See-through computer display systems
View Patent ↗Aspects of the present invention relate to providing see-through computer display optics.
1. A see-through head mounted display with controllable light blocking comprising:
a. an optics module comprising a light source, an image source, and an angled partially-reflective surface, wherein the light source and the image source are positioned opposite one another on opposite sides of the angled partially-reflective surface, wherein the light source projects light through the angled partially-reflective surface to the image source, the image source projects image light to the angled partially-reflective surface, and the angled partially-reflective surface reflects the image light towards a flat combiner;
b. the flat combiner positioned to reflect the image light while simultaneously transmitting more than 50% of incident light from an environment, along an optical axis that proceeds to a user's eye to provide a view of a displayed image overlaid onto a see-through view of the environment;
c. an eye imaging camera positioned to image the user's eye directly through the angled partially-reflective surface, wherein the eye imaging camera is positioned to capture an image of the user's eye that has a perspective from directly in front of the user's eye to provide an undistorted image of the user's eye; and
d. a controllable light blocking element to block incident light from the environment incident on the same optical axis as the image light.
2. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the optics module includes a DLP image source.
3. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the optics module includes an LCoS image source.
4. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the optics module includes an emissive image source.
5. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the image light proceeds along a multiply folded optical axis in the optics module to provide the optics module with reduced thickness and height.
6. The see-through head mounted display of claim 3 , wherein at least one of a multiple of folds of the multiply folded optical axis occurs in a plane that is perpendicular to the optical axis that proceeds to the user's eye.
7. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the flat combiner is a partial mirror.
8. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the flat combiner is a notch mirror.
9. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the controllable light blocking element comprises at least one of an electrochromic element, a polymer stabilized liquid crystal and a ferroelectric liquid crystal.
10. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the controllable light blocking element is attached to a lower surface of the flat combiner.
11. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the controllable light blocking element is attached to a sidewall of the optics module adjacent to the flat combiner.
12. The see-through head mounted display of claim 1 , wherein the controllable light blocking element is segmented to provide an array of areas that are separately selectably controlled.
13. The see-through head mounted display of claim 12 , wherein the array of areas are selectably controlled to block portions of the flat combiner that correspond to high contrast areas in the displayed image.
14. The see-through head mounted display of claim 12 , wherein the array of areas are selectably controlled to block portions of the flat combiner that correspond to areas where information or objects are displayed.