Heads-up display
View Patent ↗Embodiments of an apparatus comprising a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a display positioned near the proximal end, an eye-measurement camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-measurement radiation, a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end. The proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-measurement camera and the distal optical element and the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region. Other embodiments are disclosed and claimed.
1. An apparatus comprising:
a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a front surface and a back surface spaced apart from the front surface, an ambient input region on the front surface near the distal end, and an input/output region on the back surface near the distal end;
a display unit positioned near the proximal end;
an eye-measurement camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-measurement radiation;
a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end,
wherein the proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display unit, the eye-measurement camera and the distal optical element such that it directs display light to the distal optical element and directs eye-measurement radiation received from the distal optical element to the eye-measurement camera,
wherein the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region such that it directs display light to the input/output region and directs eye-measurement radiation from the input/output region to the proximal optical element, and
wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal optical element is a non-polarizing beamsplitter.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the display unit comprises:
a display light source positioned on the front surface; and
a display positioned on the back surface.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a focusing element positioned at the distal end of the light guide.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the eye-measurement camera is mounted to the proximal end of the light guide.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising one or more sources of eye-measurement radiation positioned at or near the distal end.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the one or more sources of eye-measurement radiation include:
a first eye-measurement radiation source positioned and oriented to illuminate a user's eye with eye-measurement radiation; and
a second eye-measurement radiation source positioned and oriented to create a glint in the user's eye.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the eye-measurement radiation is of a non-visible wavelength.
8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the eye-measurement radiation is infrared.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a filter positioned over at least a part of the ambient input region.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the distal optical element is a 50/50 beamsplitter.
11. A system comprising:
one or more heads-up displays, each display comprising:
a light guide including a proximal end, a distal end, a front surface, a back surface spaced apart from the front surface, an ambient input region on the front surface near the distal end, and an input/output region on the back surface near the distal end;
a display unit positioned near the proximal end;
an eye-measurement camera positioned at or near the proximal end to image eye-measurement radiation;
a proximal optical element positioned in the light guide near the proximal end and a distal optical element positioned in the light guide near the distal end,
wherein the proximal optical element is optically coupled to the display, the eye-measurement camera and the distal optical element such that it directs display light to the distal optical element and directs eye-measurement radiation received from the distal optical element to the eye-measurement camera,
wherein the distal optical element is optically coupled to the proximal optical element, the ambient input region and the input/output region such that it directs display light to the input/output region and directs eye-measurement radiation from the input/output region to the proximal optical element, and
wherein the proximal optical element is a polarizing beamsplitter and the distal optical element is a non-polarizing beamsplitter; and
a computer coupled to the eye-measurement camera and the display.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the display unit comprises:
a display light source positioned on the front surface; and
a display positioned on the back surface.
13. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a focusing element positioned at the distal end of the light guide.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein the eye-measurement camera is mounted to the proximal end of the light guide.
15. The system of claim 11 , further comprising one or more sources of eye-measurement radiation positioned near the distal end.
16. The system of claim 11 , further comprising a network communicatively coupled to the computer.
17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising one or more servers coupled to the network.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein the one or more servers can analyze images receive from the eye-measurement camera and can transmit information about the eye position to the computer.
19. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more heads-up displays are mounted in a pair of eyeglass frames.
20. The system of claim 11 wherein the distal optical element is a 50/50 beamsplitter.