Display Waveguide Disparity Sensing for Binocular Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing head-mounted displays (HMDs) face challenges in accurately detecting binocular disparity due to deformation and misalignment of components, which leads to spatial disparity, intensity changes, noise, and distortion in displayed content, particularly affecting 3D or stereoscopic images, and reducing immersion.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of dedicated optical structures, such as photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which provide a separate optical path for disparity sensing, enhancing light efficiency and accuracy by directing a portion of display light to a disparity sense circuit to detect binocular disparity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If dedicated optical structures like photonic integrated circuits are incorporated for disparity sensing, then measurement precision of binocular disparity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical system is segmented into separate functional paths: a display waveguide for presenting content to the user and a disparity waveguide for sensing binocular disparity. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as an integrated system, thereby improving measurement precision without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The photonic integrated circuit serves multiple functions by incorporating both display waveguide and disparity waveguide functionalities within a single device. The PIC integrates optical elements for both content delivery and disparity detection, enabling one component to perform multiple tasks and thus managing device complexity while achieving high measurement precision
2Reliability
If a separate optical path is provided for disparity sensing, then reliability of disparity detection is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The display waveguide and disparity waveguide are merged into a single integrated photonic circuit structure. This merging ensures that both optical paths share common manufacturing processes and alignment references, thereby improving reliability of disparity detection while reducing the differential manufacturing precision requirements that would arise from separate independent components
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
The solution significantly improves the accuracy and efficiency of disparity detection, allowing for real-time adjustment of rendered content to mitigate spatial disparity and enhance user immersion.
Implementation Method 1
directing a portion of display light to a disparity sense circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A display waveguide is configured to direct a first portion of display light to an eye along a first optical path. A disparity waveguide is configured to direct a second portion of the display light to a disparity sense circuit along a second optical path separated from the first optical path.