U.S. patent application number 11/103201 was filed with the patent office on 2005-08-11 for binocular viewing system.
This patent application is currently assigned to The Microoptical Corporation. Invention is credited to Hunter, Gregory H., Spitzer, Mark B., Zavracky, Paul M..
Application Number | 20050174651 11/103201 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33303241 |
Filed Date | 2005-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050174651 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Spitzer, Mark B. ; et
al. |
August 11, 2005 |
Binocular viewing system
Abstract
A binocular viewing system provides images from electronic
display elements to the left and right eyes of a user transmitted
via right eye and left eye display assemblies connected by a nose
bridging element. The binocular viewing system includes an
interpupillary distance adjustment mechanism to accommodate
multiple users. Accommodation for vision correction and a focus
mechanism may also be provided. Component parts can be formed
integrally. A source of image date is communication with the
electronic display elements includes a television, a digital video
disc player, an MPEG4 player, a camcorder, a digital camera, a
video tape player, a personal computer, a personal digital
assistant, or a cellular telephone.
Inventors: |
Spitzer, Mark B.; (Sharon,
MA) ; Hunter, Gregory H.; (Dover, MA) ;
Zavracky, Paul M.; (Norwood, MA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WEINGARTEN, SCHURGIN, GAGNEBIN & LEBOVICI LLP
TEN POST OFFICE SQUARE
BOSTON
MA
02109
US
|
Assignee: |
The Microoptical
Corporation
|
Family ID: |
33303241 |
Appl. No.: |
11/103201 |
Filed: |
April 11, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11103201 |
Apr 11, 2005 |
|
|
|
10656905 |
Sep 5, 2003 |
|
|
|
6879443 |
|
|
|
|
60465441 |
Apr 25, 2003 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
359/630 ;
359/407 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 27/0081 20130101;
G02B 2027/0132 20130101; G02C 5/045 20130101; G02B 27/0172
20130101; G02B 2027/0178 20130101; G02C 7/08 20130101; G02B 27/0176
20130101; G02B 2027/0156 20130101; G02B 7/12 20130101; G02B 6/002
20130101; G02B 6/00 20130101; G02C 2200/02 20130101; G02B 2027/0134
20130101; G02B 5/30 20130101; G02B 6/0018 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
359/630 ;
359/407 |
International
Class: |
G02B 023/00; G02B
027/14 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A binocular viewing system comprising: a right eye display
assembly and a left eye display assembly connected by a nose
bridging element, each display assembly comprising: an electronic
display element operative to provide an image, and an eyepiece
assembly comprising an eyelens and at least one at least partially
reflective surface arranged to relay light from the electronic
display element toward an eye of a user; a frame wearable on a
user's head, the right eye display assembly and the left eye
display assembly mounted to the frame; and a right eyeglass lens
and a left eyeglass lens detachably mountable to the frame.
2. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the frame
includes a detachable lens retainer configured to retain the right
eyeglass lens and the left eyeglass lens in the frame.
3. The binocular viewing system of claim 2, wherein the detachable
lens retainer comprises a right retainer for the right eyeglass
lens and a left retainer for the left eyeglass lens.
4. The binocular viewing system of claim 2, wherein the detachable
lens retainer is removably attached to the frame at hinges at
temples of the frame.
5. The binocular viewing system of claim 2, wherein the detachable
lens retainer is removably attached to the frame at nose pieces of
the frame.
6. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the frame
includes a right detachable lens retainer configured to retain the
right eyeglass lens in the frame and a left detachable lens
retainer configured to retain the left eyeglass lens in the
frame.
7. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the right eyeglass lens and the left eyeglass lens provide optical
correction for a user.
8. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, further comprising an
interpupillary adjustment mechanism configured to movably mount the
right eye display assembly and the left eye display assembly to the
nose bridging element to adjust a spacing between the eyepiece
assembly of the right eye display assembly and the eyepiece
assembly of the left eye display assembly, whereby an
interpupillary distance between the user's eyes can be
accommodated.
9. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly each further
comprise an optical pipe element.
10. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the nose
bridging element comprises an optical pipe.
11. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly each further
include a focusing adjustment mechanism.
12. The binocular viewing system of claim 1, wherein the electronic
display elements are in communication with a source of image
data.
13. The binocular viewing system of claim 12, wherein the source of
image date comprises a television, a digital video disc player, an
MPEG4 player, a camcorder, a digital camera, a video tape player, a
personal computer, a personal digital assistant, or a cellular
telephone.
14. A binocular viewing system comprising: a nose bridging element
arrangeable over a user's nose; and a right eye display assembly
and a left eye display assembly mounted to the nose bridging
elements, each comprising: an electronic display element operative
to provide an image, and an optical pipe element comprising an
integral solid transparent pipe and eyepiece assembly, the integral
solid transparent pipe and eyepiece assembly arranged to relay
light internally from the electronic display element to the user's
eye.
15. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly comprise a
single injection molding.
16. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly each is
comprised of an optical plastic material.
17. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly each is
comprised of polymethylmethacrylate, polycarbonate resin, epoxy
resin, urethane, cyclo-olefin, or glass.
18. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, further comprising an
interpupillary adjustment mechanism configured to movably mount the
right eye display assembly and the left eye display assembly to the
nose bridging element to adjust a spacing between the eyepiece
assembly of the right eye display assembly and the eyepiece
assembly of the left eye display assembly, whereby an
interpupillary distance between the user's eyes can be
accommodated.
19. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the nose
bridging element comprises a rail element, and the interpupillary
adjustment mechanism comprises a sliding member integral with each
optical pipe element and configured to slide along the rail
element.
20. The binocular viewing system of claim 19, wherein the rail
element includes an elongated recess therein, and the sliding
members are retained within the recess for sliding movement along
the recess.
21. The binocular viewing system of claim 20, wherein the sliding
members include an elongated dovetail projection on a surface of
the optical pipe element and the elongated recess has a mating
configuration to receive the dovetail projection.
22. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the
interpupillary adjustment mechanism is integral with the optical
pipe elements.
23. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the optical
pipe elements include a cavity for retention of circuitry or wiring
connecting the electronic display elements.
24. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the nose
bridging element includes a cavity for retention of circuitry or
wiring connecting the electronic display elements.
25. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the
transparent pipe of the optical pipe element further includes two
optical surfaces arranged to permit passage of ambient light
through the two optical surfaces toward the user's eye.
26. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the eyepiece
assembly of each optical pipe element comprises a turning mirror
and an eyelens arranged to direct light toward the eye.
27. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein each eyepiece
assembly includes an eyelens selected to minimize off-axis
aberrations.
28. The binocular viewing system of claim 27, wherein the eyelens
includes an aspherical lens.
29. The binocular viewing system of claim 27, wherein the diameter
of the eyelens is selected to accommodate a range of interpupillary
distances.
30. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the nose
bridging element comprises an optical pipe element connecting the
right eye display assembly and the left eye display assembly.
31. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the nose
bridging element comprises an optical pipe aligned with the optical
pipes of the right eye display assembly and the left eye display
assembly.
32. The binocular viewing system of claim 14, wherein the optical
pipes of the right eye display assembly and the left eye display
assembly are curved to accommodate curvature of a user's face.
33. A binocular viewing system comprising: a right eye display
assembly and a left eye display assembly connected by a nose
bridging element, each display assembly comprising: an electronic
display element operative to provide an image, and an eyepiece
assembly comprising an optical pipe element and a surface arranged
to relay light from the electronic display element toward an eye of
a user; a source of image data in communication with the electronic
display element, the source of image data comprising a television,
a digital video disc player, an MPEG4 player, a camcorder, a
digital camera, a video tape player, a personal computer, a
personal digital assistant, or a cellular telephone.
34. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, further comprising an
interpupillary adjustment mechanism configured to movably mount the
right eye display assembly and the left eye display assembly to the
nose bridging element to adjust a spacing between the eyepiece
assembly of the right eye display assembly and the eyepiece
assembly of the left eye display assembly, whereby an
interpupillary distance between the user's eyes can be
accommodated.
35. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly each further
include a focusing adjustment mechanism.
36. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, wherein the nose
bridging element includes a cavity for retention of circuitry or
wiring connecting the electronic display elements.
37. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, further comprising
temple housings disposed at ends of the right eye display assembly
and the left eye display assembly, cavities disposed in the temple
housings to hold the electronic display elements and service loops
of circuitry or wiring.
38. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, wherein the right eye
display assembly and the left eye display assembly are arranged in
a curved configuration to accommodate curvature of a user's
face.
39. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, further comprising a
frame wearable on a user's head, the right eye display assembly and
the left eye display assembly mounted to the frame.
40. The binocular viewing system of claim 39, further comprising a
right eyeglass lens and a left eyeglass lens detachably mountable
to the frame.
41. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, further comprising a
frame wearable on a user's head, the frame including temple pieces,
audio transducers attached to the temple pieces.
42. The binocular viewing system of claim 33, further comprising a
frame wearable on a user's head, the frame including temple pieces,
a microphone attached to at least one of the temple pieces.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/465,441, filed
on Apr. 25, 2003, the disclosure of which is incorporated by
reference herein.
[0002] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/656,905, filed Sep. 5, 2003, entitled
Binocular Viewing System, the disclosure of which is incorporated
by reference herein.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0003] N/A
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates to the field of binocular
viewing systems.
[0005] Information storage and processing, electronic recording of
sound and images, electronic communications, and electronic
entertainment systems have become widespread, and portable
applications of these technologies are growing rapidly. Monocular
optical viewing systems integrated into or attachable to eyeglasses
have been described. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,822. It
is also known to form two monocular viewers into binocular viewers.
For example, a binocular eyewear display is illustrated in FIG. 21
of U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,001 B1 and FIG. 21 of U.S. Pat. No.
6,091,546. In these approaches to forming binocular viewers, the
details of the nose bridge connecting the two halves have not been
taught.
[0006] Generally, optical components of binocular viewing systems
have been attached to a frame structure that extends across the
face and in front of the user's eyes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,716 is an
example of a stereoscopic wearable display appliance which utilizes
a transparent frame that extends across the face and in front of
the eyes, but the frame performs no optical functions in
transmitting light from the image displays to the eyes. Instead,
optical components in an optical train from the image displays are
provided separately from the frame, the frame being present to
mount and support the optical components.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention relates to binocular viewing systems
that increase user comfort and usability, particularly for
applications such as DVD and other video viewing during which the
user will wear the unit for extended periods of time. These objects
are addressed by providing a binocular viewing system in which the
optical components are self-supporting and do not need to be
attached to a frame in front of the face. Temple pieces at the
sides support the binocular viewing system on a user's ears. The
binocular viewing system also accounts for differences in the
interpupillary distance between various users. Adjustment of the
location of a virtual image at a comfortable distance less than
optical infinity can also be provided. The binocular viewing system
can also provide a focus adjustment and vision correction for a
user with imperfect vision.
[0008] In one embodiment, the binocular viewing system of the
present invention provides left eye and right eye displays that are
connected through a nose bridge. Each display is adjustable, for
example, by providing an optical pipe element that is slidable with
respect to the nose bridge, which allows adjustment for a variety
of interpupillary distances. The binocular viewing system can be
manufactured at a reduced cost and reduced weight.
[0009] In another embodiment, the binocular viewing system of the
present invention can accommodate users having a range of
interpupillary distances by fixing the location of the virtual
image seen by the user at a distance less than infinity. In one
embodiment, the optical axis of each eye's display assembly is
arranged to move the virtual image toward the center. In another
embodiment, a pivot point is provided in the nose bridging
element.
[0010] In other aspects of the invention, the binocular viewing
system incorporates face curvature to more comfortably fit a user's
head, and places the electronic display elements close to the
user's eye, either in the line of sight, or within the nose
bridging element.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be more fully understood from the
following detailed description taken in conjunction with the
accompanying drawings in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a binocular viewing system
according to the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates see-around optical
components for use with the binocular viewing system of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates see-through optical
components for use with the binocular viewing system of FIG. 1;
[0015] FIG. 4A is a side view of the binocular viewing system of
FIG. 3;
[0016] FIG. 4B is a side view of the binocular viewing system of
FIG. 3 incorporating a spring loading in the channel;
[0017] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the binocular viewing
system of FIG. 3 mounted in a housing;
[0018] FIG. 6A is an exploded view of an eyewear frame for adding
corrective lenses to the binocular viewing system of FIG. 3;
[0019] FIG. 6B is an assembled view of the eyewear frame and
corrective lenses of FIG. 6A;
[0020] FIG. 6C is a side view of the eyewear frame and corrective
lenses illustrating mounting of the binocular viewing system of
FIG. 3;
[0021] FIG. 7 illustrates the binocular viewing system incorporated
with the eyewear frame of FIG. 6;
[0022] FIG. 8 illustrates the binocular viewing system mounted to
an eyewear frame without additional corrective lenses;
[0023] FIG. 9 schematically illustrates a focus adjustment
mechanism for use with a binocular viewing system;
[0024] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the focus adjustment
mechanism of FIG. 9;
[0025] FIG. 11A illustrates an optical pipe for a binocular view
system incorporating an integral mounting rail;
[0026] FIG. 11B illustrates an optical pipe for a binocular viewing
system incorporating an integral mounting rail and circuitry
cavity;
[0027] FIG. 12 illustrates a binocular viewing system having a
circuitry cavity in a nose bridge;
[0028] FIG. 13 illustrates a binocular viewing system having
service loop cavities in the temples;
[0029] FIG. 14 is a schematic top view of a binocular viewing
system viewable by people with a range of interpupillary
distances;
[0030] FIG. 15 is a further top view of the binocular viewing
system of FIG. 14;
[0031] FIGS. 16A and 16B are schematic illustrations of a further
embodiment of a binocular viewing system having a pivotable
interpupillary adjustment mechanism;
[0032] FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration of a still further
embodiment of a binocular viewing system viewable by people with a
range of interpupillary distances;
[0033] FIG. 18 is a schematic front view of a further embodiment of
the binocular viewing system of FIG. 17;
[0034] FIG. 19 is a side view of the binocular viewing system of
FIG. 18;
[0035] FIG. 20 is a top view of the binocular viewing system of
FIG. 18;
[0036] FIG. 21 is a schematic illustration of a binocular viewing
system incorporating face curvature;
[0037] FIG. 22 is a further embodiment of a binocular viewing
system incorporating face curvature;
[0038] FIG. 23 is a still further view of a binocular viewing
system incorporation face curvature and a wide field of view;
[0039] FIG. 24 is a schematic illustration of a further binocular
viewing system having a higher magnification;
[0040] FIG. 25 is a schematic illustration of the optical
components of the binocular viewing system of FIG. 24;
[0041] FIG. 26 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment
of the optical components of the binocular viewing system of FIG.
24;
[0042] FIG. 27 is a schematic illustration of a still further
embodiment of the optical components of the binocular viewing
system of FIG. 24;
[0043] FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment
of a binocular viewing system having high magnification;
[0044] FIG. 29 is a schematic illustration of the optical
components of the binocular viewing system of FIG. 28;
[0045] FIG. 30 is a schematic illustration of a further embodiment
of the optical components of the binocular viewing system of FIG.
28;
[0046] FIG. 31 is a schematic illustration of an embodiment of a
complete binocular viewing system according to the invention;
[0047] FIG. 32 is a schematic illustration of a viewing system
incorporating a binocular viewing system of the present invention;
and
[0048] FIG. 33 is a block diagram of the interface controller of
FIG. 32.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0049] FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a binocular viewing
system according to the present invention. The binocular viewing
system is provided with a pair of display assemblies 5, one for the
right eye and one for the left eye. Each display assembly includes
an electronic display element 30, such as an LCD or other device as
known in the art. Each display element also includes a clear
optical pipe element 10. One optical pipe element includes optical
components, including an eyepiece assembly, to transmit an image
from the display element to a user's right eye, and the other
optical pipe element includes optical components, including an
eyepiece assembly, to transmit an image from the display element to
the user's left eye. For example, referring to FIG. 2, in a
see-around approach, a turning mirror 20 and eyelens 30 form an
eyepiece assembly supported by a clear mechanical pipe 10 that
transmits light from a display 30 to the eye, indicated by ray 35.
As another example, in a see-through approach, illustrated in FIG.
3, the rays 35 from a display 30 are relayed through the pipe 10 to
a polarization beam splitter 45 to a focusing mirror 60 and back
through the beam splitter. Having passed twice through a quarter
wave plate 46, the light is therefore reflected by the beam
splitter 45 and relayed to the eye.
[0050] The binocular viewing system is adjustable to fit a wide
range of people. More particularly, the viewing system has an
adjustment mechanism for adjusting the interpupillary distance
(IPD). The IPD is the distance between the user's pupils, which
must approximately align with the distance between the pupils of
the eyepiece assemblies of the viewing system.
[0051] Binocular systems require that the optical subsystems
delivering images to the left and right eyes be aligned to a tight
tolerance. Vertical displacement must be less than 30 microns in
the object plane, and angular separation of the central rays for
the left and right eyes should be less than 5 min. of arc in the
vertical axis. The IPD adjustment mechanism of the present system
is able to maintain this alignment.
[0052] The IPD adjustment mechanism of the present invention
includes a nose bridging element that remains centered over the
user's nose. The right and left display assemblies are movably
mounted to the nose bridging element. The right and left display
assemblies and the nose-bridging element are self-supporting across
the user's face and do not need to be attached to a frame in front
of the face for this purpose. Temple pieces are provided at the
opposite ends of the right and left display assemblies to support
the binocular viewing system on the user's ears. A frame may be
provided in addition to mount corrective lenses, described further
below.
[0053] Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1, 4A, and 5, a
preferred embodiment in an IPD adjustment mechanism includes a
joining rail 100 that bridges the nose. Rails 110 are mounted to
the clear plastic optical pipes along the top (or bottom) surface
of the pipes. The rails 110 include a channel, such as a dovetail
or other chamfer, that interlocks with the joining rail 100, as
shown in the cross sectional diagram in FIG. 4. The optical pipes
are thus free to move horizontally but cannot rotate.
[0054] In an alternative embodiment, the joint may be spring loaded
or otherwise biased to force the chamfered edges together along one
side to take manufacturing tolerances into account. In the
embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4B, a spring 111 forces the joining
rail against one side of the dovetailed channel, to minimize
rotations that could result if the dovetail slot in the rail 110
were slightly larger than the joining rail 100. A wound compression
spring is shown in FIG. 4B; it will be appreciated that multiple
springs and other types of springs, such as leaf springs, can be
used to force the joining rail against the channel surface.
[0055] Note that these rail embodiments may also be provided with a
curved channel, with the optical pipe provided with a matching
curve, so that as the IPD is adjusted by motion along the rail, the
optical convergence angle (y in FIG. 15) is slightly changed. This
has the benefit of better matching the convergence distance and the
focal plane distance over a range of IPDs, so as to minimize the
disparity in these two distances.
[0056] Nose pieces 210 are attached to the rail 100. (See FIGS. 1
and 5.) The nose pieces ensure that the rail remains centered over
the user's nose while the right and left display assemblies are
free to slide along the rail, thereby allowing adjustment of the
IPD.
[0057] Pipe 10 and rail 110 may be formed as separate pieces that
are joined by gluing or welding, or may be formed integrally; for
example, if the optical pipe is injection molded, the rails can be
formed as part of the material in the molding process.
Alternatively, the necessary chamfer can be machined into the pipe.
Any suitable material can be used, such as a plastic suitable for
optical use, as would be known in the art.
[0058] Note also that the sliding axis may not necessarily be
aligned to the optical axis. The optical axis may have a tilt so
that the eyes perceive a stereo image at a fixed distance. However,
the translation of the optical pipes 10, and more specifically the
pupils of the optical system, should be perpendicular to the user's
line of sight when gazing at a distant object, and should be in the
horizontal plane. The alignment rails may be placed either on the
top or bottom surface of the optical elements, or on both
surfaces.
[0059] The present system is an improvement over prior art optical
systems in which the pupils are sufficiently large that no
adjustment is needed, but that are, however, necessarily large and
heavy. The present system provides a more comfortable design by
combining an optical system of a smaller, more appropriate, size
with IPD adjustment.
[0060] The system shown in the foregoing figures may optionally be
mounted into a housing 200, as shown in FIG. 5. The housing may
have rails or other structures for sliding the mounting of the
optical system described previously so that the alignment and
adjustment system is integrated in the housing. Temples 220 may
attach to the housing. The temples may include audio
transducers.
[0061] Referring to FIGS. 6A-C, 7, and 8, a binocular viewing
system is provided that allows additional correction for a user's
imperfect vision. The viewing system is mounted to an eyewear frame
that is designed so that lenses may be installed to correct the
user's vision. The frame can be designed so that it has an
appealing look whether or not the corrective lenses are
installed.
[0062] FIG. 6A shows a frame 300 that holds eyeglass optics and
that is supported by the binocular optics shown in FIGS. 1-5. The
frame is provided with a detachable lens retainer 320 that is part
of the eye ring when lenses 313 are installed, and not used when
lenses are not installed. The frame 300 can be made to look
attractive even without lenses 313 and lens retainers 320. The lens
retainers 320 (left and right) are attached by small screws 312 at
the hinges 310 and at the nose pieces that fit into tapped sections
311 in the lens retainers 320. FIG. 6B shows the eyewear frame with
lenses, and FIG. 6C shows a side view with the binocular viewing
optics installed.
[0063] FIG. 7 shows the eyewear frame of a different style with
corrective lenses and the binocular viewing optics installed.
Lenses 330 correct the user's vision. The lenses are mounted in the
frame and are consequently between the viewing optics and the
user's eyes. FIG. 8 shows the system without corrective lenses.
Thus, while the figures show conventional spectacles, the frames
may be designed so as to be stylish and attractive with or without
lenses. The frames may be made from molded plastics, machined
metal, or from other materials and processes known in the art of
eyewear frames.
[0064] FIG. 6C shows a side view illustrating the attachment of the
housings of the optical system 325 to the frame 300. Any number of
methods may be used to connect the frame 300 to the optical system,
including ball joints or pivoting joints for adjustability, and
other methods of attachment, such as mechanical, clamping or
magnetic mounts.
[0065] The frame 300 may be attached to the optical system 325 at
the nose bridging element so that adjustment of the IPD is possible
without any restriction of motion that would be imposed by the
frame 300. Alternatively, the frame may be provided with a
slideable bridge or other adjustments so that the frame 300 can be
supported by optical system 325 at the temples without restricting
the IPD adjustment of the optical system. The frame 300 and
associated corrective eyeglass lenses may also be used with any of
the other embodiments that will be described.
[0066] Additionally, the left and right lens retainers 320 may be
formed as a single lens retainer that holds both lenses, and in
which the lenses can be semi-permanently fixed within eye-ring
retainers. Such a lens retaining system can mount to the frame 300
in any number of ways, including use of screws as previously
described, clamps, magnets or other attachment mechanisms. This
feature allows the frame 300 to be used by a number of users, each
of whom can install his own spectacle lenses when using the
system.
[0067] A further embodiment for correcting for a user's imperfect
vision utilizes a focus adjustment mechanism, illustrated in FIG.
9. This adjustment is obtained optically by moving the display (for
example, a liquid crystal display and back illuminator) with
respect to the optical system. This has the direct affect of moving
the distance of the object plane and therefore the virtual image
plane. Focus adjustment can be obtained by creating a mechanical
fixture within the housing to allow the user to adjust this
distance. The mechanism must move the display without changing the
alignment of the displays with respect to each other. For this
reason, it may be advantageous to mount the display assembly
directly to the end of the optical pipe, without the turning mirror
40 (FIG. 2). FIG. 9 illustrates such a system. The display is
mounted in a special carrier 410 within a special housing 420
mounted to the optical pipe 430.
[0068] A thumbwheel 440 is connected to the carrier 410 by a
leadscrew 450. Rotation of the thumbwheel moves the display
carrier. Note that a full focus range, with a virtual image
distance adjustable between approximately 25 cm and infinity, is
obtained with only a few millimeters of motion of the display
carrier.
[0069] FIG. 10 shows a cross sectional view of how the display
carrier 410 is mounted in the housing that forms an assembly 420. A
dove tail or other channel is formed that precisely locates the
carrier 410 in the assembly 420, which is rigidly attached to the
optical system so as to maintain alignment throughout the focus
range. For the case of a liquid crystal display, the housing
includes the backlight. The display is glued or otherwise affixed
within this housing as a final step in the assembly during the
final alignment process.
[0070] It is desirable to obtain the lowest possible cost in the
manufacture of the binocular viewer system. Low cost can be
obtained if the component parts are formed by injection molding and
by building into the parts the features needed for alignment, focus
adjustment and ease of assembly. The optical pipe may be formed as
one part that includes the needed dovetail or rail system for IPD
adjustment, as well as an integral eye lens and/or field lens. For
viewers that do not utilize IPD adjustment, the left and right
optical pipes may be formed in one injection molding operation as
one unitary part.
[0071] An optical pipe with integral rails 550 and an integral eye
lens 560 is shown in FIG. 11A. Other features may be added to
simplify the assembly of the optical pipe in the required housings.
For example, registration features may be added that enable the
assembly 420 in FIG. 10 to snap onto the optical pipe with the
correct registration. The pipe and housing can then be glued or
ultrasonically welded or otherwise affixed to one another.
[0072] In some designs it may be advantageous to have only one
cable to the head. This requires the left and right displays to be
connected by wires that are positioned against one side of the
optical pipe, preferably the top or bottom side. The wires may
comprise a flexible circuit. A shallow cavity 570 can be formed in
the injection molding process that will provide space for the
flexible circuit or other wiring, as shown in FIG. 11B. Once the
flexible circuit is inserted, the cavity can be filled with a
matching dovetailed insert of the appropriate thickness.
[0073] The flexible circuit or wiring 580 can extend into a cavity
581 in the nose bridge 582. See FIG. 12. A service loop in the flex
circuit can be employed to allow the necessary slack in the wiring
to permit the pupillary distance to be adjusted by the motion of
the pipes 10 using the rails 100 and 110 previously discussed. The
cavities in the bridge 582 can be formed to allow the pipes 10 to
slide in and out of the bridge, for example, as indicated by the
distance 590. The nose bridge 582 itself is bonded to the rail 100
to preserve alignment. The pipes and nose bridge may be made by
injection molding to obtain tight tolerances and low manufacturing
cost.
[0074] As an alternative, service loops 585 may be placed in the
right and left temple housing 595 that holds the display assemblies
420, as shown in FIG. 13. In such a case the cable 580 can be fixed
to the rail 100. The service loops allow the pipe 10 to move with
respect to the bridge 582.
[0075] The use of cavities in the nose bridge and elsewhere make
possible the reduction of weight of the system. Cavities may also
be employed in the optical pipes, provided that the focal length of
the lenses are suitably modified.
[0076] The electronics may be integrated in the temples 220 shown
in FIG. 5. This requires use of a micro liquid crystal display 230,
such as the Kopin Cyberdisplay, and a small printed circuit board
with video drive circuits and audio circuits. Speakers and
microphones can be embedded in the temples 220 by techniques know
in the art.
[0077] A further binocular system that can be viewed by people with
a range of interpupillary distances is illustrated in FIGS. 14 and
15. A display 630, such as a transmissive liquid crystal display,
is attached to a clear opto-mechanical pipe 610 and an eyepiece
assembly 620 so that light, illustrated by ray 670, is transmitted
from a backlight 640 through the display 630 and the optical pipe
610 and is relayed to the eye by assembly 620. The backlight 640 is
not needed if the display 630 is self-emitting, such as an organic
light emitting diode (OLED) display. A turning mirror 659 is used
to reflect light through a lens 660 and then to the eye. The
turning mirror may comprise a metal coating, may use total internal
reflection, or may use interference coatings known in the art for
reflection of selected wavelengths. The lenses 60 may be singlet,
doublet, diffractive, holographic or of other nature that modifies
the vergence of light and permits the virtual image to be viewed at
a comfortable distance.
[0078] If the separation distance 691 of the lenses 660 were to
correspond to the interpupillary distance (IPD) of the user, the
direction of gaze would be straight toward an image that the eyes
perceive to be at infinity. In this case, the angles .alpha. and
.beta. associated with the mirrors are each 45.degree.. The present
invention, however, provides an improvement to this system by
adjusting the location of the virtual image so that the image is
not perceived to be at infinity. This is important in any system in
which the user is to be provided with a virtual image at a
comfortable viewing distance of between 25 cm and 5 m. In this
range, the user perceives distance in several ways, including
(among other ways) the judgment of distance by the convergence of
the user's gaze (as determined by eye rotation), and by judgment of
the focal plane (determined by the position of the muscles that
focus the eye). To produce a pleasing image perceived at a certain
depth, the eyes should rotate to the approximate angles that would
be used to view a real object at that distance. Providing for the
convergence of gaze is also important in displays intended for 3-D
stereo images.
[0079] If the directions of gaze for the user's two eyes are
parallel, the virtual image is perceived at infinity. For the case
in which the directions of gaze of the two eyes are convergent, as
in FIG. 15, a virtual image is created at a distance 105 from the
viewer. This modification of the position of the virtual image can
be attained simply by moving the virtual image in each eye slightly
toward the center. For example, in one embodiment, the displays 630
are moved relative to the optical axis of the eyepiece assembly
620. If the lens 660 offers acceptable off-axis performance, for
example, as produced using a suitable aspherical lens design, then
the user perceives the image at a distance 105. The focus should be
adjusted accordingly, for example, by fixing during assembly or by
a mechanism such as described above, so that there is minimal
disparity between the focal distance and the convergence distance.
The optical separation 106 of the lenses is set to a distance that
may be smaller than the user's IPD 107. Consequently, the eyes turn
toward the virtual image at an angle .gamma. as shown in FIG. 15.
The diameter of the lenses 660 permits the image to be viewed by
people with a range of IPD.
[0080] The distance 109 may be adjustable to accommodate a range of
user IPDs, being made greater for larger IPD, and less for smaller
IPD. Thus, adjustable fixtures in the frame for holding the viewer
on the head may be used to change the distance 109, allowing the
viewing device to be used comfortably by people with different IPD.
For example, if the virtual image distance 105 is set to 1 m, and
the lens spacing 106 is set to 60 mm, then adjustment of the
distance 109 over a range of 25 mm will provide for a range of IPD
from 60 mm to 61.5 mm.
[0081] FIGS. 16A and 16B show an alternative embodiment in which a
pivot point 120 is installed in the bridge of the viewer. In such a
case, the angle .gamma. plus the angle introduced at the pivot
point add to create a much larger change in the optical axis and
hence a large change in the apparent distance 105' to the virtual
image. This type of pivot can be used to make the viewing device
more suitable for a person with a large IPD 107'.
[0082] A further embodiment combining the inventions shown in FIGS.
15, 16A, and 16B is shown in FIG. 17 to create a system with fixed,
converged virtual image that is not at infinity, by using a fixed
amount of tilting of the optical axis toward the center. In this
case, the tilting is attained by adjusting the angle .alpha. of the
mirror 659, and the associated optical axis of the eyepiece and
display, with respect to the direction of gaze toward a point at
infinity. In such a case, the full angle of reflection on the
optical axis, .beta., may remain 90.degree., but the angle .alpha.
is less than 45.degree.. This has the effect of tilting the optics
while allowing the lens and display to remain nearly, or fully,
axial. A further advantage of this design is that the left and
right eye virtual images are easily converged at a comfortable
viewing distance of between 1 m and 2 m.
[0083] The type of optical tilting shown in FIGS. 15, 16A, 16B, and
17 may be applied whether or not the clear optical pipe 610 is used
in the optical design. For example, in FIGS. 18 and 19 a simplified
eyewear display design is shown using the eyepiece 620, display 630
and backlight 640 without the optical pipe. In this case, the two
eye pieces are suspended from a mechanical support 175, which also
carries the wiring and IPD adjustment mechanism (if used). FIG. 20
illustrates the top view, which shows the tilt in the optical axis
in accordance with the invention in FIGS. 16A and 16B.
[0084] According to another aspect of the present invention,
curvature of the optical system to follow the face (so-called "face
curve") can be added by appropriately modifying the optical system.
FIG. 21 shows mirrors 762 and lenses 760 inserted within a solid
optical pipe 764 so that the rays 770 are propagated axially from
the display to the eye. Since the position of the mirrors for face
curve is in the opposite direction for convergence, it is useful to
introduce an optical wedge 766 behind the lens 760. This maintains
the axial nature of the optics and the wedge 766 can be adjusted as
needed to insure axial optical alignment between the chief ray 770
and the lens.
[0085] Note that the optical pipe need not be solid; it can also be
hollow to reduce weight. If the pipe is made hollow, the optical
path length is changed. Alternative lenses using different focal
length can be employed, or alternative designs can be employed.
FIG. 22 illustrates an alternative in which the eye lens 760 is
moved to the temple 772. In such a case, the display is placed at a
distance 774 approximately equal to the focal length of eyelens
760. The virtual image, which in such a case is distant, is viewed
through mirrors 776 and 778. The pipe 764 may be solid or hollow.
In such a case, the angle .alpha. should be set so that the ray 770
appears to come from infinity and thus is parallel to the direction
of gaze. Wedge 780 may be extended fully across the space between
the eyes as shown in FIG. 22 or it may be only provided in front of
each mirror. If the front surface of the pipe is made relatively
flat in front of the eyes, there will be negligible distortion. In
this embodiment, a see-through system may be made by partially
silvering the mirrors 776 to transmit the desired ratio of display
light and ambient light. FIG. 23 shows a further embodiment in
which a plurality of mirrors 776 is provided in front of each eye.
If the mirrors are partially silvered, ray 770 will be partially
reflected at the first mirror 776, and partially transmitted to the
second mirror 776. By adjusting the silvering, a uniform
transmission of light rays 770 is possible from all of the mirrors
776 meaning that the user has the perception of a wide field of
view of the displays 730. Note that alternative coatings may be
used including interference coatings, holograms, dichroic coatings
and the like, singly or in combination, to create a system with
uniform see-through transmission and uniform transmission of rays
770.
[0086] FIG. 24 shows yet another improvement in the binocular
viewer design. In this invention, the LCD 830 is moved close to the
lens system 820. Light from the LED 840 is transmitted by the
optical pipe 810. By moving the LCD close to the lens assembly, the
focal length is shortened, meaning that a higher magnification can
be attained. Note that an unpackaged LCD is mainly glass;
therefore, if an unpackaged LCD is used, it will not be especially
distracting to the user to have it in view near the lens assembly
820. Thus, the user's view of the surroundings is preserved. The
interconnection circuitry 800, 801 may be formed from Kapton
flexible circuitry and may be laminated to the top of the optical
pipe 810 and hidden from view.
[0087] The optical design of each lens system 820 is shown in FIG.
25, which shows a top view without the interconnect 800 shown. A
central ray 870 propagates from the backlight 840 through the
optical pipe 810 to the LCD 830. (Note that if a self-emissive
display, such as an OLED, is used, the ray 870 originates at the
display 830.) The ray 870 propagates from the display to the mirror
859, whereupon it is reflected to the eyelens 860. From the
eyelens, the ray propagates to the eye. If the optical distance
from the display 830 to the lens 860 is equal to the focal length
of the lens, the image will be perceived at infinity. For the case
where the mirror is set at a 45.degree. angle to the display 830,
the physical path length will be equal to the width 889 of the
pipe. The optical length is then the physical length 889 divided by
the index of refraction, n. For example, if the index of refraction
of the material 858 between the display and the eyelens is 1.5, and
the physical length 889 is 1 cm, then the optical distance is 6.7
mm. This system is therefore capable of attaining a very low
f-number and a high magnification. Such systems can benefit from
the use of an aspheric doublet or triplet for eyelens 860 to reduce
aberrations. Eyelens 860 may also utilize a diffractive element on
its surface for further correction of aberrations. If a longer
focal length is desired, the material 858 may be air (free space)
or the distance between the eyelens 860 and the display 830 may be
increased by moving the display toward the backlight 840, or by
adding a spacer between the eyelens 860 and the optical material
858. Optical material 858 may comprise the same material as optical
pipe 810 or a different material. These materials may include but
are not limited to polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate
resin, epoxy resins, urethanes, cyclo-olefin, glass, and other
optical materials known in the art.
[0088] FIG. 26 shows an equivalent design that uses a reflective
liquid crystal display, such as fabricated by Displaytech Inc.,
III-V Corp. and Microdisplay Corp. The optical design
considerations are similar to those in FIG. 25; however, for a
reflective LCD, the mirror 859 is replaced with a polarization beam
splitter 863. The beam splitter 863 passes polarized light to the
reflective display 831. The display 831, having rotated the
polarization of light impinging on some of the pixels to form an
image, reflects light back toward the beam splitter 863 which acts
as the analyzer in the viewing system and reflects the light from
the desired pixels to the eyelens 860. This system benefits from
the long distance between the display 831 and the backlight, which
acts to collimate the light and improve the contrast ratio.
Optional collimating lenses 867 can also be employed within pipe
810 to further improve the collimation of the illuminating
light.
[0089] The collimating lens 867 may also be employed at the
entrance to the pipe as shown in FIG. 27. Ideally, the light source
840 is placed at a distance from the lens 867 by employing a
further section of optical pipe 822 and a turning mirror 868 so
that the system is better configured for wearing on the head. The
section 823 as well as the section 822 may comprise optical
material or free space. An equivalent system is provided for the
other eye.
[0090] The display 830 and backlight 840 can both be moved close to
the lens subassembly 820 as shown in FIG. 28. In such a case the
display and backlight can be moved toward the nose rather than
toward the temple. FIG. 28 shows that the interconnects 800, 801
can be laminated to the optical pipe, as previously described. In
this case, the interconnect also may include the power for the
backlight 840, which may be integrated within the interconnect 800,
or may be a separate lamination. All of the considerations
previously described for adding face curvature, or for providing a
virtual image at the correct distance, can be employed in this
embodiment.
[0091] FIG. 29 shows the optical design. For the case in which the
display 830 comprises a transparent LCD, a thin backlight 840 is
provided. If the display 830 is self emissive, no backlight is
needed. The optical design considerations are similar to the case
described in FIG. 25, except that the LCD is placed toward the nose
rather than the temple, and the mirror 859 is reversed. Note also
that the pipe 821 may be placed between the backlight 840 and the
bridge as shown in FIG. 29, which allows the most magnification, or
between the mirror 859 and the display 830 as shown in FIG. 30,
which allows the display and backlight to be moved to a location
that cannot be seen by the eye and hence offers the least
obstruction of vision. Additionally, by placing the display and
backlight near the nose where it cannot be seen (FIG. 30), the
display and backlight can be covered with a decorative shroud.
[0092] In all of the embodiments described, use of an optical
material is shown in the optical pipe element and elsewhere. The
inventions may also be attained with air or other gas inside the
pipe, provided that the user is able to see through the flat sides
of the pipe. In some cases the lowest weight and cost will be
attained by removing the optical material. For example, the display
system in FIG. 28 can be made lightest in weight by using a hollow
optical pipe 810.
[0093] FIG. 31 illustrates a complete binocular viewing system that
may be used for many applications, including entertainment (viewing
games, television, DVD, MP4 and the like), for industrial
application such as viewing stereo microscope images, computer
images, stereo images from CAD or other systems and the like, for
medical applications such as viewing images from endoscopes, and
for many other applications. The use of the transparent pipe 910
allows the user to have a high degree of awareness of the
surroundings. Note that FIG. 31 also shows face curvature 929 to
conform to the face. The curves introduced may take into account
the user's natural eye rotation, as is known in the art of eyewear,
so that the curvature may introduce a minimal amount of aberration
in the users vision. Pipe 910 may be hollow to reduce weight.
[0094] In the embodiment of FIG. 31, pipe 921 is employed to move
the displays away from the eyes, toward the nose, and shroud 951 is
used to hide the displays and backlights. The shroud 951, which can
wrap around all external surfaces of the bridge 950, also prevents
room light from entering the display system at the bridge, and
prevents stray light from the backlights from exiting the system
and becoming visible to others.
[0095] The optical system employed in FIG. 31 is as described
previously (FIG. 30). Additionally, FIG. 31 shows the use of hinges
275 to allow the temples to fold. This is accomplished by wrapping
the flexible interconnects (previously described, but not shown
here for clarity) so that the circuits fold in the vertical plane.
The temples 285 may be hollow and may contain circuitry 295 for
processing audio and video signals supplied by cable 990.
Alternatively, these circuits may be in RF or other wireless
communication with a signal source, and the circuits 295 may
include the batteries needed to power the device. Transducers 290
are provided for audio. The transducers 290 may be simple speakers,
or may also have noise cancellation or other improvements employing
microphones. Microphones for speech recognition commands or
communication may be incorporated in the design as has been
described in previous patents by us.
[0096] FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate a system for viewing images. The
binocular viewing system 990 is in communication with a source of
image data 994 through cables 991 and 993 and interface controller
992. The image source 994 may for example comprise a television,
digital video disc (DVD) player, MPEG4 player, camcorder, digital
camera, video tape player or other source of video images. A video
signal is generated by image source 994, which may provide the
video signal in standard forms such as composite video (NTSC or
PAL), component video, or other standardized form through an output
connector. Alternatively, image source 994 may provide an output
signal in any other format. Image source 994 may also comprise a
personal computer, personal digital assistant, cellular telephone,
or other portable electronic device capable of providing a computer
or other image. The image signal is conveyed by cable 993 to the
controller 992, which may provide the user with controls for
adjusting the brightness, contrast or other aspects of the image.
The controller may also provide space for incorporation of
batteries. The interface controller may also incorporate a circuit
for modifying the image signal so that the information is
reformatted in a form best suited for driving the LCDs. This
modified signal may be provided through cable 991 to the binocular
viewing system. Cable 991 may also provide a serial data line for
sending control instructions to circuits 295 (see FIG. 31) mounted
in the temples. The cables 991, 993 may be provided with
connectors.
[0097] In an alternative embodiment, the interface circuits may be
entirely placed in the image source 994 or in the temples (285 in
FIG. 31). Any combination of placements between the image source,
interface controller, or temples may be used, and in some
embodiments in which all the circuitry and batteries are all
relocated, interface controller 992 will be unnecessary.
[0098] The cables 991, 993 may also be eliminated by replacing them
with RF or IR methods of transmitting the signal to the binocular
viewer 990, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,546.
[0099] It will be appreciated that some aspects of the present
invention can be employed in a monocular system, in which a display
assembly is provided for only one eye. The invention is not to be
limited by what has been particularly shown and described, except
as indicated by the appended claims.
* * * * *