Active shutter head mounted display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016353098-A1
Application number	US-201514725607-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 29, 2015
Priority date	May 29, 2015
Publication date	Dec 1, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A head mounted display (HMD) device may include a housing coupled to a frame, and a display disposed in the housing. A first lens and a first active shutter may be disposed along a first optical axis in the housing, and a second lens and a second active shutter may be disposed along a second optical axis in the housing. A controller may alternately switch the display, the first active shutter and the second active shutter between a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode the first active shutter may be activated and the second active shutter may be deactivated. In the second mode the first active shutter may be deactivated and the second active shutter may be activated.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A head mounted display (HMD) device, comprising:
a frame; a housing coupled to the frame; a single display disposed in the housing; a first lens mounted in the housing, along a first optical axis; a second lens mounted in the housing, along a second optical axis; a first active shutter disposed in the housing and aligned along the first optical axis; a second active shutter disposed in the housing; and a controller configured to alternately switch the display, the first active shutter and the second active shutter between a first mode and a second mode, wherein, in the first mode the first active shutter is activated and the second active shutter is deactivated, and in the second mode the first active shutter is deactivated and the second active shutter is activated.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, in the first mode, the first active shutter is in a transparent state such that a display area of the display is fully visible through the first lens and the first active shutter, and the second active shutter blocks visibility of the display area through the second lens.

3 . The device of claim 2 , wherein, in the second mode, the second active shutter is in a transparent state such that the display area of the display is fully visible through the second lens and the second active shutter, and the first active shutter blocks visibility of the display area through the first lens and the first active shutter.

4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the display area extends continuously from a left end portion of the display to a right end portion of the display, and from a top end portion of the display to a bottom end portion of the display.

5 . The device of claim 4 , wherein a resolution level of images displayed on the display in the first mode is substantially equal to a full resolution level of the display, and a resolution level of images displayed on the display in the second mode is substantially equal to the full resolution level of the display.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein, in alternately switching between the first mode and the second mode, the controller is configured to control a display of images on the display such that the display of images on the display is synchronized with the alternating activation of the first active shutter and the second active shutter.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first active shutter and the second active shutter each include a polymer dispersed liquid crystal material such that, in the de-activated state of the first active shutter, the first active shutter is opaque, and, in the de-activated state of the second active shutter, the second active shutter is opaque.

8 . The device of claim 7 , wherein the first active shutter transitions to transparent in response to activation of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal material of the first active shutter, and the second active shutter transitions to transparent in response to activation of the polymer dispersed liquid crystal material of the second active shutter.

9 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first active shutter and the second active shutter each include a liquid crystal layer such that, in the de-activated state of the first active shutter, the first active shutter is transparent, and, in the de-activated state of the second active shutter, the second active shutter is transparent.

10 . The device of claim 9 , wherein the first active shutter transitions to opaque in response to activation by an electrical signal applied to the liquid crystal layer of the first active shutter, and the second active shutter transitions to opaque in response to activation by an electrical signal applied to the liquid crystal layer of the second active shutter.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first lens and the first active shutter are aligned along the first optical axis, the second lens and the second active shutter are aligned along the second optical axis, and the display is aligned with both the first optical axis and the second optical axis.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the first lens is positioned between the first active shutter and the display, and the second lens is positioned between the second active shutter and the display.

13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the first active shutter is positioned between the first lens and the display, and the second active shutter is positioned between the second lens and the display.

14 . A method of operating a head mounted display (HMD) device, the method comprising:
activating a display of the HMD and displaying images on the display, the images displayed on the display being selectively visible through an active shutter system and lens system including a first active shutter and a first lens aligned along a first optical axis and through a second active shutter and a second lens aligned along a second optical axis; and switching the active shutter system between a first mode and a second mode based on the images displayed on the display, including:
in the first mode, activating the first active shutter and de-activating the second active shutter as the images are displayed on the display; and
in the second mode, de-activating the first active shutter and activating the second active shutter as the images are displayed on the display.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein switching the active shutter system between a first mode and a second mode based on the images displayed on the display also includes:
alternately and continuously switching between the first mode and the second mode until a predetermined operation period has elapsed.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein switching the active shutter system between a first mode and a second mode based on the images displayed on the display also includes:
synchronizing the switching between the first mode and the second mode with the images displayed on the display.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein activating the first active shutter and de-activating the second active shutter in the first mode includes:
applying a signal to the first active shutter to activate the first active shutter and transitioning the first active shutter to an opaque state; and terminating a signal to the second active shutter to de-activate the second active shutter and transitioning the second active shutter to a transparent state.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein de-activating the first active shutter and activating the second active shutter in the second mode includes:
applying a signal to the second active shutter to activate the second active shutter and transitioning the second active shutter to an opaque state; and terminating a signal to the first active shutter to de-activate the first active shutter and transitioning the first active shutter to a transparent state.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein in the first mode a display area of the display is fully visible through the second lens and visibility of the display area through the first lens is blocked by the first active shutter, and in the second mode the display area of the display is fully visible through the first lens and visibility of the display area through the second lens is blocked by the second active shutter.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein displaying images on the display includes displaying images on the display in the first mode at a resolution level that is substantially equal to a full resolution level of the display, and displaying images on the dis

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Stein Murphy

Classifications

• G02B30/24 Primary

  involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters · CPC title

• H04N13/315 Primary

  the parallax barriers being time-variant · CPC title

• H04N13/354

  for displaying sequentially · CPC title

• G02B27/017 Primary

  Head mounted · CPC title

• H04N13/302

  for viewing without the aid of special glasses, i.e. using autostereoscopic displays · CPC title