02B2027/0138G02B2027/0178G02B2027/0181G02B2027/0198G06T2207/30244
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12681315
App. No.
18/902,030
Granted
Jul 14, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A head-mounted device may include a first display having a first projector and a first waveguide, a second display having a second projector and a second waveguide, first and second cameras, an optical sensor that couples the first waveguide to the second waveguide, and position sensors mounted to the first and second cameras and the optical sensor. The optical sensor may gather image sensor data from first image light propagating in the first waveguide and second image light propagating in the second waveguide. The cameras may capture real-world images. The position sensors may gather position measurements. Control circuitry may calibrate optical misalignment in the device by adjusting the first and/or second image light based on the image sensor data, the position measurements, and/or the world light.

Claims (53)

1 . An electronic device, comprising:

a housing having a frame with a nose bridge and having temples coupled to the frame by hinges;

a projector in the housing and configured to output light;

a waveguide in the housing and configured to propagate the light;

an optical coupler on the waveguide and configured to couple a first portion of the light out of the waveguide while passing a second portion of the light;

an optical sensor at the nose bridge and configured to generate sensor data in response to the second portion of the light; and

an inertial measurement unit at the nose bridge, affixed to the optical sensor, and configured to measure orientation information, the projector being configured to adjust the light based on the sensor data and the orientation information.

2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the inertial measurement unit is integrated within the optical sensor.

3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a camera on the housing and configured to capture an image of world light.

4 . The electronic device of claim 3 , the projector being further configured to adjust the light to register a virtual object in the light to a real-world object in the world light based on the image of the world light, the orientation information, and the sensor data.

5 . The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an additional projector in the housing and configured to output additional light;

an additional waveguide in the housing and configured to propagate the additional light;

an additional optical coupler on the additional waveguide and configured to couple a first portion of the additional light out of the waveguide while passing a second portion of the additional light; and

an additional optical sensor in the housing and configured to generate additional sensor data in response to the second portion of the additional light, the projector being further configured to adjust the light based on the additional sensor data.

6 . The electronic device of claim 5 , the projector being further configured to adjust the light to compensate for a binocular misalignment between the projector and the additional projector based on the sensor data and the additional sensor data.

7 . The electronic device of claim 5 , further comprising:

an optical sensor module that includes the optical sensor and the additional optical sensor and that is mounted to the waveguide and the additional waveguide.

8 . The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the optical sensor module is disposed in the nose bridge and wherein the optical sensor module comprises mirrors.

9 . A head-mounted display device comprising:

a housing having a first portion, a second portion, and a nose bridge that couples the first portion to the second portion;

a first projector in the first portion of the housing and configured to produce first light;

a first waveguide in the first portion of the housing and configured to propagate the first light;

a first outward-facing camera (OFC) on the first portion of the housing;

a second projector in the second portion of the housing and configured to produce second light;

a second waveguide in the second portion of the housing and configured to propagate the second light;

a second OFC on the second portion of the housing, the first OFC and the second OFC being configured to capture images of world light;

an optical sensor in the nose bridge and coupled to the first and second waveguides;

a first inertial measurement unit at the first OFC;

a second inertial measurement unit at the second OFC; and

a third inertial measurement unit at the nose bridge.

10 . The head-mounted display device of claim 9 , wherein the first inertial measurement unit is configured to gather first position measurements, the second inertial measurement unit is configured to gather second position measurements, and the third inertial measurement unit is configured to gather third position measurements, the optical sensor being configured to gather image sensor data in response to the first light and the second light.

11 . The head-mounted display device of claim 10 , the first projector being configured to adjust the first light based on the first position measurements, the second position measurements, the third position measurements, and the image sensor data.

12 . The head-mounted display device of claim 11 , the first projector and the second projector being configured to correct a binocular misalignment between the first light and the second light based on the image sensor data.

13 . The head-mounted display device of claim 12 , the first projector being configured to register a virtual object in the first light to an object in the world light based on the first position measurements, the second position measurements, the third position measurements, the images of the world light, and the image sensor data.

14 . The head-mounted display device of claim 9 , wherein the third inertial measurement unit is mounted to the optical sensor.

15 . The head-mounted display device of claim 9 , wherein the first projector is configured to direct the first light into a first end of the first waveguide, the optical sensor is mounted to a second end of the first waveguide opposite the first end of the first waveguide, the second projector is configured to direct the second light into a first end of the second waveguide, and the optical sensor is mounted to a second end of the second waveguide opposite the first end of the second waveguide.

16 . The head-mounted display device of claim 15 , wherein the first OFC overlaps the first end of the first waveguide and the second OFC overlaps the first end of the second waveguide.

17 . A method of operating a head-mounted device comprising:

with a first projector in a first display in a first portion of a housing, producing first light that is coupled into a first waveguide in the first display;

with a second projector in a second display in a second portion of the housing, producing second light that is coupled into a second waveguide in the second display;

with a first camera in the first portion of the housing, capturing a first image of world light;

with a second camera in the second portion of the housing, capturing a second image of the world light;

with an optical sensor, receiving a portion of the first light from the first waveguide and a portion of the second light from the second waveguide and generating sensor data from the portion of the first light and the portion of the second light;

with a first inertial measurement unit at the first camera and in the first portion of the housing, gathering a first position measurement;

with a second inertial measurement unit at the second camera and in the second portion of the housing, gathering a second position measurement; and

with one or more processors, adjusting the first light based on the sensor data, the first position measurement, and the second position measurement.

18 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

with the one or more processors, identifying a first relative orientation between the first camera and the second camera, a second relative orientation between the first display and the first camera, and a third relative orientation between the second display and the second camera, wherein adjusting the first light comprises adjusting the first light based on the sensor data, the first image and the second image of the world light, the first relative orientation, the second relative orientation, and the third relative orientation.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein adjusting the first light comprises:

adjusting the first light to correct for a binocular misalignment between the first display and the second display based on the sensor data.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the first inertial measurement unit is integrated within the first camera.