Wearable device with in-eye display capability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11774760-B2
Application number	US-202217718783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2022
Priority date	Dec 28, 2018
Publication date	Oct 3, 2023
Grant date	Oct 3, 2023

Abstract

The present application discloses examples of various apparatuses and systems that can be utilized for augmented reality. According to one example, a wearable device that can optionally comprise: a frame configured for wearing by a user; one or more optical elements mounted on the frame; an array having a plurality of light emitting diodes coupled to the one or more optical elements, wherein the one or more optical elements and the array are mounted within a field of view of the user when the frame is worn by the user; and additional onboard electronic components carried by the frame including at least a battery that is configured to provide for electrically powered operation of the array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wearable device comprising:
a frame configured for wearing by a user, one or more cameras integrated into a body of a rim of the frame, the one or more cameras directed toward one or more eyes of the user when the frame is worn by the user to capture movement of the one or more eyes of the user for eye tracking purposes;
one or more optical elements mounted on the frame;
an elongate temple moveably connected to the frame;
an array having a plurality of light emitting diodes coupled to the one or more optical elements, wherein the one or more optical elements and the array are mounted within a field of view of the user when the frame is worn by the user, wherein the array comprises a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows of the plurality of light emitting diodes spaced apart from one another and electrically connected in grids; and
additional onboard electronic components carried by one of the temple or the frame including at least a battery that is configured to provide for electrically powered operation of the array.

2. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein for each of the plurality of columns and each of the plurality of rows, each of the plurality of light emitting diodes are spaced apart from one another by at least between 350 microns and 400 microns, inclusive.

3. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the array has between 75 columns and 150 columns, inclusive, and wherein the array has between 75 rows and 150 rows, inclusive.

4. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of light emitting diodes has a rectangular shape and has a size that does not exceed 20 microns in a width dimension and 30 microns in a height dimension.

5. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes comprise a plurality of groups of three light emitting diodes, wherein for each of the plurality of groups, the three light emitting diodes comprise a red row line at a first end portion, a blue row line at a second end portion and a green row line positioned between the red row line and the blue row line.

6. The wearable device of claim 5 , wherein the green row line is disposed on a different layer of the array from the blue row line and the red row line.

7. The wearable device of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of light emitting diodes are configured to illuminate a desired portion of the one or more optical elements according to a signal derived from the eye tracking to create an augmented reality for the user when wearing the frame and viewing through the one or more optical elements.

8. The wearable device of claim 7 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of light emitting diodes are illuminated in a coordinated manner to shift an illumination location along the array and the one or more optical elements according to the signal derived from the at least one of head tracking or eye tracking.

9. The wearable device of claim 7 , wherein the onboard electronic components further include:
an image processor configured to receive an initial digital image from the one or more cameras;
a communication module coupled to the image processor; and
a memory coupled to the image processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the image processor, cause the wearable device to:
perform a first one or more edits on the initial digital image,
generate, based on the first one or more edits, a modified digital image, and
transmit the modified digital image using the communication module as a basis to illuminate the desired portion of the one or more optical elements according to the modified digital image.

10. Smart glasses comprising:
a frame configured for wearing by a user, one or more cameras integrated into a body of a rim of the frame, the one or more cameras directed toward one or more eyes of the user and configured for eye tracking of the user;
an elongate temple connected to the frame;
one or more optical elements mounted on the frame within the rim, wherein the one or more cameras are positioned adjacent an outer edge of the one or more optical elements held by the rim;
an array having a plurality of light emitting diodes coupled to the one or more optical elements, wherein the one or more optical elements and the array are mounted within a field of view of the user when the frame is worn by the user; and
a battery powering the array and the one or more cameras carried by one of the temple or the frame.

11. The smart glasses of claim 10 , wherein one or more of the plurality of light emitting diodes are configured to illuminate a desired portion of the one or more optical elements according to a signal derived from the eye tracking to create an augmented reality for the user when wearing the frame and viewing through the one or more optical elements.

12. The smart glasses of claim 11 , wherein the one or more of the plurality of light emitting diodes are illuminated in a coordinated manner to shift an illumination location along the array and the one or more optical elements according to the signal derived from the at least one of head tracking or eye tracking.

13. The smart glasses of claim 11 , further comprising:
an image processor configured to receive an initial digital image from the one or more cameras;
a communication module coupled to the image processor; and
a memory coupled to the image processor and storing instructions that, when executed by the image processor, cause the smart glasses to:
perform a first one or more edits on the initial digital image,
generate, based on the first one or more edits, a modified digital image, and
transmit the modified digital image using the communication module as a basis to illuminate the desired portion of the one or more optical elements according to the modified digital image.

14. The smart glasses of claim 10 , wherein the array comprises a bus having a sinuously curved shape along a length and a width of the one or more optical elements.

15. The smart glasses of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes are positioned along the bus and electrically connected together as a shift register.

16. The smart glasses of claim 10 , wherein at least some of the plurality of light emitting diodes comprise a white light emitting diode module that is electrically connected to a first electrically conductive trace and a second electrically conductive trace.

17. The smart glasses of claim 10 , wherein the one or more optical elements and the array are mounted within a field of view of the user when the frame is worn by the user, wherein the array comprises a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows of the plurality of light emitting diodes spaced apart from one another and electrically connected in grids.

18. The smart glasses of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of light emitting diodes comprise a plurality of groups of three light emitting diodes, wherein for each of the plurality of groups, the three light emitting diodes comprise a red row line at a first end portion, a blue row line at a second end portion and a green row line positioned between the red row line and the blue row line.

19. The smart glasses of claim 18 , wherein the green row line is disposed on a different layer of the array from the blue row line and the red row line.

Assignees

• Snap Inc

Inventors

• Bates Robert Matthew
• Canberk Ilteris
• Carrillo Brandon
• Fliszar David G
• Greengard Adam Douglas
• Kubala Kenneth
• Meisenholder David
• Rodriguez Ii Jonathan M
• Singh Amit
• Thompson Samuel

Classifications

• G02B27/0172 Primary

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0176

  characterised by mechanical features · CPC title

• G02B27/0179

  Display position adjusting means not related to the information to be displayed · CPC title

• G06T11/60

  Creating or editing images; Combining images with text · CPC title

• G09G3/32

  semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] · CPC title