Head Wearable Display Pupil-Expanding Waveguide Column Injectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Head-worn displays for cockpit applications often obscure the peripheral and brow area visual field of view, limiting the wearer's ability to see through the visor while displaying images.
Innovation Solution
A head wearable display device featuring a visor implemented as a pupil-expanding waveguide, a processor, an image illumination source, and column injectors along an optical pathway, where the processor outputs collimated image illumination data, and the column injectors can switch between pass-through and deflect states to display pixels on the visor without obstructing the field of view.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a traditional opaque visor is used to display images, then image display capability is improved, but peripheral and brow area visual field of view is obscured
Solution Approach 1:
The visor utilizes transparent display technology that changes its optical properties dynamically. The display regions can transition between transparent and opaque states, allowing the visor to display images while maintaining visibility of the peripheral and brow area visual field. This resolves the contradiction by enabling the visor to adapt its transparency based on display requirements rather than being permanently opaque.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a transparent display medium as an intermediary between the user's view and the displayed information. This intermediary allows light to pass through while presenting visual content, enabling simultaneous viewing of both the external environment (peripheral and brow areas) and the displayed images without complete obstruction of the visual field.
2Area of stationary object
If a transparent visor is used to maintain field of view, then peripheral and brow area visual field of view is preserved, but image display capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent visor incorporates display regions with variable optical density that can be modulated to display images with sufficient contrast and brightness. By dynamically adjusting the optical properties of these regions, the system maintains overall transparency for field of view preservation while enabling effective image display when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The visor employs dynamic control of display region opacity and brightness levels. The display capability is activated and adjusted based on operational requirements, allowing the system to switch between maximizing field of view and maximizing image display quality, thus resolving the contradiction between transparency and display effectiveness.
3Illumination intensity
If the visor is made opaque for image display, then image visibility is improved, but light transmission is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The visor uses transparent display technology that emits or modulates light to create visible images while allowing ambient light to pass through. This approach provides sufficient image brightness for visibility while maintaining light transmission for the wearer's natural vision, avoiding the complete light blockage that would result from an opaque visor.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the brightness, contrast, and transparency parameters of the display regions based on ambient lighting conditions and operational requirements. This parameter modulation enables effective image visibility across varying light conditions while minimizing the impact on overall light transmission through the visor.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the display of images on a transparent visor while maintaining an unobstructed peripheral and brow area visual field of view, allowing the wearer to see through the visor and perceive a complete image by iteratively deflecting optical signals from column injectors.
Implementation Method 1
a visor portion implemented as a pupil-expanding waveguide
Implementation Method 2
When a particular column injector is in the deflect state, the particular column injector is configured to deflect the optical signals into the visor portion
Implementation Method 3
The processor may be configured to receive image data and output collimated image illumination data
Data Source
AI summary
A head wearable display device, a method, and a system. The head wearable display device may include a visor portion implemented as a pupil-expanding waveguide, a processor, an image illumination source communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to output optical signals, an optical pathway, and column injectors implemented in and along the optical pathway. Each of the column injectors may be associated with a pixel column. Each of the column injectors may be configured to be in a pass-through state or a deflect state. When a given column injector is in the pass-through state, the given column injector may allow optical signals to pass through the given column injector. When a particular column injector is in the deflect state, the particular column injector may be configured to deflect the optical signals into the visor portion causing a column of pixels to display in the visor portion.