Near-to-eye display hot shoe communication line

1. An apparatus comprising:

a near-to-eye display;

a microcontroller;

a hot shoe interface with an external port configured to communicate with an external mounting device for the near-to-eye-display;

a hot shoe interface line between the external port and the microcontroller; and

a communication line between the external port and the microcontroller which is configured to share at least a portion of the hot shoe interface line and is configured to transmit and receive external communications through the external port,

wherein the microcontroller is configured to activate and deactivate transmission over the communication line in response to predetermined signals received over the communication line,

wherein the hot shoe interface line comprises first and second redundant stow signal lines for the near-to-eye display device;

wherein the communication line comprises a transmit line and a receive line;

wherein the transmit line-shares at least a portion of the first redundant stow signal line; and

wherein the receive line shares at least a portion of the second redundant stow signal line.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first and second redundant stow lines are physically coupled to pins of the microcontroller.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to place the near-to-eye display device in a maintenance mode.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to receive a video signal over the communication line and display the video signal on the near-to-the-eye display.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured receive a software update via the communication line.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 ,

wherein the microcontroller is configured to activate and deactivate transmission over the communication line in response to the predetermined signals being received over the communication line within a first predetermined period of time from the external mounting device transitioning from one of an active orientation or a stowed orientation to the other.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to activate or deactivate transmission over the communication line within a second predetermined period of time from the near-to-eye display being powered-on.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , further comprising a by-pass switch configured to cause the microcontroller to by-pass the first predetermined period of time and/or the second predetermined period of time in response to the switch being activated.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to deactivate transmission over the communication line when a stow signal is received over the stow line within a third predetermined period of time that is shorter in duration than the second predetermined period of time.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a switch configured to selectively connect the hot shoe interface to ground, wherein transitioning the external mounting device of the near-to-eye display from one of an active orientation or a stowed orientation to the other activates the switch; and

wherein the microcontroller is configured to activate and deactivate transmission over the communication line in response to activation of the switch.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to activate transmission over communication line when the switch is in an open state.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the external mounting device is a helmet mount.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the near-to-eye display comprises at least one of a night vision goggle, a thermal imager or an augmented reality goggle.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a tri-statable buffer configured to be controlled by the microcontroller to activate and deactivate transmission over the communication line.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further configured to activate or deactivate transmission over the communication line within a predetermined period of time from at least one of the near-to-eye display being powered-on or the mounting device transitioning from one of an active orientation or a stowed orientation to the other.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising a by-pass switch configured to cause the microcontroller to by-pass the predetermined period of time in response to the switch being activated.

17. A method comprising:

powering-up or resetting a near-to-eye-display;

receiving, via a stow line between an external port of a hot shoe interface of the near-to-eye display and a microcontroller of the near-to-eye display, an indication that a mounting device of the near-to-eye display has transitioned from one of an active orientation or a stowed orientation to the other;

receiving, via a communication line between the external port of the hot shoe interface of the near-to-eye display and the microcontroller of the near-to-eye display, a first predetermined signal within a predetermined period of time from the mounting device transitioning from the one of the active orientation or the stowed orientation to the other;

activating, via the microcontroller and in response to receiving the first predetermined signal, transmission over the communication line between the microcontroller and the external port of the hot shoe interface;

receiving, via the communication line between the external port of the hot shoe interface of the near-to-eye display and the microcontroller of the near-to-eye display, a second predetermined signal; and

deactivating, via the microcontroller and in response to receiving the second predetermined, transmission over the communication line,

wherein the hot shoe interface line comprises first and second redundant stow signal lines for the near-to-eye display device;

wherein the communication line shares at least a portion of the hot shoe interface line and is configured to transmit and receive external communications through the external port and comprises a transmit line and a receive line;

wherein the transmit line shares at least a portion of the first redundant stow signal line; and

wherein the receive line shares at least a portion of the second redundant stow signal line.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising placing the near-to-eye display in a maintenance mode.