Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a novel lens system having an entrance pupil at a location matching, or nearly matching, the eye's optical system entrance pupil. The described lens system is significantly thinner than a single-aperture lens with matched entrance pupil and is achieved by using an array of camera elements. Each camera element contains camera optics called “lenslets” and a sensor (e.g., an image or depth sensor), where a lenslet can include one or more lens elements (e.g., a compound lens). Individual camera elements can be arranged such that THEIR optical axes intersect at, or near, the eye's entrance pupil location. In addition, each camera element's field-of-view (FOV) corresponds to a small sector of a large FOV. The FOVs of adjacent camera elements can be non- or slightly-overlapping so that a wide-angle image can be formed by concatenation of the individual camera element images.

Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for using polarized light (e.g., infrared (IR) light) to improve eye-related functions such as iris recognition. An eye camera system includes one or more IR cameras that capture images of the user's eyes that are processed to perform iris recognition, gaze tracking, or other functions. At least one polarizing element may be located in the path of the light which is used to capture images of the user's eye. The user's eye may be illuminated by IR light emitted by one or more LEDs. At least one of the LEDs may be an LED with a polarizing filter. Instead or in addition, at least one polarizer may be located at the eye camera sensor, in the eye camera optics, or as or in an additional optical element located on the light path between the eye camera and the user's eye.

Abstract: A device for MR/VR systems that includes a two-dimensional array of cameras that capture images of respective portions of a scene. The cameras are positioned along a spherical surface so that the cameras have adjacent fields of view. The entrance pupils of the cameras are positioned at or near the user's eye while the cameras also form optimized images at the sensor. Methods for reducing the number of cameras in an array, as well as methods for reducing the number of pixels read from the array and processed by the pipeline, are also described.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes emitting light with modulating intensity from a plurality of light sources towards an eye of a user. The method includes receiving light intensity data indicative of an intensity of the plurality of glints reflected by the eye of the user in the form of a plurality of glints. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of the user based on the light intensity data. In one implementation, a method includes generating, using an event camera comprising a plurality of light sensors at a plurality of respective locations, a plurality of event messages, each of the plurality of event messages being generated in response to a particular light sensor detecting a change in intensity of light and indicating a particular location of the particular light sensor. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of a user based on the plurality of event messages.

Abstract: A device for MR/VR systems that includes a two-dimensional array of cameras that capture images of respective portions of a scene. The cameras are positioned along a spherical surface so that the cameras have adjacent fields of view. The entrance pupils of the cameras are positioned at or near the user’s eye while the cameras also form optimized images at the sensor. Methods for reducing the number of cameras in an array, as well as methods for reducing the number of pixels read from the array and processed by the pipeline, are also described.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes emitting light with modulating intensity from a plurality of light sources towards an eye of a user. The method includes receiving light intensity data indicative of an intensity of the plurality of glints reflected by the eye of the user in the form of a plurality of glints. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of the user based on the light intensity data. In one implementation, a method includes generating, using an event camera comprising a plurality of light sensors at a plurality of respective locations, a plurality of event messages, each of the plurality of event messages being generated in response to a particular light sensor detecting a change in intensity of light and indicating a particular location of the particular light sensor. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of a user based on the plurality of event messages.

Abstract: A device for MR/VR systems that includes a two-dimensional array of cameras that capture images of respective portions of a scene. The cameras are positioned along a spherical surface so that the cameras have adjacent fields of view. The entrance pupils of the cameras are positioned at or near the user's eye while the cameras also form optimized images at the sensor. Methods for reducing the number of cameras in an array, as well as methods for reducing the number of pixels read from the array and processed by the pipeline, are also described.

Abstract: In one implementation, an apparatus includes: a display to emit light in a first wavelength range; one or more light sources to emit light in a second wavelength range; a camera to detect the light in the second wavelength range; and an eyepiece to reflect and refract the light in the first wavelength range while passing, without substantial distortion, the light in the second wavelength range, wherein the eyepiece includes two lens halves separated by a retarder that changes light in the first wavelength range from a first polarization to a second polarization different from the first polarization.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a novel lens system having an entrance pupil at a location matching, or nearly matching, the eye's optical system entrance pupil. The described lens system is significantly thinner than a single-aperture lens with matched entrance pupil and is achieved by using an array of camera elements. Each camera element contains camera optics called “lenslets” and a sensor (e.g., an image or depth sensor), where a lenslet can include one or more lens elements (e.g., a compound lens). Individual camera elements can be arranged such that THEIR optical axes intersect at, or near, the eye's entrance pupil location. In addition, each camera element's field-of-view (FOV) corresponds to a small sector of a large FOV. The FOVs of adjacent camera elements can be non- or slightly-overlapping so that a wide-angle image can be formed by concatenation of the individual camera element images.

Abstract: In one implementation, an apparatus includes a display to emit light in a first wavelength range, a camera to detect light in a second wavelength range, an eyepiece to distort light in the first wavelength range, and one or more light sources, disposed between the eyepiece and the display, to emit light in the second wavelength range. In one implementation, an apparatus includes a display to emit light in a first wavelength range, one or more light sources to emit light in a second wavelength range, a camera to detect light in a second wavelength range, and an eyepiece to reflect and refract light in the first wavelength range while passing, without substantial distortion, light in the second wavelength range.

Abstract: A device for MR/VR systems that includes a two-dimensional array of cameras that capture images of respective portions of a scene. The cameras are positioned along a spherical surface so that the cameras have adjacent fields of view. The entrance pupils of the cameras are positioned at or near the user's eye while the cameras also form optimized images at the sensor. Methods for reducing the number of cameras in an array, as well as methods for reducing the number of pixels read from the array and processed by the pipeline, are also described.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes emitting light with modulating intensity from a plurality of light sources towards an eye of a user. The method includes receiving light intensity data indicative of an intensity of the plurality of glints reflected by the eye of the user in the form of a plurality of glints. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of the user based on the light intensity data. In one implementation, a method includes generating, using an event camera comprising a plurality of light sensors at a plurality of respective locations, a plurality of event messages, each of the plurality of event messages being generated in response to a particular light sensor detecting a change in intensity of light and indicating a particular location of the particular light sensor. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of a user based on the plurality of event messages.

Abstract: A scene camera system that includes two or more mirrors that reflect light from a respective portion of a field of view (FOV) in front of the system and two or more cameras that each capture the light reflected by a respective one of the two or more mirrors. By using the mirrors to reflect the light, the cameras' entrance pupils are imaged to a location closer to a user's eyes to thus achieve a more accurate representation of the perspective of the user.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes emitting light with modulating intensity from a plurality of light sources towards an eye of a user. The method includes receiving light intensity data indicative of an intensity of the plurality of glints reflected by the eye of the user in the form of a plurality of glints and determining an eye tracking characteristic of the user based on the light intensity data. In one implementation, a method includes generating, using an event camera comprising a plurality of light sensors at a plurality of respective locations, a plurality of event messages, each of the plurality of event messages being generated in response to a particular light sensor detecting a change in intensity of light and indicating a particular location of the particular light sensor. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of a user based on the plurality of event messages.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a novel lens system having an entrance pupil at a location matching, or nearly matching, the eye's optical system entrance pupil. The described lens system is significantly thinner than a single-aperture lens with matched entrance pupil and is achieved by using an array of camera elements. Each camera element contains camera optics called “lenslets” and a sensor (e.g., an image or depth sensor), where a lenslet can include one or more lens elements (e.g., a compound lens). Individual camera elements can be arranged such that THEIR optical axes intersect at, or near, the eye's entrance pupil location. In addition, each camera element's field-of-view (FOV) corresponds to a small sector of a large FOV. The FOVs of adjacent camera elements can be non- or slightly-overlapping so that a wide-angle image can be formed by concatenation of the individual camera element images.

Abstract: An eye tracking system for detecting position and movements of a user's eyes in a head-mounted display (HMD). The eye tracking system may include at least one near-IR (NIR) eye tracking camera positioned at each side of the user's face and pointed towards eye-facing surfaces of eyepieces of the HMD, an illumination source that emits NIR light towards the user's eyes, and hot mirrors located between the eye-facing surfaces of the eyepieces and the user's eyes. The hot mirrors reflect at least a portion of NIR light, while allowing visible light to pass. The cameras capture images of the user's eyes reflected by the hot mirrors. Positioning the hot mirrors at or near the eye-facing surfaces of the eyepieces allows the cameras to be placed at the sides of the user's face without having to image through the eyepieces.

Abstract: In one implementation, a method includes emitting light with modulating intensity from a plurality of light sources towards an eye of a user. The method includes receiving light intensity data indicative of an intensity of the plurality of glints reflected by the eye of the user in the form of a plurality of glints and determining an eye tracking characteristic of the user based on the light intensity data. In one implementation, a method includes generating, using an event camera comprising a plurality of light sensors at a plurality of respective locations, a plurality of event messages, each of the plurality of event messages being generated in response to a particular light sensor detecting a change in intensity of light and indicating a particular location of the particular light sensor. The method includes determining an eye tracking characteristic of a user based on the plurality of event messages.

Abstract: A head-mounted display may include a display system and an optical system in a housing. The display system may have displays that produce images. Positioners may be used to move the displays relative to the eye positions of a user's eyes. An adjustable optical system may include tunable lenses such as tunable cylindrical liquid crystal lenses. The displays may be viewed through the lenses when the user's eyes are at the eye positions. A sensor may be incorporated into the head-mounted display to measure refractive errors in the user's eyes. The sensor may include waveguides and volume holograms, and a camera for gathering light that has reflected from the retinas of the user's eyes. Viewing comfort may be enhanced by adjusting display positions relative to the eye positions and/or by adjusting lens settings based on the content being presented on the display and/or measured refractive errors.