The U.S. Patent Office published a patent application from the Google X team last week covering a head mounted display device (HMD). The invention mainly focuses on the optics of the HMD and never gets adventurous. The HMD will be an AR headset that could play videos / movies and other content from a Pixel smartphone. Being that the invention's filing predates their newly announced Stadia gaming platform, we can be assured that it would be able to tap into this gaming world should this HMD ever come to market.
Google's invention relates to a head-worn augmented reality display. At least some implementations of AR systems include a head-mounted display device (HMD) that can be worn by a user. The HMD may display images that cover a portion of a user's field of view. Some implementations of an HMD include a frame that can be worn by the user, a microdisplay device that can generate visual content, and a combiner that overlays the visual content generated by the microdisplay device on the user's field of view of the physical environment. In this manner, the visual content generated by the microdisplay augments the reality of the user's physical environment.
In some implementations, the HMD also includes a lens assembly that forms an intermediary image from or otherwise alters light beams of the visual content generated by the microdisplay device. Implementations of the HMD may also include a fold mirror to reflect or redirect light beams associated with the visual content generated by the microdisplay device.
The HMD may be configured to overlay computer-generated visual content over the field of view of one or both of the user's eyes. In at least some embodiments, the HMD includes a first microdisplay device that is disposed on a first side of the user's head (e.g., the left side) and is configured to overlay computer-generated visual content over the field of view of the eye on the opposite side (e.g., the right eye) when the HMD is worn.
Google's patent FIG. 1 below is a block diagram illustrating Google's HMD system; FIG. 2 is a third person view of an example physical space, in which a user is experiencing an AR environment through an example HMD.
The displays may be transparent and the user may be able to see the physical space #200 through those portions while the HMD #104 is being worn. In this example, the AR environment #202 includes an annotation #204 that may be displayed in association with a flower in a pot #206 and the annotation identifies the flower and then provides the user with care instructions automatically. The gaze of the user at the flower is what triggered the annotation to appear on screen.
The housing of the HMD may contain a microdisplay device, a lens assembly and a fold mirror assembly. The microdisplay may include various microdisplay technologies such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology, including Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LCOS), Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal (FLCoS), Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology, and/or Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology.
In some implementations, the HMD may also include a gaze tracking device to detect and track an eye gaze of the user. The gaze tracking device may include, for example, one or more image sensors positioned to capture images of the user's eyes. These images may be used, for example, to detect and track direction and movement of the user's pupils.
In some implementations, the HMD may be configured so that the detected gaze is processed as a user input to be translated into a corresponding interaction in the AR experience.
Some implementations of the HMD also include a handheld electronic device that can communicatively couple (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection) to the HMD. The handheld electronic device may allow the user to provide input to the HMD. The handheld device could be a Pixel smartphone or a specialized accessory for specific functionality such as games.
Google's patent FIG. 4A below is a schematic diagram of an example HMD; FIG. 4B. Here we see #406 at the front of the display area which Google describes as a "combiner."
Google later notes that the placement of a microdisplay device on the side of the user's head opposite to the eye upon which the microdisplay overlays content may allow the HMD to be formed with a positive wrap angle combiner. A positive wrap angle combiner may allow for a more aesthetic HMD. For example, the HMD may have a visor-like style in which the front of the HMD has a single smooth convex curvature.
Google's patent FIG. 4B above is a schematic diagram of the example HMD #400 that illustrates a positive wrap angle. A midpoint #480 of the combiner #406 is shown.
When the HMD is worn by the user, the midpoint is disposed on the sagittal plane of the user. In this example, the HMD has a positive wrap angle. For example, the combiner is slanted (or curved) from the midpoint in the posterior direction.
As shown in this figure, the further the frame curves back toward the posterior direction the greater the positive wrap angle. In this example, the combiner of the HMD has a positive wrap angle of at least 20 degrees. In some implementations, when an HMD with a positive wrap angle is worn, the midpoint 480 is the most anterior point on the combiner.
In contrast, an HMD with a negative wrap angle would be angled (or curved) out from the midpoint 480 in the anterior direction (i.e., away from the user's face). An HMD with a negative wrap angle may have a "bug-eyed" appearance.
Lastly, Google is also working to have a visor be able to fit over regular prescription glasses.
Google's patent application was published last week by the U.S. Patent Office. It was originally filed in Q4 2018. The inventor is listed as Ozan Cakmakci, Optics Hardware Engineer at Google X.
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