Remote optical engine for virtual reality or augmented reality headsets
A virtual reality/augmented reality (VR/AR) headset system (including the capability for one or both of virtual reality and augmented reality) includes a remote optical engine. The remote disposition of the optical engine removes many or all of the components of the VR/AR headset system that add weight, heat, and other characteristics that can add to user discomfort in using the system from the headset. An electronic image is received and/or generated remotely at the optical engine, and is transmitted optically from the remote location to the headset to be viewed by the user. One or more optical waveguides may be used to transmit the electronic image to one or more passive displays of the headset, from the remote optical engine.
1. A system, comprising:
a head-mountable frame configured to be worn by a user to view an electronically generated image at a viewing area of the frame;
an image processing unit disposed remote from the frame and electrically decoupled from the frame, the image processing unit arranged to receive and to process an electrical image signal and to generate a processed electrical image signal;
an optical engine disposed remote from the frame and electrically decoupled from the frame, the optical engine electrically coupled to the image processing unit, the optical engine arranged to receive the processed electrical image signal and to generate an optical image;
a rigid optical waveguide integral to the frame and optically coupled to the viewing area at a first end of the rigid optical waveguide, the rigid optical waveguide arranged to project the entire optical image onto the viewing area of the frame; and
an optical waveguide coupled at a first end of the optical waveguide to a second end of the rigid optical waveguide of the frame and coupled at a second end of the optical waveguide to the optical engine, the optical waveguide and the rigid optical waveguide arranged to optically deliver the entire optical image from the optical engine to the viewing area of the frame for viewing by the user without electrical or data signals at the frame.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide is a first optical waveguide, and further comprising a second optical waveguide coupled at a first end of the second optical waveguide to the frame and coupled at a second end of the second optical waveguide to the optical engine, the first optical waveguide arranged to deliver a first part of a stereoscopic optical image to a first part of the viewing area of the frame and the second optical waveguide arranged to deliver a second part of the stereoscopic optical image to a second part of the viewing area of the frame.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the rigid optical waveguide is a first rigid optical waveguide and the viewing area is a first portion of the viewing area, and further comprising a second rigid optical waveguide integral to or coupled to the frame, opposite the first rigid optical waveguide, the second rigid optical waveguide coupled to a second portion of the viewing area at a first end of the second rigid optical waveguide and coupled to the optical waveguide at a second end of the second rigid optical waveguide, the second rigid optical waveguide arranged to project the entire optical image to the second portion of the viewing area of the frame.
4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising a first divergent lens at the first end of the first rigid optical waveguide and a second divergent lens at the first end of the second rigid optical waveguide, the first and second divergent lenses arranged to project the optical image onto an inside surface of the viewing area.
5. The system of claim 3 , wherein the viewing area comprises a mirrored waveguide coupled at the first end of the first and second rigid optical waveguides, and wherein a bending mirror or reflector is disposed at the first end of the optical waveguide and arranged to insert the optical image from the first and second rigid optical waveguides into the mirrored waveguide to deliver the optical image to multiple partial mirrors within the mirrored waveguide.
6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises one or more flexible optical cables, each including an optically transparent core surrounded by a reflective surface.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more flexible optical cables are arranged to simultaneously deliver multiple different optical images superimposed in a field of view of the user.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein one or more of the multiple different optical images have different focal distances from a point of view of the user.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises a planar waveguide arranged to transfer the optical image from the second end of the optical waveguide to the first end of the optical waveguide.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises three optical cables arranged to transfer the optical image in separate red, green, and blue components from the second end of the optical waveguide to the first end of the optical waveguide.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical engine includes a separate enclosure from an enclosure of the processing unit, and wherein the optical engine is worn on a head or a neck of the user.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical engine is disposed remote from a head of the user.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein remote is defined as greater than or equal to 10 cm.
14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical image is reduced in at least one dimension while the optical waveguide delivers the optical image to the viewing area, and wherein an image front of the optical image is preserved and displayed at the viewing area.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the viewing area comprises one or more semi-transparent mirrors arranged to reflect the optical image into an eye of the user and to allow the user to see objects in an environment of the user through the one or more semi-transparent mirrors.
16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the viewing area comprises diffractive optics arranged to reflect the optical image into an eye of the user and to allow the user to see objects in an environment of the user through the one or more diffractive optics.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises a flexible optical waveguide and wherein a bend radius of the flexible optical waveguide is greater than 2.5 times a thickness of the flexible optical waveguide.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the optical waveguide comprises one or more rigid waveguides joined together by one or more joining pieces comprising flexible materials.
19. A method, comprising;
providing a head-mountable frame configured to be worn by a user to view an electronically generated image at a viewing area of the frame;
providing an image processing unit disposed remote from the frame and electrically decoupled from the frame, the image processing unit arranged to receive and to process an electrical image signal and to generate a processed electrical image signal;
providing an optical engine disposed remote from the frame and electrically decoupled from the frame, the optical engine electrically coupled to the image processing unit, the optical engine arranged to receive the processed electrical image signal and to generate an optical image;
providing a rigid optical waveguide integral to the frame and optically coupled to the viewing area at a first end of the rigid optical waveguide, the rigid optical waveguide arranged to project the entire optical image onto the viewing area of the frame; and
providing an optical waveguide coupled at a first end of the optical waveguide to a second end of the rigid optical waveguide of the frame and coupled at a second end of the optical waveguide to the optical engine, the optical waveguide and the rigid optical waveguide arranged to optically deliver the entire optical image from the optical engine to the viewing area of the frame for viewing by the user without electrical or data signals at the frame.
20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the rigid optical waveguide is a first rigid optical waveguide, and further comprising providing a second rigid waveguide at the frame, integral to or coupled to the frame, the optical waveguide being a flexible waveguide optically coupled to the first and second rigid waveguides and the first and second rigid waveguides being optically coupled to separate portions of the viewing area of the frame.
21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising providing one or more optical fibers at the frame, integral to or coupled to the frame, the optical waveguide being a flexible waveguide optically coupled to the one or more optical fibers and the one or more optical fibers being optically coupled to the viewing area of the frame.