AR HEADSET WITH AN IMPROVED DISPLA
Augmented reality headsets. A plurality of tilted pin-mirrors imbedded between an inner surface and an outer surface of a combiner, where the plurality of tilted pin-mirrors are configured to reflect the guided image light towards the eye box, and wherein the plurality of pin-mirrors include one or more gaps between them wherein the one or more gaps allow the passage of an ambient light through the combiner towards the eye box.
1 . An augmented reality headset (ARHS) display having a scanning projection image source comprising:
a. a tri-linear display with multiple rows of pixels for rendering a pixelated image;
b. a combiner comprising an imbedded plurality of pin-mirrors that reflect image light towards an eye box, and wherein gaps between the pin-mirrors in the plurality of pin-mirrors allow ambient light to pass through the combiner to the eye box.
c. imaging optics which provide image light to the combiner;
d. a scanning system which deflects the image light along one axis; and
e. a control system which temporally varies the image shown on each row so as to increase the perceived brightness of the image.
2 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the scanning system is a 1D scanning mirror with reciprocating motion.
3 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the scanning system is a polygonal mirror rotating with uniform velocity.
4 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the scanning system is an electro-optic beam deflection device.
5 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the tri-linear display includes a plurality of monochromatic blocks of pixels.
6 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the intensity of the pixels in each of the multiple rows of pixels in the tri-linear display can be modulated and/or the number of rows of pixels in the tri-linear display which are lit can be adjusted to control a grey level.
7 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the tri-linear display includes one or more blocks comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein to attain a lower luminous output for a particular block the number of pixels in a particular block are increased.
8 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the control system implements a pixel illumination scheme, wherein a reduction in the illumination in a column of pixels as the result of a defective pixel in the column is compensated for by illuminating at least one additional pixel in the column.
9 . The ARHS of claim 1 , wherein the trilinear display comprises a plurality of monochromatic blocks, each of the plurality of monochromatic blocks comprising a plurality of rows, and in which each of the plurality of rows are alternately offset from adjacent rows by a fractional pixel pitch so as to enhance system resolution.
10 . The ARHS of claim 9 , wherein the pixels are masked with an opaque mask so as to reduce a fill factor.
11 . The ARHS of claim 9 , further comprising a software anti-aliasing filter that is configured to deconvolve against a display box filter to create a modified anti-aliasing filter.
12 . The ARHS of claim 1 , wherein the tri-linear display comprises more than three types of color emitters, wherein the more than three types of color emitters expand the color gamut of the tri-linear display.
13 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein a pin-mirror size, as seen by a viewer, is nominally constant across the combiner.
14 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the size, shape, spacing, or tilt of the pin-mirrors can be adjusted to change the optical efficiency of the combiner directing the image light to the eye box.
15 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the size, shape, and tilt of the pin-mirrors can be adjusted to change an image blur.
16 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the size, shape, spacing, or tilt of the pin-mirrors can be adjusted to change the optical efficiency of allowing ambient light to pass through the combiner to the eye box.
17 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein a coating of the pin-mirror is configured to improve an optical efficiency of a transiting image light or the ambient light.
18 . The ARHS display of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pin-mirrors is arranged into multiple sub-arrays.
19 . A method for providing an image from an ARHS, comprising;
providing an ARHS with a pair of displays, each of the pair of displays comprising a pixelated color display that provides an image light into a corresponding projection optics;
directing the image light through the corresponding projection optics and edge coupling the image light into a lightguide combiner, wherein the lightguide combiner is configured to redirect transiting image light towards a corresponding eye box;
wherein the light guide combiner includes an imbedded plurality of pin-mirrors that reflect the image light towards the corresponding eye box, and wherein one or more gaps between the pin-mirrors allow ambient light to pass through the combiner to the corresponding eye box; and
wherein, with respect to the image light, the pin-mirrors appear to form a high-fill factor array, while simultaneously appearing as a low-fill factor array for ambient light incident to an outer side surface of the combiner.