Enhanced pixel resolution through non-uniform ocular projection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162182-B2
Application number	US-201615065790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	Aug 3, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A display device includes a two-dimensional array of tiles. Each tile includes a two-dimensional array of pixels and a lens, of a two-dimensional array of lenses. The display device also includes one or more processors coupled with the two-dimensional array of tiles and configured to: obtain a transformed image for projecting a non-transformed image on a retina of an eye of a user; activate a first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles for projecting a first portion of the transformed image on the retina of the eye of the user with a first resolution; and activate a second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles for projecting a second portion of the transformed image on the retina of the eye of the user with a second resolution.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a two-dimensional array of tiles, each tile comprising:
a two-dimensional array of pixels, wherein each pixel is configured to output light so that the two-dimensional array of pixels outputs a respective pattern of light; and
a lens, of a two-dimensional array of lenses, configured to direct at least a portion of the respective pattern of light from the two-dimensional array of pixels to a pupil of an eye of a user; and

one or more processors coupled with the two-dimensional array of tiles and configured to:
obtain a transformed image for projecting a non-transformed image on a retina of the eye of the user, wherein the transformed image is distinct from the non-transformed image in that a first portion of the non-transformed image and a second portion of the non-transformed image have a same size and a first portion of the transformed image that corresponds to the first portion of the non-transformed image and a second portion of the transformed image that corresponds to the second portion of the non-transformed image have distinct sizes;
activate a first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles for projecting, from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the first portion of the transformed image on the retina of the eye of the user; and
activate a second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, that is distinct from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, for projecting, from the second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the second portion of the transformed image, that is distinct from the first portion of the transformed image, on the retina of the eye of the user, wherein:
the two-dimensional array of lenses is configured to project, from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the first portion of the transformed image with a first demagnification ratio and project, from the second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the second portion of the transformed image with a second demagnification ratio that is distinct from the first demagnification ratio so that the first portion of the transformed image, when projected on the retina of the eye, has a first pixel resolution and the second portion of the transformed image, when projected on the retina of the eye, has a second pixel resolution that is distinct from the first pixel resolution.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the transformed image from one or more electronic devices located separately from the display device.

3. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate the transformed image from the non-transformed image.

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first portion of the transformed image corresponds to a third portion of the non-transformed image;
the second portion of the transformed image corresponds to a fourth portion of the non-transformed image;
the non-transformed image has a first image resolution for both the third portion and the fourth portion;
the first portion of the transformed image has a second image resolution; and
the second portion of the transformed image has a third image resolution that is distinct from the second image resolution.

5. The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the two-dimensional array of lenses is a two-dimensional array of electro-optic lenses; and
the one or more processors are configured to activate a first subset of the two-dimensional array of electro-optic lenses for projecting the first portion of the transformed image on a first region of the retina of the eye and activate a second subset of the two-dimensional array of electro-optic lenses that is distinct from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of electro-optic lenses for projecting the second portion of the transformed image on a second region of the retina of the eye that is distinct from the first region of the retina of the eye.

6. The display device of claim 5 , wherein the first region of the retina is a fovea and the second region of the retina is a region of the retina other than the fovea.

7. The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first demagnification ratio and the second demagnification ratio are distinct from each other in order to avoid distortion.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
tiles of the two-dimensional array of tiles have a same size and a same number of pixels.

9. A method performed with a display device including a two-dimensional array of tiles and one or more processors coupled with the two-dimensional array of tiles, each tile including a two-dimensional array of pixels and a lens of a two-dimensional array of lenses, wherein each pixel is configured to output light so that the two-dimensional array of pixels outputs a respective pattern of light and the lens is configured to direct at least a portion of the respective pattern of light from the two-dimensional array of pixels to a pupil of an eye of a user, the method comprising:
obtaining a transformed image for projecting a non-transformed image on a retina of the eye of the user, wherein the transformed image is distinct from the non-transformed image in that a first portion of the non-transformed image and a second portion of the non-transformed image have a same size and a first portion of the transformed image that corresponds to the first portion of the non-transformed image and a second portion of the transformed image that corresponds to the second portion of the non-transformed image have distinct sizes;
activating a first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles for projecting, from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the first portion of the transformed image on the retina of the eye of the user; and
activating a second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, that is distinct from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, for projecting, from the second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the second portion of the transformed image, that is distinct from the first portion of the transformed image, on the retina of the eye of the user, wherein:
the two-dimensional array of lenses is configured to project, from the first subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the first portion of the transformed image with a first demagnification ratio and project, from the second subset of the two-dimensional array of tiles, the second portion of the transformed image with a second demagnification ratio that is distinct from the first demagnification ratio so that the first portion of the transformed image, when projected on the retina of the eye, has a first pixel resolution and the second portion of the transformed image, when projected on the retina of the eye, has a second pixel resolution that is distinct from the first pixel resolution.

10. The method of claim 9 , including:
receiving the transformed image from one or more electronic devices located separately from the display device.

11. The method of claim 9 , including:
generating the transformed image from the non-transformed image.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein:
the first portion of the transformed image corresponds to a third portion of the non-transformed image;
the second portion of the transformed image corresponds to a fourth portion of the non-transformed image;
the non-transformed image has a first image resolution for both the third portion and the fourth portion;
the first portion of the transformed image has a second image resolution; and
the second portion of the transformed image has a third image res

Assignees

• Facebook Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jepsen Mary Lou

Classifications

• G02F2203/24

  beam steering · CPC title

• G09G3/003

  to produce spatial visual effects · CPC title

• G02B2027/0187

  slaved to motion of at least a part of the body of the user, e.g. head, eye · CPC title

• G09G3/002

  to project the image of a two-dimensional display, such as an array of light emitting or modulating elements or a CRT · CPC title

• G02F1/13336

  Combining plural substrates to produce large-area displays, e.g. tiled displays · CPC title