IP Library Granted Patent US 9,182,596
Granted Patent B2
US 9,182,596 · App. 13/429,688 · Granted Nov 10, 2015

See-through near-eye display glasses with the optical assembly including absorptive polarizers or anti-reflective coatings to reduce stray light

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,182,596
App. No.
13/429,688
Granted
Nov 10, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

This disclosure concerns an interactive head-mounted eyepiece with an integrated processor for handling content for display and an integrated image source for introducing the content to an optical assembly through which the user views a surrounding environment and the displayed content. The optical assembly includes absorptive polarizers or anti-reflective coatings to reduce stray light.

Claims (33)

1. An interactive head-mounted device, comprising:

an optical assembly through which a surrounding environment is viewable, the optical assembly including a partially transparent curved mirror optically intermediate the surrounding environment and a user's eye and a polarizing beam splitter optically intermediate the partially transparent curved mirror and the user's eye;

an integrated processor for handling virtual content for display;

an integrated image source for introducing the virtual content to the optical assembly; and

an absorptive polarizer optically intermediate the integrated image source and the polarizing beam splitter.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the absorptive polarizer comprises an anti-reflective coating.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the absorptive polarizer is disposed after a focusing lens of the optical assembly to reduce light passing through an optically flat film of the optical assembly.

4. An interactive head-mounted device, comprising:

an optical assembly including a curved mirror through which a surrounding environment is viewable;

an integrated processor for handling virtual content for display;

an integrated image source for introducing the virtual content to the optical assembly, the curved mirror of the optical assembly configured to reflect the virtual content to a user's eye; and

an anti-reflective coating in the optical assembly to reduce stray light.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on a polarizer of the optical assembly.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on a retarding film of the optical assembly.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the retarding film is a quarter wave film.

8. The device of claim 6 , wherein the retarding film is a half wave film.

9. The device of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective coating is disposed on an outer surface of a partially reflecting mirror.

10. The device of claim 4 , wherein light from the image source is polarized to increase contrast.

11. An augmented reality system, comprising:

an image source for projecting virtual content, the image source including an absorptive polarizer;

a curved mirror optically intermediate a surrounding environment and a user's eye; and

a beam splitting layer optically intermediate the image source and the curved mirror on a reflection path and optically intermediate the curved mirror and the user's eye on a transmission path;

wherein virtual content projected from the image source reflects off the beam splitting layer on the reflection path to the curved mirror, and reflects off the curved mirror through the beam splitting layer on the transmission path to the user's eye; and

wherein light from the surrounding environment passes through the curved mirror and the beam splitting layer on the transmission path to the user's eye.

12. The augmented reality system of claim 11 , wherein the absorptive polarizer comprises an anti-reflective coating.

13. The augmented reality system of claim 11 , wherein the absorptive polarizer is optically intermediate an unpolarized light source and a wire-grid polarizer.

14. The augmented reality system of claim 13 , wherein the image source further comprises a diffuser optically intermediate the unpolarized light source and the absorptive polarizer.

15. The augmented reality system of claim 13 , wherein the unpolarized light source includes a light emitting diode.

16. The augmented reality system of claim 13 , wherein the image source further comprises a liquid crystal on silicon panel optically downstream of the wire-grid polarizer.

17. The augmented reality system of claim 16 , wherein the liquid crystal on silicon panel is configured to reflect light back through the wire-grid polarizer.

18. The augmented reality system of claim 11 , wherein light from the image source is S-polarized.

19. The device of claim 4 , wherein the curved mirror has a concave curvature relative to the user's eye.

20. The augmented reality system of claim 11 , wherein the curved mirror has a concave curvature relative to the user's eye.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 034544/0541 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 17, 2014
From: OSTERHOUT GROUP, INC.
To: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 032087/0954 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 22, 2013
From: BORDER, JOHN N.; HADDICK, JOHN D.; LOHSE, ROBERT MICHAEL; OSTERHOUT, RALPH F.
To: OSTERHOUT GROUP, INC.
Reel/Frame 029854/0700 →