JP2019049724A - Projection system for eyes - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a system and a method for direct projection of an image to retinae of eyes.SOLUTION: A projection system for eyes includes an image generator 116 and a projection optical module 130 for eyes. The image generator adjusts intensities of a plurality of optical beam parts generated in response to pixels of data indicating an image, in accordance with values of the pixels of the image corresponding to the intensities, and orients the optical beam parts so that they propagate toward the projection optical module for eyes, at a projection angle αrelated to an entire optical propagation path determined in accordance with positions of individual pixels in the image. The projection optical module is constituted so as to respond to input signals indicating a direction β of a visual line of a user's eye and to deflect the entire optical propagation path of the optical beam parts toward positions of pupils of the user's eyes that is related to the direction β of the visual line, and includes a visual line tracking deflector that can be operated. The entire optical propagation path is deflected so that the optical beam parts are incident to the pupils at the angle of incidence to the pupils related to the visual line of the pupils, and the angle of incidence to the pupils corresponds to the projection angle α.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2B

Description

  The present invention belongs to the field of image projection systems and can be worn / worn adapted to project an image in the eyes of the user, in particular to provide the user with a pure or increased virtual reality experience. The present invention relates to a head-mounted image projection system.

BACKGROUND Head-mounted or otherwise wearable image projection systems for projecting virtual and / or increased virtual reality in the eyes of users are becoming increasingly popular. Such systems can often be worn on the user's head (use's head) to project an image into the user's eye to provide the user with a virtual reality image / picture. It is configured as actuable glasses. Because of this, some of the known systems aim to provide pure virtual reality image projection in the eyes of the user, where the light from the outside scene is blocked from reaching the eye, The system is directed to providing increased virtual reality recognition, where light from the outside scene is allowed to pass to the eye while also an image / video frame projected by the image projection system to the eye Augmented / superimposed by

  For example, US Patent Application No. 201304042 discloses an electronic device that includes a frame configured to be worn on the head of a user. The frame is coupled to the bridge configured to be supported on the nose of the user, and the bridge, extends extending away from the bridge, and is configured to be disposed across the side of the user's heel Part can be included. The frame may further include an arm coupled to the buttocks and extending to a free end. The first arm may be placed over the user's temples, with the free end located near the user's ear. The device may also include a transparent display attached to the frame adjacent the buttocks, and an input device attached to the frame and configured to receive inputs related to the function from the user. Information about the function can be displayed on the display.

  U.S. Pat. No. 7,936,519 discloses a head-mounted display, which comprises an eyeglass frame-like frame mounted on the viewer's head; and two image display devices, each displaying an image The apparatus comprises an image generating device and light guide means, the light guide means being mounted on the image generating device and generally disposed on the central side of the viewer's face with respect to the image generating device, wherein the image generating device A light beam emitted from the light source is incident, through which the light beam is guided, from which the light beam is emitted towards the observer's pupil.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,289,231 is compact in size and weight and is clear (clear)
A head-mounted virtual image display unit is disclosed that incorporates high-performance optics that provide good see-through capability. Sliding light shields may be incorporated in cases where the see-through function is not desired. For example, focusing may be incorporated to allow focusing of the image at a distance of about 18 inches to infinity. An adjustable headband may be incorporated that is adapted to fit the user's head. A flexible boom structure may be incorporated to facilitate fine adjustment of the position of the optical assembly. Slider and ball joint mechanisms may also be incorporated to facilitate fine adjustment of the position of the optical assembly. A built-in microphone may be incorporated to allow voice input by the user. The head-mounted virtual image display unit can be used comfortably with eyeglasses and protective glasses, and provides useful images to the user without interrupting the view of the surrounding environment. The unit is designed with a favorable appearance so as to be much more user-acceptable.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,384,999 discloses a head mounted display and a light module for other applications. The optical module comprises an optical substrate and an optical superstrate having inter-engaging ridged surfaces.
)including. A reflective layer is formed on at least one of the surfaces. An index matching material may be disposed between the surfaces. The area that receives the projected image from the projector directs the light beam emitted from the projector onto the surface with the eyelid so that the viewer recognizes the augmented image in use. The augmented image includes the reflected rays from the projector and the transmitted rays from the object located on the opposite side of the module to that of the viewer.

  In one particular technique, eye position and movement are tracked to determine the user's focal area. Techniques for tracking gaze are disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 6,943,754.

  US Patent Application No. 2012154277 discloses a method and system for enhancing the user's experience when using a near eye display such that a see-through display or a head mounted display is provided. An optimal image is created for display of the user's view of the landscape. The position and movement of the user's head and eyes are tracked to determine the user's focal area. A portion of the optimal image is coupled to the user's focal area at the current eye position, the next position of the head and eyes is predicted, and a portion of the optimal image is next to the user. It is coupled to the focal area.

  U.S. Pat. No. 7,542,210 shows a fixture for mounting the device on the user's head, a beam splitter mounted on the fixture with the exerciser, an image projector for projecting an image onto the beam splitter, a user SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A head mounted display is disclosed having an eye tracker tracking one's eyes and one or more processing devices. The device allows the beam splitter to move around the center of rotation of the eye and, with any head tracker, an eye tracker and to keep the beam splitter in the direct line of sight of the eye. Use exercise equipment. The user simultaneously views the image and the surrounding situation behind the image. A second beam splitter, an eye tracker and a projector can be used to create a virtual ambient situation in stereooptics with the other eye of the user. The display may correspond to the resolution of the human eye. The invention presets high resolution images regardless of where the user looks.

International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2013/117999 discloses systems, methods and computer program products for eye tracking. An exemplary method is to direct light to the eye using a projector; to detect reflections from surfaces associated with the eye using an image acquisition module; and to associate the eyes based on the detected reflections Determining the line of sight to be taken. In some aspects, the light comprises infrared light. In some aspects, the projector comprises a laser. In some embodiments, the projector is a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS)
) Have a chip. In some embodiments, the surface associated with the reflection is at least one of a cornea, an iris or a retina.

General Description Conventional projection systems for providing the user with virtual or augmented reality are generally based on the projection of an image (e.g. a video image) directed to the user's eye, the image being in front of the eye To be recognized as being placed / focused on an intermediate image plane placed at a specific distance (eg, typically a distance of about 4 to a few meters from the eye) It has become. The intermediate image plane onto which the image is projected is a virtual image plane, even though it is a real image plane in front of the eye (i.e. the projected rays forming the image are actually focused there). The image plane) (ie, the projected rays that form the image may be recognized by the user's eyes when focused there). In any case, in such conventional image projection systems, the intermediate image plane has to be optically relayed to the user's eye. In other words, the intermediate image plane (real image plane or virtual image plane) is typically placed at a certain finite distance in front of the eye, so only if the lens of the eye focuses on that certain distance , Focus on the retina of the eye.

  One of the major deficiencies of conventional virtual / enhanced reality imaging techniques, which project perceived images at specific finite distances from the user's eyes, is eyestrain, and often the onset of headaches is connected with. This problem is even more inherent when stereo images are projected independently to each of the user's eyes to create a recognized 3D illusion. Because, in the 3D illusion generated in this way, there may be objects / elements that are perceived by the user as being placed at various different distances from the eye, which means that the eye This is because it causes the lens of the eye to refocus on the different distances continuously. However, as mentioned above, the actual image that each eye recognizes is actually located at a specific, typically fixed, real or virtual image plane from the eye Focus is on. Thus, the "eye" tries to focus on different distances according to the perceived distance of the element / object in the image, generally failing, thus perturbing the visual mechanism in the brain, causing eye strain and headache .

Another major drawback of the prior art relates to eye movement. In the prior art where the image recognized by each eye is projected onto the imaging plane in front of the eye, the imaging plane typically relates to a reference frame, which Fixed with respect to the frame of reference of the outside scene / surrounding situation in which the user is placed (as in the case of a typical 3D movie theater projected onto a fixed screen in the movie theater) Fixed with respect to a reference frame associated with the user's head) (as in the case of a pilot or gamer's helmet) designed to project virtual reality. In any of these cases, the projection image is not fixed to the reference plane of the eye (i.e. the eye gaze), which is known as target-sight alignment with the projection module. It causes problems and requires special calibration. Thus, while the user's eyes are moving, it is difficult to utilize the prior art to project an image to an arbitrarily selected location on the retina. However, such features are particularly desirable in certain applications, such as from the Internet, to increase the user's visual perception with additional information.

  In this connection, in the human vision of both eyes, the eyes (line of sight) are not always directed to parallel optical axes, in many cases such that their optical axes intersect (ie human being Oriented) at a position relative to the object being viewed. Therefore, it is often desirable to individually and independently adjust the projection of the images onto the retina of each eye to compensate or account for binocular parallax between the eyes. This is also achieved in the prior art, where the image is projected onto an imaging plane that is not fixed to the respective eye reference frame, but fixed to either the external scene reference frame or the user's head reference frame It is difficult.

The present invention provides a novel eye projection technique that can be used to solve the above-mentioned deficiencies known in the art. More specifically, the present invention provides a system and method for direct projection of an image onto the retina of the eye, and further, for tracking the position of the eye according to the direction of the line of sight, the projection / imaging optical path Provides systems and methods for directing (projection / imaging optical path). This makes it possible to project the image to a specific / fixed position on the retina of the eye while the direction of the line of sight changes.

  It is to be understood that the phrase "fixed position" on the retina is used herein to refer to a particular position on the retina that corresponds to a particular viewing angle. Related to this, a small impulse movement (tremble) of the image on the retina (affected by the eye's impulse movement) causes the image on the retina to appear stable and fixed at a particular viewing angle / direction. It should be noted that it is required. For this reason, the phrase "fixed / specific position" position on the retina is fixed to an acceptable degree by the eye's impulse movement, but it may not be completely fixed, and the eye's impulse property It should be understood as a position on the retina that may move slightly due to movement. Thus, while the inventive techniques described in detail below compensate for large eye movements (e.g. associated with changes in eye direction), small eye movements such as impulsivity movements (trembling) Although it may not be compensated, it should be noted that it still allows the image to appear perfectly stable on the fixed position.

According to some aspects of the present invention, systems and methods are provided for direct imaging on the retina of the eye. The projection system includes a first adjustable light deflector (eg, one or more fast scan (scan) mirrors operable to perform a two-dimensional image scan, such as a raster scan) Includes an image scanner. The image scanner is configured and operable to receive an input beam, deflect it, and to adjust the angle of incidence of the beam at the pupil of the user's eye. To this end, the first adjustable light deflector of the image scanner performs an image scan, such as a raster scan, while light rays are incident at various pupil incident angles α corresponding to different positions on the retina of the eye. It deflected to be incident to the pupil in _in. Next, the intensity or spectral component of the light beam is also modulated according to the image projected onto the retina, so that each pixel of the image is projected to various locations on the retina during an image scan . In other words, the pupil incident angle α _in corresponds to the pixels in the image so that these pixels are directly projected to their respective positions on the retina.

The system of the present invention also includes an ophthalmic projection light module disposed in the optical path of a light beam propagating towards the eye. Typically, according to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection light module comprises an angular beam relay module, said angular beam relay module being arranged with respect to the optical axis It is configured and operable to receive light rays from the image scanner propagating therefrom at a particular output image projection angle α _scn and to relay the light rays to enter the pupil at the corresponding pupil incident angle α _in . Thus, α _in may be a monotonic function F _opt of the output image projection angle α _scn : α _in ≡ {α ^x _in , α ^y _in } = F _opt (α _scn ) ≡ F _opt ({α ^x _scn , α ^y _scn }), where the superscript indices X and Y indicate angles measured with respect to two orthogonal transverse axes perpendicular to the light path. In this connection, the monotonous function F _opt , which converts the projection angle α _scn of the image scanner into the pupil incidence angle α _in , is generally the optical activation of the eye projection light module which relays the light beam from the image scanner to the pupil It relates to the light function (optical function). The image projection angle α _scn may then correspond to the two-dimensional position {P _x , P _y } of the corresponding pixel in the image, where α _scn = {α ^x _scn , α ^y _scn } = S ( It may be {P _x , P _y }). Here, S is an image scan function (here, also referred to as an image scan mapping function) located between the position {P _x , P _y } of the pixel in the image and the angular state / angular position α _scn of the image scanner. It is.

As mentioned above, one of the biggest defects in the prior art is that the projection image captured by the eye is not fixed to the eye coordinates (reference frame) and another reference frame (reference frame of the outside scene of the eye or the user Fixed to the reference frame of the head of the Therefore, when the direction of the line of sight of the eye changes, the image projection position on the retina of the eye changes accordingly. This is because the actual pupil incident angle α _in depends on the direction of the line of sight. For example, marking β 印 {β ^x , β ^y } in the direction of the line of sight for a particular projection angle α _scn , the pupil incidence angle α _in would be:
Formula (1) α _in = F _opt (α _scn ) -β = F _opt (S ({P _x , P _y })) −
β.

This will lead to a dependency between the projected position of the pixel on the retina (determined by the pupil incidence angle α _in ) and the direction β of the line of sight.

Thus, according to the present invention, it compensates for changes in the direction β of the line of sight of the pupil and allows projection of the image pixel to a specific (eg fixed) position on the retina in various / varying directions of the line of sight _Therefore , the function F _opt (S ({P _x , P _y })) should be modified.

This may be achieved by utilizing a specially configured ophthalmic projection light module associated with a modified optical function F ' _opt tunable according to the direction of the line of sight. For example, replacing light function F _opt in equation (1) above with light function F ′ _opt modified as follows will result _in pupil entrance angle α _in being invariant with respect to the line of sight:
Formula (2) F ' _opt ((alpha) _scn , (beta)) = F _opt ((alpha) _scn ) + (beta).
In fact, according to some aspects of the invention, this solution comprises a second adjustable light deflector (for example including an addressable mirror) in the projection light module for ophthalmic use It is implemented by including a tunable gaze tracking deflector. A gaze tracking deflector is configured and operable to respond to a signal indicative of the eye direction β of the eye to deflect the light propagation path of the ray according to the direction β of the eye direction, said ray being in the direction of the eye direction (With respect to the optical axis of the pupil, ie, its line of sight) is incident on the pupil at the angle α _in .

Alternatively or additionally, the invariance of the pupil incidence angle α _{in with} respect to the direction of the line of sight may be achieved by utilizing an appropriate mapping between the image pixels and the image scan mirror. Such mapping takes into account and compensates for changes in the viewing direction β (eg, may vary according to the viewing direction). For example, using a modified image scan mapping function S 'that satisfies
Formula (3) _Fopt (S '({ _Px , _Py }, (beta)) = _Fopt (S ({ _Px , _Py })) + (beta).

Thus, another way of providing at least partial remedies for changes in the direction of gaze β is to at least partially compensate β so that it is possible to store pixel projections at the same location on the retina. By modifying the image scan function S to compensate. In other words, the image scan function S is modified according to β by changing the correspondence between the projection angle α _scn and the image pixel (light intensity) projected at this angle of the image scanner. This can therefore be achieved by performing appropriate digital processing to determine the selected part of the image projected onto the retina. As the gaze direction changes, selected portions of the image shift to compensate for the shift in gaze direction.

  This method, however, has an extensive field of view, an image capable of projecting the ray associated with the pixel at extreme angles of incidence to cover the whole range of possible pupil orientations with different line of sight It may require the use of a projection system. However, designing and producing an optical image projection system that supports such extreme eye angles of incidence on the eye can make fabrication of such a system impractical or cost ineffective in certain applications, degraded optical performance And / or may be associated with high tolerance constraints.

It should also be noted that as the viewing direction β changes, the spatial position of the pupil also changes. Thus, the use of the modified image scan function S 'of equation (3) to compensate for β uses a sufficiently wide ray with a width covering some or all of the possible pupil positions Need. For example, the eye direction β of the eye is a solid angle
Can be any angle within the range of Thus, the pupil can be located in a region of a nominal 6 mm radius, as a typical eye diameter D of 25 mm. Thus, the use of the direction of line of sight β requires that the rays directed to the eye have an equivalent radius (eg about 8 mm) so that they actually reach the pupil in different directions of line of sight.

  As discussed further below, it may be desirable for a ray whose width / radius is smaller than the width / radius of the pupil to be directed to the pupil. This can be used to improve the depth of focus of the image projection on the retina. However, using the scheme of equation (3) to compensate for the direction of the line of sight by using the image scan function S 'may not be desirable in some aspects where a thin beam (e.g. thinner than the pupil) is used. It should be noted that there is no. The reason is that the light ray needs to be wider than the pupil and cover most of the possible pupil positions.

However, the use of a wider ray than the pupil is such an aspect that the ophthalmic projection light module is specifically configured to compensate for the viewing direction β (ie, the ophthalmic projection optics are more tunable to the viewing direction) Aspects that are adjustable-as in equation (2)) may not be necessary. This is because, in such an aspect, the ophthalmic projection light module may include a gaze tracking deflector that operates according to the direction β of the gaze to deflect the light propagation path of the light beam towards the pupil. This allows the use of rays narrower than the width of the pupil while still tracking the rays and directing them to the pupil in various viewing directions. For example, in some aspects, the gaze tracking deflector may include an addressable mirror that deflects the light beam to different deflection angles according to the direction of the line of sight β and changes the light path of the light beam deflected therefrom. The eye tracking deflector also receives rays propagating from the addressable mirrors along the various respective light paths corresponding to the different directions of the line of sight, the pupil being arranged when in each of the different directions of the line of sight Field selector light modules (eg, including one or more lenses or mirrors) configured and operable to direct them to corresponding spatial locations. The field selector light module may include, for example, a-spherical optics such as an off-axis parabolic deflector specifically configured to perform this function. In some aspects, the field selector light module of the eye tracking deflector module includes or is formed by the optical surface of the lens of one or more glasses.

In fact, in a more general way, the combination of the techniques described above with reference to equations (2) and (3) also compensates for the direction of the line of sight .beta. (E.g. Can be used by utilizing both a projection light module and a pixel mapping process). This may require that the following conditions be satisfied by the mapping function S 'and the light function F':
Equation _{(4) F 'opt (S} ' ({P x, P y}, β-β 1), β 1) = F opt (α scn) + β.
Where β ₁ is the part of the angle β of the direction of the line of sight compensated by the tunable gaze-tracking deflector of the projection light module for the eye, (β-β ₁ ) by the processing (mapping function S ′ Of the direction of the line of sight that is compensated).

Thus, the present invention provides systems and methods for direct projection of images onto the retina of the eye. This requires that the image be projected / focused on either a real intermediate image plane or a virtual intermediate image plane located outside the eye at a certain distance from it However, it can be achieved by the present invention. Thus, the discomfort, fatigue or headache associated with the recognition of the image in such an intermediate image plane can also be generally alleviated and completely eliminated. As explained in more detail below, the direct projection of the image onto the retina of the eye corresponds to the different respective pixels, and the different respective outputs associated with the position of each pixel in the image Using an image projection system adapted to output light rays at an image projection angle, and angular relay optics for relaying light rays output from the image projection system to the eye pupil at a corresponding pupil incident angle Achieved by using. The angular relay optics define that the angle of the ray incident on the pupil corresponds to the output angle at which the ray is emitted from the image projection system, and in turn to each pixel of the image. The system thus provides direct imaging of the image to the retina, as the lens of the eye focuses on light rays that act on the different respective areas of the retina from different directions.

  In some aspects, the system of the present invention is adapted to direct parallel rays to the pupil. Thus, such rays are perceived by the eye as coming from an "infinite" distance, and the lens of the eye need not focus on any image plane located at a finite distance therefrom. This provides for alleviation of the offensive phenomena associated with such focusing, as described above.

  Alternatively or additionally, the direct projection technique of the present invention provides to project the image to the retina of the eye in a way that the image is projected to the retina with an improved depth of focus. Thus, the image is projected substantially in focus on the retina with virtually any focus condition of the lens of the eye. For example, while the lens of the eye is in any focal state in the wide focal distance range of 4 meters to 画像, the image is projected with a significant depth of focus that allows the retina to remain in focus obtain. According to the invention, projecting the image with increased depth of focus is achieved by projecting the ray associated with the image pixel onto the eye pupil, where the width of the ray is greater than the diameter of the eye pupil thin. Thus, in a typical optical system, the depth of focus is related to the diameter of the pupil of the optical system. The smaller pupil diameter provides a wider focal depth, and vice versa. The same applies to the optical system of the eye. However, according to the present invention, the image is projected directly onto the retina of the eye by directly directing the light rays corresponding to the image pixels towards the pupil of the eye (without forming an intermediate image plane) . Thus, the inventors have found that utilizing and directing a light beam that is narrow and narrower than the diameter of the pupil enhances the depth of focus of the image projected onto the retina. In fact, the effective diameter of the pupil through which the ray enters the eye to interact with the lens of the eye is, in such a case, equal to the diameter of the ray (smaller than the actual diameter of the pupil), Depth of focus is enhanced. This relieves the discomfort, fatigue or headache associated with the eye's attempt to focus the projected image, as the image remains in focus at any reasonable focus condition of the lens of the eye. It is used in some aspects of the invention to also allow for complete removal. Thus, in some aspects of the invention, an optical system capable of projecting a ray thinner than the diameter of the pupil is used.

  Also, in some embodiments, a suitable beam collimator is also used to provide the light beam towards the eye where laser light (e.g. coherent light) is used as a light source and which may be sufficiently narrow and parallel. May be used.

  In some embodiments, rays having a width on the order of 60% of a typical pupil radius (eg, about 1.5 mm) provide a sufficiently large depth of field / focal depth of the image on the retina Used for In this connection, the need for adjustable focusing and related optics, according to the invention, for example, with the large depth of field obtained when using / projecting an eye, which is thinner than the pupil, is used It can be removed. Thus, in some aspects of the invention, a fixed focus / non-focusable system can be used to direct light to the eye.

Thus, according to one broad aspect of the invention, there is provided an ophthalmic projection system comprising an image generator and an ophthalmic projection light module. The image generator obtains data indicative of the image, generates a plurality of ray portions corresponding to the pixels of the image, adjusts the intensity of each ray portion according to the value of the corresponding image pixel, and Are directed to propagate along the entire light propagation path towards the ophthalmic projection light module. The ray sections are directed to propagate to the objective projection light module at a projection angle α _scn in relation to the general light propagation path, where the projection angle α _scn is determined according to the position of the respective pixel in the image Be done. The ophthalmic projection light module responds to the input signal indicating the direction β of the user's eye's line of sight to deflect the general light propagation path of the ray portion towards the eye's pupil according to the direction of the line of sight β And an eye-tracking deflector configured and operable to The entire light propagation path is deflected such that the ray part is incident on the pupil at a pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the projection angle α _scn with respect to the line of sight of the pupil in the direction β of its line of sight. The system thereby provides for directly projecting an image onto the retina of the eye at a substantially fixed position on the retina, regardless of the direction β of the line of sight of the eye.

According to some aspects of the invention, the correspondence between the projection angle α _scn and the pupil incident angle α _in is such that the pupil incident angle α _in is a monotonous function of the projection angle α _scn .

  According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system includes one or more beam collimators adapted to provide collimation of the beam portions, while the beam portions are substantially aligned. It is incident on the pupil, which allows direct projection of the image onto the retina of the eye. For example, the direct projection of the image to the retina can be characterized by the fact that the image is recognized by the eye as coming from an infinite distance from the eye.

  According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system includes one or more light modules adapted to achieve a width of the ray portion smaller than the diameter of the pupil. This makes it possible to project the image on the retina at a magnified depth of focus.

  According to some aspects of the invention, the gaze-tracking deflector of the ophthalmic projection system comprises an addressable light deflection unit and a field selector light module. The addressable light deflection unit is disposed along the entire light propagation path, and the field selector light module is disposed along the light path downstream of the addressable light deflection unit with respect to the light propagation direction through the system. Be done. In some aspects, the addressable light deflection unit is responsive to an input signal indicative of the direction of view β to propagate rays incident thereon along respective light paths corresponding to the direction of view β Are operable to adjust the deflection angle thereof. The field selector light module receives rays propagating along various respective light paths corresponding to different viewing directions β and directs them to corresponding positions of the pupil respectively associated with different viewing directions β And may be configured and operable. Thus, in certain aspects of the invention, the field selector light module includes non-spherical optics, such as an off-axis parabolic deflector.

According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection light module of the ophthalmic projection system further includes an angular ray relay module. The angle ray relay module receives each ray portion propagating from the image generator at different projection angles α _scn and relays so that each ray portion is projected to the pupil (at that position) at the corresponding pupil incidence angle α _in Configured and operable. For example, in some aspects, the angular ray relay module includes first and second light modules associated with the first and second focal lengths, respectively. The first and second light modules are spaced apart from each other along the general light propagation path by an optical distance substantially equal to the sum of the first and second focal lengths.

  In a particular aspect of the invention, the addressable light deflection unit of the gaze-tracking deflector is arranged along the light path between the first and second modules of the angular beam relay module. Also in some aspects, the second light module of the angle beam relay and the field selector light module are integrated into a common optical element.

According to some aspects of the invention, the image generator of the ophthalmic projection system is:
-Including a light module providing an input beam;
-Arranged in the path of the input beam, adapted to split the input beam into one or more beam sections, and to _direct one or more beam sections to propagate at a projection angle α _scn with respect to the overall light propagation path Including an image scanner;
A light intensity modulator disposed in the input light beam and at least one light path of the one or more input light beam portions and adapted to controllably adjust the intensity of the one or more light beam portions; and The light intensity is connectable to the intensity modulator module to obtain image data indicative of the image pixels to be projected onto the retina of the eye, and to adjust the intensity of the ray portion according to the values of the pixels of the image corresponding respectively And a projection controller configured and operable to operate the modulator module.

In a particular aspect, the projection controller is also connectable to the image scanner and operable to direct the ray portion to propagate at a projection angle α _scn with respect to the overall light propagation path.

For example, in some aspects, the light intensity modulator may include a spatial light modulator configured and operable to split the input beam into a plurality of beam portions propagating along distinct paths of light. The image scanner may include a static light module configured to deflect the plurality of beam portions towards different projection angles α _scn .

Alternatively or additionally, the light intensity modulator may be adapted to modulate the intensity of the input beam, and the image scanner splits the input beam into a plurality of beam portions (temporary portions) and It may include a scanning mirror adapted to be directed to propagate towards different angles α _scn .

  To this end, according to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system comprises two adjustments, wherein at least two adjustable light deflectors (e.g. each formed by one or more rotatable mirrors) Possible two-dimensional light deflectors). For example, the first adjustable light deflector may include or be associated with at least one scanning light deflector of the image scanner, and the second adjustable light deflector comprises a line of sight of the eye tracking deflector. It may include or be associated with a tracking deflector.

In some aspects, at least two (e.g., the first and second) adjustable light deflectors have a desired pupil with respect to the eye's gaze in different gaze directions β and in different gaze directions β. Acting to control the degree of freedom of the propagation of two or more ray parts in order to direct the ray parts to be incident on the position of the pupil at an angle of incidence α _in . The pupil incidence angle α _in is also adjusted by at least two adjustable light deflectors to correspond to the respective pixels of the image respectively associated with the ray sections.

For example, the second tunable light deflector may use a substantially spherical portion of a virtual surface to define possible pupil positions when the user's eyes look in different directions. And may be configured and controlled to control the crossing position of the ray portions propagating towards. The first tunable light deflector may be configured and operative to control the crossing angle of the light beam portion with the substantially spherical portion of the virtual surface defining the possible pupil position. Alternatively, the optical functions of the first and second light deflectors may be mixed, and a particular mapping (e.g. a look-up table) the arrangement (e.g. each orientation) of each of the two deflectors) It can be used to associate the intersection position and the intersection angle of the ray parts on the virtual surface that define possible pupil positions.

  According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system is adapted to control the parallelism of a ray portion incident on the pupil (e.g., when incident on the eye, the ray portion is substantially Are configured to be parallel), and include one or more beam collimators. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more beam collimators may be configured such that when the beam portion is incident on the pupil, the width of the beam portion is substantially smaller than the diameter of the pupil.

  According to another broad aspect of the invention, there is provided an eyeglass comprising one or more (e.g. two eye projection systems) an eye projection system similar to the above-mentioned eye projection system. The glasses may be configured to project pure or augmented virtual reality into the eye. In the latter case, the lens of the glasses is adapted to reflect light from the eye projection system towards the user's eyes and transmit external light from the outside scene towards the user's eyes Can include a container / coupler surface. For example, the input beam of the ophthalmic projection system comprises one or more spectral bands, and the beam splitter / combiner surface is adapted to reflect said one or more spectral bands towards the user's eye Can be configured as a notch filter. Alternatively or additionally, the input beam may include polarization to a particular polarization line, and the beam splitter / combiner surface is adapted to reflect that particular polarization line towards the user's eye It can be configured as a polarizing plate.

According to yet another broad aspect of the invention, an ophthalmic projection system is provided for projecting an image onto the retina of a user's eye. An ophthalmic projection system includes an optical module for producing an input beam of controllable intensity and an optical system disposed in the optical path of the input beam. The optical system receives the first and second adjustable two-dimensional light deflectors, data indicative of the image projected onto the retina of the user's eyes, and data indicative of the direction β of the line of sight of the eyes, And a controller adapted to project the pixels of the image to the corresponding position of. Projecting the image onto the retina may include performing the following for the projection of each pixel of the image:
Activating the light module to generate an input beam having an intensity corresponding to the intensity value of a pixel in the image;
Activating at least one of the first and second two-dimensional light deflectors by adjusting the deflection angle to direct the input beam to be incident on the pupil of the user's eye according to the direction β of the line of sight And
The input beam is directed to be incident on the pupil at a pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the position of the pixel in the image, such that the lens of the eye causes the pixel at the position on the retina corresponding to the position of the pixel in the image Activating at least one of the first and second two-dimensional light deflectors by adjusting the deflection angle so as to be able to focus on the relevant part of the beam.

  In order to better understand the subject matter disclosed herein and to illustrate how it may be carried out in practice, the embodiments are described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: , Will be described below:

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram 100 of an ophthalmic projection system constructed and operative in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate the optical arrangement of the ophthalmic projection system 100 according to an aspect of the invention and its actuation in the two different line of sight directions β ₀ and β ₁ of the eye. FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate the optical arrangement of the ophthalmic projection system 100 according to an aspect of the invention and its actuation in the two different line of sight directions β ₀ and β ₁ of the eye. 2C and 2D schematically illustrate the optical arrangement of the ophthalmic projection system 100 according to another aspect of the invention and its actuation in two different line of sight directions β ₀ and β ₁ . 2C and 2D schematically illustrate the optical arrangement of the ophthalmic projection system 100 according to another aspect of the invention and its actuation in two different line of sight directions β ₀ and β ₁ . FIG. 3 is a flow chart 200 illustrating a method according to an aspect of the invention for projecting an image onto the retina of the eye. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram that illustrates and illustrates the configuration of the image projection module 110 according to a particular aspect of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a pair of glasses including an ophthalmic projection system 100 according to an aspect of the present invention.

  It will be appreciated that, for the sake of simplicity and clarity, the elements shown in the figures may not necessarily be drawn to scale. For example, some dimensions of the element may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presently disclosed subject matter. However, it will be understood by one skilled in the art that the presently disclosed subject matter may be practiced without some of these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail in order not to obscure the presently disclosed subject matter.

  It is to be understood that the specific features of the presently disclosed subject matter which are described in the context of separate aspects for the sake of clarity may also be provided in combination in one aspect, unless otherwise specified. . Conversely, various features of the presently disclosed subject matter which are, for brevity, described in the context of one aspect, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

  The optical modules / optical elements described below, in particular those described in FIGS. 2A-2D, 4 and 5, also show the functional optical elements / optical modules used in the practice of the invention and their configurations. And should be understood. Thus, the optical element / module is described below according to its functional operation. It should be noted that these optical elements / modules can be implemented in practice by utilizing a combination of different arrangements of actual optical elements. Additionally, in certain aspects of the invention, two or more of the functional light modules described below may be integrally implemented with a common light module / optical element and / or one or less The functional optics / light modules described in can be implemented in practice using several separate optics. To this end, those skilled in the art who are familiar with the present invention will be aware of various configurations of optical elements / optical modules for carrying out the optical functions of the present invention and the functional optical elements / optical modules described below and such modules. Various arrangements will be understood soon.

  Please refer to FIG. The figure shows a functional block diagram 100 of an ophthalmic projection system constructed and operative in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. The eye projection system 100 includes an image projection system 110 and an eye projection optical system 130.

The image projection system 110 is adapted to obtain data indicative of the image to be projected to the eye and to generate a plurality of ray portions LB corresponding to the pixels of the image. The image projection system 110 also adjusts the intensity of each ray portion LB _i of the ray portion LB having the value of the pixel of the image corresponding to each portion, and the particular projection associated with the position of each pixel in the image It is adapted to direct the ray portion to propagate to the _objective projection light module 130 at an angle α _scn . Next, the eye projection light module responds to the input signal indicating the direction β of the user's eye's eye to deflect the light propagation path of the light beam portion LB toward the user's pupil according to the direction β of the user's line of sight Configured and operable. The entire light propagation path is deflected such that the ray part LB is incident on the pupil at a pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the projection angle α _scn (e.g. independently of the direction of the line of sight β). In this context, the term "pupil incidence angle α _in " is used herein to denote the incidence angle of a ray or part thereof onto the pupil, measured with respect to the light of the pupil / eye field. .

  To this end, the invention makes it possible to differentiate the eyes by directing the ray portions LB associated with the pixels to be incident at a predetermined incident angle on the pupil of the eye corresponding to the image positions of the pixels associated with these ray portions. Provide partial or complete compensation of the viewing direction.

  In this regard, it is noted that the ray portion LB may be a spatial portion / segment of the input beam ILB, which may be spatially or temporally segmented / divided by the image scanner module 118 of the image projection system 110. It should. As described in more detail below, the image scanner module 118 splits the beam into spatial or temporal beam portions that propagate along the entire optical path towards the projection light module 130. As such, it may be implemented utilizing actuable spatial light modulators and / or scanning mirrors (eg, raster mirror scanners).

  It should be noted that, for the sake of clarity, in the following, the ray part LB generated by the image scanner 118 will be referred to interchangeably as ray or ray part.

According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system 100 is also connectable to at least one of the image projection system 110 and the ophthalmic projection optical system 130, and the direction β of the eye / pupil line of sight The eye tracking controller 120 may be included that is adapted to adjust their at least one actuation according to (i.e., according to the eye gaze LOS of the pupil). The image projection system 110 scans the ray over a range of projection angles α _scn corresponding to the position of the pixels in the projected image data 12, while the intensity Int of the ray and possibly the color (spectral) Spc content is the projected pixel of the image Are configured and operable for projection of the image by controlling according to the respective intensity and color content values of

To this end, the image projection system 110 typically comprises a light source / module 114 for generating the input beam ILB, and a spectral modulator 117 (hereinafter intensity modulator 117) arranged in the path of the intensity and / or the beam LB. It includes an image generator 116 that includes an image scanner 118. The intensity modulator 117 is adapted to modulate the intensity of the ray according to the intensity of the projected pixels of the image 12. In embodiments where colorful image projection to the retina is desired, the light module may include one or more light sources (typically three laser light sources of red, green and blue). The intensity modulator 117 is then configured and actuatable to controllably adjust (weaken / modulate) also the intensity Int of the light beam ILB from the light module 114 and possibly the color / spectral content SPC. possible. In various aspects, an intensity modulator / attenuator may be implemented utilizing a controllable filter / attenuator disposed in the optical path of a light beam output from one or more light sources of light module 114. Alternatively or additionally, the intensity modulator / attenuator may be implemented utilizing a spatial light modulator (SLM). Further alternatively or additionally, the intensity modulators may be implemented using a controller adapted to control the operation of the light source / laser in the light module 114 and adjusting their output intensity. The configuration and / or functional operation of image projection system 110 according to some aspects of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 2A-4.

The image scanner 118 disposed in the light path of the light beam may be one or more light deflectors (eg, adjustable light deflectors such as fast scan / raster mirrors, and / or micro-lens arrays (MLA) or The light deflector may include a plurality of static elements such as a micro-mirror array (MMA), the light deflector being disposed in the path of the light beam LB and for transmitting the light beam along different scan / projection angles α _scn Are configured and operable to perform image scanning and / or spatial modulation, thereby dividing the beam into a plurality of beam portions corresponding to respective pixels of the image 12.

The image projection system 110 also includes an image projection controller 112, which is connectable to the image scanner 118 and the intensity modulator module 117, for displaying image data 12 indicative of image pixels to be projected onto the retina. Activates image scanner 118 and intensity modulator 117 to acquire and direct ray portions (spatial / temporal ray portions) towards scan / output angle α _scn with appropriate respective intensities corresponding to image pixels Are configured and operable. The _ophthalmic projection optical system 130 then receives the rays (or portions thereof) output from the image generator 116 at the projection angle α _scn and causes them to enter the eye pupil at the corresponding pupil incident angle α _in The image pixels are projected directly onto the retina at their proper position. Ophthalmic projection optics 130 are also configured and operable to compensate for different line of sight directions β of the eye to project the image to a fixed position on the retina.

Ophthalmic projection optics 130 typically include an angular ray relay module 134, which is used by the user at an appropriate pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the respective position of the corresponding pixel in the image. Is adapted to relay the light beam to be directed to be incident on the pupil EP of the eye, whereby the image lens associated with the projection angle .alpha. _Scn is at the appropriate position in the eye's retina ER to be projected The EL makes it possible to focus the rays. This facilitates the direct projection of the image 12 onto the retina ER of the eye.

According to some aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection system 100 also includes a gaze tracking controller 120, which is configured to position the pupil and its gaze when in different gaze directions β. Configured and operable to adjust / control the operation of the eye projection system 130 and / or the eye projection system 110 according to the direction β of the line of sight of the eye to project the image directly onto the retina ER according to It is. More specifically, in some aspects of the present invention, the eye tracking controller 120 may be configured to use the above equation (2) to allow the projection of image pixels to a fixed location on the retina while the line of sight changes. And 4.) configured and operable to control the light function F ' _opt of the _ophthalmic projection optical system 130 according to any one of (4). It should be noted that when operating according to equation (2) above, only the light function F ' _{opt of the ophthalmic} projection optical system 130 is used / adjusted to compensate for changes in the direction of the line of sight. . However, when operating according to equation (4), to perform such compensation, the optical function F ' _{opt of the ophthalmic} projection optics 130 and the image scan function S' (S 'of the image projection system 110) Both are adjusted at the respective projection angles α _scn of the image scanner, which relate to the intensity at which the pixels of the image are projected.

In this regard, it may be that the eye tracking controller 120 is an electronic / processing module configured and operable to receive data / signals 22 indicative of the eye direction β of the eye from the eye tracking module 20 , Should be noted. The eye tracking module may be included as part of the system 100 of the present invention or may be an external system connected thereto. The eye tracking system 20 may be configured and operable to determine the direction of the gaze / line of sight to look in accordance with any suitable technique. There are several such art-known techniques that may be incorporated into or used in connection with the system 100 of the present invention. Such techniques are disclosed, for example, in International Patent Application Publication WO 2013/117999, U.S. Patent No. 7,542,210 and U.S. Patent No. 6,943,754.

Returning to the ophthalmic projection optical system 130, according to a particular aspect of the invention, it has an adjustable light function F ' _opt which makes it possible to at least partially compensate for changes in the direction of the line of sight. Configured It is noted that when the direction of the line of sight changes, both the position of the pupil and the line of sight of the eye change. For this reason, the eye projection optical system 130 is configured to be able to change the optical path of the light beam LB from the image projection system 110 (eg from the image scanner 118), and when it is in a different line of sight of the eye, It can be directed towards various possible pupil positions. Additionally, in certain aspects of the invention, the ophthalmic projection optical system 130 also not only corrects the light path of the light beam LB to direct the light to the position of the respective pupil corresponding to the direction of the line of sight. It is configured to at least partially compensate for changes in the direction of the line of sight LOS of the pupil in different directions of line of sight. For example, for various line of sight directions β, the light function F ′ _opt is the direction of the respective lines of sight β (here the pupil incident angle α _in is a predetermined function of the projection angle α _scn (typically The light beam is adjusted to be directed to the position of the pupil while ensuring that it is incident on the pupil at the pupil incident angle α _in with respect to the eye line of sight LOS (which is maintained as a specific monotonic function). This provides a direct projection of the image pixels to their respective fixed locations on the retina. This feature of the invention is described and illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

Reference is made to FIGS. 2A and 2B. These figures illustrate and describe the optical arrangement of the ophthalmic projection system 100 according to some aspects of the invention. Particularly shown in these figures are an exemplary arrangement of the inventive projection optical system 130 according to the invention and its actuation in the two different line of sight directions β ₀ and β ₁ of the eye (light function F ′ _opt ).

In this embodiment, the ophthalmic projection optics 130 includes a gaze tracking deflector module 132 and an angular beam relay module 134. The eye tracking deflector module 132 follows the direction β of the line of sight of the eye (ie according to the direction of the line of sight of the eye and the position of the pupil in different directions of the line of sight). Are adapted to deflect towards the eye. The angle beam relay module 134 relays the beam output from the image scanner 118 at the output projection angle α _scn and directs it to be incident on the user's eye pupil EP at an appropriate pupil incident angle α _in It is an optical system comprised.

  As shown, the input beam ILB is generated by the light source 112 and its intensity and possibly its spectral content is also adjusted (modulated according to the data of one or more pixels in the image 12 / Weakened). For this purpose, the image generator 116, which for example comprises one or more intensity modulators 117 in the light path of the light beam ILB, is manipulated according to pixel data in order to control the intensity and / or the color content of the pixel image. The light beam then travels to the image scanner 118.

In this example, the image scanner 118 includes one or more scanning mirrors SM, which perform a scanning / raster scan of the light beam (for example by rotating the mirror), while the light beam is an image It is deflected to propagate over a range of projection angles α _scn (measured with respect to the general light path GPP), where typically the respective projection angles correspond to the pixels of the image 12 projected onto the retina. The scanning / raster scanning mirror / deflector may be mechanically coupled to any suitable technology, for example utilizing an electro-optical deflector and / or to a suitable actuator such as a piezoelectric actuator or other type of actuator A mirror such as a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) mirror may be implemented that mirrors the light beam from the light module 114 to perform an image / raster scan of the light beam over a range of projection angles α _scn Make it possible to As mentioned above, the image projection angle α _scn may indicate a two-dimensional value {α ^X _scn α ^Y _scn } corresponding to horizontal and vertical image projection angles. For example, the angles {α ^X _scn α ^{Y S} _c n} may be two horizontal axes X and Y orthogonal to the general light propagation path GPP and the general light propagation path GPP and the general light propagation path GPP, respectively. It can correspond to the angle between the projection of a ray on one plane. In this regard, in FIGS. 2A and 2B, only one scanning mirror SM (eg, fast scan mirror) is described for clarity only (eg, gimbaled for rotation in two dimensions / axis) However, in other aspects of the invention, more than one mirror / deflector may be used to deflect the light beam at the two-dimensional image projection angle α _scn (ie {α ^X _scn α ^Y _scn }) Should be understood.

Two ray portions LB1 and LB2 which deflect from the image scanner at two different image projection angles α _scn1 and α _scn2 are illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The propagation of these rays through the ophthalmic projection optics 130 is illustrated and described in the drawings. The angular beam relay module 134 includes two or more light modules, here first and second light modules 134A and 134B, which are arranged along the light path from the image scanner to the eye and for image projection A pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the angle α _scn (α _scn1 and α _scn2 ), configured here to direct the ray to be projected onto the pupil at α _in1 and α _in2 of the rays LB1 and LB2 respectively . This involves utilizing first and second light modules 134A and 134B (respectively associated with first and second focal lengths) having light intensities, and first and second light modules 134A and By spacing 134B apart along the optical path of light LB1 and LB2 propagating from the image scanner to the pupil by an optical distance that is substantially equal to the first and second focal lengths, This is achieved by certain aspects of the present invention. To this end, the angular ray relay 134 has a monotonic functional relationship between the image projection angle α _{scn at} which the ray portions (eg LB1 and LB2) are deflected from the image scanner and the pupil incidence angle α _{scn at} which they collide with the pupil provide. This provides for directed imaging to the retina of the eye. In another aspect of the present invention, the same functional operation of the angle beam relay module 134 can be achieved by utilizing / including an additional light module in the angle beam relay 134, which is in the light path. It should be noted that the light intensity (focal length) and the arrangement may have different relationships. Those skilled in the art will immediately understand how to implement such an angle beam relay module using the configurations illustrated or different configurations. It should also be noted that the light modules (eg, 134A and 134B) of the angular ray relay 134 may include one or more optical elements, which may be functional elements coupled with other optical elements of the system 100. is there.

The eye tracking deflector module 132 is connectable to the eye tracking controller 120 to receive therefrom signals / data indicative of the eye direction β of the eye. The eye tracking deflector module 132 and the optical path for the light beam LB are deflected according to the signal / data (for example, the operation signal) from the eye tracking controller 120, and the eye projection optical system is It is operable to change / adjust the light function F ' _opt of 130. As described above, the eye tracking controller 120 completely changes the direction β of the eye's line of sight from the direction of the nominal line of sight (indicated by 0 ° β-Ref in the drawing) (equation (2)) or It may be configured and operable according to equation (2) or (4) to control the gaze tracking deflector 132 state (deflection operation / direction) to compensate at least partially (equation (4)) . In the latter case, additional or complementary compensation may be provided by the image scan function S 'as described above and will be discussed in more detail below.

FIGS. 2A and 2B respectively show schematic representations of the light paths of the two beams LB1 and LB2 corresponding to two different pixels of the image 12. FIG. Figures 2A and 2B illustrate the operation of the system 100, in particular its eye-tracking deflector module 132 in each of the two different line-of-sight conditions / directions β ₀ and β ₁ of the eye. As explained, in different gaze states β ₀ and β ₁ , the pupil is the pupil when the eyes look at two different eye gazes LOS ₀ and LOS ₁ in different directions as well as in different gaze directions Are arranged at two different pupil positions PL ₀ and PL ₁ respectively on a virtual surface S (which is part of the virtual surface substantially on a spherical surface) defining possible positions of According to some aspects of the invention, the gaze tracking deflector module 132 is adapted to compensate for both changes in pupil position and changes in eye gaze associated with different gaze directions. Include one or more optical elements / optical modules.

For example, as described in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the gaze tracking deflector module 132 includes an adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A (eg, an addressable gaze tracking mirror) and a field selector. The light modules 132B are included, which when viewed in different directions, are light beams LB (e.g. LB1 in the figure) of different image pixels so as to intersect the respective pupil positions (LP ₀ and LP ₁ in the figure). And LB2), and also with respect to the line of sight LOS such that the incident angle α _in remains fixed with respect to the eye line of sight LOS and remains invariant to changes in the direction of the eye / pupil line of sight LOS ( here, LOS ₀ and LOS ₁ are two different corresponding to the direction of the line of sight) pupil incident angle of the light beam LB alpha _in (here in the pupil Each is configured together to adjust the alpha _in1 and alpha _in2) of LB1 and LB2 and operational.

  The adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A responds to the input signal indicating the direction of the line of sight (or the signal indicating the address / orientation angle of the deflector 132A corresponding to the direction β of the line of sight) It is addressable in the sense that it is operable / shiftable to adjust its orientation / deflection angle respectively so as to deflect the light beam LB to propagate along the respective light path corresponding to β. The field selector light module 132B receives the light beam LB of light propagating along the various respective light paths corresponding to different line of sight directions, and the appropriate angle of incidence to the corresponding pupil position in the respective line of sight directions Are configured and operable to direct them to be incident on the pupil.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A is along the entire light propagation path GPP of the path of the light beam LB (eg LB1 and LB2) from the image scanner 118. Are disposed between the first and second light modules 134A and 134B of the angle beam relay module. The field selector light module 132B of the eye tracking deflector module 132 may be disposed along the light path GPP downstream of the adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A with respect to the light propagation direction. Field selector light module 132B may be located either before or after second light module 134B of angle beam relay 134 and / or of field selector 132B and second light module 134B of angle beam relay 134. It can be integrated into an integral optical component to perform both functions. Field selector light module 132B may include non-spherical lenses and / or mirrors. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the field selector light module 132B is implemented with a set of two lenses arranged to receive the rays from the addressable light deflector 132A for eye tracking and to direct them to the pupil Ru. However, as described further in the example of FIG. 5, the field selector may be implemented as a reflective / semi-reflective-beam-splitting surface / coating. For example, it may include an off-axis parabolic deflector, which may be associated with the spectacle lens of the glasses implementing the system 100 of the present invention.

According to some aspects of the invention, the image is projected directly to a specific / fixed position on the retina without placing any adjustable / movable optics in the user's field of view in front of the eye Should be noted. For this purpose, the addressable light deflector 132A for eye tracking and also the image scanner mirror SM may comprise an angled beam relay module (fixed optical elements, but the light from the image projection system may be While it may be configured to be oriented, it may be located in an area away from the eye of the user and away from the eye.

The two rays (ie, ray portions) LB1 and LB2 described in FIG. 2B relate to the projection of the two respective pixels P1 and P2 of the image 12 on the retina. Image projection controller 112 operates image generator 116 to receive image data 12 and generate light beams LB1 and LB2 at appropriate intensities (eg, and color content) corresponding to the data of respective pixels P1 and P2 , To operate the image scanner 118 to direct / deflect each light beam LB1 and LB2 to the appropriate respective image projection angle (α _scn1 and α _scn2 ) associated with the position of each pixel P1 and P2 in the image 12 Can be adapted to For this reason, the eye projection optical system 130 obtains data indicating the direction β of the line of sight from the controller 120, and is appropriate with respect to the axis / direction of the line of sight of the eye (LOS ₀ and LOS ₁ in FIGS. Rays LB1 and LB2 such that they enter the pupil at various pupil positions (PL ₀ and PL ₁ in FIGS. 2A and 2B, respectively) and at appropriate pupil incidence angles (α _in1 and α _in2 of rays LB1 and LB2, respectively) The angular position / deflection of the eye tracking deflector module 132 is adjusted to relay each of the In the description of FIGS. 2A and 2B, similar rays LB1 and LB2 are described and are deflected by the image scanner to similar respective projection angles (α _scn1 and α _scn2 ). Direction beta ₀ and beta ₁ line of sight of the eye is different in FIGS. 2A and 2B, therefore, the angular position of the addressable mirrors / deflector 134A are each pupil in the appropriate angle of incidence alpha _in1 and alpha _in2 Are adjusted to direct the light beam to the position of the pupil. Although not shown in particular in the figures, the incident angles α _in1 and α _in2 of the rays with respect to the pupil lines of view LOS ₀ and LOS ₁ are similar in both figures and the respective image pixels P1 and P2 associated with these rays Corresponding to the position of.

  In the drawing, the rays LB1 and LB2 are described together, but it should be understood that they do not necessarily co-exist / do not project together. In fact, in the embodiment of the present invention, such as FIGS. 1 and 2A and 2B, where typically an image scanner is used, each ray is typically located at a specific position of the scanning mirror / deflector SM of the image scanner 118 , And thus the rays LB1 and LB2 do not co-exist.

It should be noted that, for certain aspects of the present invention, there may be significant advantages of utilizing the scanning projection system described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2 above. This can in particular make use of such a scanning projection system for small applications provide a projection of the image onto the retina with better image quality than what can be achieved when the area projection system is used (Eg, as disclosed in FIGS. 2C and 2D). Thus, the scanning projection system may be smaller than the corresponding area projection system. Also, utilizing the scanning projection system (where the image is projected to the eye by utilizing a laser beam to project pixels at one time) does not provide crosstalk between adjacent pixels. Additionally, the pixel size, ie the width of the ray portion (eg LB1 or LB2) associated with each particular pixel projection, is substantially more than what can be achieved when using aerial image projection techniques in small systems Wide (typically one or more orders of magnitude). Thus, the optical module of the ophthalmic projection optical system 130, and in particular the optical module of the angular beam relay module 134, may be configured with a smaller numerical aperture, and thus may be associated with smaller optical aberrations, and a good modulation transfer function (MTF) It can provide high quality image relaying to the eye. This facilitates the use of a compact image projection system to project an image on the retina of the eye with improved dynamic range, high image contrast, high resolution and high brightness.
Additionally, utilizing scanning projection in small applications may also reduce and / or completely eliminate diffraction artifacts that may be produced by small aerial projection systems due to the significantly smaller pixel size that is subsequently degraded.

  However, it should also be noted that, according to some aspects of the present invention, aerial image projection systems may be used instead of scanning image projections, particularly for non-miniature systems. Thus, instead of the scanning mirror / deflector SM, the image scanner 118 may be adapted to simultaneously modulate and direct multiple beams associated with multiple pixels, such as a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (SLM) may be included.

Reference is made to FIGS. 2C and 2D. These figures show the optical arrangement of the projection system 100 according to another aspect of the invention, in which some or all of the rays associated with the image pixels (e.g., in the figures, pixels P1 and P2) Relevant rays LB1 and LB2 are simultaneously generated and _directed at the same time at the respective projection angles (α _scn1 and α _scn2 ) to the _ophthalmic projection optical system 130. The _ophthalmic projection optical system 130 is on the retina of the eye. _Project rays at the respective projection angles (α _scn1 and α _scn2 ) onto the pupil at corresponding pupil incident angles (α _in1 and α _in2 ) to generate / project the image 12. In the system 100 in FIGS. The configuration is depicted in FIGS. 2A and 2B, with the exception that a plurality of rays, here corresponding to a plurality of image pixels, are simultaneously directed to the pupil and described in detail above. Similar to that described in the foregoing, the image generator 116 may, for example, include one or more spatial light / intensity modulators SLMs in the light path of the light beam ILB, which differ from the input light beam ILB. It is possible to independently modulate the intensity of different spatial portions, for example, instead of or in addition to the intensity modulator IM described in FIGS. 2A and 2B, here the SLM relates to different pixels The image scanner 118 then includes a light module, which receives the light beam output from the SLM, and the light beam part is adapted to receive the respective light beam components. Direct each portion (eg, light ray / light ray portions LB1 and LB2) to propagate toward the ophthalmic projection optical system 130 at an appropriate projection angle corresponding to the pixel Rukoto is possible.

For example, in some aspects of the invention, the SLM may include, for example, a liquid crystal intensity modulator, which is divided into a matrix of cells, each of which is associated with a different image pixel. It relates to the control of intensity attenuation and / or color content of one of them (eg, one of LB1 and LB2). Optionally, the optical liquid crystal intensity modulator receives the light beams (eg, LB1 and LB2) output therefrom and outputs them at corresponding image projection angles (eg, α _scn1 and α _scn2 for eye tracking light module 130) The matrix of micro lens arrays may be arranged to direct the

Thus, instead of an image raster scan mirror such as the SM mirror of FIGS. 2A and 2B, a static light module may be used here. For example, the micro-lens array MLA can be placed in the light path of the SLM and can be configured to direct pixel related rays emanating from each cell in the SLM to an appropriate projection angle. A spatial light modulator SLM is disposed in the optical path of the input beam ILB and is adapted to receive the input beam and ILB and generate therefrom a plurality of beams (eg LB1 and LB2), the intensities of the beams (and In some cases also the color content) corresponds to these values in the respective image pixels (e.g. P1 and P2) of the image 12. The static light module of the image scanner 118, illustrated here as MLA, receives a plurality of rays from the image generator 116 (from the SLM), which are output at respective output angles (each in the image 12 above) It is configured and operable to point to the position of the pixels of the image (P1 and P2) and the image projection angles (eg, α _scn1 and α _scn2 ) associated with their designated positions of projection onto the retina. Therefore, as in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, also in the embodiments of FIGS. 2C and 2D, the ophthalmic projection optical system 130 is positioned at the appropriate position of the pupil (PL ₀ and PL in FIGS. 2C and 2D respectively. _1), suitable pupil incident angle (respectively in alpha _in1 and alpha _in2) of beam LB1 and LB2, respectively so as to enter the pupil Relay lines (LB1 and LB2) Thus, in the embodiment of Figures 2C and 2D, multiple light rays associated with different image pixels are simultaneously generated using the SLM to generate a static light module such as MLA. It is directed to the eye projection optical system 130.

In the configurations of FIGS. 2C and 2D, the gaze tracking light module 130 projects the addressable light deflector 132A for gaze tracking operation and angular deflection position / state based on the gaze direction β, onto the retina It is configured to be independent of the particular pixel being Thus, in such an aspect, multiple pixels may be projected onto the retina simultaneously. It should be understood that this requirement is not necessary in the optical arrangement of the system (as in the arrangements of FIGS. 2A and 2B) where pixel related rays are not simultaneously projected to the eye. In such a case, the angular deflection position / state of the gaze-tracking addressable light deflector 132A is incident on the gaze-tracking addressable light deflector 132A at the gaze direction β and at any particular time. It may be determined based on both a particular pixel (eg, a particular projection angle α _scn1 ) of a ray (eg, LB1).

Thus, illustrated in FIGS. 2A-2D are optical arrangements and operations of the ophthalmic projection system 100 configured in accordance with an aspect of the invention for projecting an image onto the retina of the eye. The ophthalmic projection system comprises a light module 114 and an image generator 116 for producing a controllable input beam ILB, and an optical system OS arranged in the path of the input beam. The optical system includes first and second two-dimensional light deflectors. The first light deflector is associated with the image scanner 118 and is configured to perform an image / raster scan of the light beam LB to divide the light beam into temporal parts / Mirror SM (eg, fast scan mirror), or may be implemented as an MLA or MMA module configured to split the beam into spatial parts. The image scanner 118 is configured to deflect the spatial and / or temporal portions of light towards different projection angles associated with different respective image pixels. The second light deflector, which is an adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A, is associated with the eye tracking deflector module 132 and is addressable for tracking the position of the pupil in different viewing conditions. It can be implemented as a mirror. The adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A may be implemented utilizing any suitable technique, for example, it may include an electro-optical deflector and a MEMS mirror that can be actuated. It should be noted that, typically, the eye tracking deflector module 132 is configured and operable to compensate for the change {β ^X β ^Y } in two dimensions in the direction β of the line of sight. Thus, the adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A is typically implemented utilizing at least one light deflector, which may be actuated to provide a particular two-dimensional optical path. It is addressable at different angular orientations across solid angles (e.g., conical solid angles). Alternatively or additionally, the adjustable / addressable light deflector 132A may be implemented utilizing two or more mirrors that are rotatable relative to the light path about two or more different transverse axes.

The eye tracking controller 120 and the image projection controller 112 may be implemented by one control module / unit or by two or more separate control units. As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the controller controls the operation of the eye-tracking deflector 132A in an analog or suitable manner using appropriate analog circuitry, and an image generator. Preferably soft / hard coded to generate 136 functions and possibly also to control the operation of the image scanner 118 to generate rays of appropriate intensity and to direct them to an appropriate image projection angle according to the image data The present invention can be implemented digitally using a memory / storage module that stores computer readable / executable instructions. To this end, the controller receives data indicative of the image 12 projected onto the retina of the eye and data indicative of the direction β of the line of sight of the eye, and operates the following method 200 to project each pixel of the image By performing, it is adapted to project the pixels of the image to the corresponding position of the retina.

  As mentioned above, according to some aspects of the present invention, the ophthalmic projection system 100 can be adapted to direct substantially parallel light rays to the pupil, and the eye sets these rays to an infinite distance from the eye. It is to be recognized as originating from an imaging surface placed and placed. Thus, in some variations of the invention, light module 114 may be adapted to provide coherent light, and may include, for example, one or more lasers to generate input beam ILB.

  Additionally or alternatively, system 100 may include one or more beam collimators BC, which are disposed along the optical path of the beam (eg, ILB and / or LB). It may include an optical element. For example, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, a beam collimator BC is provided in the optical path of the input beam ILB. Alternatively or additionally, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2C and 2D, one or more beam collimators BC are depicted in the path of the light beam LB propagating from the image scanner 118 towards the line of sight light module 130.

  According to some aspects of the invention, the beam collimator is adapted to control the parallelism of the beam LB incident on the pupil. In particular, in a particular aspect, the beam collimator is adapted and operable to collimate the beam LB so that it is substantially parallel when it is incident on the pupil. Thus, the eye recognizes the image projected onto the retina as arising from an infinitely distant imaging plane. This alleviates the requirement of focusing from the lens of the eye, and thus eyestrain and / or may be related to projecting the image perceived to be placed at a finite distance from the eye. Or allow for direct projection of the image to the retina while providing headache relief.

  Alternatively or additionally, the beam collimator BC or other light module of system 100 may be configured and operable to adjust the width of beam LB incident on the pupil. In many cases, at the position of the pupil, it may be desirable for the width of the ray to be substantially narrower than the diameter of the pupil. This provides for extending the depth of field (depth of focus) of the image projection onto the retina, thus an alternative or additional method to reduce eyestrain associated with the lens focus of the eye I will provide a. In this connection, this option of using a narrow beam width to extend the depth of field of the image projection onto the retina is used to reduce eyestrain, even in the case where the beams directed to the pupil are not parallel It should be understood that it can be done.

Please refer to FIG. The figure is a flow chart 200 illustrating a method according to the invention for projecting an image onto the retina of the eye. The method may be implemented by one or more controllers of the projection system 100 configured in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Acts 210-250 are generally performed for each pixel {P _i } in image 12. These operations may be performed sequentially on a pixel-by-pixel basis when operating in image scanning mode according to the arrangement of FIGS. 2A and 2B in which image pixels are projected in succession. Alternatively or additionally, these actuations may be performed in the manner as in FIGS. 2C and 2D in which the image is simultaneously projected to the retina (eg, the intensity and special / angular distribution of rays associated with different image pixels In the embodiment simultaneously managed by the SLM of the scanner 118 and a suitably configured light module (such as MLA), it may be performed simultaneously for all or multiple pixels.

  In act 210, data indicative of the direction of eye gaze β of the eye is obtained from the gaze tracking module, which is configured and operable to determine the direction of eye gaze.

At act 220, the projection angle of the image scanner 118 is determined. In this regard, if the image scanner 118 includes a scanning mirror / deflector configured and operative to perform an image / raster scan, the instantaneous projection angle α _scn (eg, α ^x _scn , α ^Y _scn ) Can be acquired / decided. Alternatively, if the image scanner is configured to apply spatial modulation to the input beam ILB (in order to apply different intensity / color modulation to the spatial portion of the input beam ILB associated with different pixels) A projection angle α _scn is obtained, which is the output angle from each particular spatial cell of the SLM.

Actuation 230 is performed to also determine the intensity and possibly the color content of the image pixel Pi to be projected onto the retina via the respective projection angle α _scn . Thus, at 232, an image mapping such as S 'or S as discussed above with reference to equations (1), (3) and (4) above may be used. Image mapping S 'or S may be implemented as associated with a position of the corresponding pixel P _i or pixel in the input image 12 the respective projection angles alpha _scn, function or reference data table (LUTs). As described above with reference to equations (3) and (4), the image mapping S ′ can be used to partially or completely compensate for changes in the gaze direction β.

In such case, the image mapping S ′ may associate each particular line of sight direction β and a particular projection angle α _scn with the corresponding pixel Pi in the image. As mentioned above, the use of the image mapping S 'to compensate for different gaze directions requires the projection of rays to the eye wider than the diameter of the pupil, which can be achieved thereby the field of the image projection onto the retina It may be less desirable in certain implementations of the system to compromise depth. Additionally, ray propagation to the eye (to cover the angular range line of sight LOS which requires the eye to have a solid angle of about Ω = -60 °) The use of this technique may be limited to partial compensation of the viewing direction β, as it is necessary to support an expanded angular range of This, on the one hand, requires complex optics that may not be feasible in some systems, while on the other hand, it may be wasteful with respect to SLM real-estate in the manner in which SLM is used, or MLA Or with regard to the angular resolution of the scan / steering mirror, it may be wasteful if any one of these is used in the image generator 116. For this reason, in a particular embodiment of the invention, in order to completely compensate the angle β of the direction of the comprehensive line of sight, or to compensate most of the direction of the line of sight by the compensation angles β ₁ to β An addressable light deflector 132A for the eye tracking of the eye tracking light module 130 in order to use the mapping function S 'to digitally fine tune the gaze direction compensation by β ₁ ) << β It is preferred to use. Thus, the fine adjustment compensation angle implemented digitally by the mapping S 'is limited in some aspects to β-β ₁ << ω, where ω is the eye when the line of sight is fixed. Indicates the solid angle of the field of view. This makes it possible to use a ray whose width is smaller than the diameter of the pupil, thus making it possible to achieve an image projection onto the retina at the depth of field of the image being stretched.

Thus, at 232, the pixel P _i associated with the projection angle specific projection angle α _scn utilizes a trivial image mapping function / LUT S that does not incur any compensation of the direction of the line of sight, or at least a partial line of sight direction It is determined by utilizing the compensated image mapping function / LUT S 'that leads to the compensation of. Thus, at 234, the value of pixel P _i is determined / obtained from image data 12. This may include only gray scale intensity values of the pixel and / or intensity values of the color of the pixel (e.g., RGB) when color image projection is desired.

Act 240 includes adjusting the intensity and / or color content of the input beam ILB or its respective portion according to the data of the corresponding pixel P _i determined at 230. In this regard, the aspect as described in FIGS. 2A and 2B (for each pixel, all input rays are manipulated by raster- or scan-mirrors of the image scanner 118 to an appropriate projection angle α _scn ) In, the intensity of the total input beam ILB and / or the intensity of each color portion of the total input beam ILB may be adjusted by utilizing the intensity modulator IM in the input path of the input beam ILB. This is shown in optional step 242A in the figure. Alternatively or additionally, in the embodiment as described in FIGS. 2C and 2C (wherein the SLM is used to split and separately control different spatial partial intensities of the input beam ILB), the projection angle α _scn The activation of the respective spatial cells of the corresponding image generator SLM can be controlled to adjust the spatial light intensity and / or the color content according to these values at the pixel Pi.

In operation 250, the deflection angle of the eye tracking deflector 132 directs the ray associated with the pixel Pi to be incident on the pupil at a pupil incident angle α _in corresponding to the desired position of that pixel on the retina, It is adjusted according to the direction β of the line of sight. In this connection, if the partial compensation of the direction of the line of sight is performed digitally via the image mapping function / LUT S ', the deflection angle of the eye tracking deflector 132 is of the line which is not digitally compensated. It may be adjusted to provide compensation for only the complementary part β _{1 of} direction β.

  Please refer to FIG. The figure schematically illustrates the configuration of the image projection system / module 110 according to a particular aspect of the invention. As mentioned above, the light module 114 may include one or more light source modules in different colors. In the embodiment described in FIG. 4, three color light modules LR, LB and LG, which may be red, green and blue lasers, are used to provide RGB light. It should be noted here that RGB light is used as an example only, and light sources / lasers corresponding to other light color palettes may also be used to project a colorful image on the retina.

  As described in a self-explanatory manner in FIG. 4, rays from the light modules LR, LB and LG are to propagate along appropriate ray splitter couplers and possibly a common overall propagation axis GPP. Coupled with the beam combiner optics COMP, which also includes optics for directing the light rays from the light modules LR, LB and LG. The one or more beam splitter couplers COMP may, for example, be arranged along the path of the colored beams output from the one or more colored light modules RL, BL and GL and to propagate them as a combined beam LB A spectral / polarizing beam splitter / combiner module may be included that is configured to combine the beams. The color content of the light beam LB to be combined is controlled by the image generation module 116. The latter may, for example, include separate intensity / power modulators IM (and / or separate SLMs) for each color. Typically, at least one intensity / power modulator IM (or SLM) is associated with each one of the color light sources / modules RL, BL and GL.

  The image generation module 116 (eg, by controllably reducing the intensity of the light output from the laser, or controlling the operation of the laser to adjust the color / spectral content of the combined light beam LB) 2.) can be configured and operable to control the intensity of each laser beam.

  Please refer to FIG. The figure shows in a self-explanatory manner a spectacles 500 arrangement, including an ophthalmic projection system 100 constructed and operative in accordance with an aspect of the present invention. Ophthalmic projection system 100 in this aspect includes an image projection system / module 110, which is generally provided to the handle / arm of glasses 500, as described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2B and FIG. Including modules configured and operable in a manner similar to that described in U.S. Pat.

The ophthalmic projection system 100 in this aspect also includes ophthalmic projection optics 130 similar to those described and described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2B. For this reason, the eye projection system 1
The functional operation and configuration of the modules 110 and 130 of 00, in this aspect, the final optical element from which light is projected to the pupil can be integrated / integrated into the spectacle lens while the ophthalmic projection system It should not be described in detail here, except to note that most of the 100 optical elements can be provided on the frame and / or handle of the glasses. To this end, an image or a series of video images can be projected directly to the eye.

  In this particular aspect, the ophthalmic projection system comprises a respective beam collimator BC, a beam combiner module COMB for combining the light therefrom for propagation along a common path and an image scanner for combined beams. It includes three light, R, G and B modules LR, LG and LB associated with the lens L-SM for pointing to the scanning mirror SM (118 in FIG. 1). The beam relay module 134 includes two lenses 134A and 134B, in the light path between which an addressable light deflector 132A for eye tracking of the eye tracking light module 130 is arranged. In this example, the field selector light module 132B (in FIGS. 2A-2D) includes two optical elements 132B. 1 and 132B. 2 and one 132B. 1 is a lens disposed along the optical path after the addressable light deflector 132A for eye tracking, and the other 132B. 2 is a reflective surface mounted on the side or top of the lens of the glasses.

  In this regard, according to some aspects of the present invention, directing the image projection to the position of the pupil at an appropriate angle of incidence, as described herein, may be performed in front of the eye (eg, It should be noted that this is achieved without the use of movable / adjustable light modules / deflectors (in the field of view). This enhances the aesthetic appearance of the device and also facilitates its use by the user, as there are no moving / changing elements in the eye view. In particular, in this example, both the addressable light deflector 132A for eye tracking and the image scanning mirror SM are arranged on the arm of the spectacle frame. A folding mirror FM is used at the end of the frame / arm to direct the rays from the system 100 to the proper incidence on the pupil.

  In certain aspects of the invention, the glasses 500 may be configured and operable to project pure virtual reality and / or augmented virtual reality on one or both of the user's eyes. In the latter case, the spectacle lens is adapted to reflect light from the eye projection system 100 towards the user's eyes and to transmit external light from the outside scene towards the user's eyes Can include a coupler surface BSC. For example, in some aspects, light module 114 of system 110 may be configured to generate an input beam that includes one or more narrow spectral bands (eg, narrow RGB spectral bands) having a substantially narrow spectrum. . Then, the beam splitter surface of the spectacle lens arrives from the outside scene and transmits the light outside these narrow spectral bands, while directing one or more narrow spectral bands towards the user's eye It may be configured as a notch filter adapted to reflect. Alternatively or additionally, the beam / beam portion generated by the system 110 is polarized to a particular polarization beam, and the beam splitter coupler surface reflects the particular polarization beam towards the user's eye It can be configured as a polarizer that is adapted as such.

  It should be noted that although only one eye projection system 100 is depicted in the drawings, such a system can be provided to the glasses to project an image separately to each eye . In such a case, a common controller may be used to operate the image projection module 110 and the eye projection optics 130 of both systems. Also, the system can be operated to project stereoscopic images / motions to the user's eyes to generate 3D illusion.

Also, FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a gaze tracking module (20 of FIG. 1) configured and operative to determine the direction β of the gaze of the eye and provide data indicative thereof thereto Ru. The eye tracking module 20 may generally be configured and operable by any suitable technique known in the art.

  In this example, the eye tracking module comprises an infrared (IR) light emitter 21, which is provided on the bridge of the glasses, adapted to direct IR light IRB to the eye, and an eye tracking sensor 22, which is an IR sensor, arranged in the frame / arm of the glasses to detect the reflection of IR light IRB from the eye (eg from its pupil and / or cornea and / or retina) Be adapted. A controller (not shown) is adapted to process the pattern of reflected IR rays to determine the direction of the line of sight of the eye.

  Thus, the present invention provides a novel system and method for direct projection of image / video sequences onto the retina of the eye. Direct projection, for example, is configured and directed to direct the pixel-related ray portions associated with the pixels of the respective image to be incident on the eye pupil at the respective pupil incident angle corresponding to the position of the respective image pixel It can be implemented using a possible angle beam relay module. The angle beam relay module is thus used according to the invention to project an image directly onto the retina of the eye without forming an intermediate image plane at a finite distance outside the eye. In some cases, the ray sections are collimated upon incidence to the pupil. Thus, the image projected onto the retina is perceived by the eye as coming from an infinitely distant imaging plane. Alternatively or additionally, the image may be projected to the eye by ray partial rays having a width smaller than the diameter of the pupil. This provides an extended depth of focus of the image projection onto the retina. The features of the invention relating to the recognition of an image from an infinitely distant intermediate image plane or the extended focal depth of the image projection onto the retina are from the eye to the eye via an intermediate image plane located at a finite distance. It provides to reduce and sometimes completely eliminate eye confusion and fatigue associated with the direct projection of the image. Additionally, the above advantages of the present invention also track the direction of the eye / pupil line of sight, in order to project the image to a fixed position on the retina while the direction of the line of sight of the eye may change, while Can be achieved by compensating for the change in the direction of As noted above, this is configured in accordance with the present invention to direct the pixel-related ray portion to the position of the pupil at an appropriate pupil incidence angle with respect to the pupil / eye gaze in different gaze directions. This can be achieved using a line of sight deflection light module that can be adjusted according to direction.

Claims (30)

An ophthalmic projection system comprising an image generator and an ophthalmic projection light module,
The image generator obtains data indicative of an image, generates a plurality of ray portions corresponding to pixels of the image, and generates the intensity of each single ray portion of the plurality of ray portions into the respective single ray portion Adjustment according to the values of the corresponding pixels of the image, each single ray portion along the general light propagation path towards the ophthalmic projection light module with respect to the general light propagation path at the projection angle α _scn Adapted to be directed to propagate, wherein the projection angle α _scn is determined according to the position of the respective pixel in the image; and the projection light module for the eye is the line of sight of the user's eye And configured to deflect the general light propagation path of the plurality of ray portions towards the pupil of the user's eye according to the direction β of the line of sight in response to an input signal indicative of the direction β of Possible gaze tracking deflection The a; and wherein said overall light propagation path, the plurality of light beams portions, pupil incident angle corresponding to the projection angle alpha _scn respect the line of sight of the pupil related to the direction β of the line of sight alpha is deflected to be incident on the pupil in _in, by its directly projected regardless the image in the direction β of the line of sight of the eye in a substantially fixed position on the retina to the retina of the eye ,
Said eye projection system.   To provide collimation of the plurality of ray portions to be incident on the pupil while the plurality of ray portions are substantially parallel, thereby enabling direct projection of the image onto the retina The ophthalmic projection system according to claim 1, having one or more beam collimators adapted.   The ophthalmic projection system according to claim 2, wherein the direct projection of the image onto the retina is characterized by the image being recognized by the eye so that the image results from an infinite distance from the eye.   The width of the plurality of ray parts is provided such that the width is smaller than the diameter of the pupil, whereby it is adapted to enable projection of the image onto the retina with an extended depth of focus 4. An ophthalmic projection system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising one or more light modules.   An addressable light deflection unit in which the eye tracking deflector is disposed along the general light propagation path, and the light path downstream of the addressable light deflection unit with respect to the direction of light propagation through the system An ophthalmic projection system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a field selector light module arranged in.   The addressable light deflection unit is responsive to the input signal indicative of the direction β of the line of sight and deflects light rays incident thereon to propagate along a respective optical path corresponding to the direction β of the line of sight Are operable to adjust the deflection angle thereof; and the field selector light module receives and propagates light fluxes propagating along various respective light paths corresponding to different viewing directions .beta. 6. An eye projection system according to claim 5, configured and operative to point to a corresponding position of the pupil relative to the different direction of gaze β.   7. The ophthalmic projection system of claim 6, wherein the field selector light module comprises non-spherical optics. 8. The ophthalmic projection system of claim 7, wherein the field selector light module comprises an off-axis parabolic deflector. The ophthalmic projection light module further comprises an angle beam relay module, which receives from the image generator each single beam portion propagating at different projection angles α _scn and corresponding pupil incidence 9. An eye projection system according to any of the preceding claims, configured and operative to relay the plurality of ray sections to be projected onto the pupil at an angle [alpha] _in .   The angular beam relay module comprises first and second light modules respectively associated with first and second focal lengths, the first and second light modules comprising the first and second focal points 10. The ophthalmic projection system according to claim 9, wherein the ophthalmic light projection system is spaced apart from one another along the general light propagation path by an optical distance substantially equal to the sum of the distances.   11. An ophthalmic projection system according to claim 10, wherein the addressable light deflection unit is arranged along the light path between the first and second light modules of the angle beam relay module.   12. An ophthalmic projection system according to any of claims 10 to 11, wherein the second light module and the field selector light module of the angle beam relay are integrated in a common optical element. The correspondence between the projection angle α _scn and the pupil incident angle α _in , according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the pupil incident angle α _in is a monotonous function of the projection angle α _scn Eye projection system. The image generator
-Having a light module providing an input beam;
-Arranged in the light path of the input light ray, dividing the input light ray into one or more light ray parts and directing the one or more light ray parts to propagate at the projection angle α _scn with respect to the light propagation path With an image scanner that is adapted to;
A light intensity modulator disposed in the input light beam and at least one light path of the one or more input light beam portions and controllably adjusting the intensity of the one or more light beam portions; and Connectable to the light source module to obtain image data indicative of the image pixels to be projected onto the retina and to adjust the intensity of the single ray portion according to the values of the pixels of the image respectively corresponding to the plurality of ray portions An ophthalmic projection system according to any of the preceding claims, comprising a projection controller configured and operable to activate the light intensity modulator module. 15. The projection controller according to claim 14, wherein the projection controller is connectable to the image scanner and operable to direct the single ray portion to propagate at the projection angle α _scn with respect to the general light propagation path. Ophthalmic projection system as described in. The light intensity modulator comprises a spatial light modulator configured and operable to split the input light beam into the plurality of light beam portions propagating along distinct different light paths, and 16. An ophthalmic projection system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the image scanner comprises a static light module configured to deflect the plurality of beam portions towards different projection angles α _scn . The light intensity modulator is adapted to modulate the intensity of the input beam, and the image scanner splits the input beam into the plurality of light beam portions that are its temporal portion, with different angles α _scn 17. Ophthalmic projection system according to claims 14 to 16, comprising a scanning mirror which directs them to propagate towards. At least one scan adapted to receive the input beam, split it into the plurality of beam portions, and direct them to propagate towards the _ophthalmic projection light module at the projection angle α _scn 18. An ophthalmic projection system according to any of claims 14 to 17, comprising a light deflector. The at least one scanning light deflector is a first adjustable light deflector and the eye tracking deflector is a second adjustable light deflector, wherein the first and second light deflectors adjustable optical deflector, different plurality of light beams portions to incident at a desired pupil incident angle alpha _in relation to the eye line of sight in the direction β of the different gaze positions of the pupil in the direction β of the line of sight Control the two or more degrees of freedom of the propagation of the plurality of ray portions while directing the pupil incidence to correspond to the respective pixels of the image respectively associated with the plurality of ray portions. 19. The ophthalmic projection system according to claim 18, operative to adjust the angle [alpha] _in .   The second tunable light deflector propagates towards the pupil and is substantially spherical on a virtual surface defining a possible position of the pupil when the user's eyes look in different directions. 20. The ophthalmic projection system according to claim 19, configured and operable to control the crossing position of the plurality of light ray parts having a part of.   The first adjustable light deflector is configured to control the crossing angle of the plurality of light ray portions having a substantially spherical portion of the virtual surface defining the possible position of the pupil. 21. An ophthalmic projection system according to claim 19 or 20 and operable.   22. The ophthalmic projection system according to any one of claims 2 to 21, wherein the one or more beam collimators are adapted to control the parallelism of the single beam portion incident on the pupil.   23. The eye projection system of claim 22, wherein the one or more beam collimators are configured to be substantially parallel when the single beam portion is incident on the pupil.   23. The one or more beam collimators are configured such that the width of the single beam portion is substantially narrower than the diameter of the pupil when the single beam portion is incident on the pupil. Or the eye projection system according to 23.   Glasses having an eye projection system according to any of the preceding claims.   The eyepiece is configured to project increased virtual reality to the eye, and a lens of the glasses reflects light from the eye projection system towards the user's eyes and uses external light from an outside scene 26. The glasses according to claim 25, comprising a beam splitter / combiner surface adapted to transmit towards the eye of the person.   The input beam generated by the light module has one or more spectral bands, and the beam splitter / combiner surface reflects the one or more spectral bands towards the user's eye 27. The glasses according to claim 26, configured as a notch filter adapted to. The input beam generated by the light module is polarized with a particular polarization line, and the beam splitter / combiner surface reflects the particular polarization line towards the user's eye 28. The glasses according to claim 26 or 27, configured as a polarizer adapted.   26. The glasses according to claim 25, configured to project pure virtual reality. An eye projection system for projecting an image onto a user's retina, the eye projection system comprising:
Having a light module for producing an input beam having a controllable intensity;
Having an optical system disposed in the path of the input light beam, the optical system having first and second adjustable two-dimensional light deflectors; and projected onto the retina of the user's eye A controller adapted to receive data indicative of the image and data indicative of the direction β of the line of sight of the eye and adapted to project the pixels of the image at corresponding positions on the retina, wherein the projection comprises Implementing the following for the projection of each pixel of the image, said matter:
Activating the light module to generate the input beam having an intensity corresponding to the intensity value of the pixel in the image;
At least one of the first and second two-dimensional light deflectors by adjusting its deflection angle to direct the input beam according to the direction β of the line of sight to be incident on the pupil of the user's eye One possible to operate the; directing said input light beam to be incident on the pupil at the corresponding pupil incident angle alpha _in the position of the pixel in and the image, whereby the pixels in the image by the lens of the eye The first and second two-dimensional light deflectors by adjusting their deflection angles to enable focusing of the portion of the light beam associated with the pixel on the retina corresponding to the position of To activate at least one of
Said eye projection system.